Howto make USB boot drives

[guiverc]

@sudodus

Was going to give it a try with Xubuntu jammy on j3400 & dc7700, but the `mkusb` dialogs are looping on me..

guiverc@d960-ubu2:/de2900/xubuntu_64$   dus jammy-desktop-amd64.iso
 dus 22.0.3 
[sudo] password for guiverc: 
live system or temporary superuser permissions
 p_toolsel starts here ...
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
live system or temporary superuser permissions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
settings=msdos,bflag
 p_toolsel after p_seti2u 
pt=msdos
grv=grub-2.0.6
flg=boot-flag
 Use old grub version with msdos partition table 
 p_toolsel starts here ...
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
settings=msdos,bflag
 p_toolsel after p_seti2u 
pt=msdos
grv=grub-2.0.6
flg=boot-flag
 Use old grub version with msdos partition table 
 p_toolsel starts here ...
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
settings=bflag
 p_toolsel after p_seti2u 
pt=gpt
grv=grub-2.0.6
flg=boot-flag
 Do not set 'boot-flag' with 'gpt' or 'grub-2.0.6' 
 p_toolsel starts here ...
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/
No target device or bad target device
clean if necessary and return
clean if necessary and return
guiverc@d960-ubu2:/de2900/xubuntu_64$   apt-cache policy mkusb
mkusb:
  Installed: 22.0.3-1ubuntu1
  Candidate: 22.0.3-1ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 22.0.3-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/mkusb/unstable/ubuntu kinetic/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/mkusb/unstable/ubuntu kinetic/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

...
Select method/tool - i
Select device - sdb
dus - settings for dus-iso2usb - tried MSDOS & bootflag,or just bootflag
Clonelive/etc - l

[sudodus]

@guiverc,

Thanks for testing dus-iso2usb

This tool is not yet debugged and polished. I think that is why you get the loop. Actually, at the settings menu for iso2usb you must select msdos and old grub in order for boot-flag to be accepted. Please try that again in order to check that a bootable drive can be created for various old computers. Some of them may like the boot-flag, some of them may dislike the boot-flag.

For obvious reasons I intend to improve the user interface in order to avoid setting combinations, that cause problems like the looping that happened for you.

[sudodus]

Improvement in program package mkusb version 22.0.4

Improved user friendlyness for dus-iso2usb: fixed other settings when msdos and/or boot-flag selected, which avoids loops in dus because of combinations of settings that are not compatible.

@guiverc,

This is in response to your feedback. I hope dus with dus-iso2usb will work better for you now

[sudodus]

Improvement in program package mkusb version 22.0.5

Bugfix: I forgot to put an if statement where a live-only drive is created in dus-iso2usb in order to put a boot-flag. It is fixed now.

@C.S.Cameron,

This bugfix should help you make a live-only drive of the newest Ubuntu to boot in your old HP Elitebook.

[sudodus]

Improvement in program package mkusb version 22.0.6

dus-iso2usb is better integrated into dus. When running in graphics mode and zenity is installed, the final checkpoint is managed with the function p_checkpoint like with other tools that are called from dus and mkusb-plug.

There are also several (minor?) bugfixes and improvements in dus and dus-iso2usb to make the operation more user friendly.

Version 22.0.6 resides in ppa:mkusb/unstable now.

---

Please test this version and let me know, if its way to use dus-iso2usb is ready to be copied to the stable PPA, ppa:mkusb/ppa. If not ready yet, please tell me what needs to be improved or added.

[sudodus]

Improvement in program package mkusb version 22.0.7

This time there are only 'cosmetic' changes in order to reduce and/or improve the output to the terminal window from dus and dus-iso2usb.

Version 22.0.7 resides in ppa:mkusb/unstable now.

---

Please test this version and let me know, if its way to use dus-iso2usb is ready to be copied to the stable PPA, ppa:mkusb/ppa. If not ready yet, please tell me what needs to be improved or added.

[guiverc]

Sorry I've been unable to test much lately..

I've grabbed today's Lubuntu kinetic and written to thumb-drive using

sudo -H dus-iso2usb kinetic-desktop-amd64.iso /dev/sdb msdos grub-2.0.4 persistent

and it fails to boot on

- hp dc7700 (c2d-e6320, 5gb, nvidia quadro nvs 290)

It booted (it felt rather slowly) on

- sony vaio svp112a1cw (i5-9400u, 4gb, intel haswell-ULT)

This testing was without regard to prior instructions sorry (too long ago for me to remember, and I lacked time to look back, the command was grabbed from my command history) so maybe is of little use, but I'll continue testing when I can.

`apt-cache policy mkusb` shows 22.0.7-1ubuntu1 from http://ppa.launchpad.net/mkusb/unstable/ubuntu

I hope to do more testing later today (if time allows, will be found here but I plan to edit & add here too)

ISO written again, this time with

sudo -H dus-iso2usb kinetic-desktop-amd64.iso /dev/sdb msdos grub-2.0.4 persistent boot-flag

and on
- hp dc7700 (c2d-e6320, 5gb, nvidia quadro nvs 290)

boots to MKUSB type grey background (logo) ... then hdd activity (my smile drops) .. delay then I get a xmessage window "Now firefox should work in your persistent live system after reboot" so it did work this time, YIPPEE

opened firefox & quick play around then reboot system.

boot again same box (hp dc7700)

This time I got a GRUB type of menu asking how to boot the system before the grey-mkusb-background; I didn't notice any grub-style-menu first boot (I'm pretty sure) then got the grey-background again but looks good.... also doesn't look like a first run (normal live session) but this time I `touch ~/blah` read fridge.ubuntu.com, adjust monitor.setup to match my system & other stuff that will show on next boot.

Third boot on hp.dc7700 & it boots to my configured screen setup, my touched ~/blah is present as is command history etc so working perfectly

Booted on
- motion computing j3400 (c2d-u9400, 4gb, intel mobile 4 series)
~17:20 at grub menu, and by ~17:27 or ~17:28 system was ~usable... not super fast boot, but it got there faster than it has for some recent ISOs/systems... but system once booted was good.

[sudodus]

@guiverc,

Thanks for testing mkusb's dus-iso2usb in the computers, where there can be problems. I'm happy that you found how to apply the boot-flag and make the hp dc7700 (c2d-e6320, 5gb, nvidia quadro nvs 290) boot.

It would be interesting if you can also test it in your tablet computer "motion computing j3400"

---

Please notice also that in the current mkusb version, 22.0.7, it is possible to reach dus-iso2usb from the general menu system of dus.

[guiverc]

I did mention the j3400 at the end of my post, but your question about it may have proceeded or been at roughly the same time as my last edit.

My testing on j3400 was minimal, and times rather approx (digital room clock without seconds)

(the with & without boot-flag was ~expected & the purpose of that test.... I didn't have time to refresh myself on where I was before the testing, thus my wording was likely less than ideal/clear sorry.. I was also flipping between tasks so brain somewhat scattered)

[sudodus]

Thanks again @guiverc,

Sorry for not observing the short text: So dus-iso2usb works with the j3400, but not really well. This makes the work that you are doing together with Thomas Schmitt really important. I hope that you will succeed in making the Ubuntu developers include your fix into the current and future iso files.