ISO boot from FAT/NTFS/USB (GRUB.exe, grldr from boot.ini)

[ruymbeke]

PS: it looks like that I still have a bug with Knoppix 5.0 (No welcome voice & I cannot open a terminal...)

The stupid bug is now fixed (I was still using the old 4.02 knoppix-autoconfig file).
BTW, the new 5.00 knoppix-autoconfig file still has the bug preventing the use of ext2 partitions.
I have it fixed in the new http://s94002264.onlinehome.us/grub/minirt_usb5.gz
This initrd has to be used with the Knoppix 5.0 CEBIT edition: KNOPPIX_V5.0DVD-2006-02-25-DE.iso
(since it was buggy, I have overwriten the old minirt_usb5.gz with the new working one)
Cheers,
Gilles

[ruymbeke]

Please find below the link to a zip file with the kernel and a menu.lst sample:
http://s94002264.onlinehome.us/grub/kno500.zip
Cheers, Gilles

FYI, the minirt_usb5.gz boot ramdisk includes the ext2 bug fix and the custom (fixed or dynamic) hostname add-on:
Cheatcodes: "hostname=myname" or "hostname=auto-clock" (date+time) or "hostname=auto-mac" (eth0 mac address)

[malaire]

Please find below the link to a zip file with the kernel and a menu.lst sample:
http://s94002264.onlinehome.us/grub/kno500.zip
Cheers, Gilles

Hello, you said on debian-knoppix list that this can be used to "boot knoppix from the iso file on the hdd", but it's not working on me.

title Knoppix 5.0.0 CEBIT DVD
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.500/linux ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hdb2/DVD5CEBIT.iso noprompt dma
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.500/minirt_usb5.gz
boot

When booting, it finds /dev/hdb1/KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX (this is from 4.0.2 CD) and loads it.
Then it gives few errors "could not load /lib/modules/2.6.15/modules.dep" because these isn't such a file.
Then I get error "DVD5CEBIT.iso is not mountable" (likely because it couldn't load proper modules)
In the end this starts old Knoppix 4.0.2 and not the DVD5CEBIT.iso which it should've started.

Am I doing something wrong here?

!!! UPDATE !!!
This works if I rename /dev/hdb1/KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX to /dev/hdb1/KNOPPIX4/KNOPPIX

[poor_mans_knoppix]

Hi Gilles,
I saw your thread in the news - section of the 5.0 - DVD.
I've jsut formatted my HD and set it up with grub instead of loadlin and used your minirt for the bootfrom - cheatcode.
I wasn't able to get the 5.0 working with the normal "fromhd" I was used to; but now it runs smothly using grub and your fixed minirt_usb5.gz.

I must confess - I'didn't read the whole 38-page-thread; is there a chance for your work to get included in the standard Knoppix distribution?
Realy fond of your work - thank's a lot!

Have a nice day!

[mbartol]

I want to ask a question I haven't been able to find on any threads. Here is what I am trying to do and maybe someone can tell me if it is possible or not.

First let me explain what I want to accomplish. I want to be able to do compatibility testing on hard drives on different vendors laptops. The current method I use is to install the hard drive in the laptop and install windows xp and then run the applications from the hard drive in test. This senario is not ideal since the hard drive which we want to test is the same as the hard drive which is running the application and the OS. If the drive fails the test (in some cases because it is an experimental hard drive) and has issues or disk errors, then the OS hangs and sometimes it is impossible to even to do a reboot of windows and it needs to be reformatted and reinstalled all over again.

I had an idea that I thought was worth while trying, but I am running into problems and need help.
1. I downloaded the knoppix iso image and created a CD.
2. I attached a USB hard drive (250GB).
3. I ran cfdisk and created partitions for Linux, Linux-Swap, and NTFS on the USB drive.
4. I ran knoppix-installer and chose to install knoppix on the /dev/sda1 with the recommended "Debian" method, but this failed at bootup and hung the system.
5. I chose the "Knoppix CD" installation method and this method was able to boot from the USB drive, but I read somewhere on the forum this is not the recommended method for running from the hard drive.
6. Next, I chose to use the "Beginner" method for multiple users. I get the same error message as the Debian "recommended" method. During boot, it says at the very end:
FATAL: Module sd_mod not found.
unmount: devfs: not mounted
mount: unknown filesystem type 'devfs'
unmount: devfs: not mounted
pivot_root: No such file or directory
/sdbin/init: 432: cannot open dev/console: No such file
Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

7. So, I will go back to to install the Knoppix - CD method instead so at least I can continue the rest of my test.

Here is what I plan to do next:
8. After it boots the USB drive without the CD installed, I will then install VMWARE and will install it on the NTFS partition to run Windows XP. I will then install my disk drive excersizer programs on the VM windows XP.

What I want to be able to do is to install the SATA hard drive on the motherboard of the laptop and run my software from the VM on the USB drive which can format the drive and perform the necessary write/read/compare tests and other tests. I need to be able to see the SATA drive from the VM and be able to access the drive in this manner. Do you think this will be possible?

