Multiboot flash drive with second partition

[yancek]

I made the mistake of trying to get the Mint to boot by resolving the " MDM user mdm does not exist, please correct in MDM configuration, then authentication failure" error I posted yesterday. I found some information on the Mint forums which enabled me to boot Mint but that created other problems. After doing this, Lubuntu would not boot at all. The Lubuntu logo showed then a black screen for 5 minutes so I shut down. I then booted Ubuntu and instead of seeing user ubuntu at the login screen I saw user mdm. Tried a number of different passwords, none of which worked. I think the method would work with just Ubuntu and Lubuntu but I think it would only be useful for storing data and not additional software.

I removed the Mint and Lubuntu iso files and kept Ubuntu 14.04 and added the 12.04 iso both on the same partition. I didn't think it would work but didn't know what to expect so booting 12.04 and on the Desktop were the install icons for both 12.04 and 14.04. Tried to boot 14.04 but it failed by freezing at the Ubuntu logo purple screen. Gave that up.

I then tried 3 partitions, first with the boot directory and 14.04 iso, 2nd with 12.04 iso and the third an ext2 casper-rw partition. I did this because I wanted to see what happened with installing software. I booted 14.04 and this time had only the Install Ubuntu 14.04 icon on the Desktop. I then installed VLC. I rebooted to 12.04 and again had the Install 12.04 AND Install 14.04 icons on the Desktop. I created a directory in /home/ubuntu when I was booted to 14.04 and it showed up on 12.04 also. I opened a terminal and started VLC from 12.04 which I had installed on 14.04.

So if someone wants a persistent flash drive to just save personal data on, a single casper-rw should work. If they want different software on the different iso, like 12.04 and 14.04 it won't work as anything installed on one will be on the other and I can see a lot of potential for conflict in that. Using an ext2 filesystem rather than FAT32 for the casper-rw will allow a larger partition.

I've never tried multiple casper-rw partitions but I don't think it would work. It needs the label casper-rw and I'm not sure you can create two partitions with the same label.
Creating casper-rw files on separate partitions might work. I spent a little time with that yesterday and didn't have any luck. If I remember correctly, I could only boot one of the isos.

For someone using a flash drive on the same computer, installed systems should be better. A Live CD is designed to detect hardware on whichever machine it is booted on which is advantageous if using on multiple machines.

If it is necessary at all to have more than one system What would you suggest to provide a pendrive that works in anything from an old 32-bit computer to a new UEFI computer?

Knoppix is very easy to use to create a persistent flash drive. One Ubuntu and one non Ubuntu so you don't have to deal with the multiple casper-rw. Maybe a Debian variant like LMDE. I'm not really sure multiple casper-rw files will work. Googled it yesterday and didn't find anything useful.

[sudodus]

Thanks yancek, ... What would you suggest to provide a pendrive that works in anything from an old 32-bit computer to a new UEFI computer?

... For someone using a flash drive on the same computer, installed systems should be better. A Live CD is designed to detect hardware on whichever machine it is booted on which is advantageous if using on multiple machines.

Knoppix is very easy to use to create a persistent flash drive. One Ubuntu and one non Ubuntu so you don't have to deal with the multiple casper-rw. Maybe a Debian variant like LMDE. I'm not really sure multiple casper-rw files will work. Googled it yesterday and didn't find anything useful.

1. I agree that installed systems are an alternative, they are portable too, at least without installing proprietary drivers, and in computers where such drivers are not necessary.

2. I think it is a good idea with a persistent Ubuntu system and a persistent Knoppix system would work in the same pendrive.

In this case I would suggest standard Ubuntu desktop 64-bit and Knoppix 32-bit. Knoppix is good at recognizing old hardware.

3. Thinking further: In order to extend the pendrive to even older computers, Wary Puppy or TahrPup would be a good alternative. They have also their own file for persistence, different from those of Ubuntu and Knoppix.

-o-

Now we are waiting for you C.S.Cameron. After hi-jacking your thread for a while it is time for you to get it back

[Mike_Walsh]

Sudodus;

Don't forget the current 'Puppy' release, 'TahrPup' 6.0! We established that it definitely worked with that 'awkward' old graphics card of mine in the 2002 Dell Inspiron 1100...

Regards,

Mike.

BTW; I'll let C.S Cameron have his thread back..!

[yancek]

Don't forget the current 'Puppy' release, 'TahrPup' 6.0

I put it on a multiboot flash drive last week and I thought it was about the best release of Puppy I've used.

I think it is a good idea with a persistent Ubuntu system and a persistent Knoppix system would work in the same pendrive.

They will. I did this about a year ago on separate partitions of a flash drive and both worked as persistent Live CDs. Actually not with Ubuntu but Peppermint which is derived from Ubuntu so I'm sure most Ubuntus would work.

[C.S.Cameron]

Your original entry in the first post did not work because you had the UUID on the 'linux' line which is not necessary as the set root line already
points to it. You also did not have casper preceding the vmlinuz and initrd lines which is necessary because that is where those files are located.
I also always have used the "boot=casper" which I think is necessary although I've never tested without it. This should also work and is just a different
method than the one you got to work above. When a set root line is used, it always has single quotes. Might need that with UUID also but I'm not sure as
I've never used UUID in this type situation.

I'm not sure why you are not able to use the casper-rw on the second partition if it exists.

Thanks Yancek

I keep promising myself I will learn grub 2, probably be about the time grub 5 comes out.

If I disable the casper-rw file on the first partition, the casper-rw file on the second partition takes over.
Similarly, if I make a third partition with an iso file and a casper-rw file and disable the persistent file on the first partition, the one on the second partition takes over, etc, etc.

Edit:
The reason for a persistent install on the EEE internal drive is that it was only a 4GB drive.

[sudodus]

Sudodus;

Don't forget the current 'Puppy' release, 'TahrPup' 6.0! We established that it definitely worked with that 'awkward' old graphics card of mine in the 2002 Dell Inspiron 1100...

Regards,

Mike.

BTW; I'll let C.S Cameron have his thread back..!

That's right

I'll edit my post about Puppy ...

[sudodus]

...
If I disable the casper-rw file on the first partition, the casper-rw file on the second partition takes over.
Similarly, if I make a third partition with an iso file and a casper-rw file and disable the persistent file on the first partition, the one on the second partition takes over, etc, etc.
...

I suppose this means that we have found no easy way to select casper-rw file (or partition) for persistence automatically - the files must be renamed manually or the partitions re-labeled manually in the previous session. What do you think about using Knoppix or Puppy as the second system with persistence?

[sudodus]

I have found that you can have more than one set of persistence in a casper-rw partition. See this link

You start with persistence for a released system Lubuntu 14.04.2 LTS.

After that you install one or more daily build flavours of Ubuntu (when this is written it is the version Wily). If you boot Wily with persistence, it will be stored in

.../casper-rw/upper

and will not interfere with Lubuntu 14.04.2 LTS, which is stored in

/casper-rw

But the different flavours of Ubuntu Wily will interfere with each other, which is no problem for data files, but if you test both 32-bit and 64-bit versions and install or update program packages, where 32-bit versions are different from 64-bit versions, there can be big problems. So it is a good idea to back up the content of the casper-rw file, for example in a tarball.