Difference between revisions of "HowTo Put Multiple Live Images On One USB Memory Stick"
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* Install the GRUB 2 boot loader onto the USB memory stick. | * Install the GRUB 2 boot loader onto the USB memory stick. | ||
* Transfer ISO images (Debian based distros) or contents from the ISO for other distributions (Fedora based distros). | * Transfer ISO images (Debian based distros) or contents from the ISO for other distributions (Fedora based distros). | ||
+ | |||
+ | = WARNING: Know What You Are Doing = | ||
+ | |||
+ | The partitioning and formatting steps of this process assume that you know what you are doing. If you are new to Linux, make sure you understand how to identify the device entry associated with your USB memory stick (like: ''/dev/sdx''). If you blindly copy/paste commands from this page you will likely destroy data on your system. | ||
+ | |||
+ | We have chosen to use ''/dev/sdx'' and ''/dev/sdx1'' in our examples below as this device probably won't be present on your system to reduce the chance of a data destruction. You will need to substitute the device entry of your USB memory stick for this value. | ||
= Prepare Your USB Memory Stick = | = Prepare Your USB Memory Stick = | ||
+ | |||
+ | You can use '''fdisk''', '''gparted''' or one of the many other partition tools to partition your memory stick. A single primary partition marked as ''bootable'' works well. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Here's an example of what '''fdisk''' will show if you have a single primary partition marked as ''bootable'' (substitute the device entry of your USB memory stick for the ''/dev/sdx'' shown below): | ||
+ | |||
+ | [root@cayenne ~]# fdisk -l /dev/sdx | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disk /dev/sdx: 15.6 GB, 15606349824 bytes | ||
+ | 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1897 cylinders, total 30481152 sectors | ||
+ | Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes | ||
+ | Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes | ||
+ | I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes | ||
+ | Disk identifier: 0x000230dd | ||
+ | |||
+ | Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System | ||
+ | /dev/sdx1 * 34 30481118 15240542+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA) | ||
+ | [root@cayenne ~]# | ||
= Copy Files From ISO (NST, Fedora) = | = Copy Files From ISO (NST, Fedora) = |
Revision as of 08:12, 13 September 2012
Contents
Overview
The livecd-iso-to-disk program is used by Fedora based distributions (like NST) to transfer the contents of a Live ISO image to a USB memory stick. The livecd-iso-to-disk program works well and offers some extra features (such as persistent storage). However, it is primarily used when you want to put a single Fedora based distribution onto a USB memory stick.
It is often desirable to create a USB memory stick with multiple Live images to choose from (NST 32 bit, NST 64 bit, Ubuntu, Debian, ...). To accomplish this, you must:
- Create a primary bootable partition on a USB memory stick.
- Format the partition as FAT 32 (if you want easy access to the files from non Linux based systems).
- Install the GRUB 2 boot loader onto the USB memory stick.
- Transfer ISO images (Debian based distros) or contents from the ISO for other distributions (Fedora based distros).
WARNING: Know What You Are Doing
The partitioning and formatting steps of this process assume that you know what you are doing. If you are new to Linux, make sure you understand how to identify the device entry associated with your USB memory stick (like: /dev/sdx). If you blindly copy/paste commands from this page you will likely destroy data on your system.
We have chosen to use /dev/sdx and /dev/sdx1 in our examples below as this device probably won't be present on your system to reduce the chance of a data destruction. You will need to substitute the device entry of your USB memory stick for this value.
Prepare Your USB Memory Stick
You can use fdisk, gparted or one of the many other partition tools to partition your memory stick. A single primary partition marked as bootable works well.
Here's an example of what fdisk will show if you have a single primary partition marked as bootable (substitute the device entry of your USB memory stick for the /dev/sdx shown below):
[root@cayenne ~]# fdisk -l /dev/sdx Disk /dev/sdx: 15.6 GB, 15606349824 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1897 cylinders, total 30481152 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disk identifier: 0x000230dd Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sdx1 * 34 30481118 15240542+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA) [root@cayenne ~]#