SliTaz Forum

Yet another tazusb question

(54 posts) (6 voices)

• Started 11 years ago by Mike7
• Latest reply from Mike7
• This topic is resolved

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1. 

   Mike7
   

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   Member

   Hi, Slitaz users!

   First, let me say that I have read every one of the many posts in this forum regarding Slitaz installation, USB sticks, and tazusb. None of them answered my question.

   I Have an Asus EeePC 1000HA with Windows XP on it. I downloaded slitaz-4.0.iso and tazusb.exe from mirror.slitaz.org. I plugged in a 4Gb USB stick and ran tazusb.exe. I emtered the right drive (E:) when tazusb asked for it. I selected slitaz-4.0.iso when tazusb asked for it. I clicked on "next", the app ran, and it told me that the installation was complete and that the USB stick was bootable.

   I safe-removed the stick and shut down. I plugged the stick back in, booted into BIOS, changed it to boot from "removable media", disabled BootBooster, and saved the changes.

   No boot into Slitaz. Just back into Windows.

   I wiped the stick and ran through the whole process again, with the same result. It's not my BIOS at fault because I recently did a similar installation on another stick with Puppeee 4.4, and it boots fine.

   What should I do? Is there a fix for tazusb.exe, or the installed files on the stick? If not, can I do a live install with LinuxLive, which has slitaz-4.0 on their list of supported distros?

   If none of the above will work, is there a better version or flavor of Slitaz for installing on a USB stick? (I do not want to install Slitaz on my hard drive. I want to run it from the USB stick.)

   Thnak you for your help.

   Cheers!

   Mike

   Posted 11 years ago #
2. 

   Ceel
   

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   Administrator

   Hello Mike7,

   First, I think your usb stick is FAT16 formated instead FAT32.

   Second, unfortunately, tazusb.exe does not work with SliTaz 4.0. See http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/could-not-load-kernel-image-after-trying-to-boot-a-live-slitaz-40#post-21875

   As you can run another Linux, try to do a LiveUSB using dd. I did it a few years ago with a previous release of SliTaz.

   Posted 11 years ago #
3. 

   Mike7
   

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   Member

   Hi, Ceel. Thank you for replying.

   My USB sticks are Fat32. In any case, I always format them with Fat32 in Windows before trying to install onto them.

   From post-21875, I guess I should accept that I can't install any version of Slitaz to a pendrive from Windows, not even with the usual utilities like Unetbootin, LinuxLive, Live-USB-Install, and Universal-USB-Installer. Is that right? (It's strange, because they have Slitaz on their lists of supported distros. Are they just wrong?)

   If you can tell me how to do it from Linux, that would be a huge help. What is dd? I'm very interested to learn how to install Slitaz on a USB stick from Puppeee 4.4 if it can be done. Puppeee 4.4 is the only live Linux distro I've so far succeeded in putting on a pendrive (maybe because the boot folder contains a .bat batch file that sets the MBR on the stick in DOS.)

   Looking forward anxiously to your reply.

   Cheers!

   Mike

   Posted 11 years ago #
4. 

   Anonymous
   

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   From http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/slitaz-40-unetbootin-bios-boot-problem#post-11332

   Rather use http://mirror.slitaz.org/iso/stable/flavors/slitaz-4.0-core.iso with Unetbootin than the default SliTaz 4 iso provided by on the website. Unetbootin doesn't like the default iso's 4-in-1 design ;)

   Hope That Helps.

   Posted 11 years ago #
5. 

   Ceel
   

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   Administrator

   @ Mike7,

   The command dd allows to "extract and copy" the files of an iso.
   The iso must be hybrid; slitaz-4.0.iso is not hybrid, you have to make it:
   isohybrid /path-to/slitaz-4.0.iso<
   Not sure t

   Then connect your stick and identify it; as root:
   fdisk -l

   If your stick is recognized as sdb1, then:
   dd if=/path-to/slitaz-4.0.iso of=/dev/sdb1

   Unfortunately I tested it this afternoon without any success. I'm not sure this method still works with SliTaz 4.0.

   May be there is an other way using iso2exe. See http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/instructions-for-installing-slitaz-40-from-usb#post-20315
   I'll try it tomorrow.

   An other suggestion: make a liveUSB manually from windows using a previous iso:
   http://doc.slitaz.org/fr:handbook:liveusb#installer-slitaz-sur-usb-depuis-windows
   (I've made my first SliTaz's liveUSB like this with syslinux and the iso 2.0)
   Then if you succeed to boot, format a stick ext3, and use Applications > Outils système > Création d'un LiveUSB using slitaz-4.0.iso.

