Howto make USB boot drives

[sudodus]

@C.S.Cameron,

Edit: The set of 'mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios' files has been edited, and the current set is shown in post #999

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I tried to listen to what you want: modified the names and created a new template with an FAT32 file system in partition #1.

You found these templates at https://phillw.net/isos/linux-tools/uefi-n-bios/?C=N;O=D

- mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz
- mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-windows.img.xz
- mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_3.5GB_use-in-windows.img.xz
- mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz

and the md5sums in the file mkusb_grub-boot-templates-for-uefi-n-bios.md5

$ ls -trl mkusb_grub-boot-template*
-rw-r--r--. 1 nio nio 2768416  4 jun 10.05 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz
-rw-r--r--. 1 nio nio 3681860  8 aug 17.18 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-windows.img.xz
-rw-r--r--. 1 nio nio 3313020 11 aug 15.25 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_3.5GB_use-in-windows.img.xz
-rw-r--r--. 1 nio nio 3331492 11 aug 22.47 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz
-rw-r--r--. 1 nio nio     409 11 aug 23.42 mkusb_grub-boot-templates-for-uefi-n-bios.md5

$ md5sum -c mkusb_grub-boot-templates-for-uefi-n-bios.md5
mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_3.5GB_use-in-windows.img.xz: OK
mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz: OK
mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz: OK
mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-windows.img.xz: OK

$ lsblk -fm /dev/sdc
NAME   FSTYPE LABEL     UUID                                 MOUNTPOINT             SIZE OWNER GROUP MODE
sdc                                                                                14,6G root  disk  brw-rw----
├─sdc1 vfat   ISODEVICE D39A-66D7                            /media/nio/ISODEVICE   3,4G root  disk  brw-rw----
├─sdc2                                                                                1M root  disk  brw-rw----
├─sdc3 vfat   usbboot   02D3-7915                                                   245M root  disk  brw-rw----
└─sdc4 ext4   writable  edd959eb-b3db-4bd1-8c5d-cc2e4c3d0877                         11G root  disk  brw-rw----

I think this palette with templates should provide working solutions for most cases, where you want to use templates to create a grub-n-iso (isoboot) system or an installed system in an external drive (USB pendrive, memory card, external SSD or HDD via USB or eSATA).

Please test that the templates work for you.

Edit 1: I tested again, and this time Windows 10 could not use the template with a FAT32 partition (in particular, could not see the FAT32 partition, hence not put any iso file into it

I don't know why it worked the first time but not after that - I tried to reboot, but it did not help. If you can use it in Windows 7, fine, otherwise I think it is better to remove this template, because I don't see how it can be used, where the other templates don't work.

Edit 2: I created a new template file for old Windows, that see only partition #1. I made it slightly bigger too, but still with some margin smaller than the standard nominal size 4 GB.

This time the partition is not only number 1, but also located at the head of the drive, before the other partitions. There is still a problem that Windows refuses to edit it, but Windows can to copy a file into it. So we can provide ubuntu.iso and get a successful grub-n-iso boot drive, that works both in UEFI mode and BIOS mode.

I think this file

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz

should work for you in old versions of Windows. But I have only tested it in Windows 10, so I am looking forward to your test result

[C.S.Cameron]

Thanks Sudodus
That should keep me entertained for a while.

[C.S.Cameron]

Sudodus:

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_3.5GB_use-in-windows.img.xz was flashed using Rufus. Apparently Etcher does not like Linux ISO's with Windows in the name. It wants to treat them as Windows ISO's. After changing the word "windows" to "wins" it worked in Etcher also..The resulting USB was not accessible in Windows 7 or 10, except by Rufus and Windows Disk Manager, WDM was not able to fix it. *

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz worked great for me using Rufus. Easy and quick way to make an ISO booter. The USB was accessible in both Windows 7 and 10. After changing the word "windows" to "wins" it worked in Etcher also.
I made a working Ubuntu ISO booter on Windows 7 using the image. Funny thing is the .xz file worked in Rufus even though I could not find 7zip installed on the VM? I wonder if a similar Template would work with a NTFS partition?.
The Template did not work for me in Etcher on a 4B drive even renamed to "wins". I think Etcher thought it is too big for my 4GB USB. Rufus managed to squeeze it onto the same 4GB USB.

