Bootable USB Key - Revision history

Krellan: The mkdiskimage appears to now work for big USB sticks in Knoppix 7

2014-04-14T08:03:42Z

The mkdiskimage appears to now work for big USB sticks in Knoppix 7

Krellan: Standardized on zeroing size to reuse at 16MB

2014-04-14T07:51:41Z

Standardized on zeroing size to reuse at 16MB

Krellan: Updated text to mention Knoppix 7

2014-04-14T06:58:30Z

Updated text to mention Knoppix 7

Krellan: Updated rsync and persistent instructions for Knoppix 6

2010-04-11T04:24:49Z

Updated rsync and persistent instructions for Knoppix 6

Krellan: Updating text to include Knoppix 6, not just Knoppix 5

2010-04-11T03:46:27Z

Updating text to include Knoppix 6, not just Knoppix 5

Clinton: Added link to buying Knoppix on USB

2009-09-23T15:33:04Z

Added link to buying Knoppix on USB

Krellan: Added more superfloppy text

2009-04-08T10:13:42Z

Added more superfloppy text

Krellan: Updated superfloppy text and cleaned up rsync advice

2009-03-21T00:08:56Z

Updated superfloppy text and cleaned up rsync advice

Krellan: Minor sizing updates

2009-03-19T08:54:57Z

Minor sizing updates

Krellan: Cleaned up Knoppix version numbers and CD vs. DVD confusion

2009-03-19T06:28:01Z

Cleaned up Knoppix version numbers and CD vs. DVD confusion

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
   mkdiskimage -F -4 /dev/sdz 0 255 63
-If your USB key is larger than 8GB in size (see cautions below):
+If your USB key is larger than 8GB in size, first, try the same command as above:
   mkdiskimage -F -4 /dev/sdz 1 255 63
@@ Line 112: / Line 116: @@
   mkdosfs /dev/sdz4
-The final section above, for keys larger than 8GB, is rather tricky.  The mkdiskimage script can't handle partitions larger than 8GB, so I have to hack around it a bit.  What we are doing here is making a dummy partition of only 1MB(!) in size, so that mkdiskimage can prepare the MBR properly.  Then, we manually delete that partition, by doing some surgery in the partition table.  We then use sfdisk to re-create the partition properly, using the full size of your USB key as FAT32, and finally format it with mkdosfs.
+The final section above, for keys larger than 8GB, is rather tricky.  The mkdiskimage script can't handle partitions larger than 8GB, so I have to hack around it a bit.  (This bug might be fixed in Knoppix 7, as it seems to happen less often, but I've still seen it happen.)  What we are doing here is making a dummy partition of only 1MB(!) in size, so that mkdiskimage can prepare the MBR properly.  Then, we manually delete that partition, by doing some surgery in the partition table.  We then use sfdisk to re-create the partition properly, using the full size of your USB key as FAT32, and finally format it with mkdosfs.
 Please be very careful typing in the command(s) in your section above.  If using the final section for keys larger than 8GB, the 0's in the echo command above are zeroes, not the letter O, and please be sure to use single quotes instead of double quotes.  This should work for all USB storage devices, up to 2TB in size.  I tested this using a 320GB USB hard drive, and it worked.  Beyond 2TB, you're on your own....

