[SOLVED] Install to USB flash

[Ditzian]

I have a new Acer Aspire, running XP.  I am interested in putting PCLinuxOS on a flash drive, but I would like a persistent installation.  Thus far, I have accomplished the following:

• Managed to get unetbootin to make the flash bootable.
• Loaded PCLinuxOS Live onto the flash drive.
• Successfully booted the netbook several times from both Windows XP and from the Live CD (on flash).
• Started "Install PCLinuxOS," on the netbook while running PCLinuxOS from the Live CD software from the flash drive, and I am able to select the flash drive as the install drive

At this point, I decided to seek more knowledge than I have.  As I look at that first set of screens, the ones that are going to reformat and/or establish partitions, I see two partitions on the 8 GB flash drive, which is formatted entirely as FAT32.  One of these partitions is light blue and is 1.8GB.  Light blue is labeled as Windows, but I suspect that it is the partition with the boot and Live CD software.  The dark blue partition is labeled as PCLinuxOS (5.5 GB), and my guess is that this is unused space.  I realize that these assumptions may be incorrect, and that, for example, the light blue may only contain the boot sector and information, and the dark blue may hold the Live CD software.

If my first guess is correct, though, then I should be able to do a standard install at this point, only pointing the install to the flash instead of a hard drive.  I expect to use this flash drive only with this netbook, but If this works, then I can load more software, or update software, and even use Firefox and remember bookmarks.  I have not heard anyone say that they did things this way, and I am suspicious about why that is the case.

Can someone tell me if I have missed something obvious (or subtle) here?

Thank you,

Jan

[Yankee]

I think you're headed in the right direction.   Any options as to which file system to
format the flash drive with ?   I'm trying pclinuxos this week.  Fedora left a 3 GB
swap file on my netbook flash drive and I don't think I need that.  What does your
file system look like ?   Any way to adjust the swap file ?

You can always delete the installation if the flash drive is too small.  Sounds like
a big swap file on here, too.  Maybe 1/2 GB but not as big as 5 GB.

patrick

[menotu]

I'm fairly sure someone on the forum mentioned getting the persistence working on their USB setup - if you do a forum search (probably go back about 30 - 60 days)  you should find it.

Can't actually remember who did it so I can't point you to them

Mebbe have a look in Tips & Tricks as well.

[Ditzian]

I think you're headed in the right direction.   Any options as to which file system to
format the flash drive with ?   

I had a problem when I tried to format EXT4, so I went back to FAT32.  That is the way the entire flash drive is formatted.  I am not going to fuss with that part.

I'm trying pclinuxos this week.  Fedora left a 3 GB
swap file on my netbook flash drive and I don't think I need that.  What does your
file system look like ?   Any way to adjust the swap file ?

When you install, you can select the swap file size, and the rule of thumb is swap=2 x RAM.  Right now, since I have not done the install, the file system does not exist.

Thanks to Patrick13 and menotu for the comments.  I hope to get time later today to give it a try.

Jan

[Was_Just19]

I had a problem when I tried to format EXT4, so I went back to FAT32.  That is the way the entire flash drive is formatted.  I am not going to fuss with that part.

You won't install Linux on a FAT32 filesystem ......  unless something has changed that I am unaware of.

[Ditzian]

I had a problem when I tried to format EXT4, so I went back to FAT32.  That is the way the entire flash drive is formatted.  I am not going to fuss with that part.

You won't install Linux on a FAT32 filesystem ......  unless something has changed that I am unaware of.

OK, I will change it.  I am so paranoid about ruining the existing OS on machine that I want to use, that I have decided to delay the install until I resurrect another computer that I don't use, put pclos on it, and then install on that machine.  I suspect that the installer will make the formatting changes needed to the partition.  If I use the other machine, I can simply use a pclos CD.  Alternatively, I may take this pclos computer that I am using, disconnect the hard drive, and run the LiveCD on it.

