etcher-bin-1.7.1-x86_64 - KISS Flash OS images to SD cards & USB drive writer utility *updated*

[Rava]

^
I followed instructions I found online and all spoke of the MBR and of 512 bytes.

Maybe yet another instance of myths vs facts, like this one:

Flash Memory Fragmentation – Myths and Facts
https://web.archive.org/web/20170614154 ... and_facts/

is about Flash Memory Fragmentation.

Anyhow,

Once the BIOS has found a bootable device it transfers execution to the boot code.
In the case of a hard disk, this is referred to as the Master Boot Record (MBR).
The MBR code checks the MBR's partition table for a partition set as bootable (boot flag). If an active partition is found, the MBR code loads the boot sector code from that partition, known as Volume Boot Record (VBR), and executes it.
(Volume Boot Record (VBR) is also known as a volume boot sector,
a partition boot record or a partition boot sector)
The partition's VBR contains a bootstrap program that loads the Windows operating system loader, NTLDR...(win xp)

So then, how does it work with Linux?

E.g. using GRUB4DOS on a harddrive?
Using syslinux/porteus.cfg on a harddrive?
Using syslinux/porteus.cfg on a USB thumbdrive?

[donald]

So then, how does it work with Linux?

ldlinux.sys is the name of the bootloader file used in SYSLINUX and ISOLINUX.
In the case of ext2/3/4 and fat12/16/32, the starting sector of ldlinux.sys is hard-coded
into the VBR. The VBR will execute (ldlinux.sys).
The loader then parses the configuration file (syslinux.cfg or isolinux.cfg)
to know which kernel to launch, along with parameters to be passed to it.

Syslinux --best described at:
https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.ph ... table_Disk

Grub -- I don't know.

[Rava]

^ Thanks for the heads up.

The loader then parses the configuration file (syslinux.cfg or isolinux.cfg)
to know which kernel to launch

In case of porteus, it then finds this:

Code: Select all

root@rava:/# cat /mnt/sdd1/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg 
INCLUDE porteus.cfg
root@rava:/# 

therefore using the configuration found and edited / expanded in porteus.cfg (or porteux.cfg )

Added in 2 minutes 22 seconds:

Code: Select all

root@rava:/# cat /mnt/sde1/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg 
INCLUDE porteux.cfg
root@rava:/#