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 ; Note : If your USB stick is FAT-formatted and has enough free capacity, you can skip the following repartitioning phase and jump to installing SYSLINUX section. Just make sure your stick's partition has it's boot flag activated so the boot loader works properly. This can be done with the command fdisk /dev/sdz and subsequent commands (example: a 1 p w )
-; Note: If you're repeating your installation and have already zeroed your USB key at least once, then you can add ''count=1k'' to the line below.  It becomes ''dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdz count=1k'' which will just zero out the first few sectors of your USB key.  This avoids wear and tear on your USB key, but still writes to enough sectors to clean out any existing formatting on your USB key.
+; Note: If you're repeating your installation and have already zeroed your USB key at least once, then you can add ''bs=1k count=16k'' to the line below.  It becomes ''dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdz bs=1k count=16k'' which will just zero out the first few sectors of your USB key.  This avoids wear and tear on your USB key, but still writes to enough sectors to clean out any existing formatting on your USB key.
 ; Note: Newer USB keys larger than 8GB often work best with "superfloppy" format, see below.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Intro==
-These instructions were originally written for Knoppix 5.  I tried early versions of Knoppix 6 and it was so stripped down that I did not want it on my USB key, as many of the useful tools were no longer there.  However, Knoppix 6.2.1 is once again useful, and these instructions also work (with a minor change described below) for Knoppix 6.
+These instructions were originally written for Knoppix 5.  I tried early versions of Knoppix 6 and it was so stripped down that I did not want it on my USB key, as many of the useful tools were no longer there.  However, Knoppix 6.2.1 is once again useful, and these instructions also work (with a minor change described below) for Knoppix 6 and 7.
-Knoppix 6 also has its own built-in utility to create a USB key after booting from the CD, so using that might work easier.  Also, the [http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ UNetbootin] package can perform this installation automatically for you.  However, if you want to learn how these tools work their magic, read on.
+Knoppix 6 and 7 also have their own built-in utility to create a USB key after booting from the CD, so using that might work easier.  Also, the [http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ UNetbootin] package can perform this installation automatically for you.  However, if you want to learn how these tools work their magic, read on.
-Both Knoppix 5 and Knoppix 6 boot rather nicely from a USB key.  Knoppix 5 will work better on older hardware, and has a larger selection of preinstalled software.  Knoppix 6 has better support for newer hardware, and does a better job of handling your encrypted home directory on USB.  Choose whichever you prefer.
+Even though Knoppix 5 is rather out of date these days, I still believe it set the high water mark for being packed full of useful software, both for system repair/recovery purposes, and for general productive use.  Later Knoppix versions stripped out much of this functionality, unfortunately.  However, they have updated Linux kernel and drivers, so will work better with newer hardware.  Choose whichever is best for your needs.  The beauty of having your operating system boot from a USB key is that it becomes easily interchangeable, unlike a permanent installation on your hard drive!
 This is a "recipe" for creating a Knoppix bootable USB key.  It was originally posted to the forums: http://knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25402
@@ Line 15: / Line 17: @@
 * Download a Knoppix image and burn it to CD or DVD.
-For Knoppix 5, I recommend version 5.3.1 for DVD, or version 5.1.1 for CD.  For Knoppix 6, I recommend version 6.2.1 for both DVD and CD.  Choosing DVD or CD is up to you.  It's a function of how large your USB key is, and how much free space you want to have remaining on the USB key after completing installation of Knoppix onto it.
+For Knoppix 5, I recommend version 5.3.1 for DVD, or version 5.1.1 for CD.  For Knoppix 6, I recommend version 6.2.1 for both DVD and CD.  For Knoppix 7, use the latest version (I have tested only 7.2.0).  Choosing DVD or CD is up to you.  It's a function of how large your USB key is, and how much free space you want to have remaining on the USB key after completing installation of Knoppix onto it.
 * Back up all data on your USB key, because we will be erasing and reformatting it!
-* Make sure U3 is not installed on the USB key
+* Make sure SanDisk U3 is not installed on the USB key
 Unfortunately, many newer USB keys come with "U3" Windows software ([http://www.digg.com/security/U3_USB_Flash_Drives_install_junk_on_any_Windows_PC_you_plug_into badware]?) preinstalled.  Removing U3 is highly recommended, and will free up additional space on your USB key, as well as eliminate a source of potential conflicts.
@@ Line 34: / Line 36: @@
 Newer SanDisk USB keys come with a built in uninstall application.  Try that first, before trying the above solutions.
 ==Instructions==
-* Boot Knoppix 5 (or 6) from CD (or DVD), and make sure that it works.
+* Boot Knoppix from CD (or DVD), and make sure that it works.
 As soon as the title screen of Knoppix appears (the cheatcode entry screen), put in the USB key.
@@ Line 70: / Line 74: @@
 ; Note: If you're repeating your installation and have already zeroed your USB key at least once, then you can add ''count=1k'' to the line below.  It becomes ''dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdz count=1k'' which will just zero out the first few sectors of your USB key.  This avoids wear and tear on your USB key, but still writes to enough sectors to clean out any existing formatting on your USB key.
 * Erase your entire USB key.
@@ Line 148: / Line 154: @@
   rsync -av --progress /cdrom/boot/isolinux/ ./
-If you're running Knoppix 6:
+If you're running Knoppix 6 or 7:
   rsync -av --progress /mnt-system/boot/isolinux/ ./
-The only difference between Knoppix 5 and 6 is the location where the files on the CD appear.  In Knoppix 5, it's the /cdrom directory, but in Knoppix 6, it's the /mnt-system directory.
+Note the different location where the files on the CD appear.  In Knoppix 5, it's the /cdrom directory, but in Knoppix 6 and 7, it's the /mnt-system directory.
-This copies all files from /cdrom/boot/isolinux/ to the current directory (the rsync command is an improvement over the cp command for handling large amounts of files, as it is better at handling errors).  Ignore any warnings about "failed to preserve ownership". This is normal, because we're using the FAT filesystem, which does not support file ownership. This is not a problem for us.
+This copies all files from that directory to the current directory (the rsync command is an improvement over the cp command for handling large amounts of files, as it is better at handling errors).  Ignore any warnings about "failed to preserve ownership". This is normal, because we're using the FAT filesystem, which does not support file ownership. This is not a problem for us.
 Finish up:
@@ Line 175: / Line 181: @@
   rsync -av --progress /cdrom/ ./ --exclude boot
-If you're running Knoppix 6:
+If you're running Knoppix 6 or 7:
   rsync -av --progress /mnt-system/ ./ --exclude boot
@@ Line 217: / Line 223: @@
 Find the drive letter for your USB key again. It should not change, but it might have.
-* Make the USB key writeable, if running Knoppix 5.  Knoppix 6 autodetects the usage of USB keys, so this step is not necessary.
+* Make the USB key writeable, if running Knoppix 5.  Knoppix 6 and 7 autodetect the usage of USB keys, so this step is not necessary.
 Knoppix 5 assumes that the "CD-ROM" that it booted from is impossible to write to, but we have a USB key now, not a CD-ROM. So, we must fool Knoppix 5 into letting you write to it.
@@ Line 248: / Line 254: @@
 Save the file and quit the editor.
-* Optional step: Create a Knoppix persistent home directory, if running Knoppix 5.  Knoppix 6 will automatically prompt you for this information when you boot it from your USB key for the first time, so this step is not necessary.
+* Optional step: Create a Knoppix persistent home directory, if running Knoppix 5.  Knoppix 6 and 7 will automatically prompt you for this information when you boot it from your USB key for the first time, so this step is not necessary.
 Now, we can run the Knoppix 5 "Create Persistent" utility, to create something that will save your settings across a reboot.

