Full DVD Bootable from USB problems

pwuaioc · June 28, 2010, 10:22pm

Fedora 13 here, I’ve been trying to install the full DVD for openSUSE 11.2 to my flash drive (8 gigs, so plenty of room), but I’ve run into some problems. At first I tried UNetbootin, but it gave me some weird error and would not let me boot at all. So I tried the way listed on openSUSE. I’m new to this, so I could be making a rookie mistake. Hopefully it’s no problem (I don’t wanna spend any extra on some blank DVDs!).

So first I followed Ubuntu’s instructions for creating a partition here:

n to create a new partition

p to make it primary

1 so it is the first primary partition

Accept the default or type 1 to start from the first cylinder

+750M to make it 750 Meg big

a to toggle the partition active for boot

1 to choose the 1 partition

t to change the partition type

6 to set it to FAT16

Now we have out first partition set up, let’s create the second one:
* n to create yet again a new partition
* p to make it primary
* 2 to be the second partition
* Accept the default by typing Enter
* Accept the default to make your partition as big as possible
* Finally, type w to write the change to your usb pendrive

I then followed openSUSE’s wiki tutorial for the rest, but the very next command “mkfs.vfat -n BOOT -F 16 /dev/sdb1” I got this error:

“WARNING: Not enough clusters for a 16 bit FAT! The filesystem will be
misinterpreted as having a 12 bit FAT without mount option “fat=16”.
mkfs.vfat: Attempting to create a too large file system”

I tried varying Ubuntu’s instructions, but I continued receiving the same error. Any help would be appreciated!

pwuaioc · June 28, 2010, 10:26pm

Additional information - I get this warning after partitioning the disk.

“WARNING: Re-reading the partition table failed with error 22: Invalid argument.
The kernel still uses the old table. The new table will be used at
the next reboot or after you run partprobe(8) or kpartx(8)”

DenverD · June 28, 2010, 11:08pm

pwuaioc wrote:
> So first I followed Ubuntu’s instructions for creating a partition
> here:

you do not have to do that…

> I then followed ‘openSUSE’s wiki tutorial’ (http://tinyurl.com/24wm6hh)

ok, i see that how-to but tell you that i never heard of the person
who wrote it, and i don’t see that anyone has confirmed it works…so,
why don’t you a LiveCD, see the how details here:
http://wiki.opensuse.org/SDB:Live_USB_stick

i know that works.

pwuaioc · June 28, 2010, 11:53pm

Thanks. If I choose that option, I have to have an internet connection, right? Last time it asked me for an IP address to download openSUSE. Is that the right way or did I load the wrong ISO?

gogalthorp · June 28, 2010, 11:56pm

There are CD versions that only have one desktop ie KDE or Gnome. These are runnable and thus much better suited for a USB install solution. AFAIK you can not put the DVD on a USB and expect it to work.

pwuaioc · June 29, 2010, 12:06am

Thanks, I’ll do these. Certainly there ought to be a way to do it, no? I’ll settle with this for now, but it’d be interesting to see this developed because I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spare flash drives and no writable DVDs.

Thanks again for the help.

DenverD · June 29, 2010, 12:09pm

pwuaioc wrote:
> Thanks. If I choose that option, I have to have an internet connection,
> right?

well, see even the DVD does not contain the entire set of programs
available…that is, no matter if you install from the DVD or the
LiveCD you will eventually have to have an internet connection JUST to
get all the updates, patches and upgrades to bring you up to 11.2 as
it stands today…

and, there are a LOT of patches etc available for 11.2, after all it
is seven months old…and, the developers/packagers/etc don’t hang
around doing nothing but planning release parties every eight months…

if you load a USB stick with a live 11.2 CD you can boot and run it as
is, or you can install it and update it to the latest…

make sense?

> Last time it asked me for an IP address to download openSUSE. Is
> that the right way or did I load the wrong ISO?

hmmmm…strange, i never had it ask me for an IP address! it is born
knowing how to hook up with home…are you SURE you have a good
install image there? did you:

get your install image from http://software.opensuse.org/112/en ?
(if not, then where?)
check the md5sum of the downloaded iso?
do this http://tinyurl.com/yajm2aq before install attempt?

if you answered “no” (or “don’t know”) to any of those then see the
following cites before you start over:

http://en.opensuse.org/Download_Help
http://tinyurl.com/yhf65pv
http://tinyurl.com/ycly3eg

pistazienfresser · June 29, 2010, 12:48pm

I would be interested if the second part (creating a second partition with the script there) works for all (easy).

I made the second partition not with this script but ‘by hand’ with fdisk.
If it would be of interest: I have written about that way step-by-step here in the forums:
Start openSUSE 11.3 from external USB drive? - Page 3 - openSUSE Forums

Good luck
pistazienfresser