install Groovy Linux 32-bit to USB pen - possible?

[maiki]

I have briefly tried to run the install CD of 32-bit Linux version from my DVD drive with USB pen connected... Can you tell me how to install it to USB flash pen, not onto the hard drive please? I am a newbie, and do not understand anything about Linux. Thanks.

[Ansa89]

Start the hd installer, when asked for destination partition insert the pendrive partition.
You're done.

[maiki]

I get the error using "5. Partition Manager":

FATAL ERROR: bad primary partition 0: Partition begins after end-of-disk Press any key to exit cfdisk

Before that I chose the option: /dev/sda 4008 MB


I have a brand new 4 GB USB pen drive by Verbatim.


I am not able to partition this pen drive. Should I play with BIOS USB settings or what to do?


I tried to install the system onto this pen drive, and it was like this:

1. Do you want to auto partition an empty drive?
YES

2.

/dev/sda 4008 MB <- selected
Done

OK

3. Error /dev/sda drive is already partitioned!!!
OK

4.

/dev/sda 4008 MB
Done <- selected

OK

5. Auto partition failed, do you want to continue installation?
YES

6. No drives are available to use
OK



Also it says in the beginning that I should first set up the basic system before installing to hard drive. WHat does that mean exactly? I don't want to setup things like network at all for example. Can I skip this Set up process or do I have to do it?

Please understand I know nothing about Linux, I do not undestand its language, so I am really a noob and something like Groovy Linux for dummies would be very appreciated.

Thank you.

--------------

edit: that USB drive is preformatted with FAT32... I have just checked in my Windows XP... if that means anything...

[Ansa89]

Try formatting the pendrive with gparted-live (or something similar) and then restart the groovyarcade installer.

[Calamity]

Hi maiki,

Try deleting the existing partition before starting the process. I used the partition manager that comes with the Live-CD. That's what I did if I remember right. I installed the GroovyArcade in an 8 Gb USB pen and have it working there.

After installing it, you will need some manual tweaking to get it working. Don't be afraid, it's very easy once you know what to do.

[maiki]

Try deleting the existing partition before starting the process. I used the partition manager that comes with the Live-CD. That's what I did if I remember right. I installed the GroovyArcade in an 8 Gb USB pen and have it working there.

Which program is that "partition manager"? Is it CFDISK? When I try to run CFDISK (from command prompt) it does not start at all. It gives me that error: FATAL ERROR: bad primary partition 0: Partition begins after end-of-disk Press any key to exit cfdisk.

Try formatting the pendrive with gparted-live (or something similar) and then restart the groovyarcade installer.

How do I run that utility? If I type GPARTED I get negative responce. No such program. I tried running FDISK (which I know from Windows/DOS a bit) but I cannot start it either. Because there is no useful help that would shom me how to start it regarding the pen drive. I am running only off the CD and that FAT32 empty pen drive, nothing else. Please I really need an exact example how to partition/mount/format () the pen drive in this Linux.

plus one more thing: How do I eject the CD when it is locked all the time?

[Ansa89]

Gparted-live is a distro created to let people easily partition their digital supports.
You need to search it on google, donwload it, burn the iso on a cd, start the cd, partition the pendrive, then reboot with GroovyArcade.

How do I eject the CD when it is locked all the time?

I think it is locked because you are running a live-cd distro, so the system needs his cd to run.
That should be compared to "try to detach the hard disk while windows xp is running" (you understand it's not possible).

[maiki]

I have downloaded, burned and booted the gparted-live-0.11.0-10.iso. But it does not work! I double click on that GParted icon, some disabled window pops up and disappears! The others like terminal or screen resolution open OK. So what to do now.

[maiki]

OK. I managed to get rid of the partition using Windows XP installer (note: Xp refused to install to that pen drive). Then I finally got to the point when the Groovy Linux began installation. I chose automatic mode or some thing like that. After some 30+ minutes of no output (switching ALT-F7-1-2 all the time) it started to flood the screen with dozens of error messages: rsync: blabla failed: No space left on device (28) / skipping any contents from this directory.

Anyway I rebooted the PC from USB pen drive and it booted to the point where I have a prompt saying: arcade@(none)~$

questions:

1. why does not this installer tell me before it starts anything, how much space it requires instead of making panic at the end that there is no space... just to let you know this pen drive is 4 giga bytes and the ISO is not even 600 MBs!!!

