HOWTO: Boot from USB Flash Drive using Grub

[mbele3000]

Thank You VERY MUCH! That really clears things up! Again apologize for any inappropriate comments.

Sincerely Mbele

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

Let us know how you get on, and post back with any further problems, we'll see what we can do to help

[KaPoPa]

This seems to the right thread for me, I am fairly new to use Linux. So, I have:

- 2003 Packard Bell (it had XP) little boosted
- now only Ubuntu 8.10 on hard disk
- installed now 8.10 on USB stick, 8 Gb. I used "Create a USB startup disk"

I wish to boot from the stick, but the answer is in english "automatic startup program not available" or similar. I have not yet tried other computers.

Could you help me?

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

Hi KaPoPa

Does your Pc bios have an option for USB boot?
If so, is "automatic startup program not available" thge message you get when trying to boot from your USb stick.

If not (that is does not boot from usb) have you tried following my howto on page 1, ot simply using the pendrive boot cd?

Tell us what you have done and what you have tried.

More info please, so more help can be given.

[tturrisi]

OK Grub and Dos are 2 different things and are for 2 different operating systems! The original guide is explaining how to boot a Ubuntu via Grub (even though the instructions are VERY UNCLEAR). Then TJCIB in the same thread confuses the matter by "explaining" how to do the same thing in Windows which has NOTHING to do with the original thread so it confuses things!
I have a old IBM Netvista and the BIOS (DOS NOT GURB!) does not have a option to boot from USB. So I was searching to see if there was a way to do this through GRUB. I followed the instructions for doing the Grub thing and to no avail (very frustrating to say the least).
The reason I left that "addition" to the thread was to express my frustration as a new user of Ubuntu and to say Please clean it up and clarify the steps in the Grub explanation and Differentiate the explanation regarding the Windows explanation.
Than You All!

Just to clear up any misunderstandings you may have:

GRUB = Grand Unified Bootloader. Grub is NOT Linux specific. It's for ANY operating systems.

Windows does not use GRUB by default as Windows has its own bootloader, but Windows bootloader can be removed and replaced with GRUB.

BIOS = Basic Input Output System. The BIOS is code that has been placed onto a EPROM chip, a programable memory chip. The BIOS code is NOT DOS. DOS is an operating system. GRUB can be used as the DOS bootloader as well.

The bootloader for Linux (GRUB) is usually installed in the MBR (Master Boot Record), the first several bites of the drive, but does not have to be installed there, it can be installed in a directory. GRUB boot options are contained in the file /boot/grub/menu.lst.

The bootloader for Windows NT operating systems (including XP & 2003 server) is the file c:\NTLDR, and its configuration is contained in the file c:\boot.ini. Vista bootloader is different.

[KaPoPa]

Thank you Jose Catre-Vandis

When I put the stick in a Media icon appears and clicking it a text opens "This medium contains software to be automatically started. Do you want to run it?"
When I click run, the answer is "Error autorunning software. Cannot find autorun program"
The icon opens also the File Browser with all? Ubuntu files and a bar "Open Autorun box" Clicking it starts the above "This medium... all over again.
I don´t know if my PC bios has a USB boot option.
Suppose I need to follow your instructions.

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

OK. Looks like you are trying to run your ubuntu stick from within Ubuntu. Won't work like that. Leave the stick in and reboot your PC. When the first messages start coming up on screen, you should see an instruction of how to get into your bios, "Press F2" or "press Delete". Do what is says and you should be presented with a dos type graphical menu. You need something like "Advanced Bios Options" where there is a listing of which device will boot first, which second, and so on. Select the first one, and try to change the device. If you have USB-Drive, or USB-FDD or USB-ZIP or similar choose this, and then save out and reboot. with any luck your PC will start booting from your USB stick.

If this doesn't work, try some of the other USB related selections in the BIOS. if it still doesn't work, then head over to www.pendrivelinux.com, and download the Boot CD iso related to your specific install. Burn this ISO file to a CD/CDRW, and set your bios to boot from CDROM first. Keep the USB stick in place, and let the CD do the rest.

If this is what you want, you can then follow my howto to do things wihtout the CD

[KaPoPa]

So, I have downloaded "USBCDX810.iso and have it's icon on desktop, but cannot mount it. I have /boot/usb-boot, but the command "sudo nano..." does not find the iso. :confused

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

If you want to boot from it, you to burn it to a CD

 cdrecord -v speed=4 dev=/dev/cdrom USBCDX810.iso

or use Brasero

If you want to copy the contents across to your hard drive, have you installed gmountiso? if not use this command to mount the iso:

sudo mkdir /mnt/disk
sudo mount -o loop USBCDX810.iso /mnt/disk

[KaPoPa]

I have the "USBCDX810.iso" in the file browser and opening it I end up with following:

title Run Xubuntu 8.10 from USB DISK
root (cd)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed boot=casper noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.gz
boot

Don't know how to continue. It seems also that I need to change the CD-drive(s) (I have two now) as I can't burn it. Can't copy it to hard disk either. But I don't intend to give up.

PS: I can read an older CD with my files.