Can not create a bootable USB

Try looking for help here if you are having problems with the Ultimate Boot CD.

Moderators: Icecube, StopSpazzing

Locked
Message
Author
Viper1
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:18 pm

Can not create a bootable USB

#1 Post by Viper1 » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:44 am

Hello all,

Thank you all in advance that can help me with this.. I have read several topics on how to create a bootable USB with UBCD and as newbie as I am. I can not seem to figure it out. I already formatted my 4gb usb drive in fat32 and extracted the iso file to C. I then proceeded these instruction
viewtopic.php?t=1340 as posted to no avail.

Can anyone provide a "NEWBIE" and as elementary as possible, step by step tutorial on how to do this? I am trying to fix a DELL Inspiron B130 that keeps booting to the undesirable "BSOD" and for some reason it will not boot to the DVD drive...

Thanks Again for those who can help!!! Viper1 out...

Icecube
Posts: 1278
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm
Contact:

#2 Post by Icecube » Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:28 am

Download syslinux from: http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/

Extract it. Locate the syslinux.exe (/win32/syslinux.exe).

Open the command prompt (Start ==> Run ... ==> cmd).

e.g. If syslinux.exe is located at C:\syslinux\win32\syslinux.exe, then type the following into the command prompt window:

Code: Select all

"C:\syslinux\win32\syslinux.exe" -ma -d syslinux x:
Change "x:" with the drive letter of your usb thumb drive.

The ubcd2usb script from UBCD411 formats your drive again, and can make an improper geometry for your drive that doesn't get recognised correctly in some BIOSes.

If your USB thumb drive doesn't boot after applying syslinux, you maybe have to format it again with the following command (you loose all the data on this drive):

Code: Select all

format x: /v:UBCD411 /x /q
Replace x: with the correct drive letter for your usb stick.
BE CAREFUL: If you give the wrong drive letter, you can loose all your data.

Copy the whole contents of the extracted UBCD iso to your drive and apply syslinux afterwards.

Viper1
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:18 pm

#3 Post by Viper1 » Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:24 am

Thanks Icecube for your quick response. I am at work now but will suely give it a go when I get home.

I noticed that there are (again I am a newbie) several different types of syslinux on in the link that you provided. Obviously I will download the latest version 3.72. My question is which of the 3.72v do I download...

.lsm
.Tar.bz2
.Tar.bz2.sign
.Tar.gz
.Tar.gz.sign
.Tar.sign
.zip

Viper1
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:18 pm

#4 Post by Viper1 » Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:01 pm

Ok,

I must be doing something wrong.
I made a new folder in C and called it syslinux.
Then I downloaded syslinux 3.72.zip and extracted it to the above mentioned folder.
I opened up the the folder and can see the syslinux.exe file ( Am I supposed to run this from there? ).
I followed your instruction's by opening up the Run>>cmd then I copied the Code: "C:\syslinux\win32\syslinux.exe" -ma -d syslinux x: chsnged the "x" to "i" which is my usb flash drive. I hit enter and nothing happens...

Icecube
Posts: 1278
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm
Contact:

#5 Post by Icecube » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:46 am

Viper1 wrote:I followed your instruction's by opening up the Run>>cmd then I copied the Code: "C:\syslinux\win32\syslinux.exe" -ma -d syslinux x: chsnged the "x" to "i" which is my usb flash drive. I hit enter and nothing happens..
If your USB stick has a led that goes on on write actions, you can see that data is written, when syslinux.exe is executed.
I think that the syslinux command doesn't give any output, when you execute it and if everything goes well. To be sure that it is executed, remove ldlinux.sys from I:\syslinux\. If you execute syslinux.exe now, the ldlinux.sys will be created again.
Be sure that the path you specified for syslinux, is correct:

Code: Select all

cd "C:\syslinux\win32"
dir
syslinux.exe -ma -d syslinux x:
cd: Change directory to "C:\syslinux\win32\"
dir: list the contents of the current directory (look if syslinux.exe is listed)
Execute syslinux.

The following archives contain the same files:
.Tar.bz2
.Tar.gz
.zip

I download always the tar.bz file, because it is the smallest. It depends on the archiver that you use, to determine which file you can open. Any decent archiver is capable of opening those archives.

Locked