[SOLVED] Bootable USB device : "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt"

[JpgPoudlard]

Hello,

I usually do not write in english, but I'll try to make myself understood.
I want to install Porteus on an old computer 32 bits wich doesn't work easily with recent distributions.
I created a bootable key with the bootable USB drive creator tool included in Ubuntu 18.04 (wich I want to replace by Porteus ; actually, my computer is on dual boot with windows).
When I switch the computer on, it boots in the USB key, but the message appears : "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt".
Then, I tried to create the USB bootable key in the terminal (sudo mkfs.fat /dev/sdb1 ; dd if=~/Téléchargements/Porteus-KDE-v5.01-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb1) without any further success, the same message is already there.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Ed_P]

In the Porteus ISO read the USB_INSTALLATION.txt file. Copy files not dd them.

[JpgPoudlard]

Thanks for your answer.
But I do not unsertand it : to be able to read the USB_INSTALLATION.txt file I had to dd the Porteus-KDE-v5.01-i586.iso file that create the bootable device. Or do I have to launch the installer bash "Porteus-installer-for-linux.com" from Ubuntu ? Is it possible to install Porteus while Ubuntu is running ? And you said I have to copy files, not dd.

[Ed_P]

No, do not dd the iso file to the USB drive. COPY all the directories and files in the ISO to the USB drive, then launch the
"Porteus-installer-for-linux.com" from Ubuntu.

Is it possible to install Porteus while Ubuntu is running ?

Yes.

And you said I have to copy files, not dd.

Yes.

[roadie]

Thanks for your answer.
But I do not unsertand it : to be able to read the USB_INSTALLATION.txt file I had to dd the Porteus-KDE-v5.01-i586.iso file that create the bootable device. Or do I have to launch the installer bash "Porteus-installer-for-linux.com" from Ubuntu ? Is it possible to install Porteus while Ubuntu is running ? And you said I have to copy files, not dd.

@JpgPoudlard

You need to first mount the iso file, from a terminal as root:

Code: Select all

mkdir /mnt/loop
mount -t iso9660 -o loop Porteus-KDE-v5.01-i586.iso /mnt/loop

You can then copy all folders and files from /mnt/loop to your device.

[JpgPoudlard]

Hi Roadie!
Thanks for your help.
Before reading your reply, I managed to unzip the file "Porteus-KDE-v5.01-i586.iso". Then, I copied file "USB_INSTALLATION.txt"" and folders on the USB key.
But when I launched the "Porteus-installer-for-linux.com" file from Ubuntu, the installation has not started : the code displayed in the terminal.
On my computer, the lsblk command displays six directories named loop0, loop1, loop2, loop3, loop4, loop5. Won't the command "mkdir /mnt/loop" overwrite one of these directories? And once the installation is done on my computer, would I be able to delete the directory created by "mkdir /mnt/loop"?

[beny]

hi JpgPoudlard, so if you have ubuntu, you can plug in the usb key and from terminal like root fdisk -l so you have a name of device, try to mount the key into a directory and after this you can cd on boot directory of porteus and run the script,well if you have all porteus directories installed into the key,you have to have a real name like sda or sdb etc etc, try if work for you, ubuntu need to recognize the fat 32 file system of the key, PS:if you don't have a good amount of ram kde isn't the better choice, is too heavy for a 32 bit system,ok imho.

[JpgPoudlard]

Hi!
I tried to install other distributions (debian, linux lite, puppy linux) and I've always had the same message : "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt". So I looked for a solution that wasn't linked to Porteus.
And the solution came from BIOS parameters. I found it on another forum.
Here are the BIOS settings that worked for me:
1 - In the USB option, set the USB stick on "Hard disk" instead of "auto", the default value.
2 - In hard disk sequence, set the USB device, now recognized as a hard drive, in first position.
3 - In the boot sequence, set the USB device (always identified as a hard drive) in first position.

Thank you all for your help!

[beny]

hi this is the list of the boot directory of the kde 32bit version:so you have this file into the boot directory?
chain.c32 extlinux.conf file.txt initrd.xz isolinux.bin
isolinux.boot isolinux.cfg ldlinux.c32 libcom32.c32 libutil.c32
lilo.conf plpbt porteus.cfg porteus.png pxelinux.0
reboot.c32 syslinux.cfg vesamenu.c32 vmlinuz

[Ed_P]

I'm confused.

I tried to install other distributions (debian, linux lite, puppy linux) and I've always had the same message : "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt".

