Got Knoppix 5.0.1 successfully booting from USB key

[Krellan2]

OK, got a new USB key that works again! I burned out my old USB key testing it all these times.

I only found one computer in which my earlier "strategy guide" failed to boot after being detected. It seemed to have some trouble recognizing the FAT32 filesystem, which is strange, because it worked just fine on other computers that were capable of detecting USB keys at bootup. Someone recommended that I try FAT16, and I did this on my new key. When I get access to this one computer, I will test it again.

Here's the changes to make, to use FAT16 instead of FAT32, above:

* Delete the reference to editing the mkdiskimage script.

Just leave the mkdiskimage script alone.

* Omit the -F flag to the mkdiskimage command.

The new command line becomes:

mkdiskimage -4 /dev/sdz 0 64 32

All other steps are the same.

FAT16 is not as efficient as FAT32 when dealing with disks that contain a lot of files, but that's not a big problem for Knoppix, as Knoppix stores all of its files inside one big compressed file anyway.

FAT16 also has the 2GB barrier. This isn't a problem, for my 1GB USB key. I could have bought a 2GB key, but chose not to, for greater reliability. There's a problem going over 1GB: the USB-ZIP standard will fail, as it will then go over 1023 cylinders, making its CHS layout impossible.

The solution for larger keys is to use USB-HDD, the default, and just blow off USB-ZIP support entirely. Thankfully, most newer BIOS's all boot USB-HDD by default anyway.

The strange thing is that my main PC's BIOS now recognizes my new USB key as a CDROM! Great, just what we need, a third booting standard. But, everything seemed to work correctly, as I'm typing this from my booted Knoppix USB key now.

Next USB key I'm going to buy will be a 5GB key, whenever they get around to finally making them. Then, we can go on to the extra challenge of getting the Knoppix DVD to boot from a USB key....

[Krellan2]

What a great write-up. I hope that you will consider putting a copy in the wiki where it will be easy for people to find.

There, I did!

http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Bootable_USB_Key

Not sure how to push this page into the overall index so that people will find it, though....

[Capricorny]

BUT, I'm writing this running that USB install. How could I boot it? By using GRUB already installed on the hard disk, just added an entry in /boot/grub/menu.lst for booting from the USB. Have to fix some parameters, though, because Knoppix came up completely German

That's clever, but kind of defeats my purpose of wanting Knoppix bootable on a USB key: to be able to take it to all different computers everywhere, and have something that I can still boot from, no matter what's on the hard disk.

Sure it defeats mine too! But, I think it is a partial solution: Seems to be no way I can get that 1GB stick to boot on the two laptops I try, but installing GRUB on a smaller stick and start other devices from that would give us the "write once, run anywhere" we want. And preparing a boot CD should let us run it from most newer computers.

I think I'll stick with FAT32, for one of the next steps will be to use a 4GB stick, and setting up a structure similar to /usr/local for non-package installs. I have used that for Java, Wine and Mono, and things I occasionally compile myself, like PHP.

[RandomGoon]

If this would work with a 6GB HDD from a laptop on a USB dongle...

I presume there should be some tweeking of the setup to account for actually using a hard drive with CHS information but being new to this deeper section of the pond I don't know what I should do. Anyway, from looking at the files on the DVD I don't see anything that breaks the 4GB barrier for FAT32 so I doubt I "need" any other file system (wouldn't hurt if I did tho - I only intend this to play around with).

Eagerly awaiting results,

'Goon

[rajbabu]

Hi Krellan,

Heads up for the awesome post on how to get the Knoppix to boot from thumbrive. I am quite new to Linux allthough i have considerable experience in windows/dos when it comes to Linux i am im still in infancy. I have
some issue in getting my system to boot from thumbdrive i have followed your instruction step by step but im am stuck at the part where i need to load the bootloader into my new partition. Knoppix recognize my thumbdrive as sdb1 when i type cfdisk /dev/sdb1 this is what i see

name flags part type FS type Label Size (MB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sdb1p4 boot Primary W95 FAT32 (LBA) 1047.53


when i type the command syslinux -s /dev/sdb14
i get this following error message /dev/sdb14: No such file or directory.

no matter in what combination switch i type either /dev/sdb14 or /dev/sdb1p4 i get the same error message
i desperately need a helping hand here.

Thnks in advance.

[Krellan2]

Hi Krellan,

when i type the command syslinux -s /dev/sdb14
i get this following error message /dev/sdb14: No such file or directory.

That's the problem right there. Using /dev/sdb14 refers to the 14th partition of the /dev/sdb disk, which is not what you want.

You have an old DOS/Windows partition still on your USB key, at /dev/sdb1 (the 1st partition).