2. I thought the installation would boot into something like Advance Menu... but anyway is there a manual how to operate it from command prompt - but I assume my installation was incomplete anyway...


Thanks.

[Calamity]

1. why does not this installer tell me before it starts anything, how much space it requires instead of making panic at the end that there is no space... just to let you know this pen drive is 4 giga bytes and the ISO is not even 600 MBs!!!

Well, you're right it should check for disk space before it starts the installation... but keep in mind this is a highly experimental open source project made by hobbyists and it's not so thoroughly tested as you might think. The auto partitioning system was done to help users without any background on Linux (like me and you), making the process of installing the system to a hard drive as easy as possible. As a side effect this makes it possible to install the system to an USB pen (not without some manual tweaking as I pointed above) but that was not the original goal, so be ready for some experimentation, patience, and... common sense (yes, 4 GB is not such a big drive even if the ISO is compressed to 600 MBs).

2. I thought the installation would boot into something like Advance Menu... but anyway is there a manual how to operate it from command prompt - but I assume my installation was incomplete anyway...

When it works, it does boot into Advance Menu.

[maiki]

Can you briefly tell me what is needed to set the size of those partitions right? To get full installation. I am pretty sure 4 GBs is well enough for my needs.

[maiki]

I ran that installation again and then launched Partition manager to see what has been created:

sda1 - boot - primary - Linux ext2 - /GABoot - 110.22 MB
sda2 - - primary - Linux swap/Solaris - 527.46 MB
sda3 - primary - Linux ext3 - /GA - 3369.44 MB

3369.44 MBs not enough for installation? I am stuck now. Packing the PC back into the wardrobe till somebody comes to help me.

edit: And I will probably get another 8 GB pen drive just for the sake of it...

[Ansa89]

As last resort you can "cp" the whole live system:
- you need a pre-partitioned pendrive
- start GroovyArcade
- insert the pendrive
- switch to a tty
- mount the pendrive partition you will use as "/"
- as root "cp -a bin boot etc home lib opt root sbin srv usr var /path/to/pendrive"
- "cd /path/to/pendrive"
- as root "mkdir dev media mnt proc sys tmp"
- as root "grub-install --root-directory=/path/to/pendrive --recheck /dev/pendrive_device" (NOTE: "/dev/pendrive_device" should be "/dev/sda" or "/dev/sdb" or something like that, depending on your system)

NOTE: with this method you don't need a separated "/boot" partition.

If gparted-live fails, you can try with partedmagic (another live distro intended for easy partition).

[maiki]

Thank you for your post. But will I get anything by doing those things? If the only thing that I get is that I do not need the boot partition it will not solve the "no space left on device" errors because the boot partition was only 110 MB, and it was installing into partition with more than 3300 MBs.

I am wondering why this system needs so much space, considering you can put the whole DOS with Advance MAME onto a 128 MB pen drive (my experience from past). There has to be dozens of things that can be deleted from this system. Too bad I am not a Linux guru. But I expected this situation. I always face troubles when trying to touch Linux.

[Ansa89]

The main problem is that you need some experience.
The start point should be installing ubuntu on a pc with a normal 31KHz monitor; when you get some confidence with that and know how to compile/recompile software (including linux kernel), how to apply patches and so on, then you can think to try linux on a cabinet.

BTW, you can also try to use unetbootin to install AGES on a pendrive.

[Calamity]

Yes, I agree Ansa89, you may find AGES to be much easier to install to a pen drive than GroovyArcade, and it's based on the Groovy patches also.

[maiki]

Decisions decisions. To be honest I would prefer Gentoo based system for some reason. But I will have a look at AGES as well. If it does what I need, why not.

[Ansa89]

To be honest I would prefer Gentoo based system for some reason.

Just out of curiosity, why?

[maiki]

Because I have a feeling Gentoo is more customizable (for future purposes). and I have a registration in their forums lol

[Ansa89]

More or less...Hypothetically all distros are equally customizable when you deeply know the mechanisms at the base of that specific distro.
If you feel comfortable with gentoo, start from a normal installation and create your personal gentoo-cab distro.
Personally I don't like gentoo very much; my system is slackware, so i created a slackware-cab distro starting from a normal slackware installation.

However you must always remember that you need a lot of confidence/knowledge to do these things without mess up all your system.

[maiki]

BTW, you can also try to use unetbootin to install AGES on a pendrive.

That does not work here for me. The PC will not boot from such pen drive installation.