Howto make USB boot drives

[vidtek]

@vidtek,

I'm glad that at least one of my tips works.

I'm afraid, that the problem with unplugging might be due to things happening in the computer's early boot sequences, for example that the content of some memory locations are not reset: Old content is still there, and those memory locations are not properly cleared by the UEFI/BIOS system at reboot. If that is the case, you can test the system in different computers and it might behave differently.

Tried on both the other systems --same result on a Samsung 510 older laptop and a strix 270 motherboard with an i7 and 16gb ram. The main testing system runs a Gigabyte z68 with an i7 and 16gb ram. I also tried running scripts on the reboot command inside the .iso file system writing in cubic terminal mode, no difference.

In fact the scripts that purport to reset the usb subsystem don't work either. Nothing works like unplugging/replugging the stick. bugger.

I'm starting to think of an electronic solution rather than a software approach. Maybe inserting a small relay/switching i.c. in the usb cable to simulate the unplugging/plugging action. What do you think? Maybe there is a powered usb hub that I can get off the shelf that disconnects the usb when power is removed-that would work in a remote system with a smart wall plug...time for a google hunt.
Tony.

[vidtek]

OK I have been through my mountain of computer stuff and pulled out an Anker 7port with 3 power only usb3 powered hub.

I tried in my workshop to see if when the power was removed the usb hub was reset as though unplugged from the host computer.

It was, the little blue active light went off, the hub was disconnected and I was able to reboot the computer without physically unplugging the usb stick.

So a work-around, not the most elegant solution, a software approach built-in to the live system would have been far more elegant but this works for my application. I have tested it with a smart plug and even using google assistant voice control I was able to achieve my goal.
The timing is critical, disconnect too early in the reboot process and it will cause the machine to hang (as the usb stick is the current o/s), too late and the bios boot process will already have started.

If anyone can come up with a way to achieve the same result by removing the way a live system insists on a replug that would be far better.

Thanks to @sudodus for your help.

Tony.

https://uk.anker.com/products/a7515

[sudodus]

@vidtek,

Thanks for sharing your solution

[oygle]

I'm wanting to make a 20.04.3 boot usb device. I used "clone" and although I could boot up okay from the usb, it went to a desktop and no options/functions/menus ??

So am now using a "live" version and will see how that goes. But I'm sure it has worked before with just a "clone".

[sudodus]

@oygle,

Are you talking about the following two options in an mkusb menu,

- Cloning iso file, [compressed] image file or device

- 'Live-only' or linux installer from iso file

and their influence on the result, the live system?

Both are cloning, doing exactly the same thing. It is only in order to catch the different 'user notions' of what should happen, that there are two options in the menu.

But if you select

- 'Persistent live' - only Debian and Ubuntu

you get something very different, and you can run such a drive live (live-only) too, there is a grub menuentry for it.

---

Please explain the problem with a desktop and no options/functions/menus.

- Was that when the created live system booted? Or when the installed system booted? Or something else, that I cannot guess?

- Can you reproduce it (in the same computer, in some other computer, with some other version/flavour of Ubuntu)?

I suspect that it is a problem with the graphics, that the driver does not work well will the graphics hardware. Maybe you can work around it with some boot option, for example 'nomodeset'?

[oygle]

@sudodus, thank you for your reply. I had initially wanted to make a WIN 8.1 drive as dual boot, and add Kubuntu 20.04.3 - see https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread....6#post14066766 for the last reply.

I'm up to the "hair pulling out" phase, it really does seem that WIndows keeps gaining control and even when I'm able to boot from the usb, all that appears is the desktop (as per pic in that thread). As I only _really_ need the Windows for old MS Money conversions and some old works conversions, and all of those done from time to time, I may just wipe the WIN 8.1, even though I can't see/view the files. I think I only used it for the conversion to QIF format then exported to another computer.

So I think now the only optoin is to wipe/clobber from BIOS, it takes a few hours, but oh well. I'm sure the problem isn't mkusb, as I have used it successfully before, and from memory, all I did was a "clone". Thanks for your help

[sudodus]

@oygle,

When that Probook is without a screen, but there is an external monitor, it is possible that Kubuntu 'thinks' that there is still an internal screen and sends options/functions/menus into cyberspace but none of that to the external monitor.

