installing linux from USB?

[Kerry Hoath]

You are equating the words write and burn. These words are not the same in 
this context.
The term burn is used when refering to cds, as the laser actually causes a 
change in the dye layer on the surface of the disk. RW media uses a laser to 
heat the disk to Curie heat which causes a change in the crystaline 
structure on the rw media.


Write refers to the generic process of putting data onto a media whether or 
not it is burnt there. In the case of Nand flash, burning does not take 
place, and whilst the media has a finite lifespan usually 100,000 cycles, it 
can be re-used.

Tylor is asking if you can write the iso to a USB key, not burn it.

Tylor allready has his answers, so let us all assume we know what each other 
is talking about and let the thread die quietly.
Perhaps the original question should have been,
"Is it possible to install Linux from a bootable USB flashdrive andif so, 
how do I go about doing this?"?"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cody" <churst35 at verizon.net>
To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 11:57 AM
Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?


> as said by tyler:
>>>>>>> Is it possible for me somehow to take an iso and write it to a USB 
>>>>>>> key
>
> You cannot write an iso to a USB key, you can manually extract the files 
> and copy them to the disk barring the disk is formatted properly and the 
> bios supports it. ISO burning programs do not burn to thumb drives only 
> opticle drives. Either you stated this wrong you you thought you could 
> burn said images to a thumb drive without any issues. I'm assuming you are 
> using xp for this.
>
> Did I make myself clear?
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tyler Littlefield" <tyler at tysdomain.com>
> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:36 PM
> Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?
>
>
>> wo, when did I say I wanted to burn an iso to a USB? I was born at night, 
>> but not last night. I just wanted to get the iso on to the USB somehow.
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Cody" <churst35 at verizon.net>
>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:27 PM
>> Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?
>>
>>
>>> Yes, this is the same thing I've said twice, iso burning apps do not 
>>> burn to thumb drives only opticle drives. This is what tyler wanted to 
>>> do and am pointing out that this cannot be done.
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Kerry Hoath" <kerry at gotss.net>
>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
>>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>>> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 7:40 AM
>>> Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?
>>>
>>>
>>>> Now i'm really confused. You don't burn an iso to a thumb drive, as a 
>>>> thumb drive is a USB storage device not a cdrom/dvdrom style device.
>>>>
>>>> If you want the files off the .iso onto the thumb drive, you'd have to 
>>>> loop mount the iso under linux and copy them off, or copy them off 
>>>> under Windows with daemon tools, virtual drive, power iso etc etc etc.
>>>>
>>>> Many installers just let you put the .iso onto the thumb drive along 
>>>> with the boot loader and initial ram disk.
>>>> there are automated scripts and programs on www.pendrivelinux.com that 
>>>> given the correct Linux Iso give you a bootable installer flash drive.
>>>> This hides the complexity from the user.
>>>>
>>>> Of course if you are building these drives from the command-line, you 
>>>> either follow a guide or use a script.
>>>>
>>>> Regards, Kerry.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: "Cody" <churst35 at verizon.net>
>>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
>>>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 8:04 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> My point wasn't to place the iso on the drive itself but format the 
>>>>> drive, then manually extract the files fromt he iso. I don't think any 
>>>>> iso program such as burn cdcc will see a thumb drive as a burnable 
>>>>> device.
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>> From: "Kerry Hoath" <kerry at gotss.net>
>>>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
>>>>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:20 AM
>>>>> Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Many installers do loop mount an iso off the thumb drive and are 
>>>>>> configured to do so. Debian's installer can do that, as can Ubuntu's.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> They expect to load the kernel and initial ram disk, and then find 
>>>>>> the rest of the installer after that.
>>>>>> Usually the kernel is loaded by a boot loader such as syslinux, grub 
>>>>>> lilo or similar. The boot loader also has to understand and load an 
>>>>>> initial ramdisk, then once that is all set the installer finds 
>>>>>> components from there.
>>>>>> It can pick the files directly up off the thumb drive, however 
>>>>>> depending what file system you have on the drive depends whether 
>>>>>> Linux or the Bios can recognize it.
>>>>>> Whatever file system you use needs to be supported by Linux and 
>>>>>> preferably support long file names unless you use the .iso file and 
>>>>>> the installer loop mounts it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Many bioses won't boot a USB drive unless it contains a FAT file 
>>>>>> system either in floppy mode, (no partition table)
>>>>>> or on a primary fat partition complete with boot sector and partition 
>>>>>> table.
>>>>>> This is the difference between booting USB floppy, and USB HDD 
>>>>>> support.
>>>>>> If booting from an USB CDROM it's an eltorato boot and different 
>>>>>> again.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>>> From: "Cody" <churst35 at verizon.net>
>>>>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
>>>>>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 1:24 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: installing linux from USB?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Why burn the iso? just extract the files from the iso and then copy 
>>>>>>> them onto the drive and boot with it. an iso program is not going to 
>>>>>>> pick up a USB thumb drive because it is looking for a opticle 
>>>>>>> drive/that is what those apps are designed to burn on.
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>>>> From: "Tyler Littlefield" <tyler at tysdomain.com>
>>>>>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
>>>>>>> <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 11:36 AM
>>>>>>> Subject: installing linux from USB?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>>>> Is it possible for me somehow to take an iso and write it to a USB 
>>>>>>>> key so I can install debian like that? the computer I want deb on 
>>>>>>>> has a messed up cd drive.
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>>>>>>
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