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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
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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.
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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
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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.
@ 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:
[c]isohybrid /[/c]path-to[c]/slitaz-4.0.iso[/c]<
Not sure t
Then connect your stick and identify it; as root:
[c]fdisk -l[/c]
If your stick is recognized as sdb1, then:
[c]dd if=/[/c]path-to[c]/slitaz-4.0.iso of=/dev/sdb1[/c]
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!
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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
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@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.)
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
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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]C:\Users\Mike7>e:[/c] ->prompt becomes [c]e:>[/c]
Then go to \boot\syslinux:
[c]e:>cd \boot\syslinux[/c] -> prompt becomes [c]e:\boot\syslinux>[/c]
and type
[c]e:\boot\syslinux>syslinux -ma -d \boot\syslinux e:[/c]
Be sure of the letter you use for the stick !
[*]with notepad, modify \boot\syslinux\syslinux.cfg as this:
[c]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[/c]
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...
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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
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Hi, Ceel.
Tout d'abord, je te remercie infiniment ton appui, ton aide, et le temps que tu as mis dans ce fil. Ça parle au serieux de Slitaz.
Too bad iso2exe won't work in XP. The download of iso2exe isn't working, either. Could you send me a copy of iso2exe? I'd like to try it out with some other iso files. It looks like a very interesting utility.
I tried slitaz-3.0-firefox.iso with tazusb.exe and it did not work. Is it worthwhile for me to try tazusb again, with slitaz-3.0.iso?
I have downloaded syslinux-5.01.zip as per your instructions. The only .bat file in it is luavs.bat. No bootusb.bat. Too bad!
However, I will follow your instructions for a manual install with syslinux. Can I use slitaz-4.0-firefox.iso instead of slitaz-4.0.iso?
Salut!
Mike
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Bellard, can you give me a link that works for downloading iso2exe?
Thanks?
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http://cook.slitaz.org/cooker.cgi?download=../wok/syslinux-extra/taz/syslinux-extra-4.06/fs/usr/bin/iso2exe
TODO:
Update http://hg.slitaz.org/wok/file/d10ad51da318/syslinux/stuff/iso2exe/win32.c to create an USB key. Simply detect/select the device and copy the whole ISO file to the stick a la rawrite. Any taker ?
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An isohybrid is an iso image that will boot in an optical drive, or can be 'dd'ed to a pendrive & be booted from that (pendrive).
The 'flavor' (SliTaz way of calling a distro) that I used was SliTaz-4.0, which is basically all 4 compressed file systems that make up the whole installation. This particular iso will boot in different ways depending on how much ram is available.
Because of something in the SliTaz build process for version 4, the isohybrid command failed to create hybrid isos, (I can understand how confusing this must be to a newbie).
I think what the good people here are saying is to copy a version 3 release to your pendrive, as they where successfully created to hybrid images. Once you have an installation on your hard drive, you should be able to upgrade it to version 4, & then install any other programs that you want from the repositories.
So, try rawrite with a SliTaz 3 iso, copy the image to your pendrive, boot up, install, upgrade, then install any other programs.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/zoollinux/files/Utility/Rawrite%202/rawrite2.exe/download?use_mirror=freefr&download=
I hope that works for you.
How to create a hybrid iso?
On SliTaz 4.0 there is a program called isohybrid & it is part of syslinux, I believe.
All that you have to do, at a command line/in a terminal, is this :-
isohybrid name_of_your.iso
then you can 'dd' (image write) it to a pendrive & it will boot up.
(I don't know if it's on SliTaz 3.)
@ Mike7
Can I use slitaz-4.0-firefox.iso instead of slitaz-4.0.iso?
I don't think so. I never managed to install SliTaz4.0, regardless the version, like this.
But you can do it with an iso 3.0 and then do a LiveUSB (EXT3 !) using the SliTaz tool (or tazusb in a terminal, or with TazPanel if you get-install it with tazpkg: # tazpkg -gi tazpanel).
You can't do an upgrade of a LiveUSB 3.0 to 4.0.
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Just found this link, might work.
http://download.cnet.com/iso-to-usb/3028-2094_4-75578611.html?c=SEM-UK&s=fivemill&pid=dlcom_sem&aid=iso%20to%20usb%20download-&dlc=n
Hi, Fatmac.
First, what is rawrite2.exe? What does it do? (Apparently it's a Windows program.)
Secondly, should all iso files be converted to hybrids using isohybrid before trying to use any of the suggested USB-install methods (iso2exe, tazusb.exe, etc.)?
Lastly, I have a bootable Version of Puppeee on pendrive, and I think it has an isohybrid commandline application (user\bin\isohybrid). If it doesn't work, can a separate isohybrid utility be downloaded somewhere?
I don't think I even want to try that iso-to-usb program from CNet. I've had nothing but grief from those things.
Cheers!
Mike
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Bellard-
-- Do I need to run isohybrid on a Slitaz iso (not slitaz-4.0-loram.iso) before using iso2exe?
-- Does iso2exe have to be put in a special place in order for it to work at the commandline?
-- Will iso2exe’s product <something.exe> run in Windows XP? (I have no idea what the DOS version is)?
Cheers!
Mike
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First, what is rawrite2.exe?
It is an image writing program that run under MS Windows.
Secondly, should all iso files be converted to hybrids using isohybrid before trying to use any of the suggested USB-install methods (iso2exe, tazusb.exe, etc.)?
Some iso images are already hybrid isos, those can be written to pendrives & they will boot.
Those that aren't hybrid isos will get a header file added into them that will make them into hybrid isos, which can then be used from pendrives.
Lastly, I have a bootable Version of Puppeee on pendrive, and I think it has an isohybrid commandline application (user\bin\isohybrid).
Yes you can use that to turn your SliTaz.iso into a hybrid iso. Just have your SliTaz.iso somewhere accessible from your live pendrive & in a terminal run 'isohybrid SliTaz.iso'. That can then be (image) written (with rawrite under Windows or better still using dd from your live Pupeee) to a pendrive, & that should boot up.
Finally, Windows XP runs DOS version 7, so I don't think iso2exe will work.
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