PCLinuxOS Live USB Creator : Multiboot on USB, multipartitions ?

[melodie]

Hi,
If I want several versions of PCLinuxOS on a Live USB, do I have to create one partition for each ?

Thanks,
Mélodie

[Just17]

Hi,
If I want several versions of PCLinuxOS on a Live USB, do I have to create one partition for each ?

Thanks,
Mélodie

No.  You can have as many as you have space for ......  just make sure each is named differently.

Also note that the partition can be any partition on the device .....  neither does it need to be a primary partition - a logical partition works just as well.

Just select to ADD a second, third or more to one partition .....  

[melodie]

Hi,
I was asking because the last times I tried it didn't work as expected (one and only partition, on ext3... all the required space needed, it's a 4 Gb usb stick, only one iso had been install, with a size smaller than 700 MB for the iso.... the second pclos install remove the former one... ':| ). Never mind, I'll try again with your new coming version.

[Just17]

Hi,
I was asking because the last times I tried it didn't work as expected (one and only partition, on ext3... the second pclos install remove the former one... ':| ). Never mind, I'll try again with your new coming version.

If you used the same name then it may have overwritten the older one.

Else you chose the wrong option .......  you may have chosen to install a 'first or primary' OS which will wipe the partition.
Selecting to ADD an OS will not wipe the partition.

[melodie]

I'll try again when the newer version will be in the repos. Thanks for your help and for the great work you do on this program.

[cirehawk]

I have a similar question to this.  I don't necessarily want different versions of PCLOS.  What I want is to have different distros on a single USBKEY and choose which one I want.  Is that possible?

[AS]

I have a similar question to this.  I don't necessarily want different versions of PCLOS.  What I want is to have different distros on a single USBKEY and choose which one I want.  Is that possible?

... may be ... provided that you set up one partition for each OS, each one with it's own bootloader installed on the corresponding partition, and a master bootloader installed on MBR that will chainload each installed distro bootloader ... should work ...

AS

[johnmart]

... may be ... provided that you set up one partition for each OS, each one with it's own bootloader installed on the corresponding partition, and a master bootloader installed on MBR that will chainload each installed distro bootloader ... should work ...

AS

I have used our LiveUSBcreator for multiple installs but it always took care off everything for me.
Is the reason for this (AS) install method that other distro's use grub2? Tx

[AS]

... may be ... provided that you set up one partition for each OS, each one with it's own bootloader installed on the corresponding partition, and a master bootloader installed on MBR that will chainload each installed distro bootloader ... should work ...

AS

I have used our LiveUSBcreator for multiple installs but it always took care off everything for me.

Including non PCLinuxOS ISOs ?

Is the reason for this (AS) install method that other distro's use grub2? Tx

Grub2 is one of the reasons, the suggested setup should allow to avoid "any" possible interference between installations, like when dual booting Linux + Win.

[Just17]

I have a similar question to this.  I don't necessarily want different versions of PCLOS.  What I want is to have different distros on a single USBKEY and choose which one I want.  Is that possible?

It is possible but what tools are available to do this for the other distros you have in mind I have no clue.
LiveUSB Creator is specifically made for PCLinuxOS ISOs and files ...... it is unlikely that any other distros ISOs would work with it.

[johnmart]

I have used our LiveUSBcreator for multiple installs but it always took care off everything for me.

Including non PCLinuxOS ISOs ?

Well, no-just PCLinuxOS. I never realised that distros use different install methods.

Would other distros most likely fail using our LiveUSB creator, or is that just a precaution?
 

[melodie]

I have a similar question to this.  I don't necessarily want different versions of PCLOS.  What I want is to have different distros on a single USBKEY and choose which one I want.  Is that possible?

... may be ... provided that you set up one partition for each OS, each one with it's own bootloader installed on the corresponding partition, and a master bootloader installed on MBR that will chainload each installed distro bootloader ... should work ...

AS

Here we do that on usb sticks formatted to fat32 and installing them by hand. Usually we open a root console, mount the iso on the loop device to a directory, and copy the files to the media. Each different distro needs either it's own directory or different names for their respective directories and squashfiles. The bootloader is grub 0.97, not grub2 and the menu.list file is filled with the informations provided by the isolinux/isolinux.cfg conf file.

Tools : I know Linux Live USB for Windows, and Unetbootin for many other ones. I don't know if unebootin works well because I tried it once only a long time ago, and not again since. I was told it does.
What I don't know, is how to make a persistent boot on such hand made installs. And some of the said distros are tricky and won't install properly, or sometimes they have a hidden directory in the iso which needs to be copied as well.

[Just17]

I have used our LiveUSBcreator for multiple installs but it always took care off everything for me.

Including non PCLinuxOS ISOs ?

Well, no-just PCLinuxOS. I never realised that distros use different install methods.

Would other distros most likely fail using our LiveUSB creator, or is that just a precaution?
 

They will almost definitely fail .....  success would be accidental and unusual 

LiveUSB Creator is designed for PCLOS ISOs and files only.

[johnmart]

They will almost definitely fail .....  success would be accidental and unusual

LiveUSB Creator is designed for PCLOS ISOs and files only.

haha 
Thanks.
I'm living in a PCLinuxOS bubble. Life here is good.  

[cirehawk]

I have used our LiveUSBcreator for multiple installs but it always took care off everything for me.

Including non PCLinuxOS ISOs ?

Well, no-just PCLinuxOS. I never realised that distros use different install methods.

Would other distros most likely fail using our LiveUSB creator, or is that just a precaution?
 

They will almost definitely fail .....  success would be accidental and unusual 

LiveUSB Creator is designed for PCLOS ISOs and files only.

Okay, I have an 8 gig USB stick.  Let's suppose I create 2 gig partitions and install PCLOS on one (using LiveUSB, or maybe even UNetbootin).  If I install a different distro to each partition I assume I will need Grub to manage the boot process, correct?  If so, any pointers on how to set up Grub to do that?

TIA