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz made a drive that was visible to Windows Disk Manager and I was able to add a NTFS partition, but it would not completely shut down.This image mostly worked in a Windows 7 but not able to format unallocated space. Only Rufus could see it. The 4GB Template version with a FAT32 partition included, saved a step over this version.

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz worked great using mkusb to flash the USB. It did not work using Gnome-Disks. I created a FAT32 partition using GParted that was visible in Windows 10 but not in 7. I changed the drive letter using WDM and it became usable in Windows 7. I should also mention that the fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img also worked with mkusb and also worked with Gnome-Disks and was usable in Windows 10 and in 7 without changing drive letter..

If I was marooned on a jungle island, somewhere in the Indian ocean and could only have one of the above I would pick "mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz". My second choice would be the bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz.

* I'm not sure how reproducible my results are. I could have sworn that the first time I ran the 3.5GB Template it worked okay. I have run the 4GB template a dozen times today with consistent results.

[sudodus]

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz made a drive that was visible to Windows Disk Manager and I was able to add a NTFS partition, but it would not completely shut down.This image mostly worked in a Windows 7 but not able to format unallocated space. Only Rufus could see it. The 4GB Template version with a FAT32 partition included, saved a step over this version.

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz worked great using mkusb to flash the USB. It did not work using Gnome-Disks. I created a FAT32 partition using GParted that was visible in Windows 10 but not in 7. I changed the drive letter using WDM and it became usable in Windows 7. I should also mention that the fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img also worked with mkusb and also worked with Gnome-Disks and was usable in Windows 10 and in 7 without changing drive letter..

Thanks for these detailed tests.

Question: Are you talking about the same template in the above paragraphs, or is one of them about

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-windows.img.xz

(renamed from dd_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_only-p1p2.img.xz) ?

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Comment: I will check the problem, when using Gnome-Disks.

Edit: with mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz and Gnome-Disks, the drive needs also treatment with gpt-fix in order to work (this treatment is built into mkusb-dus). I can try to reduce this problem (so that gpt-fix is no longer necessary).

So it is easier to use mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img.xz, but the FAT32 partition is at the drive's head end so its size is difficult to increase, which is a disadvantage. But I understand that you prefer it anyway, because when you consider the general performance, it is best among the tested templates.

[sudodus]

I made a new version of mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz
mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img.xz
mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-wins.img.xz

with the md5sums in

Check the download with

grub-boot-templates-for-uefi-n-bios.md5

This 'use in Ubuntu' file behaves better in my tests when clonied with Gnome-Disks. Please test how it works in Windows 7 and 10 for you.

I also renamed the files to make Etcher accept them.

$ l -tr mkusb_grub-boot-template*
-rw-r--r-- 1 nio nio 3681860  8 aug 17.18 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-wins.img.xz
-rw-r--r-- 1 nio nio 3331492 11 aug 22.47 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img.xz
-rw-r--r-- 1 nio nio 2768936 14 aug 16.03 mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_use-in-ubuntu.img.xz

Edit: I should add to "This 'use in Ubuntu' template file behaves better in my tests when cloned with Gnome-Disks." that I

- cloned with Gnome-Disks and then
- used Gparted to create a FAT32 partition and
- let Gparted do the fix that it wants to do (somewhat corresponding to 'gpt-fix').

This will become partition #1, located behind the boot partitions, so it is not limited in size. It looks good in Windows 10, and I am looking forward to your test in Windows 7, where I hope you can use it, for example to read and write files.

[C.S.Cameron]

Question: Are you talking about the same template in the above paragraphs, or is one of them about

Oops, looks like a copy paste error, The first paragraph should have been for the Windows Template, the next paragraph was correctly about the Ubuntu one. I did not find much difference between them.

So it is easier to use mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img.xz, but the FAT32 partition is at the drive's head end so its size is difficult to increase, which is a disadvantage. But I understand that you prefer it anyway, because when you consider the general performance, it is best among the tested templates.

Yes, I think for casual use I would use fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img, but I don't want to be too hasty. Will confirm after I have given it a bit more thought.

[C.S.Cameron]

After giving the matter a little more thought:

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz creates a drive with a 4GB Fat 32 partition visible to Windows 10 and Windows 7, Linux and IOS.

Windows Disk Manager and GParted can be used to turn the unformatted space on a larger USB into a FAT32 or NTFS partition that can be seen by Windows 10 or Linux. GParted can be used to turn it into a stable ext partition for use by Linux.

