installing OpenSuse 12.3 to usb/flash drive

Post by Rich Ernst
Hi,
Helping a friend with some installs. Found and installed Kubuntu
12.04 LTS to a flash drive just fine from the live cd installer.
Trying to do the same via OpenSUSE 12.3.
Trying just install and to usb drive seen as sdb but I don't see a way
to make the drive bootable in the first place, nor where/how to
specify where to put the bootloader.
I can do specialized partitioning, but it still wants to shrink my sda
drive, I can't seem to find a way to "undo" that. I'm afraid of
removing that in the partitioning for fear it'll actually delete the
partition and my OS on that drive.
I've done some reasearch and there's a pendrive site that offers help
on doing this, is that the way to go or is there an OpenSUSE way
directly from the installation?

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD images.
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.

It seems to be available as a package for most distributions. You don't
have to have the same distribution to create the USB drive, just the ISO
image of what you want.

Gus

Rich Ernst

2013-05-11 19:16:51 UTC

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD images.
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.
It seems to be available as a package for most distributions. You don't
have to have the same distribution to create the USB drive, just the ISO
image of what you want.
Gus

Thanks Gus, I'll look into that.

I found how to make a bootable liveUSB drive, but how to make it
persistent and always just default to booting?

I tested and it does NOT remember/have persistent files/folders. :(

I'll look into that unetbootin.

Thanks!

Rich

Brad Beyenhof

2013-05-11 19:25:27 UTC

Post by Rich Ernst
I've done some reasearch and there's a pendrive site that offers help
on doing this, is that the way to go or is there an OpenSUSE way
directly from the installation?

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD images.
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.

I tested and it does NOT remember/have persistent files/folders. :(

Unetbootin doesn't, on its own, do persistent files/folders. You need to get a specialized livecd distro if you want that... some versions of Knoppix do this, I believe. If you really want to install an OS to USB flash, have you tried disconnecting your physical sda drive and booting the installer from a CD (or even another flash drive formatted with unetbootin)? That way it won't do anything to your existing installation... because it can't.

--
Brad Beyenhof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://augmentedfourth.com
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical.
~ Niels Bohr

Rich Ernst

2013-05-11 19:37:55 UTC

Post by Rich Ernst
I've done some reasearch and there's a pendrive site that offers help
on doing this, is that the way to go or is there an OpenSUSE way
directly from the installation?

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD images.
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.

I tested and it does NOT remember/have persistent files/folders. :(

Hmmmm, ok, what DOES unetbootin do then, just make the drive bootable
and look like a CD/DVD so you can write the iso to it?

The computer I'm trying to help my friend with is a new Ultrabook, so
no CD/DVD drive, but I'll bring my external USB drive just in case.

And so disconnecting the internal drive may (or may not) be
problematic. But good thoughts, thanks!

Rich

Carl Lowenstein

2013-05-11 19:40:34 UTC

Post by Rich Ernst
I've done some reasearch and there's a pendrive site that offers help
on doing this, is that the way to go or is there an OpenSUSE way
directly from the installation?

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD images.
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.

I tested and it does NOT remember/have persistent files/folders. :(

Unetbootin doesn't, on its own, do persistent files/folders. You need to
get a specialized livecd distro if you want that... some versions of
Knoppix do this, I believe. If you really want to install an OS to USB
flash, have you tried disconnecting your physical sda drive and booting the
installer from a CD (or even another flash drive formatted with
unetbootin)? That way it won't do anything to your existing installation...
because it can't.
Recent versions of Unetbootin (583 for sure, maybe a few earlier) let you

do persistent files for Ubuntu installs.

carl

--
carl lowenstein marine physical lab u.c. san diego
***@ucsd.edu

MacNean Tyrrell

2013-05-11 20:09:35 UTC

I always use from windows http://www.linuxliveusb.com/en/download

Not sure what os you are creating the USB from. Sorry on phone hard to
read while typing. That live USB does have persistent setting.

