Possible to boot from isolinux on USB flash drive?

Forum: USB booting
Topic: Possible to boot from isolinux on USB flash drive?
started by: Mancer

Posted by Mancer on Dec. 21 2005,14:30

Is is possible to install DSL to a USB pen drive and use isolinux to boot instead of syslinux? Despite many attempts, I can't seem to make this happen. I've downloaded the isolinux version of the DSL ISO, and run the install from the LiveCD, pointing it to the isolinux ISO file. When it's finished, I look on the pen drive and see syslinux instead of isolinux.

The reason I'd like to get isolinux on my pen drive instead of syslinux is that I'd like to be able to use the LOCALBOOT command in the CFG file so that I can boot from the HD or CD-ROM instead. I also need the ability to boot floppy disk IMGs from the pen. If I can't use isolinux on the pen drive, and syslinux can't do what I'd like, are there other boot loaders I can try?

I apologize if this has all been covered before. I've tried searching the forums and the internet, but I haven't found anything about what I'm trying to do specifically. Thanks!

Posted by cbagger01 on Dec. 21 2005,19:24

You can try

extlinux (Needs to be installed on an EXT2 formatted partition which makes your USB drive unreadable from MSWindows).

or grub

Posted by Mancer on Dec. 22 2005,19:50

I need to be able to read the contents from Windows, so I'll give GRUB a try.

Thanks!