help me setup Grub on CD

[unxzst]

Hello all,

I did a full install (on a 8Gb Kensington MicroSDHC in a MicroSD T-Flash Reader. pretty nifty actually, literally the size of my thumbnail.)

Previously I was trying out a live install with a boot CD via directions on PenDriveLinux ( http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/11...or-ubuntu-810/ )

here are the contents of menu.lst on that CD

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

this is for booting a live install, what should this be so that I can boot from the full install? i used live USB version, but it gave me problems installing packages (error 17); also many computers i work with don't support boot from usb option, it would be great if i could load this USB install from a boot CD.

Thanks for any help!

[unxzst]

i found this post http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=926452
"8.04.1 Kernal Bood Cd iso? to boot usb pendrive?"
but can't figure it out...

[caljohnsmith]

If you want to do a full install to the USB drive, just use the normal Ubuntu installer on the Live CD, but in the last step of the installation, click the "advanced" button and specify to have Grub installed to "/dev/sdb" or whichever is the USB drive you are installing to. Then you should be able to boot the USB drive so long as your BIOS supports booting USB drives. Let me know how it goes or if you run into problems.

[unxzst]

If you want to do a full install to the USB drive, just use the normal Ubuntu installer on the Live CD, but in the last step of the installation, click the "advanced" button and specify to have Grub installed to "/dev/sdb" or whichever is the USB drive you are installing to. Then you should be able to boot the USB drive so long as your BIOS supports booting USB drives. Let me know how it goes or if you run into problems.

hey, thanks for looking into this thread

my BIOS does not support booting from USB, and many of the computers I use have this option disabled.

I'm looking at this: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromUSB
but that only described how to boot on one computer, with one predefined dev/sda1... what if i want to boot on different systems?

[unxzst]

i'm going to try this: http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/man...le-CD-ROM.html

KBoot is next...

[caljohnsmith]

i'm going to try this: http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/man...le-CD-ROM.html

KBoot is next...

If you install Grub to the MBR (Master Boot Record) of your USB drive by using the "advanced" button during the installation like I previously mentioned, then you can use something like the Super Grub Disk to see if booting the USB drive will even work; in other words, you don't have to make your own custom Grub CD just to see if booting USB drive will work.

If you boot the Super Grub Disk, at the first main menu press "c" to get the Grub command line, and then enter the following:

grub> geometry (hd0)
grub> geometry (hd1)

The first command should show the internal HDD partitions and size, while the second command should do the same for the USB drive. If you have more than two drives you can also try (hd2), (hd3), etc. Once you know which is the USB drive, say (hd1) for example, then do:

grub> rootnoverify (hd1)
grub> chainloader +1
grub> boot

And that will hopefully boot the USB drive. How about giving that a shot and letting me know how it goes.

[Bigneil]

some kinds of bios have a boot sprite. this pauses the computer during booting to display a splash screen giving the option to boot from a location of your choosing.

maybe yours has a simelar option??

another possibility would be to try a dual booting system.

[unxzst]

I'm trying to make my USB system bootable on any computer, even one that has boot-from-USB disabled.

I can see that it is possible, BootFromUSB how-to doesen't work, it told me it can't find a bootable partition, probably because the one I set was my HD with windows on it.

Its doable, I can tell. Im a novice at linux, so I need your help figuring out how to do this. I'm sure someone's done this, but I can't find the thread...


thanks, caljohnsmith, i will try it!

[unxzst]

caljohnsmith, SuperGrub does not load USB drivers(?), hd0 and hd1 are the two hd's, but not USB drives. i could not get it to work

[caljohnsmith]

So when you boot the Super Grub Disk, go to the command line, do the geometry commands, what do they return? Also, from your Live CD, how about opening a terminal (applications > accessories > terminal) and post:

sudo fdisk -lu

While the USB drive is connected.