[PPC] How to make a Live CD a Live USB stick

**Ivan_Avery_Frey** · June 28th, 2011

There were still two typos in the original message. When copying the yaboot.conf file from the live cdrom the .conf extension was left out.

Missing space in the first tar command: tar cBpf -

**rsavage** · June 29th, 2011

There is a much easier way to create a live USB stick:

First, find out the device name of the USB device. Look in the disk utility program or something for this. Mine is /dev/sda

Then use the 'dd' command to copy the iso to disk. WARNING!! This will erase your USB stick so only do this if it hasn't got anything important on it! Also, double check you have the device name correct as you don't want to erase a hard drive or anything like that by mistake! The 'dd' command will do its thing even if you have the device mounted. The command you want will be something like this:

sudo dd if=~/Downloads/ubuntu.iso of=/dev/sda

where ~/Downloads/ubuntu.iso is the path of the iso file and /dev/sda is the USB device.

Restart the machine into openfirmware (hold down o and f and command and option while turning on). To boot the stick type

boot usb0/disk@1:2,\\yaboot
(or something similar like 'boot usb1/disk@1:2,\\yaboot')

The above is based on this thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1602512 .

Btw, to return the USB stick to 'normal', you'll need to repartition and reformat it!

EDIT: I've given further info on using a usb in more messages below....

EDIT2: I've recently discovered Gentoo have a good guide to booting from usb here http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/LiveUSB_on_PPC . Some more random stuff is here http://hints.macworld.com/article.ph...60301112336384 .

**dodino** · June 29th, 2011

Anyone can tell me if exist a simple procedure (like this for PPC) to make an USB stick with an Ubuntu installation (or live) bootable on a macbook? I have tried many guides found in this forum but none of them has ever worked, the boot of the usb stick with ubuntu does not work for me on a macbook. Thanks in advance..

Edoardo

**linuxopjemac** · June 29th, 2011

Some MacBooks don't have the right EFI firmware allowing to boot from USB. I own a MacBook 2,1 which is unable to boot from USB for example. Not all MacBooks are the same.

**rsavage** · June 29th, 2011

Anybody got the PPC alternate CDs or minimal CDs to work with USB? The 10.04 alternate CD gets so far and then tells me it can't mount the cdrom. The minimal CD seems to just hang at some point (don't know if it is downloading or something? It doesn't say it is.)

The 10.04 live cd works perferctly. The debian mini works perferctly.

I do have an exceptionally dodgy USB stick so it might just be me.

**rsavage** · June 29th, 2011

Just to expand on the above. I want to install a minimal ubuntu and build up. That is why I was interested in the minimal CD and alternate versions.

SOLVED NOW!

If you get a problem with the alternate CD telling you it can't mount the CD then this is what to do....

Press Ctrl-Alt-F2 to take you to a Busybox terminal

Type 'umount /dev/sda' (or whatever your usb device is)
Then type 'mount /dev/sda1 /cdrom'
Then type 'exit' and swap back to the installation ctrl-alt-F1

You can continue installing now (not sure if I skipped the detect cd-rom bit - can't remember). Installation may then throw an error at the can't install base system bit "Failed to determine the codename for the release". Go to the installer menu and choose "load installer components from cd". Tick the bit for detecting and loading ISOs ("load-iso: blah blah blah...."). Installation then sprang into life for me.

Hope this helps.

**rsavage** · June 30th, 2011

Solved now. Have edited the above post with instructions.

New Update: A wierd thing has happenend in that I can't repeat exactly the steps I've described above. This time the Ctrl-Alt-F2 thing doesn't want to work so I've had to use the "execute shell" option from the menu. Also, the umount command doesn't want to work, but that now bizarely doesn't seem necessary this time. Anyway, hopefully you've all got enough info to get a working system.

Update 2: I've remembered what the difference was. One was using the 'cli' install and one the normal install. Strange how they behave differently.

Update 3: I can confirm the power pc minimal install cd for 10.10 works "out of the box". I don't think previously I had left it for long enough. This time when it appeared to be doing nothing I left it. When I looked back at the screen a couple of minutes later the installation was in full swing. I did choose the manual option for setting the mirror to check it was right (ports.ubuntu.com with directory /ubuntu-ports/), but don't think this made any difference. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...tion/MinimalCD

**rsavage** · July 5th, 2011

If you want to make the usb from Mac OS X then the instructions to do so are here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...k#From Mac OSX . You'll have to boot it through openfirmware like if you did it from linux (not holding down alt as it describes).

These comments http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/inde...t-1445659.html suggest it can be done.

Note, this method also wipes the data on your usb device so make sure it has nothing important on it!