@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 You should already be in the ''/media/sdz4'' directory, from the cd command above.  The rsync command is very fussy about spaces, dots, and slashes, so be careful you've typed in the command correctly.
-  rsync -av /cdrom/boot/isolinux/ ./
+If you're running Knoppix 5:
-  mv isolinux.cfg syslinux.cfg
-  rm -f isolinux.bin
+  rsync -av --progress /cdrom/boot/isolinux/ ./
 This copies all files from /cdrom/boot/isolinux/ to the current directory (the rsync command is an improvement over the cp command for handling large amounts of files, as it is better at handling errors).  Ignore any warnings about "failed to preserve ownership". This is normal, because we're using the FAT filesystem, which does not support file ownership. This is not a problem for us.
 What we're doing here is copying the Knoppix CD's /boot directory first. This increases reliability, by getting it as close to the beginning of the drive as possible. This should help on systems with buggy CHS handling of USB keys, which may become an issue as new USB keys get larger.
@@ Line 160: / Line 171: @@
 Again, you should still be in the ''/media/sdz4'' directory.  Again, don't forget to doublecheck your typing of the spaces, dots, and slashes in the rsync command.
-  rsync -av /cdrom/ ./ --exclude boot
+If you're running Knoppix 5:
 This should take a while -- we are filling up the USB key with the contents of the Knoppix CD. The excluded "boot" directory was already copied earlier.
-If, during the copy, it asks if you want to overwrite the files ''cdrom.ico'' and ''index.html'', say Yes.  This message appears because in later Knoppix versions, these files were doubled-up on the Knoppix CD (possibly a bug).
+You will see a speed readout of how fast the files can be installed to your USB key.  Some keys are much faster than others.  Getting about 2MB per second is reasonable.  If your speed is extremely slow, such as getting KB per second instead of MB, check your USB ports, your hardware might be USB 1 instead of USB 2.  Avoid USB 1, it is frustratingly slow.
 * You are now ready to boot!
@@ Line 198: / Line 217: @@
 Find the drive letter for your USB key again. It should not change, but it might have.
-* Make the USB key writeable.
+* Make the USB key writeable, if running Knoppix 5.  Knoppix 6 autodetects the usage of USB keys, so this step is not necessary.
-Knoppix assumes that the "CD-ROM" that it booted from is impossible to write to, but we have a USB key now, not a CD-ROM. So, we must fool Knoppix into letting you write to it.
+Knoppix 5 assumes that the "CD-ROM" that it booted from is impossible to write to, but we have a USB key now, not a CD-ROM. So, we must fool Knoppix 5 into letting you write to it.
   mount -o remount,rw /cdrom
@@ Line 229: / Line 248: @@
 Save the file and quit the editor.
-* Optional step: Create a Knoppix persistent home directory
+* Optional step: Create a Knoppix persistent home directory, if running Knoppix 5.  Knoppix 6 will automatically prompt you for this information when you boot it from your USB key for the first time, so this step is not necessary.
-Now, we can run the Knoppix persistent utility, to create something that will save your settings across a reboot.
+Now, we can run the Knoppix 5 "Create Persistent" utility, to create something that will save your settings across a reboot.
 (It's under the penguin menu, Configure, Create Persistent.)

