Porteus .sgn file.

[R.R.E.Designs]

That might solve it, installing from linux, but I'm currently using Windows and dual booting is something I thought about but heard that it might mess with Win boot. So the only environment available now is Win 8.1 UEFI.

[brokenman]

If you are installing to a USB then it won't mess with your windows install at all. Just make sure that you change directory into the boot folder and run the linux installer script from within that boot folder (on the USB drive).

[R.R.E.Designs]

Maybe I'm not getting it right, but shouldn't I have to boot into linux to do that? If that's the case, then I can't, cause Porteus won't boot.

Are you talking about a VM boot?

[R.R.E.Designs]

Little update here.

After a bit af tweaking, I finally could boot Porteus in a virtual environment. So I've been able to install from Linux.







Unfortunately, no luck. Same error pops up. I'm kind of desperate right now, I love Porteus and I wanna use it, I'm tired of Windows lazyness.

By the way, Porteus runs lovely with just one core, and 1Gb of RAM within Windows. Great work buddies!!!

[Ed_P]

Ok, lets stop for a moment and think about this.

You don't have a CD drive so downloading an ISO and burning it isn't an option.
You don't have a USB CD drive so same problem.
Your concerned about installing Porteus to your hard drive and not being able to boot Windows.

Have I covered the situation ok?

How about a different approach?

Download Grub4DOS 0.4.5c
Copy from the download the file named grldr to your Windows C: drive.
Copy to your Windows C: drive the following cmd script and run it.

BCDgrub4DOS.cmd

Code: Select all

@echo off
:: http://diddy.boot-land.net/bcdedit/files/examples1.htm#grub4dos
:: Removed /store parms for system with BCD on hidden partition.

setlocal

:: Do not use spaces in paths and do 
:: NOT wrap in quotes

set BCDEDIT=%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\bcdedit.exe
set BCDSTORE=C:\Boot\BCD

::___________________________________

BCDedit
echo.
pause

for /f "tokens=3" %%A in ('%BCDEDIT%  /create /application bootsector') do set guid=%%A

%BCDEDIT%  /set %guid% device partition=C:
%BCDEDIT%  /set %guid% path \grldr
%BCDEDIT%  /set %guid% description "Grldr - boot other systems"
%BCDEDIT%  /displayorder %guid% /addlast

BCDedit

endlocal
echo.
pause

Looks simple enough right?

Reboot your system to confirm that your Windows system still boots ok.

Now to actually boot other systems we need a grub4DOS menu. (BTW grub4DOS is a supported enhanced version of the original grub boot loader.) And to boot other systems they don't have to be installed systems, or CD systems, they can be ISO files!! No CDs needed, no USB drives needed.

Create a folder named C:\ISOs and into it place your Porteus ISO file. Then onto your C:\ drive add the following file.

menu.lst

Code: Select all

# global options
# color <foreground/background> [hilite-fg/hilite-bg] - sans splashimage
# colors:                black       blue       green       cyan       red       magenta   brown    light-gray
#   foreground only: dark-gray light-blue light-green light-cyan light-red light-magenta   yellow   white
color white/black black/light-grey

# Change the name of the ISO file to match the name of the ISO you wish to boot.
set ISO31=Porteus-LXQT-v3.1-x86_64.iso

title Porteus 3.1   Always Fresh  \n186MB\n %ISO31% 
find --set-root                       /ISOs/%ISO31%
map --heads=0 --sectors-per-track=0   /ISOs/%ISO31% (0xff) 
map --hook
root (0xff)
kernel /boot/syslinux/vmlinuz    from=/ISOs/%ISO31% volume=40  
initrd /boot/syslinux/initrd.xz

title  Windows
chainloader (hd0)+1

title Reboot
reboot

Now when you reboot you can select the Grldr option then the Porteus option. Voila, a booted Porteus system without a CD in sight.

One caveat, the ISO file to be booted needs to be contiguous. I use a utility named contig.exe to do that.

Have fun.

[fanthom]

@Ed_P
different bootloader wont help as the problem is that booting script cant find sgn file (for some reason).

@R.R.E.Designs
lets take hammer approach:
- boot porteus once again
- when booting fails press 'k' button
- run 'cat /proc/cmdline' command
- run 'ls /mnt/sdb1/porteus' comm and and check if sgn is there (if /mnt/sdb1 is empty then mount it manually: 'mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1')
- post photo with the output of the command above

thanks

[R.R.E.Designs]

Hi guys. Thanks for your replies. I must make clear that I do have a CD drive, what I don't have is a virgin CD (that's how we call them in my country) to burn the ISO, and the last time I saw blank CD on sale, was like 5 years ago.

As you can tell from the captures, the script works fine except from the USB.

And playing with bootloaders is something I wouldn't try, I really appreciate the feedback, but this is my only PC and I wouldn't risk the chance to leave it unbootable (like happened previously, with my old PC, which I could solve but that was easy-no UEFI).

I'll be adding more info once I return from the command line.

Thanks.

[R.R.E.Designs]

Me again. Here are the pics.




And this one, just to show I can boot from USB.

[fanthom]

on the prev pictures we can see that you are installing Porteus to /mnt/sdb1. last picture shows Windows partition on /mnt/sdb1
what is going on?

anyway:
- boot porteus once more
- whet it fails run 'blkid' command
- identify your usb stick device letter/number
- run 'ls /mnt/sdXY/porteus' command and show us photo (started liking instagram )

[R.R.E.Designs]

Well, I don't know what's going on. Last changes I made to the USB was formatting to FAT32 using GParted from within Porteus VM and copy folders/run installer (as you saw previously) all within Porteus itself.

Maybe, Windows autofixes the USB, Honestly IDK. Before that, using also GParted in VM, I formatted the pendrive in ext2 then tried to install Porteus, but no success either.

I'll go do what you suggested.

[R.R.E.Designs]

Ok, this is kind of weird to me. As can be seen after the blkid command, my pendrive has the label "MYLINUXLIVE" and is the device sdc1.





But it won't let me list it's content. And after listing /mnt, sdc1 no longer exists. What am I missing?
Also, I can't mount it, but since Porteus is running from it, it should be mounted already(?)

[fanthom]

You could create /mnt/sdc1 directory prior to mounting.
Ubuntu does really harm linux world....

[R.R.E.Designs]

Ushhhhh.. This is getting me sick. Untill I solve it, I'll go give it a try to Slackware (Porteus is built on it, so it should be good).

Thanks for the help guys. you've been very kind.

[Ed_P]

@Ed_P
different bootloader wont help as the problem is that booting script cant find sgn file (for some reason).

It will allow him to run the Porteus install from inside Porteus rather than a VM.

Hi guys. Thanks for your replies. I must make clear that I do have a CD drive, what I don't have is a virgin CD (that's how we call them in my country) to burn the ISO, and the last time I saw blank CD on sale, was like 5 years ago.

Ok. same effect though.

And playing with bootloaders is something I wouldn't try, I really appreciate the feedback, but this is my only PC and I wouldn't risk the chance to leave it unbootable

Totally understand the concern. But to be clear the approach I suggested leaves the machine booting using the Windows 7 boot loader. It doesn't change the MBR or anything dramatic like that.

[beny]

i can be wrong but shure that the label on the usb key create a big problem to installer? try an usb key without label just for check it and format the key again you have to see it in windows after format it