I'm thinking of my Dell Precision with nvidia graphics, that I connect to a TV. I have the options/functions/menus in the internal screen and can drag windows to the TV and make them fullscreen and enjoy (for example streamed movies or slideshows).

That is the default setting. I'm not sure if there is an option to send the same video to both screens or to only send video to the external screen (monitor). There might be options for that but not easy to identify without the internal screen.

Anyway, I would not blame Windows for it.

[oygle]

@oygle,

When that Probook is without a screen, but there is an external monitor, it is possible that Kubuntu 'thinks' that there is still an internal screen and sends options/functions/menus into cyberspace but none of that to the external monitor.

Could be,

That is the default setting. I'm not sure if there is an option to send the same video to both screens or to only send video to the external screen (monitor). There might be options for that but not easy to identify without the internal screen.

There are options in Kubuntu to "sync", etc, but I'm not able to get that far with it. Even when I read up on grub and dropped into the options at boot time and select "text graphics" or some option like that, it still went to the desktop view and just hung there.

It's all forced me to re-evaluate my "need" for Windows. Single boot has worked many times on that laptop, meaning fresh installs by using a usb. I'll steer clear of dual booting on that laptop. The no screen/external monitor may be compounding the issues. Have successfully done a VM on Kubuntu in the past with a WIN 8 running in the VM, so that looks like the only way to have Kubuntu and WIN 8.1

The BIOS 'secure erase' is running now, so _should_ have a clean/clear Kubuntu boot after that. Thanks for your help.

[guiverc]

I'll make comment here, but I can't currently rule out user-error (ie. it could still be me).

I failed trying to write a newly zsync'd ubuntu jammy ISO to thumb-drive

guiverc@d960-ubu2:/de2900/ubuntu_64$   sudo dus jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
 dus 12.7.2 
Drive that contains source file: /dev/sda
Live drive, that is booted from: /dev/sda
cands=1
sdb
SanDisk_Cruzer_Facet
 7.5G
usb
USB or memory card
p_target: target=/dev/sdb
target drive size = 8 GB
 Clone/extract  system from the source
'jammy-desktop-amd64.iso'
to the target device (drive) '/dev/sdb'
MODEL        NAME FSTYPE  LABEL                   SIZE
Cruzer Facet sdb  iso9660 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS amd64  7.5G
             sdb1 iso9660 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS amd64  3.9G
             sdb2 vfat    ESP                     4.1M
             sdb3                                 300K
             sdb4 ext4    writable                3.6G
jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
/dev/sdb
-----
source=jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
target=/dev/sdb
source=jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
ls -l  jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
-rw------- 1 guiverc guiverc 3246626816 Dec 29 07:57 jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
Making a USB boot drive or memory card ..........................
The iso file SHOULD BE loop mounted on a temporary file READ-ONLY:
mount: /tmp/dus.ZicJXjqvcW: failed to setup loop device for /de2900/ubuntu_64/jammy-desktop-amd64.iso.
umount: /tmp/dus.ZicJXjqvcW: not mounted.
gpt_zap: done

Installing 'jammy-desktop-amd64.iso' to '/dev/sdb' ... :

/usr/bin/pv
< "jammy-desktop-amd64.iso" pv -s 3246626816 | dd bs=4096  of=/dev/sdb
 Please wait for sync until 'Done' is written.
 If there is a progress window,
 wait for the buffered data to get flushed 
 so that all data are transferred to the target device.
/usr/bin/watch-flush
dd: failed to open '/dev/sdb': Operation not permitted
0.00 B 0:00:00 [0.00 B/s] [>                                                                                     ]  0%            
Syncing the device ...
----- cleanup after writing ------------------------------------------
 500040 pts/2    00:00:00 watch-flush
umount: /dev/sdb: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb1: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb2: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb3: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb4: not mounted.
 Failed :-(

and just experienced the same with Lubuntu's ISO too.