Also, any idea why the recommended "Debian" installation would hang on boot? I have read on posts, that if you want to actually install software and have it be reliable, that you should choose the Debian method. Since this didn't work, I am worried that the Knoppix - CD boot method will have issues when trying to use VMWARE.

You might think that this is alot of work to do just so I can run my applications from the USB drive, but Microsoft does not support USB boot. Also, not all laptops have multiple hard drive support, so I will need to be able to boot the OS when no hard drive is installed. That's why I chose Knoppix since it can boot without the Hard drive. Do you think I should try a different install method since the "Debian" method install failed? Maybe, I could first boot Knoppix from CD, then connect to my network and launch a different version of Linux installation which can format and install onto the USB hard drive?

I'll let you know how I proceed and appreciate any feedback.

Regards,
Mike

[ruymbeke]

...5. I chose the "Knoppix CD" installation method and this method was able to boot from the USB drive, but I read somewhere on the forum this is not the recommended method for running from the hard drive.

Well, different people have different needs and obviously different opinions...
In my opinion when it is possible, it is always better to install a full Linux distribution (as Debian)
than using a live cd/dvd as Knoppix. That being said, in a lot of cases (as corporate conputer)
messing up with partitions is not an option and the Knoppix iso boot is the best solution for me.
It is clean (only a couple of files for windows), fast to setup and very easy to remove (even from windows).
It is good enough for most of my needs, especially if you build your own remastered iso image.
It also has a lot of limitations (especially to install/update new applications as vmware),
reason why a full Debian install is probably better in your case.

What I want to be able to do is to install the SATA hard drive on the motherboard of the laptop and run my software from the VM on the USB drive which can format the drive and perform the necessary write/read/compare tests and other tests. I need to be able to see the SATA drive from the VM and be able to access the drive in this manner. Do you think this will be possible?
... I'll let you know how I proceed and appreciate any feedback. Regards, Mike

Did you consider writing your test program under Linux (hdparm -t /dev/sdax, dd if=/dev/sdax of=/dev/null),
which in my opinion is a much better way to benchmark a disk drive since
the windows driver and system overhead may hide accurate performance results ?
Instead of vmware, did you try using wine (which is btw free and installed on Knoppix)
to run win32 apps natively under Linux ? (No need to install windows)
You could save your setup and home directory with your custom applications
in order to reload them on the following boots. BTW, Knoppix boots very well from a (fast) 1GB USB dongle.
My 2 cents,
Gilles

[mbartol]

it is always better to install a full Linux distribution (as Debian)
than using a live cd/dvd as Knoppix.

I will play around with the debian install today and see how I progress. I discovered on a website that Debian has the same issue with the USB install as the Knoppix, so I will try using the new test version to see if they have resolved this problem. See:

http://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/.../msg01601.html

Since someone has figured out a work around to getting the USB boot working, I think it makes sense trying the Debian instead, plus your suggestion hit home, but I would venture to guess that this workaround might also fix the Knoppix issue that I am having.

Did you consider writing your test program under Linux (hdparm -t /dev/sdax, dd if=/dev/sdax of=/dev/null),
which in my opinion is a much better way to benchmark a disk drive since
the windows driver and system overhead may hide accurate performance results ?
Instead of vmware, did you try using wine (which is btw free and installed on Knoppix)
to run win32 apps natively under Linux ?

Unfortunately, the win32 apps that I am using are forced upon me by our customer, so I have no choice but to use them and print the test results for them. As for as the wine, I am aware of this and was actually thinking of trying it out, but I will try using VMWARE first since it will be running XP which I am more familiar with.

Thanks for the speedy reply,
Mike

[Matg40]

Hi !

Sorry! I found it finally one side before...


old message:

Are there any minirt_ntf versions available which make it possible to boot Accelerated-Knoppix 1.0 out of the iso file from a NTFS partition ?

Or a tutorial how I can change the minirt.gz in the Accelerated-Knoppix 1.0 CD ?



I tried minirt_ntf.gz for Knoppix 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 5.0 but it doesn´t work

(error inserting /modules/loop.ko: -1 invalid module format or -1 Out of Memory Segmentation fault)



Best regards (and sorry for the bad English)

Matg40

[mbartol]

Well, I attempted to install Debian, but it did not recognize the CD rom and asked for a floppy disk which the laptop does not have. I could not continue any further, so I decided to go back to Knoppix and was able to get it working using the work around I discoverd on the debian forum which I described in my last post. It now boots from the USB ok, but now I have a network problem I am trying to fix. The knoppix CD boot has no problem recognizing and connecting to the network, so this is strange. I'll do some searches in the forum to see what I can find out.

Mike

[Harry Kuhman]

but it did not recognize the CD rom

Why? This would seem to me an extremely straight-forward problem to resolve, and much simpler than fighting with a Knoppix install for months.

The knoppix CD boot has no problem recognizing and connecting to the network, so this is strange.

It is not at all strange Mike, it is typical. If you didn't expect this then you really didn't read enough before doing a hard disk install. Look at the oldest problem post in this forum for a starting point, then look through the forum to see that this has been happening since Knoppix was first "installed". Some people seem to resolve it and post their fixes, but it never gets fixed in the installer.