Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

rico002 · Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 10 Location: Earth

Make bootable usb drive with puppy on it from in Windows (with/without CD/DVD drive)

1.format your stick using the Fat16 or Fat32 file system. To do this you can Download and install the HP USB tool.
By running HPUSBFW.EXE with admin rights you can format the usb drive
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/26504.html

If you can read files on your usb drive you probably won't need to do this.

2.Download the Puppy Linux ISO.
3.Open the ISO using a program that can read iso images such as Izarc or winrar.

Extract the files from the ISO (or CD) to a folder on your harddrive, then to the root of your USB stick.
(There will be a single 'boot.images' directory amoung the other files.)
4.Rename isolinux.cfg to syslinux.cfg (not case sensitive)
5.open syslinux.cfg and
change “PMEDIA=idecd
timeout 50
“ to “PMEDIA=usbflash”

6.Download syslinux-3.36.zip and unzip the files to a directory named syslinux on your computer.
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/syslinux-3.36.zip

7.Go to the win32 directory of the syslinux folder that was created (\syslinux\win32)
8.Type syslinux.exe F: (replace F with your USB drive letter) to make the drive bootable.
9.Reboot your PC, go into your system BIOS and set your boot order to boot from a selectable USB device. (example USB_ZIP or use USB_HDD)
10.Save your BIOS settings. On the next reboot, you should have a successful launch of Puppy Linux from your USB memory stick.

*Tested on Puppy 215CE, PizzaPup3
Thanks to God, Sit_Heel_Speak, and also pendrivelinux.com,BarryK

mbturner · Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 1

So, I have been having a hard time getting puppy to boot up on my laptop. The BIOS DOES have the option to boot from USB, and it lets me try, but when I do it says exactaly "boot error" and that's it. I installed puppy onto my ipod shuffle with the default MBR and everything, but it now says "missing operating system" The Ipod is also where my pup_save's are.

So when you say "Type" syslinux.exe F
or "type" this or that, where exactally and in what operating system am I "type"ing that into?

waldo · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 42

1st: Got a LG 2GB USB-Drive. When plugged in, just new, the BIOS always booted from it with "boot error".
Had to format it with the HP Utility with FAT16!

2nd: Made bootable with syslinux I always have to go into the BIOS and select a First HD. Leaving it plugged in I always boot from USB...

3rd: There are no drive letters in Puppy...

Hope that helps!

P. S.: Don't know anything about ipods.

netomx · Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

netomx · Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

aliG · Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 76 Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Someone (not too far away from Glasgow) sent me a PM and asked if I could send them some very basic instructions on this. So anyway I write some and attach below - may be of use to anyone finding in years to come.

Sorry it's a PDF I could not find any other way of formatting it -

If anyone things it's any good I could perhaps ask for a wikki ID and edit it / allow others to put on the Wikki so others can add to it?

Alison

erikson · Joined: 27 Feb 2008 Posts: 735 Location: Ghent, Belgium

mdisaster2 · Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 107 Location: Rome, Italy

Would that tool work with SD cards as well ?

I mean the vanilla type SD cards that you stick in the camera or the USB card reader, not the CF IDE cards. It would be nice if you could just burn a Puppy image on a SD card, stick the card into a Eeepc and boot...

louijp · Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 3

I have an Artigo VIA Pico-ITX box, and I need to boot from USB as I do not have an USB CD/DVD.
I follow the procedure described here, but always fail at the same point.

Loading kernel drivers needed to access disk drives...
Searching for Puppy files in computer disk drives...<RED TEXT>pup_400.sfs not found. Dropping out to initial-ramdisk console...<END RED TEXT>
/bin/sh: can't access tty; job control turned off
#

Here the computer just wait for very basic commands, so some of the OS is up, but I do not know how to get beyond this point.

Please help.

Isis · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 16

Result following rico002's instructions: On boot up, it tries to boot from USB, but fails saying "Boot error." I probably messed up on some small step, but since he wrote it for an earlier version of Puppy . . . Has anyone had success using his instructions to boot 4.0 from USB? If so, did you have to tweek anything? Thank you!

I had to go to DIT today to buy two PCI cards and had him check out my USB thinking maybe it was only 1.0 compliant. It's 2.0, but he said my file probably should not be in .iso form. Silly me, Embarassed

I assumed that since you burned .iso for a Live-CD/DVD that the USB would be the same. When I got home, I expanded the file onto the flash, and here I am! Using my flashdrive to write this! So, cool. Cool

Now when I go home next week, I'll be able to take Puppy with me and show him off!

Isis · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 16

[quote="rico002"]Make bootable usb drive with puppy on it from in Windows (with/without CD/DVD drive)

1.format your stick using the Fat16 or Fat32 file system. To do this you can Download and install the HP USB tool.
By running HPUSBFW.EXE with admin rights you can format the usb drive
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/26504.html

The above mentioned file is no longer available at that web address, but you can still get it here: http://files.filefront.com/HPUSBFWEXE/;7241778;/fileinfo.html

nickvd · Joined: 16 Sep 2008 Posts: 3

Flash

Dromeno · Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Posts: 468

I think this is a more simple way (for beginners) to do make a bootable puppy thumbdrive:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNetbootin

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

newbie314 · Joined: 19 Aug 2008 Posts: 127

I concur, UnetBootin is great.
Works like a dream for Puppy.
And then you can learn later to mod a Grub when you do an install