Flash to USB installer (experimental) in 7.0.5

[STraute]

Just like philo I attempted to use the experimental /usr/bin/flash-knoppix2 to create a USB flash storage medium with a big reiserfs rw overlay partition. I also got the error dialog with:

Overlay size is too small!\n(minimum 400MB required)

When I ran the script in a terminal window, I noticed a shell error message complaining about numeric format in the line

let avail=total-ksize

After changing the format of the calculated media size in MiB from floating point to integer, I could successfully finish the "remastering" of the Knoppix 7.0.5 EN DVD onto my flash medium using only the script, with a 7 GiB writable overlay filesystem. The flash medium only contained an empty (DOS FDISK-style) partition table before I used the script.
/usr/bin/flash-knoppix2.patch:

--- /usr/bin/flash-knoppix2     2012-12-21 00:27:14.000000000 +0000
+++ flash-knoppix2      2012-12-28 09:01:10.000000000 +0000
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@
   ERROR="${FLASH}:\n$MSG_ERROR_INCOMPATIBLE"; bailout 2
  fi
 elif [ "p" = "$METHOD" ]; then
- total="$(awk '{print ($1 / 2048)}' /sys/block/"${FLASH##*/}"/size 2>/dev/null)"
+ total="$(awk '{printf( "%d", ($1 / 2048) ) }' /sys/block/"${FLASH##*/}"/size 2>/dev/null)"
  ksize="$(du -sm --exclude='knoppix-data.*' . 2>/dev/null | awk '{size=$1}END{print size}')"
  let avail=total-ksize
  let avail-=200

Please note the change from "print ..." to "printf( "%d, ... )"

[ssanubis]

I have tried with an 8GB fat32 partition (let me state here again that the drive in question is a verbatim tuff 'n' tiny 8GB thumb drive) and that failed with that message.

Yes, that was my first step. Since the problem seems to be with the new flash-knoppix2 and likely some combination of my hardware/flash drive, where is the best place to report the issue? Is there a bugzilla for Knoppix?

[Werner P. Schulz]

The best place to report issue is
http://lists.debian.org/debian-knoppix/

(but not: http://knoppix.net/wiki/Category:Bug_Pages)

[Blacksimon]

Rerring to philo in post #10

My step #5 is the normal warning that all data will be erased....
I do it again and it still propose the same message
No error for me

#5
sdd: Sony Storage Media (14904MB)

Repartition and format device?
CAUTION: All data will be erased!

#6
sdd: Sony Storage Media (14904MB)

Do you really want to do this?
WARNING: ALL DATA ON WILL BE ERASED!

[ssanubis]

Well, it's good (and bad, lol) to see I'm not the only one experiencing the issue. And it seems we all experience it in the same place. I, too, had run the script in terminal and was informed the error was on like line 369 or some where around that point and had glanced at the script briefly to see if it was malformed and it looked about right to me, I simply didn't know the calls it was using so I couldn't be certain. I will try that fix for the script that AMSTraute proposed.

[Blacksimon]

assuming you have created an encrypted partition of 5GB and copied from the old knoppix-data.aes all the content, now I wonder ...
having more available space on USB, this partition can be increased in size as it can usually be done with the file knoppix-data.aes?

Yes, you could make it larger since the beginning .... but that's not the point .... it is curious to know if it is feasible ...

[philo]

I am back and still confused.
When I started this thread (post #1), I called for help when I could not use the Knoppix installer (experimental version) to install Knoppix 7.0.5 to a Sandisk Ultra 32GB with the 'p' option.
I tokk another USB key, this time a Sandisk Ultra 16GB. The 'p' option worked like a breeze, giving me an ovverlay of almost 12GB.
Does it mean that my Sandisk Ultra 32GB is rotten? Probably not, because it allowed me to install with the 'i' option. Note, howeer, that Knoppix at first refused to boot. I had the FAT32 partition checked by GParted and rebooted : all OK now and Knoppix gladly created the traditional 4GB persistent image.
Where do I/we go from there?

[Blacksimon]

Philo, try this:
- syslinux -if /dev/sdx (replace sdx with your Sandisk Ultra 32GB)
- Format FAT32 the whole USB with Gparted and set boot flag
- Again the Flash-Knoppix2

[philo]

Thanks Blacksimon. I tried this with my 32GB key:
step #1
I typed in a terminal : "ssyslinux -if /dev/sde" but it complained sayiing: 'invalid media signature (not a fat system?)".
step #2
I then create a small FAT32 partition at the beginning of the key, with GParted.
and typed "syslinux -if /dev/sde1". The command was accepted.
step #3
I formated the whole key in FAT32 with GParted and added the boot flag.
step #4
Next I run knoppix installer with the 'p' option and again received the infamous error message that the "overlay is too small".
So no joy so far.

Note - Not better if the whole key was formated in FAT32 before doing step #1.

[Blacksimon]

try to remove partition and then recreate....i don't know

do not give up....