Howto make USB boot drives

[sudodus]

mkusb version 8

After testing the release candidates, the new version of mkusb is released. The intention is that the menus should make it useful for a larger group of people.

mkusb version 8 with menus is uploaded to http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/

and there is a more detailed description with many screenshots at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb

Edit: The quick start manual is updated to mkusb version 8, while the the old quick start manual describes the last version without menus, 7.4.

[jerrylamos]

Thanks!

Tried both mkusb8-rc2 and the newer dated mkusb with today's Lubuntu 64.

Clean as a whistle. Now I just booted the USB images and haven't tried to do an install yet.

BTW, I usually crank up gparted and format the USB to FAT32, then label example Lubuntu64. Sometimes the USB needs a partition table first.

For whatever reason over the years Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator has given me lots of grief as has brasero and unetbootin. I've even had to warily resort to command line dd, talk about playing with fire.

Thanks lots!

[sudodus]

You are welcome jerrylamos

[sudodus]

mksub version 8.3

I have uploaded mkusb version 8.3 to phillw's server http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/

I think it is ready to be used by several more people now, and a good alternative to the Startup Disk Creator and Unetbootin in order to create USB boot drives. It is fast and reliable, and I hope it will be easy to use.

There are menus using 'dialog' which makes the text mode experience quite nice. And there are flie selectors using 'zenity', which makes it even more user friendly in graphical desktop environments. mkusb works in text mode as well as in graphical mode, locally as well as remotely via ssh.

You find more details at this wiki page https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb

[dunn2]

Thank you so much!!!

[sudodus]

Thank you so much!!!

I'm glad it worked for you

-o-

mkusb version 8.4

However, I found a bug that depends on the current date (now that it is a one-digit date (August 2). It made mkusb fail to find target devices. I squashed the bug and uploaded version 8.4 which has no bug that I know of now

See http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/

and https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb

[sudodus]

mkusb version 8.5

The new version 8.5 has a feature to make it safer. The last warning screen has red background. See the attached picture and the following links

http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb

Edit:

Version 8.5.1: cosmetic bugfix for compressed image files in order to show the progress display (LANG=C for pv display).

Version 8.5.2: Improvements and bugfixes

• improved check if the same iso, for updating the (daily) iso image during iso testing http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/
• improved final dialogue, more logical, also cosmetic improvements
• double quotes around the file name in the command string makes it work with some special characters, e.g. space and parenthesis. The following command works, but I recommend normal characters and no spaces.

sudo ./mkusb "quote file name (1) with special characters.iso"

[salvatore2]

thanks!

[sudodus]

mkusb version 8.5 - improvements and bug-fixes

Final warning with red background See this link and PPA, mkusb logo & icon, desktop file in version 8.5

• mkcmd_runcmd debugged in version 8.5.1 (LANG=C), for the progress display pv (cosmetic bugfix for compressed image files)
• improvements and bugfixes in version 8.5.2
  
  • improved check if the same iso, for updating iso image at iso testing
  • improved final dialogue, more logical, also cosmetic improvements
  • double quotes around the file name in the command string makes it work with some special characters, e.g. space and parenthesis.
  
  
• improvements and bugfixes in version 8.5.3
  
  • logo and icons developed and uploaded for mkusb
  • function zenitytest: usage test of zenity which also serves as splash in graphics mode
  • mkusb24.png stored in-file (in mkusb itself) encoded with base64
  • sudo -H mkusb recommended (due to graphics) but sudo mkusb works (and better via ssh -X)
  • final warning with zenity window
  • desktop file for easy access via menus in graphical desktop environments
  • manual page, you find it with man mkusb
  • mkusb.desktop using green xterm login and xterm console with correct dialog colours
  • PPA introduced
  
  
• improvements and bugfixes in version 8.5.4
  
  • bugfix to restore red warning screen in text mode
  • some minor tweaks for the packaging of the PPA
  
  

The fastest way to start making USB boot drives is to install the mkusb PPA, install and update the mkusb package like all the other program packages. See this link
https://launchpad.net/~mkusb/+archive/ubuntu/ppa

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mkusb/ppa  # and press Enter to accept it
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mkusb

You can download the quick start manual and check the md5sums at this link http://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/mkusb/

[sudodus]

mkusb version 9

New: You can test mkusb version 9 with pure graphical menus and info texts including red warning menus via ppa:mkusb/unstable

See the link https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb with details at /v9

File selection and the other dialogues use zenity (so this version works only in a graphical environment)

mkusb-nox is supplied via the PPA. It works in text screens, 'No X'.