can you boot from flash disk on usb 2 with the CD Image

[bin_aries]

With the increase of flash disk tech is it possible to boot from a flash stick, and save settings dynamically to it?

Thank you

[Harry Kuhman]

It can be done, but most BIOS don't support it. Even my HP notebook bios which has "boot from USB drive" right in the modest list of bios boot options does not do it properly.

I'm not sure of how to exactly build the Knoppix flash drive, but a Knoppix derived distro, Damn Small Linux (http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/) now has an installer that will make the flash image for you. And it only needs a 64 meg flash device. I would suggest that you try making a DSL flash device to find out if your hardware will really support it before you try getting Knoppix onto a flash device (and you may learn a lot about how the flash device needs to be structured in the process). Use the link above to get started.

[ruymbeke]

With the increase of flash disk tech is it possible to boot from a flash stick, and save settings dynamically to it? Thank you
Have a look in here: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=93758#93758
Hope this helps,
Gilles

PS: I wonder why Harry never mention my link and solution...

[Harry Kuhman]

PS: I wonder why Harry never mention my link and solution...
I had forgotten all about it. I had seen it in the past but since I didn't have a flash device large enough for Knoppix and I had determined my target computer wasn't going to boot from flash, I just didn't get to use it and without reinforcement it was forgotten. Sorry.

[Zrebel]

To install Knoppix 5.0.1 on a 1G usb pendrive *for testing* you do the following.

1. stick the device into the computer and hit the power button (note: the computer should be off before attemping this first step)
2. boot knoppix and download knoppix 5.0.1 image and syslinux-3.11 to a storage device, not the usb stick.
3. uncompress syslinux-3.11.
4. open root console and goto syslinux folder, type ./mkdiskimage -4 /dev/sd? 0 64 32 (where ?=your flash device. *all data is now gone*)
5. reboot (or if you know of someway of updating the system without reboot, do so... I don't)
{you should now have a /dev/sd?4 device.}
6. open console and make a new dir on / called... knoppix1 or whatever.
7. type mount -o loop /path/to/knoppix/image.iso /knoppix1
8. mount your device.
9. copy the knoppix folder now found in /knoppix,1 too your device.
10. copy the boot folder in /knoppix1.
11. move all the files *except isolinux.bin, delete it* from /boot/isolinux to /.
12. rename the isolinux.cfg file you just moved to syslinux.cfg.
13. edit the syslinux.cfg file: add the following to the first line starting with APPEND under DEFAULT linux; fromhd=/dev/sd?4 noeject noprompt.
14. goto /syslinux-3.11/unix folder.
15. type ./syslinux /dev/sd?4.
16. restart machine.
17. change the bios to boot off usb device and your done.

I'm wondering if having usb modules in minirt would speed up the initial boot process, something to try for later.

I also add nofirewire to APPEND as well because i have a port but no device so boot is a sec or two quicker. you might also want to add home=/dev/? where ?=your storage device for your persistent home.

As far as dynamic storage on the device itself. I tried partitioning 820 for the system image and 150 or so for a persistent home then I passed /dev/sda1 to mkdiskimage. The program started and stopped without error... but all it did was delete the partition. Here is what needs to happen. in the syslinux folder is a readme for usb pendrives, it says Bios is where the problem. untill the fix we must use mkdiskimage. Ideal solution whould be to create a empty home.img when you copy the system over and then have the boot scripts access and load the .img as rw. I don't know enough yet to be messing with the boot scripts and it takes forever to copy the system to disk. Update: looks like the device itself is mounted as read only which is great for security but the home .img on the same device is a risk.

I read a thread somewhere else that mkdiskimage doesn't work with 2G pendrives... could be the fat16 fs.

If you have asus a8v board your sound card will not be detected, you will need to type alsaconf. When I try to use the realtek driver it fails to find the sound device... the driver in use is very different, i don't think i like it.

after a slow initial boot, kde and all the software runs lighting fast, are highly responecive and stable, almost like the toram option. If you cannot afford 1G of ram then this is the best route for performance. As far as security goes... the system is now on a writeable media, I dont know if i like that. on a cd-r it is not going to change.

Hope this helps, I had lots of fun doing it and now it's easy to show off knoppix to my friends because it's on my keychain! too cool.