Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

YAOMTC · 2012-07-06 20:04:19

I followed the instructions on the wiki for creating a bootable USB drive (for the netinstall version), but then I realized I had forgotten to partition my hard drive first to make room. Since it's an NTFS drive with a ton of files on it already, I reformatted the thumb drive and tried to install Parted Magic on it using unetbootin, but it wouldn't boot. Then I tried putting GParted Live on it using Tuxboot, but it still wouldn't boot. It just doesn't come up as an option on my BIOS to boot from anymore. Anyone know what I did wrong?

DSpider · 2012-07-06 20:10:27

I think you should start with the BIOS first. Check the boot order. Removable Devices should be first. If it doesn't show up in the BIOS, it won't show up in any other OS either.

YAOMTC · 2012-07-06 20:12:56

That's what I said, it's not showing up in the boot order. It did before, doesn't anymore. But it actually does show up in Windows (on my desktop) and Arch Linux (on my netbook; I'm trying to install it to a drive in my desktop), it's just not working as a boot drive for some reason.

Last edited by YAOMTC (2012-07-06 20:13:19)

alphaniner · 2012-07-06 20:17:51

It's possibly the way it's formatted. Different formatting methods can show up in different places in the BIOS boot order selection (hard drives, removable drives, etc.).

DSpider · 2012-07-06 20:35:11

Using GParted create a new MS-DOS partition table (Device - Create Partition Table) and format it as FAT32 (not NTFS).

Then try this method: Boot the entire ISO from RAM

YAOMTC · 2012-07-07 19:14:32

Just tried it, still didn't work. I wonder if I should just go buy a CD-R...

Last edited by YAOMTC (2012-07-07 19:14:50)

DSpider · 2012-07-07 19:29:56

Does the USB stick boot on your netbook or some other PC? And do other USB sticks boot on your PC?

Check the BIOS again. You probably just forgot to "Save and Exit".

Set Removable Drives as first to boot, and while the USB stick is plugged in, place it at the top of the bootable drives list (ie. above the HDD).

YAOMTC · 2012-07-07 20:19:38

No, I didn't forget. F10 + Y + Enter is "save and exit", I've done it many times. When I recently (before all this) booted from the thumb drive for the Arch netinstall process, it appeared as an option in the bootable drives list, and I had to move it to the top. If I hadn't had the thumb drive plugged in, it would not have been an option. There's never been any "Removable Drives" option.

This is how it always worked before I went through this process. (I used the "overwrite the hard drive" method, and "restoring the USB stick" afterwards.)

FYI, I'm using this mobo which uses AwardBIOS

Last edited by YAOMTC (2012-07-07 20:23:38)

magicalChicken · 2012-07-08 14:26:50

If you cannot get your computer to boot from the drive then, if you have a working linux installation on your computer that you could boot from, you could boot that, then mount the drive and manually boot from the drive with kexec. This is not as elegant a solution as booting from the drive, but it should work.

DSpider · 2012-07-08 15:06:07

For booting USB sticks without BIOS support you should google and read about "plop boot manager". Hmmm... AM3+ means that it's a relatively new computer. You should have no problem booting from removable drives. I think you should restore the BIOS to its failsafe defaults. Perhaps some setting went haywire.

To rule out the USB stick and the program/method you used to write it on, try the stick on the netbook and try it on a mate's computer (or a relative, neighbour, etc). If it's bootable there but not on yours, then you have a problem.

PS: I trust you've read this:

Warning: Make sure to use /dev/sdx and NOT /dev/sdx1. This is a very common error!

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/US … tion_Media

Last edited by DSpider (2012-07-08 15:09:30)

YAOMTC · 2012-07-08 17:53:33

DSpider wrote:

For booting USB sticks without BIOS support you should google and read about "plop boot manager". Hmmm... AM3+ means that it's a relatively new computer. You should have no problem booting from removable drives. I think you should restore the BIOS to its failsafe defaults. Perhaps some setting went haywire.

Yeah, theoretically I shouldn't have a problem, seeing as I was able to boot from the thumb drive for the netinstall in the first place. After that was when it no longer worked. I just tried resetting to the failsafe defaults, but it still didn't appear among the other hard drives as it used to.

DSpider wrote:

To rule out the USB stick and the program/method you used to write it on, try the stick on the netbook and try it on a mate's computer (or a relative, neighbour, etc). If it's bootable there but not on yours, then you have a problem.

Tried it on my Eee PC 900, and it actually did boot. So the problem only exists between the thumb drive and my desktop, for whatever reason!

DSpider wrote:

PS: I trust you've read this:
Warning: Make sure to use /dev/sdx and NOT /dev/sdx1. This is a very common error!
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/US … tion_Media

Yep, I did follow that. I suppose if I hadn't, it probably wouldn't have worked with my Eee, either.

scjet · 2012-07-08 18:04:39

Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

Yes, that happened to me too recently, but my wife prescribed Viagra -solved now.
beding bedang - cymbal crassshhhhh.....

...ya i know, it's time for me to go ...

Terminator · 2012-07-08 19:03:51

It might be similar to a problem I have with my external hard disc. It's probably not, but since this is a strange problem I feel like posting it anyway.

After a cold boot, I often have to unplug and plug in my external HD for it to be detected. I feel like it's a race condition. The HD fails to be detected when it is not spinning (fast enough) by the time the hard discs are detected at boot. Once the hard disc is detected, it is always detected again on a reboot. If you have the same issue, the thumb drive should show in the bios after you boot into windows, unplug and plug the thumb drive and reboot.

Arch Linux

#1 2012-07-06 20:04:19

Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#2 2012-07-06 20:10:27

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#3 2012-07-06 20:12:56

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#4 2012-07-06 20:17:51

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#5 2012-07-06 20:35:11

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#6 2012-07-07 19:14:32

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#7 2012-07-07 19:29:56

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#8 2012-07-07 20:19:38

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#9 2012-07-08 14:26:50

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#10 2012-07-08 15:06:07

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#11 2012-07-08 17:53:33

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#12 2012-07-08 18:04:39

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

#13 2012-07-08 19:03:51

Re: Can't boot from my thumb drive anymore

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