You need to completely remove this partition first.

Did you remember to zero out your entire drive first?
That will erase all partitions.

This is the dd if=/dev/zero step. It's one of the first steps to do.

See the page:
http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Bootable_USB_Key

[rajbabu]

I did perform the dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda1 and this is what i see in cfdisk after performing that

Disk Drive: /dev/sda1
Size: 1048543744 Bytes 1048 MB
Heads: 33 Sectors per track: 61 Cylinders: 1017

Name Flags Part Type FS Type [Label] Size (MB)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pri/Log Free Space 1048.18



and afterwhich when i type mkdiskimage -F -4 /dev/sdz 0 64 32 to create a partition subsequently this is what notice in fdisk

Disk Drive: /dev/sda1
Size: 1048543744 Bytes 1048 MB
Heads: 64 Sectors per track: 32 Cylinders: 999

Name Flags Part Type FS Type [Label] Size (MB)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sda1p4 Boot Primary W95 FAT32 (LBA) 1047.53


i reckon the problem lies with mkdiskimage command probably its need a slight adjustment on my end to make it work. Please advise further
meanwhile i will look for other alternative way in booting from thumbdrive as well.

!! cheers !!

[Krellan2]

I did perform the dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda1 and this is what i see in cfdisk after performing that

Oops....

You did of=/dev/sda1 which is wrong.

It should have been of=/dev/sda to erase the entire disk.

What you did was erase just the first partition.

There's a big difference between sda1 (first partition of the disk) and sda (entire disk)!

You need to erase the entire disk, including the partition table, so that mkdiskimage can lay down a brand-new partition table for you.

Please read the commands very carefully before typing them in. One misplaced letter or number can be critical!

[rajbabu]

i had to type if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda1 because thats what knoppix recognize the thumbdrive as SDA1 with the thumbdrive icon. The results i shared previously in cfdisk indicates 1gb free of thumbdrive not the hardisk no where in my hardisk do i have a space of 1gb. Futher more i can boot to windows w/o any issues at all. plus when i do formatting i can notice the led of my thumbdrive rapidly flashing.

As mentioned before i will look for alternatives i found this cool website with an extremely easy steps to to get Knoppix booted from thumbdrive i did all this in less then 5 mins apart from Knoppix ISO extraction to the thumbdrive that took about 20mins the best part is this would work regardless the of the size of the thumbdrive. and here is the link. http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2006/08...-memory-stick/

I would still give a try of your method if you share on how to adjust the mkdiskimage command to suite my thumbdrive. Mine is 1gb avixe usb 2.0.

Its so much convinent to run knoppix from thumbdrive versus the cdrom the latter will cause sluggish performance when you navigate through the OS frequently it will stop and read the content from cd before continuing this can be as fast 1sec or at time slow then 3 to 5 secs. Im glad that im finally able to run my knoppix from my thumbdrive.

and krellan keep up the good work.

[Krellan2]

i had to type if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda1 because thats what knoppix recognize the thumbdrive as SDA1 with the thumbdrive icon.

No, really, trust me, you have to type if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda NOT sda1.

We're trying to erase the entire USB thumbdrive here, not just the one partition that Knoppix has recognized.

We're trying to erase the ENTIRE disk, not just ONE partition. That's the big difference between sda and sda1.

One of the hardest things for new Linux users, coming from Windows, is the difference between partitions and disks. Most Windows people use only one partition per disk, and treat them interchangeably, so they don't even know that there is a difference.

Erasing one partition isn't good enough for mkdiskimage. You have to start with a completely clean erased disk, including the partition table itself, and this can only be done by erasing the entire DISK with /dev/sda, not just one PARTITION with /dev/sda1.

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2006/08...-memory-stick/

This method is really similar to mine, except that it's done entirely from within Windows instead of Knoppix itself.

I would still give a try of your method if you share on how to adjust the mkdiskimage command to suite my thumbdrive. Mine is 1gb avixe usb 2.0.

If you have a 1GB thumbdrive, no adjustment is needed.

If you have a 2GB or larger thumbdrive, check my Web page, I posted some alternate mkdiskimage command lines you can try. They are near the bottom of the page.

http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Bootable_USB_Key

Its so much convinent to run knoppix from thumbdrive versus the cdrom the latter will cause sluggish performance when you navigate through the OS frequently it will stop and read the content from cd before continuing this can be as fast 1sec or at time slow then 3 to 5 secs. Im glad that im finally able to run my knoppix from my thumbdrive.

and krellan keep up the good work.

Thanks! Yes, it is so much faster to run Knoppix purely from a USB key. It is slow to boot up, but once it gets going, it is incredibly fast, because there are no CD startup and seek times at all.