How exactly are you installing these distributions? With Porteus you format the drive, copy all the files in the ISO to the drive and run the appropiate /boot/Porteus_installer app. Is that how you're installing the other systems?

Here are the BIOS settings that worked for me:
1 - In the USB option, set the USB stick on "Hard disk" instead of "auto", the default value.

What are you doing when you see the USB option? What hardware, what OS?

--edit--

I believe this is the folder beny is referring to: /boot/syslinux

Code: Select all

guest@porteus:/mnt/live/mnt/isoloop$ ls -oh boot/syslinux
total 7.9M
-r--r--r-- 1 root  25K Aug 12 18:25 chain.c32
-rw-r--r-- 1 root   20 Aug 12 18:25 extlinux.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 899K Sep 23 09:31 initrd.xz
-r--r--r-- 1 root  40K Oct  3 01:13 isolinux.bin
-r--r--r-- 1 root 2.0K Oct  3 01:13 isolinux.boot
-rw-r--r-- 1 root   20 Aug 12 18:25 isolinux.cfg
-r--r--r-- 1 root 114K Aug 12 18:25 ldlinux.c32
-r--r--r-- 1 root 178K Aug 12 18:25 libcom32.c32
-r--r--r-- 1 root  24K Aug 12 18:25 libutil.c32
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 1.3K Aug 12 18:25 lilo.conf
-r--r--r-- 1 root  43K Aug 12 18:25 plpbt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 4.0K Aug 15 02:23 porteus.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root  98K Aug 15 01:25 porteus.png
-rw-r--r-- 1 root  46K Aug 12 18:25 pxelinux.0
-r--r--r-- 1 root 1.4K Aug 12 18:25 reboot.c32
-rw-r--r-- 1 root   20 Aug 12 18:25 syslinux.cfg
-r--r--r-- 1 root  27K Aug 12 18:25 vesamenu.c32
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 6.5M Sep 23 22:28 vmlinuz
guest@porteus:/mnt/live/mnt/isoloop$ 

and isolinux.bin is definitely a part of it.

[Rava]

But when I launched the "Porteus-installer-for-linux.com" file from Ubuntu, the installation has not started : the code displayed in the terminal.

Can you post what the script says?
And please do use the [ code ] button above to encase the code copied from your terminal so that it is better to read.

On my computer, the lsblk command displays six directories named loop0, loop1, loop2, loop3, loop4, loop5. Won't the command "mkdir /mnt/loop" overwrite one of these directories?

You can name the directory to mount however you like, as long as that directory doesn't exist previously.
Just look into what is inside your /mnt/ folder, e.g. like so:

Code: Select all

 guest@rava:~$ ls -do /mnt/*/
drwxr-xr-x 18 root  460 2023-12-02 00:19 /mnt/live/
drwxr-xr-x 37 root 4096 2023-11-17 02:18 /mnt/sda1/
drwxr-xr-x 10 root 4096 2022-12-27 04:30 /mnt/sda2/
drwxr-xr-x 10 root 4096 2022-12-27 04:30 /mnt/sda3/
drwxr-xr-x 23 root 4096 2023-10-20 02:35 /mnt/sdb1/
drwxr-xr-x  2 root   40 2023-12-01 23:20 /mnt/sdb2/
guest@rava:~$ 

I have quite some loop devices mounted (my modules) but not a single /mnt/loop*/ folder.

And once the installation is done on my computer, would I be able to delete the directory created by "mkdir /mnt/loop"?

Yes, but you have to umount the ISO first.

[Ed_P]

Can you post what the script says?

Yes please. We really want to understand the problem so we can design/recommend/fix the problem so other users don't have to fight with it.

[Rava]

^
Indeed. And @all new forum users:
Even when you find the working solution on your own after you asked the question on here about your issue, do please post a short reply about the solution in your thread so that others who have a very similar issue can learn from your own working solution.

[JpgPoudlard]

Hi!

I came back to the forum out of curiosity, since I'd found the solution. Here are the answers to some of the questions asked since then.

do please post a short reply about the solution

I've already given the solution that worked for me in my message of december 7th.

Can you post what the script says?

No, it was a very long text file, which I no longer have access to since the installation was successful.

How exactly are you installing these distributions?

After downloading the iso file, I open it with the graphical tool "disk image recorder" to create the bootable USB device.

[Ed_P]

After downloading the iso file, I open it with the graphical tool "disk image recorder" to create the bootable USB device.

Thank you Jpg. Can you give me the download link to where you got this tool? Does it work with other ISOs?