I am trying to boot Linux from a USB memory device containing an ext2 file system using extlinux and having a bit of trouble. Apologies for any naiive questions and assumptions. The USB device is an 8M byte Compact Flash card in a USB reader. I used fdisk to create a single partition across the whole of the device (partition 4 - is that important?) and made it bootable. Fdsik reported the partition table as: Disk /dev/sdc: 8 MB, 8224768 bytes 1 heads, 16 sectors/track, 1004 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16 * 512 = 8192 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sdc4 * 2 1004 8024 83 Linux I created an ext2 file system: mke2fs -m0 -v /dev/sdc4 I mounted the device: mount -t ext2 /dev/sdc4 mnt I ran extlinux on the mounted device: extlinux mnt I copied the master boot record from syslinux: cat mbr.bin > /dev/sdc (should this be done mounted or unmounted, to /dev/sdc or /dev/sdc4?) I copied a Linux kernel to the device, assuming that "linux", as the default name, would be good without a config file: cp linux mnt I unmounted the device, put it into another computer with the BIOS set to boot from a USB device and got the following messages: "Attempting boot from USB device EXTLINUX 3.02 2005-01-04 Copyright (c) 1994-2005 H. Peter Anvin" I had no configuration file and no initial RAM disk image on the USB device so the most I was hoping for was a kernel panic because the init RAM dsik was absent but I don't think it has got that far. I think the message shows that the BIOS is happy to boot off the device but the kernel is not found. I have tried it with an initial RAM disk image and a config file but with the same result. Any advice would be much appreciated. Shaun ****************************************** The information contained in, or attached to, this e-mail, may contain confidential information and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may be subject to legal privilege. If you have received this e-mail in error you should notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail, delete the message from your system and notify your system manager. Please do not copy it for any purpose, or disclose its contents to any other person. The views or opinions presented in this e-mail are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company. The recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The company accepts no liability for any damage caused, directly or indirectly, by any virus transmitted in this email. ******************************************
Cullimore, Shaun (ACHE) wrote:> I am trying to boot Linux from a USB memory device containing an ext2 > file system using extlinux and having a bit of trouble. Apologies for > any naiive questions and assumptions. The USB device is an 8M byte > Compact Flash card in a USB reader.Are you booting in USB-HDD or USB-ZIP mode?> I used fdisk to create a single partition across the whole of the device > (partition 4 - is that important?) and made it bootable. Fdsik reported > the partition table as: > > Disk /dev/sdc: 8 MB, 8224768 bytes > 1 heads, 16 sectors/track, 1004 cylinders > Units = cylinders of 16 * 512 = 8192 bytesNote that what you have isn't zipdisk geometry, so if you're trying to boot in USB-ZIP mode it's going to fail.> I unmounted the device, put it into another computer with the BIOS set > to boot from a USB device and got the following messages: > > "Attempting boot from USB device > EXTLINUX 3.02 2005-01-04 Copyright (c) 1994-2005 H. Peter Anvin" >This is common for a geometry mismatch; you can still read the early parts of the disk, where extlinux itself tends to reside. -hpa
Thanks for prompt reply.>> I am trying to boot Linux from a USB memory device containing an ext2>> file system using extlinux and having a bit of trouble. Apologies for>> any naiive questions and assumptions. The USB device is an 8M byte >> Compact Flash card in a USB reader.>Are you booting in USB-HDD or USB-ZIP mode?The machine I am using is a Hewlett-Packard and the BIOS is badged as HP. It only offers the option of booting from a "USB Device" (not "USB_FDD", "USB_ZIP", "USB_HDD", etc. as I have seen on others). I have since tried it on another machine with a Phoenix BIOS. This offers "USB HDD", "USB FDC" and "USB KEY". I would have thought that the first option would be correct but that and the second resulted in "Operating system not found". The "USB KEY" option appears to work but what formatting assumptions lies behind that?>> I used fdisk to create a single partition across the whole of the >> device (partition 4 - is that important?) and made it bootable. Fdsik>> reported the partition table as: >> >> Disk /dev/sdc: 8 MB, 8224768 bytes >> 1 heads, 16 sectors/track, 1004 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16 * >> 512 = 8192 bytes>Note that what you have isn't zipdisk geometry, so if you're trying toboot>in USB-ZIP mode it's going to fail.>> I unmounted the device, put it into another computer with the BIOSset>> to boot from a USB device and got the following messages: >> >> "Attempting boot from USB device >> EXTLINUX 3.02 2005-01-04 Copyright (c) 1994-2005 H. Peter Anvin" >>>This is common for a geometry mismatch; you can still read the earlyparts of>the disk, where extlinux itself tends to reside.Shaun ****************************************** The information contained in, or attached to, this e-mail, may contain confidential information and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may be subject to legal privilege. If you have received this e-mail in error you should notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail, delete the message from your system and notify your system manager. Please do not copy it for any purpose, or disclose its contents to any other person. The views or opinions presented in this e-mail are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company. The recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The company accepts no liability for any damage caused, directly or indirectly, by any virus transmitted in this email. ******************************************