** prior ISO
calamares    3.2.41.1-0ubuntu2
calamares-settings-lubuntu    1:22.04.1
calamares-settings-ubuntu-common    1:22.04.1
casper    1.465
lubuntu-default-settings    22.04.1
lupin-casper    0.57build1
** latest ISO
calamares    3.2.41.1-0ubuntu2
calamares-settings-lubuntu    1:22.04.1
calamares-settings-ubuntu-common    1:22.04.1
casper    1.465
lubuntu-default-settings    22.04.1
lupin-casper    0.57build1
** diff
guiverc@d960-ubu2:/de2900/lubuntu_64$   dus jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
 dus 12.7.2 
[sudo] password for guiverc: 
live system or temporary superuser permissions
Drive that contains source file: /dev/sda
Live drive, that is booted from: /dev/sda
cands=1
sdb
Verbatim_STORE_N_GO
14.4G
usb
USB or memory card
p_target: target=/dev/sdb
target drive size = 16 GB
live system or temporary superuser permissions
 Clone/extract  system from the source
'jammy-desktop-amd64.iso'
to the target device (drive) '/dev/sdb'
MODEL      NAME FSTYPE  LABEL                    SIZE
STORE N GO sdb  iso9660 Lubuntu 22.04 LTS amd64 14.4G
           sdb1 iso9660 Lubuntu 22.04 LTS amd64  1.9G
           sdb2 vfat    ESP                      4.1M
           sdb3                                  300K
           sdb4 ext4    writable                12.5G
jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
/dev/sdb
-----
live system or temporary superuser permissions
source=jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
target=/dev/sdb
source=jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
ls -l  jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
-rw------- 1 guiverc guiverc 2040582144 Dec 29 16:53 jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
Making a USB boot drive or memory card ..........................
The iso file SHOULD BE loop mounted on a temporary file READ-ONLY:
mount: /tmp/dus.FiwfRzQjwk: failed to setup loop device for /de2900/lubuntu_64/jammy-desktop-amd64.iso.
umount: /tmp/dus.FiwfRzQjwk: not mounted.
gpt_zap: done

Installing 'jammy-desktop-amd64.iso' to '/dev/sdb' ... :

/usr/bin/pv
< "jammy-desktop-amd64.iso" pv -s 2040582144 | dd bs=4096  of=/dev/sdb
 Please wait for sync until 'Done' is written.
 If there is a progress window,
 wait for the buffered data to get flushed 
 so that all data are transferred to the target device.
/usr/bin/watch-flush
dd: failed to open '/dev/sdb': Operation not permitted
0.00 B 0:00:00 [0.00 B/s] [>                                                                                     ]  0%            
Syncing the device ...
----- cleanup after writing ------------------------------------------
 512185 pts/4    00:00:00 watch-flush
umount: /dev/sdb: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb1: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb2: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb3: not mounted.
umount: /dev/sdb4: not mounted.
 Failed :-(

I also tried a `dd` with the Ubuntu ISO

guiverc@d960-ubu2:/de2900/ubuntu_64$   sudo dd bs=4M oflag=sync status=progress of=/dev/sdb if=/de2900/ubuntu_64/jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
dd: failed to open '/dev/sdb': Operation not permitted

FYI: `sudo dus` & my usual `dus` were tried (with both); no difference.

I've not explored this; for now I want to focus on what I'm trying to test for a bug comment & don't want to be distracted.

I used `gnome-disks` to write the Ubuntu ISO to thumb-drive without issue, and it's writing the Lubuntu ISO now as I type this. Probably of no significance, but I'm using Xfce/Xubuntu as a desktop (instead of my far more common LXQt/Lubuntu)

guiverc@d960-ubu2:/de2900/lubuntu_64$   apt-cache policy mkusb
mkusb:
  Installed: 12.7.2-1ubuntu1
  Candidate: 12.7.2-1ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 12.7.2-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/mkusb/unstable/ubuntu jammy/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/mkusb/unstable/ubuntu jammy/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[sudodus]

@guiverc,

The error message

dd: failed to open '/dev/sdb': Operation not permitted

both for mkusb and 'plain dd' indicates a fundamental problem. I think that either the management of block devices (in the operating system) is corrupted in the host operating system (the Xfce/Xubuntu that you were using as a desktop) or that the USB drive is failing (for example that it is gridlocked (at least temporarily). Gridlock is a first step of failure, that a USB pendrive is read-only, that the hardware is read-only. See this link.

But it makes me confused that it works with Disks ...

---

If you tell me which version of Xubuntu that you were running when mkusb failed, I can install such a system (and make it up to date), install mkusb and try with a current Ubuntu jammy ISO file. (Actually I think that kind of failure would affect every iso file.)