You are not logged in.

#1 2010-09-17 22:21:29

Hy Ginsberg
Member
From: Massachusetts
Registered: 2008-08-22
Posts: 74
Website

[Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

Hi All,

I am trying to install Arch on my new netbook (Toshiba NB305-N410).  As others have reported, cfdisk fails with a complaint that "partition 2 ends in the final partition cylinder."  Fine.  So, following advice I've seen here and elsewhere I am trying to run gparted to partition the disk before the install.  The problem: Whereas

    dd if=archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb

gives me a USB stick that I can use to boot my netbook in Arch,

    dd if=gparted-live-0.6.2-2.iso

does not -- the system does not recognize the USB as bootable, and goes right into the dreaded Windows 7.  I have gone back and forth between these a few times, so it's not simple user error, and the md5sum on the gparted image is fine, so it's not just corrupt.

Any thought?

Thanks,
- Hy

Last edited by Hy Ginsberg (2010-09-18 18:36:57)

Offline

#2 2010-09-17 22:25:22

skunktrader
Member
From: Brisbane, Australia
Registered: 2010-02-14
Posts: 1,538

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

I used these instructions to create a bootable gparted usb stick without any problems
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/liveusb.php#on_gnu_linux

Last edited by skunktrader (2010-09-17 22:30:47)

Offline

#3 2010-09-18 00:38:52

Hy Ginsberg
Member
From: Massachusetts
Registered: 2008-08-22
Posts: 74
Website

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

Thanks.  Okay, I am trying those instructions, and there's a step to run "bash makeboot.sh /dev/sdb1".  I found a "makeboot" binary in the "dev86" package; anyone know if that's the same thing and used the same way?

Also, if anyone can enlighten me as to what the difference is between the Arch iso and the gparted iso that lets one boot but not the other when copied to a USB stick with dd, I would appreciate it.

- Hy

Last edited by Hy Ginsberg (2010-09-18 00:51:36)

Offline

#4 2010-09-18 18:36:21

Hy Ginsberg
Member
From: Massachusetts
Registered: 2008-08-22
Posts: 74
Website

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

For the record: I managed to get gparted to boot from a USB stick by installing the unetbootin AUR package.  I still don't understand why dd'ing the iso to the USB drive didn't do the trick, but I am moving on.

Offline

#5 2010-09-18 19:05:57

kgas
Member
From: Qatar
Registered: 2008-11-08
Posts: 718

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

iso formats are different.

Offline

#6 2010-09-19 21:56:38

mhertz
Member
From: Denmark
Registered: 2010-06-19
Posts: 681

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

Just wanted to add(i'm not using gparted or having the issues this thread describes) that if the iso in question isn't a hybrid-image, then before dd'ing it to the usb-stick, then you have to first run 'isohybrid <name.iso>'. isohybrid is included in the syslinux package, so that needs installing first.

Offline

#7 2010-09-19 23:50:52

Hy Ginsberg
Member
From: Massachusetts
Registered: 2008-08-22
Posts: 74
Website

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

Thanks - Just the kind of answer I was hoping for.  I'll have to try it one of these days (right now I am on to configuring a system).

- Hy

Offline

#8 2010-09-20 07:22:16

mhertz
Member
From: Denmark
Registered: 2010-06-19
Posts: 681

Re: [Solved] USB install cfdisk, gparted problems

You're most welcome, mate!

@others

I forgot to say previously that this trick with running isohybrid on an image to make it usb-boot--compatible, only works for images with isolinux as boot-loaders. (I made a quick search which revealed that gparted used that before I made my previous post...)

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB