GRUB and boot files on USB.

walshnb01 · 2010-07-27 21:43:48

Hello,

I've installed Arch quite a few times on my desktop, and got another USB stick the other day. Now, recently I formatted my hard drive, installed Windows 7 again, and now I'm on to installing Arch. The only problem I'm having is trying to make a USB boot stick for it.

When I installed Slackware a couple months ago, I was able to make a USB boot stick that booted to Slack when it was plugged in ,and when it wasn't plugged in, Windows 7 would boot. I liked it because there was not the annoyance of a GRUB screen when I just wanted to boot to Windows. I am wondering how I would go about that manually. I tried partitioning & formatting my USB drive, using that as a /boot mount, and installing GRUB on the MBR of it, but it doesn't seem to want to boot up like that. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to do this? It would be much appreciated.

I checked the wiki on how to install to a USB, but it didn't pertain to me as I don't need it all on the USB, just /boot and GRUB.

Thanks!

karol · 2010-07-27 22:02:49

> stick that booted to Slack when it was plugged in ,and when it wasn't plugged in, Windows 7 would boot.
How did it do it?

walshnb01 · 2010-07-27 22:07:48

I have no idea. There was the option to automatically make one, so I did. It was magical. I could install slackware again just for that, but I'd really rather use Arch.

walshnb01 · 2010-07-27 22:12:25

I found a screenshot of the Slack USB option in the installer.
Oh how it was magical. It only worked like 3 times, but it was worth it.

http://www.basicconfig.com/slackware_se … flash_boot

karol · 2010-07-27 22:26:55

It would be cool to know the magic that Slackware employed. A screenshot doesn't really cut it.

> installing GRUB on the MBR of it
> it doesn't seem to want to boot up like that.
If you can boot of an USB it should be doable.
What errors you got when you tied it?

walshnb01 · 2010-07-27 23:22:49

Yeah, the screenshot was just to show that it is an option in slackware.

Anyway, it just said that that hd1,0 (my /boot mounted partition) could not be found. Oh well. I'll just do another regular Arch build. I would really like to somehow avoid the GRUB screen though... It's somewhat annoying, but I'll live

walshnb01 · 2010-07-27 23:47:04

I think I found the solution to my problem on the Ubuntu forums. Thanks for the replies!

karol · 2010-07-27 23:49:24

walshnb01 wrote:

I think I found the solution to my problem on the Ubuntu forums. Thanks for the replies!

Would you mind posting a link here so that we all can learn?

hokasch · 2010-07-27 23:49:28

Maybe "hiddenmenu" and timeout=1 helps?

karol · 2010-07-27 23:54:44

hokasch wrote:

Maybe "hiddenmenu" and timeout=1 helps?

Is hiddenmenu an option in grub or grub2?
Edit: nwm, got it http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Grub2#Hidden_menu
(I was grepping for 'hiden' w/ one 'd')

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB#GRUB_boot_disk <- try with usb instead of a floppy.

Last edited by karol (2010-07-27 23:58:08)

walshnb01 · 2010-07-27 23:55:23

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=500723]

I'm gonna try this out later.

Last edited by walshnb01 (2010-07-27 23:55:47)

karol · 2010-07-28 00:32:33

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/forum/inde … opic=494.0

walshnb01 · 2010-07-28 03:26:18

I found a way that is extremely inefficient... I used the Slackware Install DVD and made the USB Boot Stick. Actually I made 2 for good measures . Then I got rid of Slack, but keeped the Boot USB , and installed Arch and am using the Slack boot stick. I figured out that they just used syslinux and put it on the stick. I edited the syslinux file, and the little message that came with it so it doesn't say Slack anymore . It works fine, but I can't have a seperate boot partition, or else kernel panic will ensue. Now I just have to figure out how to make it so when I take out the USB stick, the BIOS doesn't keep switching my boot order!

karol · 2010-07-28 11:41:08

> so (...) the BIOS doesn't keep switching my boot order
It shouldn't switch. You say: start w/ USB, then HDD. If there's no USB, live goes on, the system boots of the HDD.

I'm still curious what magic does Slackware employ. Maybe you can post what files and directories are there on your USB?

Arch Linux

#1 2010-07-27 21:43:48

GRUB and boot files on USB.

#2 2010-07-27 22:02:49

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#3 2010-07-27 22:07:48

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#4 2010-07-27 22:12:25

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#5 2010-07-27 22:26:55

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#6 2010-07-27 23:22:49

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#7 2010-07-27 23:47:04

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#8 2010-07-27 23:49:24

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#9 2010-07-27 23:49:28

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#10 2010-07-27 23:54:44

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#11 2010-07-27 23:55:23

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#12 2010-07-28 00:32:33

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#13 2010-07-28 03:26:18

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

#14 2010-07-28 11:41:08

Re: GRUB and boot files on USB.

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