Booting Porteus

[krausser]

Hello! Before, I tried to look up this issue in the forum but since I couldn't I'm doing this post. Sorry if there's already a topic on this but I didn't found it!

I have an issue with booting Porteus. I already read how to configure the BIOS to boot Porteus from a Kingston 2GB USB flash drive, and I followed it step by step. Now, when I already have configured it, and turn on the laptop... A black screen appears for a millisecond, followed by a black screen with something about Intel, the software's description (year of release, company's name, copyright, etc) and nothing else. Just the letters and black screen. I waited and waited and nothing happens. Before anyone asks, I'm using an USB flash drive since I am unable to use a CD/DVD. I would have done that already, if I could.

I'm using a laptop, Acer Aspire One / Windows XP Home Edition SP3 / Intel Atom CPU N450 1.66 GHz.

The pen drive I'm using has been formatted before (at least twice), it's kinda old, could that be the problem? Should I try with a newer pen drive? Thanks for the help!

[Ed_P]

@krausser

How did you make your USB drive bootable?

Other than moving the USB drive ahead of the hard drive for booting what other BIOS changes did you make?

Does the Acer boot when the USB drive is not plugged in?

BTW & FYI Windows XP looses support April 8th.

[donald]

@krausser
Q:
could you ever boot anything from your Kingston usb-flash-drive ?

I'm asking, because I read a lot of threads talking about not booting
kingston/verbatim usb-flash-drives.
My first test would be to take a different flash-drive;
or try to boot yours at another PC.
just to be sure.

[krausser]

@krausser

How did you make your USB drive bootable?

Other than moving the USB drive ahead of the hard drive for booting what other BIOS changes did you make?

Does the Acer boot when the USB drive is not plugged in?

BTW & FYI Windows XP looses support April 8th.

1. I first just copied the files to the USB, but clearly it didn't worked. I formatted the USB drive and used UNetbootin to make the USB drive bootable. After that, I tried again. Now, it shows just a black screen with the line "SYSLINUX 4.3 2010-10-22 EDD Copyright (C) 1994-2010 H. Peter Anvin et al". Nothing happens, it stays there. It doesn't react to any key. I'll keep using other methods.

2. No. I only touched the BIOS boot order, nothing else.

3. Yes, apparently. It boots Windows normally.

4. Thanks for the warning, I'll keep that in mind.

[krausser]

@krausser
Q:
could you ever boot anything from your Kingston usb-flash-drive ?

I'm asking, because I read a lot of threads talking about not booting
kingston/verbatim usb-flash-drives.
My first test would be to take a different flash-drive;
or try to boot yours at another PC.
just to be sure.

This is my first time trying this. This is also the only drive I have at hand for the time being, though I'm considering getting a new one as soon as I can. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I try to boot something from this USB drive.
I'll make sure to buy the new one from a different brand to see if it works differently.

[tome]

Try Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe - it is in boot folder. You have "SYSLINUX 4.3 2010-10-22 EDD Copyright (C) 1994-2010 H. Peter Anvin et al" so must be problem with your bootloader.

[donald]

@krausser
Excuse the dumb question but did you do it that way (within windows)
extract the two folders, boot and porteus, out of the iso onto your flash-drive
navigate to your flash-drive into the boot folder and execute the
"Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe"..?
----------------------------------------------
EDIT
@tome
well,It seems that I'm typing much to slow..

[krausser]

@krausser
Excuse the dumb question but did you do it that way (within windows)
extract the two folders, boot and porteus, out of the iso onto your flash-drive
navigate to your flash-drive into the boot folder and execute the
"Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe"..?

Yes. Exactly as you said. The first time, I downloaded the ISO, extracted the files and copied them to the USB flash drive. The two folders, in D:\. The flash drive is freshly formatted, no other folders or files inside. I went into the boot folder copied in the USB drive and executed the Porteus installer for Windows. The window popped up, after the install was done, I rebooted the laptop. Configured the BIOS and put the USB Drive as first in the sequence order. Then I got to the Intel description in my first post.

Then, I tried using UNetbootin to copy the files again to the USB drive (again, freshly formatted, nothing inside) and tried again. Now, the Intel doesn't show up but instead I get the line I posted before, with a black screen. From there on, nothing happens.

[tome]

probably you have older bios (like me) that can't recognize correctly syslinux on pendrives and you must install lilo loader (use linux to do it, it is in Slax 6.1.2 and Porteus 1.2, if I have enough time I will share it at weekend). But you can install syslinux on your harddrive (replace windows boot loader!) or see this post:
forum.porteus.org/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=2808&hilit=how+to+begin+with+Porteus

[krausser]

probably you have older bios (like me) that can't recognize correctly syslinux on pendrives and you must install lilo loader (use linux to do it, it is in Slax 6.1.2 and Porteus 1.2, if I have enough time I will share it at weekend). But you can install syslinux on your harddrive (replace windows boot loader!) or see this post:
forum.porteus.org/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=2808&hilit=how+to+begin+with+Porteus

Thank you, I will try that.

[fanthom]

if you want to do a quick test then please format usb with reiserfs or xfs and run the installer. syslinux does not support these so installer will fallback to LILO automatically.

[krausser]

@fanthom

I think I'll try with another USB drive as soon as I get my hands in one. If problem persists, I'll ask around again. Thanks.

[tome]

or plug your pendrive to another computer (school, work) and try boot from it.

[wread]

My students sometimes buy cheap second choice pen drives that won' t boot. Even out of the box (the box is a cheat too!). I recognize these pen drives on the brand; it is not engraved, but "painted" only...

[wread]

....yes, but the clones are mostly turned down originals with sector 0 defect....