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Table of Contents

Introduction

MultiSystem preferred

More at https://jira.bluelightav.org/browse/BLUE-1882

E2B - Easy2Boot

sources:

Pros:

  • Simple enough
  • Clear
  • Works with most iso's
  • Loads directly the iso

Cons:

  • Slower than other solutions

Prepare the drive

Format your USB Flash Drive to use a Single Partition (FAT32 type 0C - or if posible add a small 2nd partition too, to help bootability) using gparted - or do it the hard way using fdisk as follows:
  • Open a terminal and type sudo su
  • Type fdisk -l             (and note which device is your USB Drive)
  • Type fdisk /dev/sdx (replacing x with your actual usb device)
  • Type d                     (to delete the existing partition) (press d again to delete the next partition, etc.)
  • Type n                     (to create a new partition)
  • Type p                     (for primary partition)
  • Type 1                      (to create the first partition)
  • Press Enter              (to use the first cylinder)
  • Press Enter again     (to use the default value as the last cylinder)
  • Type a                     (for active)
  • Type 1                     (to mark the first partition active "bootable")
  • Type t                      (for partition type)
  • Type c                     (to use fat32 partition)
  • Type w                    (to write the changes and close fdisk)
Create a Fat32 Filesystem on the USB Flash Drive:
 
fdisk -l                                                            (check which device is the USB Flash drive)
umount /dev/sdx1                                            (to unmount the mounted partition if it is mounted)
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n MULTIBOOT /dev/sdx1  (to format the partition as fat32)
 
 

Download the necessary files

grub4dos: https://code.google.com/p/grub4dos-chenall/downloads/list

Easy2boot (at the bottom of the page): http://www.rmprepusb.com/tutorials/72---easyboot---a-grubdos-multiboot-drive-that-is-easy-to-maintain/e2bv1#TOC-Downloads

defragfs script: http://defragfs.sourceforge.net/

Install grub4dos & Easy2boot

  • Mount the partition you just formatted.
  • Uncompress the grub4dos archive.
  • Install grub4dos onto the USB Flash Drive:
 
Assuming that the bootlace.com executable is on /mnt/mysrc and the USB drive is sdx, use the following command to install grub4dos to the MBR with 0 seconds timeout
 
sudo /mnt/mysrc/bootlace.com --time-out=0  /dev/sdx             (note that we specify the whole disk sdx)

If you have formatted the drive as NTFS using gparted, you may need to add the --ntfs  parameter to the command line

  • Extract the Easy2Boot files from the E2B zip file and copy it onto the USB Flash drive
 
e.g.
unzip /mnt/mysrc/Easy2Boot_v1.10.zip -d /mnt/newusb/
 

Add iso to the USB stick

  • Copy all your linux livecd ISOs to the \_ISO\MAINMENU or \_ISO\LINUX folder using the GUI File Manager in linux. 
 
For other ISOs or for linux ISOs+Persistence, follow the instructions in the Easy2Boot tutorial.
 
 

Finalize the install

The iso need to be contiguous or they will not be read properly.
 
 
df
sudo perl defragfs.pl /mnt/newusb/ -f

 

 

Multisystem

Introduction

Having a 32G UFD used to boot a 700MB Debian install is not really the most efficient thing to do and flashing a new iso every time you want to change install image neither. This page is here to solve this problem by tutoring how do install and use Multisystem which is a software allowing you to boot from multiple image installed on one UFD.

Website of the project: http://liveusb.info/dotclear

Pro:

Cons:

  • Does a lot of tricky things on your system,
  • Many iso will not work properly

Requirement

  • ubuntu 12.04 (only works on systems with apt-get)
  • xterm
  • usb stick formated in FAT32 with non spaced label

Install

 

  1. Get the tarball.  Attachment: install-depot-multisystem.sh.tar.bz2.  Repository: rose:home/share/resources/software/Linux/install-depot-multisystem.sh.tar.bz2).
  2. Extract: tar -xjf install-depot-multisystem.sh.tar.bz2
  3. Run install-depot-multiboot.sh

 

gksu install-depot-multiboot.sh

 

Add images to the drive

  • insert a usb stick (better let it be automounted as the mount point should be /media/<label>)
  • Launch the software: Multisystem
  • select the USB device to use and click Validate
  • drag and drop the images you want to add.
  • restart your system and select the distro you want to boot from.
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