Can't boot Linux via USB

[fuzz]

So I found some instructions online after downloading the Nvidia driver and after a while got this:

This is because you are running a GUI. I don't know if the Ubuntu liveCD has a console or not, but you need to stop X, install the driver, and restart X.

To stop gdm (and X in the process):

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop

This should bring you to a text console (just a guess), and from here you can log in and install the driver.

To start:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start

Those are rather general instructions, and I'm sure someone running Ubuntu could be more specific.

[FutureSuture]

On the ubuntu download page, you get to choose 32bit or 64bit ISO images Your kernel decides during bootup whether your CPU runs in 32bit or 64bit mode

But you don't seem to have the issue I had

the 'nomodeset' parameter disables 'KMS' stuff. E.g. you have an issue with your graphics card. Probably not supported because it's too new or other. I think ubuntu and fedora now default to the nuveau driver. I think forcing the vesa driver (or nomodeset) during the USB boot to get to the installer is all you need. Install ubuntu and it should have detected your graphics card. After installation you can boot and it will probably tell you to install the nvidia binary drivers

The reason this issue lives, is cause nVidia refuses to help/support anything other than their binary blob; and 'vesa mode is good enough' as a fall back as it will let you install our driver.

Ahhh, I see. Thanks for the info! The thing is, I don't want to install any Linux distro yet as I don't have a second harddrive (and I won't be playing around with partitions again until I am much more knowledgeable) so I don't have the luxury of installing any Linux distros, just playing around with them via live USBs. I am currently on Fedora 16 GNOME using my laptop, for instance, and it's quite fun. I assume you're saying this issue will fully go away once a Linux distro of my choice is installed, meaning this problem is unique to me trying to run a Linux distro off a USB, correct?

[oliver]

You are trying to install the nvidia driver to the LiveCD? Good luck there

The way I see it, you have 3 options.

a) Burn the ISO of your choice into a CD. Boot from the CD and install Ubuntu to your USB stick (it will see it just as a regular hard drive!). You can then boot from it and install drivers etc to it. The only bad thing here, is the wear and tear on the USB stick obviously. For a few weeks that shouldn't be hugely an issue, but something to keep in mind. If your stick is less then 4G though; this will be hard.

b) Boot from the stick as you did, and install to a nother stick

c) Boot from the LiveCD (or a nother stick) and use the ubuntu usb creator from there. Why? because from the usb creator, you can tell it that you want a modifiable USB installtion! (with reserved space etc). Booting with that created stick, you can then install nvidia drivers etc!

If you know how to use virtual machines, you can use that to create your USB stick aswell then again, you could just boot virtualbox and use ubuntu from there

[fuzz]

Yeah, that's definitely something to keep in mind... even if you can accomplish installing the drivers (or anything else) on to the LiveCD/LiveUSB, it's not going to be permanent unless you use a persistent image or just install plain ol' Ubuntu on the USB drive as Oliver mentioned. That is a good way to kill your flash drive, though, and I'd recommend an external harddrive or something if at all possible.

[t.s.]

Or... Install it in your windows partition with WUBI . It's pretty common way to taste linux if you don't want to mess your partition. Start your computer in windows mode, then stick your usb, and double click the wubi.exe. And I think you'll figure out the others step yourself

[Kano]

@fuzz

I never saw that somebody managed to kill a flash drive just by using it. More likely that you lose it or that you destroy it in another physical way.

Btw. if you only want to use live mode then you can use Kanotix as well using the gfx=on option to get nvidia on the fly. you should use a tool that writes the image 1:1 onto the usb key. test version here:

http://kanotix.acritox.com/

it is not yet recommended to install a wheezy based image when gfxoverlay was used, it works fine with squeeze based ones. But for live mode it should not matter. gfxoverlay for fglrx does not work for wheezy.

There you find instructions for all os:

http://kanotix.acritox.com/content/live-usb-stick

[fuzz]

@fuzz

I never saw that somebody managed to kill a flash drive just by using it. More likely that you lose it or that you destroy it in another physical way.

Maybe not with the current state of flash hardware, I have no idea. I do know it used to happen all the time, espcially when the portable software craze started, running firefox etc off a flash drive. But yeah, those were 1-4GB drives and a bit older.

[oliver]

@fuzz

I never saw that somebody managed to kill a flash drive just by using it. More likely that you lose it or that you destroy it in another physical way.

Actually, what I ment was, if the installer creates a swap partition and your low on memory, it will WRITE a lot to the flash drive, which will kill it. Reading you can pretty much do indefinitely, writing is what kills it.

[Kano]

Swap on flash is too slow, never use that. Also best add noatime to /etc/fstab for the / partition (usually you dont use 2 partitions just 1).

[oliver]

Swap on flash is too slow, never use that. Also best add noatime to /etc/fstab for the / partition (usually you dont use 2 partitions just 1).

Obviously, tmpfs for /var/log /tmp etc etc; but for 'joe user', the flash drive will wear faster, from the default install