Why open suse? I'm on lubuntu and loving it. Light weight but also based
on one of the most popular distro so I get all the new stuff too. Easy to
update maintain.

Post by Rich Ernst
I've done some reasearch and there's a pendrive site that offers help
on doing this, is that the way to go or is there an OpenSUSE way
directly from the installation?

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD

images.

Post by Gus Wirth
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.

I tested and it does NOT remember/have persistent files/folders. :(

the

Post by Brad Beyenhof
installer from a CD (or even another flash drive formatted with
unetbootin)? That way it won't do anything to your existing

installation...

Post by Brad Beyenhof
because it can't.
Recent versions of Unetbootin (583 for sure, maybe a few earlier) let you

do persistent files for Ubuntu installs.
carl
--
carl lowenstein marine physical lab u.c. san diego
--
http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-newbie

Franklin Johnston

2013-05-11 22:28:39 UTC

Based on what I understand, I'll need to format the entire flash drive as
FAT32. Is that correct?

Rich Ernst

2013-05-11 22:29:58 UTC

Post by Franklin Johnston
Based on what I understand, I'll need to format the entire flash drive as
FAT32. Is that correct?

What's the question?

Rich

Franklin Johnston

2013-05-11 22:40:38 UTC

I wanted to find out what's required prior to running *unetbootin* or
similar application.

Post by Franklin Johnston
Based on what I understand, I'll need to format the entire flash drive as
FAT32. Is that correct?

What's the question?

Rich Ernst

2013-05-11 23:37:02 UTC

Post by Franklin Johnston
I wanted to find out what's required prior to running *unetbootin* or
similar application.

Post by Franklin Johnston
Based on what I understand, I'll need to format the entire flash drive as
FAT32. Is that correct?

What's the question?

From the unetbooin website: http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

Installation & Screenshots

If using Windows, run the file, select an ISO file or a distribution
to download, select a target drive (USB Drive or Hard Disk), then
reboot once done. If your USB drive doesn't show up, reformat it as
FAT32.

Rich Ernst

2013-05-11 23:50:28 UTC

I use unetbootin to create bootable USB flash drives from LiveCD images.
It has worked for everything I've thrown at it so far.
It seems to be available as a package for most distributions. You don't
have to have the same distribution to create the USB drive, just the ISO
image of what you want.

Gus, am I missing something about unetbootin that allows for creating
an installed/persistant linux on a usb drive? I don't find any such
option.

Thanks,

Rich

Carl Lowenstein

2013-05-12 01:55:00 UTC

See <http://www.backtrack-linux.org/wiki/index.php/UNetbootin_USB_Installer>
See "Note: you can now save changes made to the system across reboots
(persistence)"

Read down a couple of lines, including "Download UNetbootin, latest version
(Linux, Windows, OSX)"

I think it actually works as described.

carl

(At the moment, Gmail doesn't let me mark received messages in my answers
with the usual >. I don't know why.

Gus, am I missing something about unetbootin that allows for creating

Post by Rich Ernst
an installed/persistant linux on a usb drive? I don't find any such
option.
Thanks,
Rich
--
http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-newbie

--
carl lowenstein marine physical lab u.c. san diego
***@ucsd.edu

Rich Ernst

2013-05-13 17:19:59 UTC

On Sat, May 11, 2013 at 8:54 PM, Carl Lowenstein

Post by Carl Lowenstein
See <http://www.backtrack-linux.org/wiki/index.php/UNetbootin_USB_Installer>
See "Note: you can now save changes made to the system across reboots
(persistence)"
Read down a couple of lines, including "Download UNetbootin, latest version
(Linux, Windows, OSX)"
I think it actually works as described.

I've tried unetbootin twice now, starts to boot and gets just flashing
cursor or can't find kernel/boot files (prompt that keeps timing out
and failing).

Should have thought of this way back, but didn't, and am using
OpenSUSE installer (boot from liveCD with flash drive installed and
hard drives disconnected) right now.

I'll report on success or failure.

Rich

Gus Wirth

2013-05-12 04:15:40 UTC