understanding dsl-embeded and usb booting

Forum: USB booting
Topic: understanding dsl-embeded and usb booting
started by: albertoshi

Posted by albertoshi on May 23 2005,15:04

Hello !

It's now two weeks since i heard of dsl and started to use it. But i am still
unable to make a proper install on my pen drive (256 Mo).

I've downloaded via rtc and folowing the advice of Meo, the 1.1 embeded version, and i would appreciate if somebody could bring some explanations to the following :
1/ what is embeded ?
2/ i unzipped to my pendrive, wich i formated before (and i'd vérified the geometrry about 32sectors max, ok) . I'd booted once. Then, i've reformated and created two partitions, one for dsl embeded, one for data (ext2)
I then unzipped embeded again, it won't boot anymore...
From windoz xp, i can run dsl from the key using qemu, but this is not what i aim to.
From suze also, it runs, but if i try to install to usb key, a message appears wich says there is no connection to the web.
3/ The forums are very informative, but many contradictory infos shows up specialy about booting from an usb key, i 've read it must be formated in fat, fat 16, or fat 32, i tried them all since one week and the problem of booting is elsewhere...

Under Suze 9.1, i unzip to my key, and if i run syslinux, the files are replaced by the only 7.7 ko file "ldlinux.sys"

My usual os is suze 9.1, sometimes knoppix live CD, some other tries by
curiousit. My native language is french, please forgive the errors i may do writting.

thanks for your help...

Posted by roberts on May 23 2005,16:24

If your desire is qemu, i.e., dsl-embedded then I would not consider two partitions.
Qemu uses a virtual harddisk to store backup and extensions. This virtual disk can be accessed by DSL when booting via BIOS, cdrom, or even floppy.
This virtual disk is in the same partition of qemu.

Here's my view on the state of USB booting.
Facts
USBZIP = "install to Pendrive, frugal_usb.sh"
USBHDD = "pendrive_usb.tar.gz" called from "Install to Pendrive, when selected"
1. More computers can boot USBZIP than USBHDD
2. USBZIP requires certain geometry in order to boot
3. USBHDD is easier to boot but not suitable for qemu as it is a sinle Linux partition.
4. The USBZIP script only makes a small 50MB partition so it too is unsuitable for dsl-embedded, (see my other < post >
for why)

So where does this leave you wanting to use qemu?

1. With a new pendrive, I would not format, or partition it, if I want to use qemu. Instead the first thing I would attempt, is to apply syslinux.exe -s e:\ (where e: is your pendrive!) then unzip dsl-embedded onto this pendrive. If this works your done.

2. You can use the hp flash formatting utility, this made a bios usbhdd compatible partition for me, then apply syslinux.exe -s e:/

3 .You can read the docs about geometry and try to make a large single bios usbzip compatibale partition and manually apply syslinux.exe -s e:/ or

4. I see some posts that claim to only need to format fat32. I have had no succes with this. Your mahine's BIOS options may support it.

If you need to start over, look for your manufacture's flash formatting utility to reset to factory defaults.

HTH

Posted by albertoshi on May 23 2005,23:26

Hi Robert /

Thanks for the reply, ( i was writing from dslm embeded, wich i boot
from my usbkey as usbzip once... but next time i reboot (had to check for my passwd for this board via suze) i had the message knoppix image could'not be found sorry or something... so here i am under suze again... (the very limited shell do not seems to any utility to me ... docs somewhere ?)

i have to find out why dsl cannot boot again, and furthermore how to configure and specialy how to get the keyboard in french... remembered ... because i 'd prefer not to have to type in "lang=fr" shure !

i downloded embeded without understanding what it exactly is, because
i was told to do so by meo

i ended formating the danelec 256 mo key this way ie 128 mo fat16 and the rest as ext2 .
i used sfdisk to do so and check the geometry uhh 1024 sectors... afterthat i did dd and then mkdosfs...

after many trials i understood i had to umount before applying syslinux
to the fat partition and also it seems one s have to unzip embeded strait to the key without passing thru a temporary directory ?

i now start using dsl, lemitelyou it looks very nice to me, just tryin to damn find more docs because as for today it is not easy to enter
the maze and to find one s way...

especial notes : the dialup config works perfectly, although it do not makes it very clear for entering the infos (provider), i got connected straightaway and the firefox provided in the package is working fine,

the config panel seems to behave strangely (cannot reduce, do not refresh when overcomes an other winndow)

there is no doc about the window manager, i found a few things via google-uberalles, well, this is it,

i do not feel too interessed in using qemu but it is a sort of salvation raft
for use on some computers with uindoz

please let me know if i may help for doing some translation work

albertoshi wiznosushi

Posted by albertoshi on May 23 2005,23:36

ho roberto,

just to be more precise : i refuse to "apply syslinux.exe" wichmean i'd had to use
WDZ in order to get a linux workin, no, i won't do it, finaly.

I aim to use only tux on computers (or other open source os'ses) and my graal is to get infos in order too do so...

cheers !

Posted by roberts on May 24 2005,03:20

No Problemo,

You can download the 5way.tgz which all the tools to do it all in Linux.

Posted by albertoshi on May 27 2005,18:46

hi again roberto,

Well thanks for the tip it's the first thing i did. This do not bring any clear answer about the difficulties i had to set up my key, but y did tried the script (failed to open an adress on the net, i was not connected) with no success. Finally i did all the reformating and check manually. It ended with a success, i booted once, the next boot failed, i just forgot it for some days. (unable to locate knoppix img or something, knoppix is still on the key in the knoppix directory)

Sorry to insist but what about my questions upstairs ? Also is it possible to have an irregular failure at boot time, something like 'cannot find knoppix image' ? I thought this was maybe because i tried to add something to the usb key (using the configuration file i 've added something about firefox to keep my settings : could this change the amount of data and then cause problems at boot time ? ) Where is it possible to get infos on the behaviour of dsl at boottime

Is Life worthwhile??? Do you like chocolate

Euh, s'cuze me...

hope to get more infos/links/suggestions,

cheers,

albertoshi the desesperetoshi

Posted by ke4nt1 on May 27 2005,18:58

That situation about "booting one time" , and not booting another time, from a USB key, has been seen before..

Sometimes, using the rear USB ports..
( the ones hardwired to the mobo )
helps with booting, vs using the front ones,
which are wired thru a cable to the mobo.

Mine all work everytime, so I hope yours will too..

73
ke4nt

Posted by cbagger01 on May 27 2005,22:24

Also,

If you have "quick boot" or "fast boot" option in your BIOS, please turn this option OFF and try again.

Also try turning on USB keyboard emulation in BIOS.