   Good luck!

   Posted 11 years ago #
6. 

   Somewhat Reticent
   

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   Member

   From Windows XP, consider YUMI from pendrivelinux.com to put SliTAZ on USB stick.
   That can give you more efficient use of your stick, and more live-test options.
   You may want to study the *.cfg files so you can add 32-bit and 64-bit to the menu,
   and then 7zip/unpack another iso to a sub-directory.
   XP has Disk_Management for partition manipulation (or use gPartEd or PartEd_Magic or ...)

   In your BIOS, is "removable media" the correct entry? Many BIOS setups recognize USB sticks as added hdd or zip drives; often there's some function key (F2?) that allows choosing which drive to start/boot from. Look in your BIOS first to see what drives it sees when your stick is plugged in, and as what type. If the BIOS can't recognize the file-system on the first drive (and maybe partition) found, it will keep looking.

   Posted 11 years ago #
7. 

   Mike7
   

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   Member

   Hi, Fatmac.

   I will give 4.0-core a try, as you suggest. I was hoping to eventually install Slitaz-4.0-Firefox, but core is a lot smaller and probably easier to deal with for a first time.

   Mike

   Posted 11 years ago #
8. 

   Mike7
   

   offline

   Member

   Hi, Ceel.

   You wrote:

   {May be there is an other way using iso2exe. See http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/instructions-for-installing-slitaz-40-from-usb#post-20315. I'll try it tomorrow.}

   I read the post from Samuel Trassare and it confused me. Also, the download link for iso2exe is not working. I would like to try it, if you have a good download link.

   {An other suggestion: make a liveUSB manually from windows using a previous iso:
   http://doc.slitaz.org/fr:handbook:liveusb#installer-slitaz-sur-usb-depuis-windows
   (I've made my first SliTaz's liveUSB like this with syslinux and the iso 2.0)
   Then if you succeed to boot, format a stick ext3, and use Applications > Outils système > Création d'un LiveUSB using slitaz-4.0.iso.}

   That is a good idea, but the explanation of how to do it at that webpage is unclear, and I do read French quite well <grin>. For example, what does [Sur la clé USB, copier les fichiers du gestionnaire de démarrage dans le répertoire \boot\syslinux] mean? Is that the boot\syslinux directory on the key, from the iso image? Or the boot\syslinux directory of the unzipped syslinux-3.82.zip file? Likewise for [Extraire le fichier syslinux.exe de l'archive téléchargée sur kernel.org et le copier dans \boot\syslinux sur la clé]. Il est vraiement dificil de le comprendre.

   The same for:

   [Version rapide
   -- Téléchargez l'archive syslinux.zip.
   -- Extrayez le répertoire syslinux et copiez-le dans le répertoire boot de la clé USB.
   -- Exécutez le script \boot\syslinux\bootusb.bat.]

   Is that the same directory where the Slitaz iso has supposedly been extracted (this is not mentioned)? How do you execute that script in Windows?

   It would help if people who have done these things did not assume so much with people who have not. I would like to try these methods, but the incomplete and confusing explanations put me off.

   Mike

   Posted 11 years ago #
9. 

   Mike7
   

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   Member

   Hi, Reticent.

   I have not tried YUMI yet. I assumed that since none of the sindle-boot loaders worked YUMI would not work either. Also, I want to test the different distros before putting them on a multi-boot USB drive.

   Yes, the BIOS on my Asus EeePC 1000HA has a Removable Media option that can boot a USB stick. I have already put Puppeee 4.4 on a stick and am in that op sys right now. The BIOS has always recognized the stick with Slitaz 4.0 on it, but it will not boot it.

   I will try one of the methods that Ceel has suggested if I can get the files and figure out how to use them.

   Cheers!

   Mike

   Posted 11 years ago #
10. 

    Anonymous
    

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    Unregistered

    Hi Mike7,

    I'm fairly new at this distro, but a long time Linux user, they have some superb documentation, once you start looking.

    I've just had a go with isohybrid, couldn't be easier, as long as you have a 'live' to start with!

    I can't understand why SliTaz don't put usb image files up for download, as there is certainly interest for running from pendrives & the lack of optical drives these days.

    PS: I didn't get on with Midori & installed Firefox & VLC, no problems on a regular installation.

    Posted 11 years ago #
11. 

    Bellard
    

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    Key Master

    0nly http://mirror.slitaz.org/iso/4.0/flavors/slitaz-4.0-loram.iso in 4.0 is hybrid due a bug in build chain. (any 3.0 iso is hybrid).

