Arch Linux

dudko

Member

Registered: 2010-03-04

Posts: 41

Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

I'm trying to create a USB flash drive that I can put multiple livecd iso's on and and have startup like grub or lilo.

I've found a lot of ideas, for example

MultiBoot LiveUSB
SuperUser question
Spoon's Thoughts
multicd

Closest idea is with Gujin and partition the USB stick.

Do you have any other ideas?

lilsirecho

Veteran

Registered: 2003-10-24

Posts: 5,000

Re: Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

Perhaps the best solution is to partition the drive with at least one of the primaries as an extended drive such as to allow for the boot of more than one OS.

Grub has to be appropriately setup via grub rules.

---

Prediction...This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit!     X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

72linus

Member

From: gordonsville,va

Registered: 2009-03-14

Posts: 144

Website

Re: Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

I never usually partition the usb, sometimes maybe I add a 2nd partition for Debian Live persistence but
you can boot almost all distro's on one fat32/ext2/ext3 usb.

depends on what distro's you want to boot?
please describe what distro's you want to boot off usb and I'll tell you how...

dudko

Member

Registered: 2010-03-04

Posts: 41

Re: Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

Perhaps the best solution is to partition the drive with at least one of the primaries as an extended drive such as to allow for the boot of more than one OS.

Grub has to be appropriately setup via grub rules.

So it should work with grub/lilo on primary partion and linux iso's on extended? Have you ever tried it or someone else?

I never usually partition the usb, sometimes maybe I add a 2nd partition for Debian Live persistence but
you can boot almost all distro's on one fat32/ext2/ext3 usb.

depends on what distro's you want to boot?
please describe what distro's you want to boot off usb and I'll tell you how...

SystemRescueCd
ophcrack
backtrack
tiny core linux/dsl
FreeSBIE

and maybe the Archiso-live too.

I'd like to use this flash drive to try out a new Linux live distros and don't have to burn them or make a single bootable drive.

72linus

Member

From: gordonsville,va

Registered: 2009-03-14

Posts: 144

Website

Re: Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

that's doable
although never used freesbie

simply, you need to link all the syslinux.cfg's to a main menu
see here, take apart ThorshammerII and you'll see how it works
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/O … 5542.shtml

it's kinda hard to explain, but you can use the livecd above as template
for the syslinux.cfg's and such

or send me all the syslinux.cfg's via some file uploader/sharer and Ill edit them for you

the vesamenu.c32/menu.c32 is what connects them all

lilsirecho

Veteran

Registered: 2003-10-24

Posts: 5,000

Re: Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

See this url:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions … sb-723356/

---

Prediction...This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit!     X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

sundar_ima

Member

Registered: 2011-03-14

Posts: 45

Re: Boot multiple livecds from usb flash drive

Have a look at my shell script at https://sourceforge.net/projects/multibootusb/files/ .