Problem Installing Slackware from Live USB

[ThePossessedOne]

I have an 16gb flash USB stick and have installled the latest slackware live DVD on there using unebootin, I have changed the USB setting in the BIOS to USB - HDD, but there are other options such as USB - CD, USB FDD and USB ZIP. But upon booting it will just load from the hard drive to windows vista...

EDIT: now receiving error message.. Verifying DMI pool data.... No bootable Partition in Table_

[Freston]

Did you set the boot flag?

Also, I don't know how you partitioned it, but I've never been able to build a boot-USB on any other filesystem than FAT. Don't know why, and I never looked into it further... The reason I bring it up is because FAT has limited capability as far as big files and big disks are concerned. And a 16GB USB stick is pretty big

the latest slackware live DVD

Surely you mean the install DVD? There's about a thousand ways to install Slack, so if the boot USB thing doesn't work out you can always try another

Oh!

EDIT: now receiving error message.. Verifying DMI pool data.... No bootable Partition in Table_

This probably means you have the boot flag set properly. Moving to our next stop: Partitioning and filesystem.

Vista you say? Do you have a Linux or OSX box around? If so, mount the stick and please post the output of these commands

mount 
fdisk -l       # the 'l' is a small 'L', not a capital 'i' (darn fonts)

[ThePossessedOne]

Okay Ive used the command on a ubuntu laptop and get: Mount : can't find fdisk in etc/fstab or /etc/mtab

[Freston]

Ah, no, it's two separate commands.

[ThePossessedOne]

I tried that first of all and nothing would happen, just a new terminal line would appear..

[Freston]

Weird?!? But before we go troubleshooting the Ubuntu box, this explains the recommended method of installing Slackware via an USB stick

[ThePossessedOne]

I have followed similar steps to the linked page with unetbootin and installing the ISO image onto the USB drive and have put USB HDD as first bootable device.. Still no luck.. The USB is in fat32 format and cant see anything ive done wrong.. Have tried using Slackware ISO and a Sabayon ISO but still no luck

[maleq]

I have an 16gb flash USB stick and have installled the latest slackware live DVD on there using unebootin, I have changed the USB setting in the BIOS to USB - HDD, but there are other options such as USB - CD, USB FDD and USB ZIP. But upon booting it will just load from the hard drive to windows vista...

EDIT: now receiving error message.. Verifying DMI pool data.... No bootable Partition in Table_

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ThePossessedOne:

By the error message try this:

Try disable other booting alternatives, this is to isolate the chances of erroneous analysis.
Then check your booting sector in the usb --if necessary try to write new record on the MBR. Anyway if your slack image in the usb-stick was /is bootable then there should be no problem when bios passes handle to the boot record and then to the root partition. Slack recognizes Vfat, but what if your /dev/sda*/root HAS NO BOOT LOADER? Remember the three basic steps comprising boot session: Bios > Active Disk > Kernel. Somewhere there is a missing link.

And if you can believe, ...........you can solve it. The newbie like me jumps into Linux, not because he knows but because he believes he can do it.

Hope this helps.

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Sometimes we use simple solutions on big problems.