Now we’re going to dd the iso to the USB stick:
cd ~/Downloads
sudo 'dd if=openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M'
(enter password)
This will take a while, have to go now for an hour, see you back later on to find out about wonderful results 
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~$ cd ~/Downloads
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~/Downloads$ sudo 'dd if=openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M'
usage: sudo -h | -K | -k | -L | -V
usage: sudo -v -AknS] -g groupname|#gid] -p prompt] -u user name|#uid]
usage: sudo -l[l] -AknS] -g groupname|#gid] -p prompt] -U user name] -u user name|#uid] -g groupname|#gid] [command]
usage: sudo -AbEHknPS] -C fd] -g groupname|#gid] -p prompt] -u user name|#uid] -g groupname|#gid] [VAR=value] -i|-s] <command>]
usage: sudo -e -AknS] -C fd] -g groupname|#gid] -p prompt] -u user name|#uid] file ...
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~/Downloads$
While he’s gone, can anybody else help me?
you need to check the syntax of the Ubuntu sudo command. Ubuntu is a different OS and has many little differences
one of these may help
help sudo
info sudo
man sudo
one or all should get you to the sudo help files
Eh? Sorry, I’m not very CLI-friendly
Ok Ubuntu and OpenSUSE are different in how the sudo command is used. So we OpenSUSE people may not have all the answers for Ubuntu. one of the commands I listed will list the manual instructions for sudo in theory all should work but since I don’t know Ubuntu so I say one at lest should work.
Just type
man sudo
Though it looks ok to me Ubuntu is complaining that something is wrong with the way the sudo command is formatted. Not having Ubuntu here you will have to look it up yourself. The man,info,help commands fallowed by the command you want to know about will show you the help files for all the commands of a Linux system. ie info sudo or help sudo or man sudo. learn this and you 1/4 the way to understanding Linux.
Try it without the quotes:
sudo dd if=openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M
Try it without the quotes:
sudo dd if=openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M
It did nothing after the password. Just sat there. I could swear that blinking cursor was mocking me!
It takes time to work, it will be done when the command line returns. If it returns immediately or never returns
try
sudo dd 'if=openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M'
We are guessing at this since we would do it differently in OpenSUSE. The help files should tell you the right way for Ubuntu. or ask on a Ubuntu form.
I stumbled onto this thread and find it interesting in that none of the stuff I read is required.
I installed Ubuntu onto a 4 gig Patriot usb thumbdrive just as if it is a hard drive. I like the Patriot usb drive because they are so much faster then regular usb drives.
This might be dependant on your bios but if you follow the instruction you will not damage your system.
So for the OP
If you want to be able to run opensuse from the thumbdrive it’s easy.
Unplug all hard drives from the controller, either on the board or one in a slot. < not really required but it will prevent you from screwing up your system.>
Plug the thumbdrive in and put the install dvd/cd into the drive.
Boot to the dvd/cd
When it comes up start the install and point it at the thumb drive. Because you have unplugged all the hard drive it should be the only one that you can install to. Don’t make a swap partition. The installer will complain but just ignore it.
Let it run and when it’s over you can reboot and remove the dvd/cd. Leave the usb drive in the comp and have the bios boot from it. And that’s all you need do.
I have a 4 gig patriot usb with ubuntu on it and it works great. I haven’t tried it with suse but I see no reason why it shouldn’t work. If it doesn’t **** can suse and put ubuntu on it.
The original question was
How do I make an openSUSE 11.4 DVD USB stick on Ubuntu?
and the instructions given here have been for creating a bootable USB stick from the DVD iso that can then be used to install openSUSE to a system that does not have an optical drive. That is not the same as installing openSUSE to a USB drive and running from it, which is what your instructions are for.
On Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:56:02 +0000, doppel ganger wrote:
> It did nothing after the password. Just sat there. I could swear that
> blinking cursor was mocking me!
dd doesn’t give any output, if you have a status light on the flash
device, it should be indicating data transfer is taking place.
Jim
–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C
On 08/29/2011 02:56 AM, doppel ganger wrote:
>
> It did nothing after the password. Just sat there. I could swear that
> blinking cursor was mocking me!
it will take a LONG time…maybe an hour…maybe a day!
if the cursor is blinking one line down from the command, do NOT touch
the machine…
when it goes back to a cursor immediately after
“thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~/Downloads$” the process is complete…
and, if it does that without giving an error, THEN it is finished
successfully.
–
DD
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobile” of operating systems!
Sorry, unexpected visitors last night, couldn’t get away from that.
It’s like DenverD says, this lasts for a while. Depends on speed of the USB connection, on my laptop it takes about 15 minutes to create a stick from a LiveCD, so this will very likely last more than an hour. Anyway, as long as it “sits” there, don’t do anything. It will report what it has done.
So, can you give me instructions form the VERY beginning; there have been SO many edits and corrections that I’m lost.
Sorry, Knurpht, I have school 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, I couldn’t get to your post 
Ah Ha! Hoping this works…
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~$ cd ~/Downloads
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~/Downloads$ isohybrid openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso
isohybrid: Warning: more than 1024 cylinders: 4331
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~/Downloads$ sudo dd if=openSUSE-11.4-DVD-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M
[sudo] password for thomas:
1082+1 records in
1082+1 records out
4541382656 bytes (4.5 GB) copied, 1636.95 s, 2.8 MB/s
thomas@Thomas-Dell-DE051:~/Downloads$
Hi Doppel Ganger,
You are going to find that Linux as a community is quite friendly, but asking for people to write custom, step-by-step, how-to’s for you is just not going to happen. Several people have contributed suggestions for you, and if you read what they posted it is understandable.
Linux is a great OS, but it is going to require some learning, and - - there is more than one way to do things. You can also find many pre-written how tos, like this one, which give you the step-by-step directions you are asking for, with screen shots:
How to Install SUSE to a USB Flash Drive | USB Pen Drive Linux
My suggestion would be a completely different route:
UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads
In ubuntu you should be able to do:
$ sudo apt-get install unetbootin
If that does not work you can download the package for Ubuntu from the site.
Part of the community nature of Linux is that you learn things in the process, and you have to figure them out as you go. Eventully, you know more then you did and start helping others who started off as you do.
Rinse, lather, repeat.
Good luck - and have fun!
Lews Therin
Hey, It worked! Thanks everyone! And thanks to Lews, fellow WoT fan!
Rand Al’Thor 