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Intro==
-These instructions are for Knoppix 5.  I tried Knoppix 6 and it was so stripped down that I did not want it on my USB key, as many of the useful tools were no longer there.  Knoppix 6 evidently has its own built-in utility to create a USB key after booting from the CD, so these instructions aren't necessary for Knoppix 6 anyway.
+These instructions were originally written for Knoppix 5.  I tried early versions of Knoppix 6 and it was so stripped down that I did not want it on my USB key, as many of the useful tools were no longer there.  However, Knoppix 6.2.1 is once again useful, and these instructions also work (with a minor change described below) for Knoppix 6.
-Knoppix 5 boots rather nicely from a USB key. It's getting easier to get it working, as the USB bugs from the previous versions have been fixed.
+Knoppix 6 also has its own built-in utility to create a USB key after booting from the CD, so using that might work easier.  Also, the [http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ UNetbootin] package can perform this installation automatically for you.  However, if you want to learn how these tools work their magic, read on.
 This is a "recipe" for creating a Knoppix bootable USB key.  It was originally posted to the forums: http://knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25402
@@ Line 13: / Line 15: @@
 * Download a Knoppix image and burn it to CD or DVD.
-I recommend Knoppix version 5.3.1 for DVD, or version 5.1.1 for CD.  Choosing DVD or CD is up to you.  It's a function of how large your USB key is, and how much free space you want to have remaining on the USB key after completing installation of Knoppix onto it.
+For Knoppix 5, I recommend version 5.3.1 for DVD, or version 5.1.1 for CD.  For Knoppix 6, I recommend version 6.2.1 for both DVD and CD.  Choosing DVD or CD is up to you.  It's a function of how large your USB key is, and how much free space you want to have remaining on the USB key after completing installation of Knoppix onto it.
 * Back up all data on your USB key, because we will be erasing and reformatting it!
@@ Line 35: / Line 37: @@
 ==Instructions==
-* Boot Knoppix 5 from CD (or DVD), and make sure that it works.
+* Boot Knoppix 5 (or 6) from CD (or DVD), and make sure that it works.
 As soon as the title screen of Knoppix appears (the cheatcode entry screen), put in the USB key.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:33, 23 September 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	'''Admin Notice''': You can create your own copy of Knoppix on a USB memory stick using the instructions here and at the [[USB Based FAQ]]. You could also [http://www.knoppix.net/buy-knoppix-usb.php buy it] (5.3.1 and 6.0.1) from $14.95 delivered.
		+
		+	==Intro==
		+
	These instructions are for Knoppix 5. I tried Knoppix 6 and it was so stripped down that I did not want it on my USB key, as many of the useful tools were no longer there. Knoppix 6 evidently has its own built-in utility to create a USB key after booting from the CD, so these instructions aren't necessary for Knoppix 6 anyway.		These instructions are for Knoppix 5. I tried Knoppix 6 and it was so stripped down that I did not want it on my USB key, as many of the useful tools were no longer there. Knoppix 6 evidently has its own built-in utility to create a USB key after booting from the CD, so these instructions aren't necessary for Knoppix 6 anyway.

