Author Topic: UNSOLVED - Remaster on usb stick gives "boot error" (Read 9147 times)

melodie · « **Reply #195 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:13:33 PM »

Hi,
I also have a suggest : get the ISO image of Plop Boot Manager, burn it to CD, then insert it in CD drawer, have the USB stick ready to boot inserted in USB slot, setup the bios to boot from CD. Boot. In the Plop display choose USB. Maybe that could work ?

Here is the disk image prepared once by Just18:
http://tyruiop.eu/~melodie/Downloads/PlopCDImage

an image for floppy is also available:
http://tyruiop.eu/~melodie/Downloads/FloppyImage

Here is what Plop gui looks like:

Just17 · « **Reply #196 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:15:29 PM »

I have no doubt it would melodie as the USB stick is bootable in a different PC.

It would not help diagnose the reason for it not booting in the problem PC though.

Crow · « **Reply #197 on:** February 05, 2012, 03:44:05 PM »

But it will help with something I'm doing

Thank you Melodie

Edit. Thank you Just18 didn't know about Plop Boot Manager

melodie · « **Reply #198 on:** February 05, 2012, 03:49:29 PM »

Quote from: Just18 on February 05, 2012, 02:15:29 PM

I have no doubt it would melodie as the USB stick is bootable in a different PC.

It would not help diagnose the reason for it not booting in the problem PC though.

Yes it could. If that solves the problem then we may give 95% suspicion on the BIOS. ;-)

Crow, GREAT ! Thank Just18 also as he is the one who extracted and prepared the disk images from the mass of information on the site : plop.at

wedgetail · « **Reply #199 on:** February 05, 2012, 04:08:40 PM »

Maurice

We will follow Just18 suggestion first and zero the start sector on the drive.

You are now going to make changes several times and with a simple command that is very unforgiving, when you use it once or twice you will be very alert but when you use it several times one gets a bit absent minded it all looks so similar. (I had a scare last night when working with the command I think my finger slipped and I typed the wrong figure and did not notice until I was reading back what I had done, we will not read back what you do unless very necessary.

You must make sure you have a good backup or are prepared to have to reload

I don't expect this will happen but be prepared.

I will assume you have not made any changes and that the USB key is seen as /dev/sdb

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=512 count=1

The command is saying use the special file /dev/zero and write the content to the /dev/sdb 512 times.

Then use KDE Partition manager and set up two new partitions, FAT16 of 100 MB and the rest ext3

For my use post a copy of the new fdisk -l

Follow by installing liveUSB to the second partition.

Now necessary to test it works on the DELL820

Whatever the outcome we will then carry on with the experiment of booting to the second partition with ms boot code.

AS · « **Reply #200 on:** February 05, 2012, 05:33:37 PM »

Quote from: melodie on February 05, 2012, 02:13:33 PM

Hi,
I also have a suggest : get the ISO image of Plop Boot Manager, burn it to CD, then insert it in CD drawer, have the USB stick ready to boot inserted in USB slot, setup the bios to boot from CD. Boot. In the Plop display choose USB. Maybe that could work ?

If there is the need to burn Plop on a CD ... to load the OS from USB ...
why not remaster directly the KDE-2012.02 on CD ?

melodie · « **Reply #201 on:** February 05, 2012, 05:58:44 PM »

Quote from: AS on February 05, 2012, 05:33:37 PM

Quote from: melodie on February 05, 2012, 02:13:33 PM
Hi,
I also have a suggest : get the ISO image of Plop Boot Manager, burn it to CD, then insert it in CD drawer, have the USB stick ready to boot inserted in USB slot, setup the bios to boot from CD. Boot. In the Plop display choose USB. Maybe that could work ?

If there is the need to burn Plop on a CD ... to load the OS from USB ...
why not remaster directly the KDE-2012.02 on CD ?

Because instead of burning again and again distros and versions which are fast outdated you burn once for a long time. Plop as it it will last as long as the CD wants to work and will allow booting many versions from a USB, on many machines which otherwise don't boot to USB (or not easily).

Crow · « **Reply #202 on:** February 05, 2012, 06:24:44 PM »

AS we're been installing in old computers a remaster that is 1.2 GB, those computers doesn't boot from USB and just accept CD, for some reason bios doesn't see a DVD reader we had to take out the HD and install from a laptop using a USB to IDE adaptor... it consumes too much time.

Monday is free but next day I will be using Plop to install directly

Maurice · « **Reply #203 on:** February 05, 2012, 06:28:13 PM »

You must think I've given up.

Not quite. though there have been 17 posts since my last one - most of which are way above my low level of understanding of these things. But many thanks for the interest and suggestions, conflicting though they may be at times.

wedgetail - I'll have a closer look at your latest idea a little later - I'm still trying to catch up on more mundane household matters that have been neglected recently.

wedgetail · « **Reply #204 on:** February 05, 2012, 06:39:06 PM »

Maurice

I was saying a few not so nice words here, thinking I had missed another opportunity. This is great you have not destroyed your first sector I would like a copy I am going to look at every byte in this if I can lay my hands on it.

Please don't destroy it before I get the copy. This does not change the plan in my previous post. I will PM you with details.

Just17 · « **Reply #205 on:** February 05, 2012, 07:04:15 PM »

Before I go to bed .... just a reminder to set the boot flag when the FAT partition is being done.

Maurice · « **Reply #206 on:** February 05, 2012, 07:09:45 PM »

Quote from: wedgetail on February 05, 2012, 06:39:06 PM

Maurice

I was saying a few not so nice words here, thinking I had missed another opportunity. This is great you have not destroyed your first sector I would like a copy I am going to look at every byte in this if I can lay my hands on it.

Please don't destroy it before I get the copy. This does not change the plan in my previous post. I will PM you with details.

No problem, no hurry - I'll wait.

melodie · « **Reply #207 on:** February 06, 2012, 06:16:34 AM »

Hi,

Could it help having a Linux ext3 partition first on the USB stick and a Fat32 partition after ? I have this setup on one of my USB keys.

USB Stick partitions:

[----- ext3 PCLinuxOS ------|-------- Fat 32 datas for access from any machines -------]

[------ /dev/sdb1 ------------|--------- /dev/sdb2 -----------------------------------------------]

Maurice · « **Reply #208 on:** February 06, 2012, 07:01:34 PM »

I have finally decided not to take this any further. I was trying to keep up with the suggestions by wedgetail and others but it became beyond me. Also, if my system fails at some time then it is no big deal to reinstall from a livecd. I have what I need backed up including my Mozilla stuff and reconfiguring kde would not take too long. And I end up with a nice new clean system.

I have also read somewhere in these forums that such reinstalling from time to time is a good idea.

I would like to thank you all for your help and suggestions. I hope my negative decision will not affect any help I might need in the future.

Maurice

djohnston · « **Reply #209 on:** February 06, 2012, 08:23:06 PM »

Quote from: Maurice on February 06, 2012, 07:01:34 PM

I would like to thank you all for your help and suggestions. I hope my negative decision will not affect any help I might need in the future.

It won't affect me, Maurice. I suspect everyone else will feel the same. This thread started confusing me, too. It's sometimes difficult to decide which way to go with so many different directions and suggestions being offered. The document I made showing how to use the LiveUSB script will be published in the next edition of the magazine. So, I consider it time well spent.

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