USB booting :: Lexar and PNY Attache, Neither work.



PNY Attache 128MB
Lexar Jumpdrive 1GB

Have formatted them both in Windows and Linux using fdisk. I have tried Fat and Fat32.

I put the image on without problem and then copy the iso onto the key. Replace the boot files from the isolinux dir.

The lexar just gives 'missing operating system'
Attache gets a GRUB prompt with a blinking cursor and sits there.

I have read that some people have changed parameters and then the key worked. Is it the allocation unit size that you are changing? If so how do you know what to change it to.

Thanks in advance for any help. I have played with the live cd and am looking forward to being able to boot from key.

Thanks!
I had the same error message 'missing operating system' on my 1st attempt to boot Pretec 256mb usbkey drive. I used the dsl-usbinstall script that came with 0.9.2 on the FAT partition shipped with the usbdrive. Next I used Win XP Pro with HP USB FORMAT Utility  to transfer the os from an old win98 boot diskette to format and make the usbdisk win98 bootable. I booted to win98 using the usbdisk and played with loadlin for awhile (gotten good results as well). Then after bored with loadlin, I began to asked myself how come the win98 can be recognised but not linux?! Next I used the winimage (google and download it) to write bootusb-0.8.img file (from any dsl distros) to my usbdrive). Before I proceed to install dsl, I booted up and got the dsl boot screen. which I never gotten in my 1st attempt. Then i decided to manually perform the 'frugal install' ie just copy /KNOPPIX from dsl cd to /mnt/sda1 . note that the /KNOPPIX dir contains only one file ie knoppix. And thats it..

so to conclude I suspect 2 possible things that messed up my installation in the 1st attempt. 1) the filesystem is not truly FAT , I have no way to confirm that as I reformated filesystem shipped with the drive. 2)  (very unlikely) something is wrong with the dsl-usbinstall script.

in summary do this:

1) get the HP usb format util and find a win98 bootdisk (or get it from bootdisk.com) to format the usb drive, make sure its FAT filesystem.
2) get winimage to write the bootusb-0.8.img file to make the usb drive dsl bootable
3) copy the /KNOPPIX file system from dsl 0.9.2 cd to / of the usbdrive.

after i succesfully booted up, i fixed the minirt24.gz to fix toram problem (Read This or search toram in usbboot forum) . then i copied mydsl extensions to either / or /optional and modified syslinux.cfg so that dma , toram and mydsl is enabled by default, reduced the timeout time. and thats it.
Quote (subarus @ Jan. 28 2005,18:01)
I had the same error message 'missing operating system' on my 1st attempt to boot Pretec 256mb usbkey drive. I used the dsl-usbinstall script that came with 0.9.2 on the FAT partition shipped with the usbdrive. Next I used Win XP Pro with HP USB FORMAT Utility  to transfer the os from an old win98 boot diskette to format and make the usbdisk win98 bootable. I booted to win98 using the usbdisk and played with loadlin for awhile (gotten good results as well). Then after bored with loadlin, I began to asked myself how come the win98 can be recognised but not linux?! Next I used the winimage (google and download it) to write bootusb-0.8.img file (from any dsl distros) to my usbdrive). Before I proceed to install dsl, I booted up and got the dsl boot screen. which I never gotten in my 1st attempt. Then i decided to manually perform the 'frugal install' ie just copy /KNOPPIX from dsl cd to /mnt/sda1 . note that the /KNOPPIX dir contains only one file ie knoppix. And thats it..

so to conclude I suspect 2 possible things that messed up my installation in the 1st attempt. 1) the filesystem is not truly FAT , I have no way to confirm that as I reformated filesystem shipped with the drive. 2)  (very unlikely) something is wrong with the dsl-usbinstall script.

in summary do this:

1) get the HP usb format util and find a win98 bootdisk (or get it from bootdisk.com) to format the usb drive, make sure its FAT filesystem.
2) get winimage to write the bootusb-0.8.img file to make the usb drive dsl bootable
3) copy the /KNOPPIX file system from dsl 0.9.2 cd to / of the usbdrive.

after i succesfully booted up, i fixed the minirt24.gz to fix toram problem (Read This or search toram in usbboot forum) . then i copied mydsl extensions to either / or /optional and modified syslinux.cfg so that dma , toram and mydsl is enabled by default, reduced the timeout time. and thats it.

That HP format util did the trick. Thanks!

Now I just need to get everything working =D
Quote (Guest @ Jan. 29 2005,00:32)
That HP format util did the trick. Thanks!

Now I just need to get everything working =D

I am curious; did you copy the win98 system files to the usbdrive to make it bootable prior to writing bootusb-0.8.img? I think that step is redundant.
I'm having a hell of a time with this. I just bought a PNY Attache 128mb, and can't get anything done with DSL.

I've been through six different tutorials on this, and downloaded the HP tool, and the syslinux 2.11 as well as the bootimage, and the 9.3.iso and the 9.3-syslinux.iso

I've used WinWrite to write the bootimage to the drive, then copied over the files from 9.3.iso, overwrote the existing bootimage with the new one from the \isolinux\ directory, left knoppix in its own directory, and/or put a copy of it into the /root (tried both)... I've went into my BIOS and selected boot USB-HDD, USB-FDD both and every time its like my computer doesn't even know its there. It just goes right into windows.

Do we have to somehow convert the usb drive from a FAT to a linux partition somehow before I try to boot it? I do have the ldlinux.sys file into the root directory. And yes I've tried it with and without the file there.

After reading several tutorials on this, I'm beginning to wonder if the PNY Attache just doesn't work with this.

Yours, IcarusExtant
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