@@ Line 289: / Line 289: @@
 These days, USB keys larger than 1GB are common, and newer computers have improved BIOS support for booting from USB keys.  Therefore, USB-ZIP partition layout is not as necessary as it used to be, and in fact, can become a hindrance!  I am really starting to prefer the simplest partition layout of all: ''superfloppy format''.
-As the name implies, this works by just formatting the entire USB key device as one big filesystem, without a partition table at all.  It's easy to do this.  When using the mkdosfs command, just use the "I" option, and give the device name containing the drive letter, without a partition number at all.  That causes the entire device to be formatted directly, as if it were one big partition, and you get a little more space as well, because you don't need to reserve any space for the partition table.  The command is this:
+As the name implies, this works by just formatting the entire USB key device as one big filesystem, without a partition table at all.  It's easy to do this.
   mkdosfs -I /dev/sdz
 You can then proceed with the rest of the instructions above, starting at the ''syslinux'' command.  The mkdiskimage sequence of steps is no longer necessary!
@@ Line 297: / Line 307: @@
 Whenever the instructions mention a drive letter with a partition number, for example /dev/sdz1, you no longer need to supply the partition number, because there isn't one.  Just use the drive letter instead, /dev/sdz, in all of the commands.  As an example, here's the SYSLINUX command to use:
-  syslinux -s /dev/sdz
+  syslinux /dev/sdz
 --[[User:Krellan|Krellan]] 00:11, 19 March 2009 (MDT)

@@ Line 301: / Line 301: @@
 ==Letting Windows format it==
-Some BIOS's are cranky about superfloppy format, unfortunately.  Even on brand new hardware, I've seen really bad behavior from the BIOS supplied with "Shuttle" brand computers.  It's pathetic, really, how a company can spend so much money developing hardware and then put essentially zero effort into writing a decent BIOS for it.  Anyway, this BIOS seems to work best with USB keys that have been completely formatted by Windows (most likely, that's all they bothered to test with).  To let Windows format a USB key, the key must be zeroed, otherwise Windows will attempt to use what's already there and not let you reformat it.  Ironically, zeroing the key is something that can't be done under Windows.  It's not necessary to erase the entire key, the first 1MB or so is sufficient.  In Knoppix, the command to zero the first 1MB of the key is this:
+Some BIOS's are cranky about superfloppy format, unfortunately.  Even on brand new hardware, I've seen really bad behavior from the BIOS supplied with "Shuttle" brand computers.  It's pathetic, really, how a company can spend so much money developing hardware and then put essentially zero effort into writing a decent BIOS for it.  Anyway, this BIOS seems to work best with USB keys that have been completely formatted by Windows (most likely, that's all they bothered to test with).
-  dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdz bs=1k count=1k
+To let Windows format a USB key, the key must be zeroed, otherwise Windows will attempt to use what's already there and not let you reformat it.  Ironically, zeroing the key is something that can't be done under Windows.  It's not necessary to erase the entire key.  I've observed that Windows only writes data to about 16MB when formatting, so I'm guessing that 16MB is sufficient to get a clean reformat from Windows.  In Knoppix, the command to zero the first 16MB of the key is this:
 Then, remove the key from Knoppix and put it in a Windows machine, and format it under Windows.  You can then return to Knoppix and make the key bootable for Knoppix, just don't change anything about the partition or filesystem that Windows has applied to the key.
@@ Line 310: / Line 312: @@
   syslinux -s /dev/sdz1
 --[[User:Krellan|Krellan]] 00:05, 19 March 2009 (MDT)