    Starting 5.0 the ISO should run directly under Microsoft OSes and *create* pendrive (I hope)
    http://hg.slitaz.org/wok/file/tip/syslinux/stuff/iso2exe/README

    Posted 11 years ago #
12. 

    Anonymous
    

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    Unregistered

    @Bellard

    Thankyou for the info, I hope the build chain gets fixed OK.

    (Now I understand why I/we have to use isohybrid or a live cd to get a live pendrive.)

    Posted 11 years ago #
13. 

    Ceel
    

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    Administrator

    Hi Mike7,

    I havn't many time this midday. I'll give you more explanations tonight (prefer french or english ?)

    Yesterday, I tested slitaz-4.0-loram.iso with dd -> no success.
    Concerning iso2exe, I tested i ttoo whithout many hopes (Bellard had written it was for DOS 3, 4 and 6); slitaz.exe under win7 and XP -> is not a valid application.

    Can you try this ?
    Download slitaz 3.0 (I advise you http://mirror.slitaz.org/iso/3.0/flavors/slitaz-3.0-xvesa.iso) and install it with LiLiCreator or UNetBootin. Then if it boots... you've won.

    See you tonight

    Posted 11 years ago #
14. 

    Ceel
    

    offline

    Administrator

    It's me again,

    First, you can avoid to create manually your liveUSB using tazusb.exe with slitaz-3.0.iso (or slitaz-3.0-xvesa.iso if you meet problems with your screen); I've done it and it worked !

    Second, my short version to install SliTaz from windows (don't work with SliTaz4.0):

    • download the latest version of syslinux (http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/syslinux-5.01.zip) on your stick
    • unzip the file
    • download slitaz-4.0.iso on the stick
    • extract the iso on the stick (I used 7-Zip: http://sourceforge.net/projects/sevenzip/files/7-Zip/9.20/7z920.exe/download)

    You should have now the following directories on the stick:
    [BOOT]
    boot
    boot\grub
    boot\isolinux
    images (not sure it still exists)
    syslinux-9.20
    (you can delete the iso and zip files)

    • rename \boot\isolinux -> \boot\syslinux and then rename

    \boot\syslinux\isolinux.cfg -> \boot\syslinux\syslinux.cfg and
    \boot\syslinux\isolinux.msg -> \boot\syslinux\syslinux.msg

    • copy \syslinux-9.20\win32\syslinux.exe in boot\syslinux
    • install the bootloader on the stick:

    From windows, click on [Démarrer], Programmes, Accessoires, Invite de commandes
    At prompt (C:\Users\Mike7> ?), type the letter that corresponds to your stick; ie, if your stick is E:
    C:\Users\Mike7>e: ->prompt becomes e:>
    Then go to \boot\syslinux:
    e:>cd \boot\syslinux -> prompt becomes e:\boot\syslinux>
    and type
    e:\boot\syslinux>syslinux -ma -d \boot\syslinux e:
    Be sure of the letter you use for the stick !

    • with notepad, modify \boot\syslinux\syslinux.cfg as this:

    display <strong>syslinux</strong>.msg
    default slitaz
    label slitaz
    	kernel /boot/bzImage
    	append initrd=/boot/rootfs.gz rw root=/dev/null lang=fr kmap=fr vga=normal
    implicit 0
    prompt 1
    timeout 80
    F1 help.txt
    F2 options.txt
    F3 <strong>isolinux</strong>.msg
    F4 display.txt

    what does mean
    Version rapide
    -- Téléchargez l'archive syslinux.zip.
    -- Extrayez le répertoire syslinux et copiez-le dans le répertoire boot de la clé USB.
    -- Exécutez le script \boot\syslinux\bootusb.bat

    I suppose it exists in the unzip directory \boot\syslinux a file bootusb.bat that does automatically all the commands above but I didn't use it...

    Posted 11 years ago #
15. 

    Mike7
    

    offline

    Member

    Hi, Fatmac.

    What is isohybrid?

    It's not only a problem with Slitaz. Most of the Linux distros have only CD-type iso files for download. A few have tar.bz files. And even fewer have .zip files. But I know of none that provide a self-booting USB version. It is, as you say, very strange. Maybe the answer is that the people who create the download files and the ones who maintain the download sites all run Linux on the hard drives of their power-desktop computers, and it never occurs to them that users who depend on a netbook or other device without a CD drive would want to run Linux from a pendrive. Or maybe they hate Windows so much that they want to force us to replace Windows with Linux <grin>.

    What did you install Firefox in? And how did you do it?

    Cheers!

    Mike

    Posted 11 years ago #

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