Erik Berg
2006-Aug-27 11:42 UTC
[syslinux] Needed to use -s option with syslinux to boot USB disk on Dell Laptop
Hi, I WAS experiencing a problem while attempting to boot Knoppix V5.0.1 off a USB key using SYSLINUX. Having almost sent the following text as a request for help I can now tag it as a solution! :) The USB drive is a Corsair Flash Voyager 1024 MB, with a 745 MB partition I'm trying (now succesfully) to use for the purpose of booting Knoppix. I've followed the instructions on this page for the setup of the system: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/knoppix.html deviating only in the version of syslinux I used (3.20 instead of 3.11). When I tried to boot from this setup on my Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop I got this error message: "NTLDR missing, press Ctrl-Alt-Del to reboot." The same hardware has been used to succesfully boot a BartPE image, where NTLDR obviously was present. I had problems finding out what the -fma command line options to syslinux do, but I did find a description for the -s switch and using that solved my problem! This indicates that the BIOS in my Dell is a bit "buggy" according to your syslinux FAQ. Well, all went well and I'm posting this as per your request in the FAQ for all users needing the -s option to post their experiences. More info: Looking for an option to choose between USB-ZIP, USB-HDD, etc. I discovered there is no such option in the BIOS on my Dell. The Dell Inspiron 6400 is also called Inspiron 1505. BIOS info: System: MM061 Bios Version: A06 - 06/09/2006 (mm/dd/yyyy) Hope this information can be helpful in some way. -Erik