Trouble booting from USB 3.0 Device

[numb7rs]

Is the flash drive a Super Talent Express DUO 16 GB?

Why yes, I believe it is. Is this a known issue then?

[gordintoronto]

Why yes, I believe it is. Is this a known issue then?

No, I just thought it might be useful to identify the exact hardware.

I don't have access to any USB 3 hardware.

[rkolb86]

I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject, but during my research in purchasing a new mobo, USB 3 is supported, but booting from USB3 is not.


Just what I read...could just be old info.

[hvanmunster]

I don't know if this can help, but I have the impression that the system swaps from the USB 3.0 port to the USB 2.0 port during boot.

I have connected 2 external USB drives at the same time on my pc. Both drives are made bootable (ubuntu 10.10 i386 placed with the usb-installer). One drive is connected to the usb 2.0 port, the other to the usb 3.0 port.
In this configuration I am able to force the computer (via bios settings) to start booting on the usb 3.0 port. The boot procedure runs fine until complete boot, but somewhere in the middle, the system takes the drive on the usb 2.0 port.
I noticed this because I chose a different desktop background on both systems. Apart from that they are identical.
When I force the pc to boot from usb 3.0, I always obtain the background of the system that is on the usb 2.0 port.

PC : HP elitebook 8540w (64 bit processor, I chose ubuntu i386 for portability reasons)
Drive on usb 2.0 : Lacie 300 GB
Drive on usb 3.0 : Western Ditgital MyPassport 500 GB
Both drives are tested individually on different computers with a usb 2.0 port. They are both working fine if connected to a usb 2.0 port.

[hvanmunster]

I don't know if this can help, but I have the impression that the system swaps from the USB 3.0 port to the USB 2.0 port during boot.

I have connected 2 external USB drives at the same time on my pc. Both drives are made bootable (ubuntu 10.10 i386 placed with the usb-installer). One drive is connected to the usb 2.0 port, the other to the usb 3.0 port.
In this configuration I am able to force the computer (via bios settings) to start booting on the usb 3.0 port. The boot procedure runs fine until complete boot, but somewhere in the middle, the system takes the drive on the usb 2.0 port.
I noticed this because I chose a different desktop background on both systems. Apart from that they are identical.
When I force the pc to boot from usb 3.0, I always obtain the background of the system that is on the usb 2.0 port.

PC : HP elitebook 8540w (64 bit processor, I chose ubuntu i386 for portability reasons)
Drive on usb 2.0 : Lacie 300 GB
Drive on usb 3.0 : Western Ditgital MyPassport 500 GB
Both drives are tested individually on different computers with a usb 2.0 port. They are both working fine if connected to a usb 2.0 port.

[kiyop]

I set Buffalo IFC-PCIE2U3 USB 3.0 interface board with my PC and connected USB 3.0 HDD; pqi Portable HDD H566.

I downloaded
http://cdimage-u-toyama.ubuntulinux....sktop-i386.iso
and burned to CD-R.

I booted with the burned CD-R. The USB-3.0HDD was found.

I installed Ubuntu into the partition made in USB-3.0HDD.
Both of Grub2 installation to MBR of the USB-3.0HDD and to PBR of the installed partition were failed.
So, I continued without installation of Grub2.

I restarted.
In BIOS settings screen, the USB-3.0HDD could not be found.

I booted with Ubuntu installed in the internal HDD of my PC.

$ lsmod
displayed

xhci_hcd
...
usbhid
hid
usb_storage
...

I change-root into the installed partition (/dev/sdf1) of the USB-3.0HDD.
$ sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sdf1 /mnt -o rw
$ sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
$ sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
$ sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
$ sudo chroot /mnt /bin/bash

First, I updated.
/# apt-get udpate
/# apt-get upgrade

Many packages were failed to be updated and there came many error messages.

I added the following lines:

xhci_hcd
usbhid
hid
usb_storage

to
/etc/initramfs-tools/modules

/# nano /etc/initramfs-tools/modules

I generated initramfs.
/# mkinitramfs -o /tmp/initramfs-$(uname -r)
/# mv /boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic-pae /boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic-pae-backup
/# mv /tmp/initramfs-2.6.35-25-generic-pae /boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic-pae

/# exit
$ sudo umount -l /mnt/dev
$ sudo umount -l /mnt/sys
$ sudo umount -l /mnt/proc

I mounted a partition, where BIOS can access, in the internal HDD to /media/windows.
I copied generated initramfs and kernel into the partition.

$ cp /mnt/boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic-pae /mnt/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-25-generic-pae /media/windows/

I set up grub4dos-0.4.4 to the windows 7 system partition (/media/windows).
I copied grldr into /media/windows and edit /media/windows/menu.lst:

title ubuntu on USB3.0HDD
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.35-25-generic-pae root=UUID=UUID of the partition where ubuntu was installed ro
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic-pae

I added the grub4dos entry with BCDedit.

I restarted and select grub4dos with Bootmgr.

The GNOME of ubuntu installed in USB-3.0HDD successfully started.

In this case, the kernel and initramfs should be in the partition where BIOS (grub4dos) can access, in the internal HDD.

I wrote my own init script.
I involved my init script, "kexec-tools", "dialog", "file" and so on into initramfs.
Now, I can boot Ubuntu on a partition in USB-3.0HDD without the existence of the very kernel and initramfs in the internal HDD.

[citium]

kiyop your a legend.

I was looking for way to do what you did.

I have an ENYO 128GB and it refuse to boot.
I know the mother board dont support booting from usb.
So I made the ubuntu install the boot partition on usb2 and everything else on usb3. But it can't detect usb3 after the kernel is loaded.

Finger cross, I'll try kiyop solution tomorrow.

[kiyop]

I wish you will succeed.
Incorporation of correct necessary modules into initramfs is key point.

If you want to keep your kernel and initramfs of Ubuntu inside the partition in USB3.0 device, this link may help you. It should be noticed that both initramfs'es of kernel loader (kiyoshi's help) and Ubuntu itself must have the correct modules.

[kiyop]

So I made the ubuntu install the boot partition on usb2 and everything else on usb3.

If you made /boot partition separately from / partition, you should mount /boot partition correctly so that you can "mkinitramfs" correctly in chroot circumstance.

I do not prefer separating /boot partition from / partition.

[DannyLi]

I can confirm kiyop's solution works. the principle is use a initramfs & kernel in the internal hard drive with usb 3 support to boot the external usb 3 hard drive.

but if you are using a kernel under 2.26.34, you need xhci module instead of xhci_hcd as xhci was renamed to xhci_hcd since 2.26.34.

my kernel is 2.6.32-29-generic, so my /etc/initramfs-tools/modules file has the following lines:
xhci
usbhid
hid
usb_storage

good luck to everyone and enjoy the usb 3.0 speed.