Jan

[Was_Just19]

I had a problem when I tried to format EXT4, so I went back to FAT32.  That is the way the entire flash drive is formatted.  I am not going to fuss with that part.

You won't install Linux on a FAT32 filesystem ......  unless something has changed that I am unaware of.

OK, I will change it.  I am so paranoid about ruining the existing OS on machine that I want to use, that I have decided to delay the install until I resurrect another computer that I don't use, put pclos on it, and then install on that machine.  I suspect that the installer will make the formatting changes needed to the partition.  If I use the other machine, I can simply use a pclos CD.  Alternatively, I may take this pclos computer that I am using, disconnect the hard drive, and run the LiveCD on it.

Jan

Don't forget to not confuse the issue ......  installing requires a compatible filesystem while creating a live running system can use FAT32

[Yankee]

I think FAT32 should be upgraded to ext or vfs or xfs.  It's hard when you
run out of flash drives to install the filesystem first.  I'll try the install this
week when I figure out how to upgrade the file system.

Do you really need a swap file ?   I just want a standard file  system.  I
couln't understand what Fedora was doing with hiding 13GB behind a swap
file and directory system. 

THX.

Patrick

[Yankee]

Hello,

Well I actually have PCLinux KDE installed on a 16 GB flash drive. 
I formatted the flash drive to xfs and the install went right on.
I need to make a small swap file, figure how to turn the Wifi card
off when not in use, and try to load some songs off a CD album
later.  Looks good so far.

Patrick

[Ditzian]

Hello,

Well I actually have PCLinux KDE installed on a 16 GB flash drive. 
I formatted the flash drive to xfs and the install went right on.
I need to make a small swap file, figure how to turn the Wifi card
off when not in use, and try to load some songs off a CD album
later.  Looks good so far.

Patrick

Patrick,

This is what I wanted.  Let me get the steps straight, since I was not successful, although I did succeed in getting Puppy Linux to boot and run from a flash.  I ended up putting on a boot from unetbootin, using a Windows computer.  If I can start over and do it without unetbootin, or, in fact, any OS besides what is on the iso, I would like that.  So, is the following correct?

(1)  Boot any computer with an iso disk, either PCLinuxOS 2010 or a remaster.
(2)  Insert the USB flash drive
(3)  Click the desktop "Install PCLinuxOS" icon.
(4)  Follow directions, but select xfs as the format and the flash drive as the target.

Please tell me if there was a step that I missed.

Thank you,

Jan

[Yankee]

My install did not format anything.  I had to format with either
CFDisk or GParted from another ISO.  Be sure you have some
unallocated space even resulting from formatting it with Windows
as FAT32 before using LINUX to go to xfs.  PCLinux would not
boot when there was no unallocated space for whatever reason.
There's about 5 M of unallocated space then, completely useless
to the installation but probably used by the program for registry
entries or something, I really don't know the reason why it would
not work then.  Allocated space is about 15.9 GB.

Then put the ISO in one usb slot (Live USB Creator works) and put the
target flashdrive in the other usb slot and install to the xfs 15.9 GB
partition and in a few minutes you should have a clean install.
Not very fast but not very slow either.

I used two flash drives, one for ISO and the other for target.

Should be able to get it up today.



Patrick

[Yankee]

If you go into the Control Center PCC under Configure Your Computer
and toggle into expert mode you can format from there.  Just found out.

Patrick

[Was_Just19]

Why not select to use the complete disk in the installer? -- be sure to select the correct disk!
That should create the required partitions ......  warning you that everything on the disk will be lost.

[Ditzian]

Why not select to use the complete disk in the installer? -- be sure to select the correct disk!
That should create the required partitions ......  warning you that everything on the disk will be lost.

What about the small partition for Fat32, is that still needed?

Jan

[jaydot]

it will ignore that, if already made, or use option in partitioner when making partitions.  'tis blue.