Help Creating PCLinuxOS KDE 2010.1 from LiveUSB

[melodie]

Hi,

In Windows I would try this : install dd.exe (from GnuWin coreutils), to copy ISO images from ISO to USB stick, and grub4dos or such, to install Grub to USB stick.

PatRat : I would not get into the adventure of explaining you how to do that. I have not tested, and I'm not sure you would, at your level, get to the end.

You have 2 ways to get to the result : if you have another machine where you can prepare the stick, and that contains a CD reader : then you can start the live CD, then plugin the stick... and install from there to the stick as said previously.

The second way stands in one URL : http://www.linux.org/groups/

That's a good possible way if a Linux User Group (LUG) meets once a while, not too far from where you live.

Regards,
Mélodie

[PadRat]

JohnBoy, Sorry, I do not have a LiveCD of PCLOS, but thank you for trying.

PadRat

[PadRat]

Melodie,

Ok, thank you very much for trying.

PadRat

[Was_Just19]

JohnBoy, Sorry, I do not have a LiveCD of PCLOS, but thank you for trying.

PadRat

Do you have the facility to make one using the PCLinuxOS ISO you downloaded?

[melodie]

JohnBoy, Sorry, I do not have a LiveCD of PCLOS, but thank you for trying.

The iso image you got is meant to be burned to CD and therefore will be bootable (did I just say something too obvious ?  ). If you can put a copy of the iso image to a computer that has burning CD's capability... and put a CD-RW in there...

[PadRat]

I just bought some CD-R's, so I can try that tomorrow. Thank you both very much.

PadRat

[joechimp]

Don't feel too bad PadRat. It's not always easy when you are new at this.

When I first came here I wanted to do exactly what you want to do and didn't have a clue. I followed JohnBoy's tutorial and still didn't get it right. With more help I finally succeeded and am using a live USB with persistence as we speak.

The terms and things I take for granted now, were like a foreign language to me at the time.

Sometimes a little step seems to be left out in the explanations. It really isn't. For example, my problem was mainly partitioning the drive and making a proper changes file. It was explained correctly but my ignorance let it slip right by.

You "WILL" succeed. No one here will let you fail. So look forward to getting it just the way you want it.

All the good people here that helped me is why I am still here today. It's like a home to me now.
The best forum I have ever been in.

[joec]

PadRat-

1. I installed the liveCD to a 4gig flash drive by downloading the the ISO to my Windows desktop (XP Home) and running the windows version of Unebootin.  The flash was then bootable into the liveCD. Is that what you are trying to do? If so, then most of the advice here is taking you in the wrong direction.

2. The Sandisk Cruzer is probably your problem here.  Those drives have a small partition that interferes with what you are trying to do. That partition is almost impossible to remove. I think there have been threads on this forum regarding that over the years.  If not, try google.

3.  Perhaps you could pick up another flash drive. 2 gig would be more than enough for a simple live CD and they are getting pretty cheap.

4. USB storage stick is the one to select.  If you were to press F2 instead of F10 you could set the stick as the permanent first choice. (it would still boot from the hard drive if the stick were not inserted)

    - joec

[melodie]

2. The Sandisk Cruzer is probably your problem here.  Those drives have a small partition that interferes with what you are trying to do. That partition is almost impossible to remove. I think there have been threads on this forum regarding that over the years.  If not, try google.

Hi, I also have supposed so, as one of my -cheap- usb sticks has a partition that can't be removed (erased but impossible to merge the space with the rest of the space)

3.  Perhaps you could pick up another flash drive. 2 gig would be more than enough for a simple live CD and they are getting pretty cheap.

Yesterday I bought a 4 GB 14 Euros...

[PadRat]

joec / Melodie,

Thank you very much for your advice. I bought a 10 pack of CD-R's and loaded one with PCLOS at work using "ISO Recorder" and it worked beautifully!

joec I think you are exactly correct about the small partition on the Cruzer. I formatted last night on my machine and it only showed one partition, but today when I plugged it into my computer at work, it showed a second partition on the stick. I did find sofware to remove the U3 partition so I will try that in a little bit, since I would still like to try and boot from USB.

Thank you both again.

PadRat

[joechimp]

PadRat

I am running a live usb with persistence to post here today. It is an 8GB Sandisk Cruzer.

Easy fix. It is provided within the U3 partition itself.
Just open it up and run the U3 uninstaller and you are ready to go.
Simple as that.
Good Luck

[PadRat]

All,

Unfortunately I deleted the U3 files and therefore, I could not get rid of the partition, however I copied my 4GB Lexor to my Sandisk and used my Lexor instead.

Works like a charm! I now have a LiveUSb with Lucid Puppy and it's cool.

Now I'm working on how to multiple partition a USB, so I can put more than one OS on the stick.

Thank you all very much for your advice.

Take care,

PadRat

[Old-Polack]

Anyone:

I keep seeing the Sandisk Cruzer being referred to as having this terrible time getting rid of the U3 partition, and a number of failed attempts mentioned, at removing the partition, except with the official uninstaller. Has anyone tried a simple wipe of the disk with dd?

# dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/<whatever>

Replace <whatever> with the sdx the system sees it as.

I see attempts to mess with deleting the partition with a number of methods, using a number of GUI partitioning tools, but I haven't seen anything about a dd wipe of the entire drive. Just curious, as that would be my first thought, were it my stick.

[melodie]

I see attempts to mess with deleting the partition with a number of methods, using a number of GUI partitioning tools, but I haven't seen anything about a dd wipe of the entire drive. Just curious, as that would be my first thought, were it my stick.

Hi Old-Polack,

I have a small 1 Go stick (pink, offered by my preceeding ISP as "fidel client") that has the problem. Now there is one partition, and on empty partition that can't be merged with the rest. I'll tried dd on it, as I have only tried Gparted so far, and will let you know if that solves the problem. (I doubt but I'll try).

[joechimp]

Works like a charm! I now have a LiveUSb with Lucid Puppy and it's cool.

PadRat

        "Lucid Puppy"