Booting the USB flash drive to Ubuntu using toram, I was able to unmount the USB using "sudo umount -lrf /isodevice" and in GParted move the boot partitions to the right and expand the 4GB FAT32 partition to use all the extra space. (Do not forget to leave 1MB of free space to the right of the EFI partition). The resulting drives FAT32 partition was accessible in both Windows 7 and 10 as long as it was number one and on the far left side.

The '4GB_use-in-windows.img can be used to make an ISO booting USB of any complexity, that can be used in BIOS mode and UEFI mode computers. It can also serve as a foundation for a Full install drive and many other bootable USB projects.

I am a little confused about why the FAT32 partition has been wanting to be on the left side of WDM and GParted. I do not ever recall mkusb's usbdata partition having trouble in Windows 7?

[sudodus]

After giving the matter a little more thought:

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz creates a drive with a 4GB Fat 32 partition visible to Windows 10 and Windows 7, Linux and IOS.

Windows Disk Manager and GParted can be used to turn the unformatted space on a larger USB into a FAT32 or NTFS partition that can be seen by Windows 10 or Linux. GParted can be used to turn it into a stable ext partition for use by Linux.

Booting the USB flash drive to Ubuntu using toram, I was able to unmount the USB using "sudo umount -lrf /isodevice" and in GParted move the boot partitions to the right and expand the 4GB FAT32 partition to use all the extra space. (Do not forget to leave 1MB of free space to the right of the EFI partition). The resulting drives FAT32 partition was accessible in both Windows 7 and 10 as long as it was number one and on the far left side.

The '4GB_use-in-windows.img can be used to make an ISO booting USB of any complexity, that can be used in BIOS mode and UEFI mode computers. It can also serve as a foundation for a Full install drive and many other bootable USB projects.

Am i understanding correctly, that you need only one of these templates,

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img.xz

and for that purpose we might rename it (by removing 'use-in-wins')?

I am a little confused about why the FAT32 partition has been wanting to be on the left side of WDM and GParted. I do not ever recall mkusb's usbdata partition having trouble in Windows 7?

- It might make a difference, that mkusb creates the partition table directly onto the USB drive, while the template almost always has a mismatch concerning the size of the drive.

- Windows 10 has changed the treatment of USB drives, for example can use more than the first partition now. It is possible that the treatment of USB drives has changed in other ways too, for example that it is less tolerant to partitions and file systems created by other operating systems, that may not be 100% identical to what it 'expects' or 'wants'.

- It is also possible that Linux its tools (for example Gparted) have changed, so that the current versions do not create exactly the same partition tables and file systems as they did some years ago.

[C.S.Cameron]

Am i understanding correctly, that you need only one of these templates,

mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-wins.img.xz

and for that purpose we might rename it (by removing 'use-in-wins')?

I would like to see at least the original Template dd_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios.img.xz and the new Template mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz remain available.

The original Template has been mentioned quite a few times in Ask Ubuntu.

The only that I am a little uneasy about is that 4GB_use-in-wins.img was not working on my 4GB drive in Etcher. I would not doubt that I am the only person left with a working 4GB USB2 drive.

[sudodus]

I would like to see at least the original Template dd_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios.img.xz and the new Template mkusb_grub-boot-template-for-uefi-n-bios_fat32_4GB_use-in-windows.img.xz remain available.

The original Template has been mentioned quite a few times in Ask Ubuntu.

OK

The only that I am a little uneasy about is that 4GB_use-in-wins.img was not working on my 4GB drive in Etcher. I would not doubt that I am the only person left with a working 4GB USB2 drive.

What 's the exact size of that drive, which is nominally 4 GB?

The template should work in a drive size >= 3965190144 bytes (~ 3965 MB, 10-base)

$ LANG=C sudo parted /dev/sdd p
Model: Generic- USB3.0 CRW -SD (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdd: 3965MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name  Flags
 1      1049kB  3640MB  3639MB  fat32              msftdata
 2      3640MB  3641MB  1049kB                     bios_grub
 3      3641MB  3898MB  257MB   fat32              boot, esp

$ LANG=C sudo parted /dev/sdd u b p
Model: Generic- USB3.0 CRW -SD (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdd: 3965190144B
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start        End          Size         File system  Name  Flags
 1      1048576B     3639607295B  3638558720B  fat32              msftdata
 2      3639607296B  3640655871B  1048576B                        bios_grub
 3      3640655872B  3897556991B  256901120B   fat32              boot, esp