https://wiki.archlinux.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Qewlpal&feedformat=atomArchWiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T19:05:07ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.41.0https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=USB_flash_installation_medium&diff=272930USB flash installation medium2013-08-28T14:19:43Z<p>Qewlpal: /* Overwrite the USB drive */</p>
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<div>[[Category:Getting and installing Arch]]<br />
[[ar:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[bg:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[de:Installation von einem USB-Stick]]<br />
[[es:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[it:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[ja:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[ro:Instalare prin USB]]<br />
[[ru:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[tr:USB_ile_kurulum]]<br />
[[zh-CN:USB Installation Media]]<br />
[[zh-TW:USB Installation Media]]<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|Mutiplatform instructions on creating a bootable USB stick which can be used for installing Arch Linux, system maintenance or for recovery purposes.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|CD Burning}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
This page discusses various methods on how to write an Arch Linux release to a USB drive (also referred to as ''"flash drive", "USB stick", "USB key"'', etc). The result will be a LiveCD-like system (''"LiveUSB"'', if you will) that, because of the nature of [[Wikipedia:SquashFS|SquashFS]], will discard all changes once the computer shuts down.<br />
<br />
If you would like to run a full install of Arch Linux from a USB drive (i.e. with persistent settings), see [[Installing Arch Linux on a USB key]].<br />
<br />
{{Note|For [[UEFI]] boot, create a bootable USB stick by following [[UEFI#Create_UEFI_bootable_USB_from_ISO|these]] instructions.}}<br />
<br />
== On GNU/Linux ==<br />
<br />
=== Overwrite the USB drive ===<br />
<br />
{{Warning|This will irrevocably destroy all data on {{ic|/dev/sd'''x'''}}.}}<br />
{{Warning|This method does not work with UEFI boot.}}<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Check with {{ic|lsblk}} that the USB device is '''not''' mounted (i.e. listed but has no mountpoint, you can do so with [# umount /media/<username>/<USBdrivename>] if your linux distro automatically mounts USB drives), and use {{ic|/dev/sd'''x'''}} instead of {{ic|/dev/sd'''x1'''}}.<br />
'''These are very common mistakes!'''}}<br />
<br />
# dd bs=4M if=/path/to/archlinux.iso of=/dev/sd'''x''' && sync<br />
==== How to restore the USB drive ====<br />
<br />
Because the ISO image is a hybrid which can either be burned to a disc or directly written to a USB drive, it doesn't include a standard partition table.<br />
<br />
After you install Arch Linux and you're done with the USB drive, you should zero out its first 512 bytes ''(meaning the boot code from the MBR and the non-standard partition table)'' if you want to restore it to full capacity:<br />
<br />
# dd count=1 bs=512 if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sd'''x''' && sync<br />
<br />
Then create a new partition table (e.g. "msdos") and filesystem (e.g. EXT4, FAT32) using {{Pkg|gparted}}, or from a terminal:<br />
<br />
* For EXT2/3/4 (adjust accordingly), it would be:<br />
<br />
# cfdisk /dev/sd'''x'''<br />
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sd'''x1'''<br />
# e2label /dev/sd'''x1''' USB_STICK<br />
<br />
* For FAT32, install the {{Pkg|dosfstools}} package and run:<br />
<br />
# cfdisk /dev/sd'''x'''<br />
# mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sd'''x1'''<br />
# dosfslabel /dev/sd'''x1''' USB_STICK<br />
<br />
=== Without overwriting the USB drive ===<br />
{{Out of date|This section may need an update. See the discussion.|Talk:USB_Flash_Installation_Media#About_making_the_installation_media_without_overwriting}}<br />
This method is slightly more complicated than writing the image directly with {{ic|dd}}, but it does keep the drive usable for data storage. Before you begin, make sure that your USB device is formatted as either FAT32, EXT2/3/4 or Btrfs. For [[UEFI]] boot and/or interoperability with other operating systems you should use FAT32. Also, make sure that you have the ''syslinux'' package (version 4.04 or newer) installed.<br />
<br />
'''1.''' Extract the {{ic|arch}} folder from the ISO to the USB drive. For UEFI motherboards follow [[UEFI#Create_UEFI_bootable_USB_from_ISO|these]] instructions.<br />
<br />
'''2.''' Install the Syslinux bootloader:<br />
<br />
{{Warning|Be very careful where you point {{ic|dd}} and please use the drive '''itself''' in the following commands, '''not''' the first partition. This is a very common mistake.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note|On some distributions {{ic|mbr.bin}} may be available as {{ic|/usr/'''share'''/syslinux/mbr.bin}}.}}<br />
<br />
$ cd /''path/to/folder''/arch/boot/syslinux #Where ''path/to/folder'' is the USB drive's mount point<br />
# extlinux --install . #Type it exactly as you see it, including the dot (.)<br />
# dd bs=440 conv=notrunc count=1 if=/usr/lib/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sd'''x'''<br />
# parted /dev/sd'''x''' toggle 1 boot<br />
<br />
'''3.''' Adjust the configuration files:<br />
<br />
{{Warning|Failure to label the drive "{{ic|ARCH_2013XX}}" (with the appropriate release month) or to use an [[UUID]] (to re-label it to whatever you like) '''will''' get you the infamous "30 seconds" error.}}<br />
<br />
Here's how you can replace the {{ic|1=archisolabel=ARCH_2013XX}} part with your equivalent of {{ic|1=archiso'''device'''=/dev/disk/by-uuid/47FA-4071}} for both config files at the same time, using a single command:<br />
<br />
{{Note|Adjust {{ic|/dev/sd'''x1'''}} before running it, else it will become blank (since drive {{ic|sd'''x'''}} doesn't exist).}}<br />
<br />
$ sed -i "s|label=ARCH_.*|device=/dev/disk/by-uuid/$(blkid -o value -s UUID /dev/sd'''x1''')|" archiso_sys{32,64}.cfg<br />
<br />
If the ''syslinux'' package on your distribution is older than version 4.06, as a workaround for FAT32 filesystems (unnecessary for EXT4), the {{ic|APPEND}} line from {{ic|syslinux.cfg}} should also be replaced:<br />
<br />
$ sed -i "s|../../|/arch|" syslinux.cfg<br />
<br />
====Using UNetbootin====<br />
UNetbootin can be used on any Linux distribution or Windows to copy your iso to a USB device. However, Unetbootin overwrites syslinux.cfg, so it creates a USB device that does not boot properly. For this reason, '''Unetbootin is not recommended''' -- please use {{ic|dd}} or one of the other methods discussed in this topic.<br />
{{Warning|UNetbootin writes over the default {{ic|syslinux.cfg}}; this must be restored before the USB device will boot properly.}}<br />
<br />
Edit {{ic|syslinux.cfg}}:<br />
<br />
{{hc|sysconfig.cfg|2=<br />
default menu.c32<br />
prompt 0<br />
menu title Archlinux Installer<br />
timeout 100<br />
<br />
label unetbootindefault<br />
menu label Archlinux_x86_64<br />
kernel /arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz<br />
append initrd=/arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img archisodevice=/dev/sd'''x1''' ../../<br />
<br />
label ubnentry0<br />
menu label Archlinux_i686<br />
kernel /arch/boot/i686/vmlinuz<br />
append initrd=/arch/boot/i686/archiso.img archisodevice=/dev/sd'''x1''' ../../<br />
}}<br />
<br />
In {{ic|/dev/sd'''x1'''}} you must replace '''x''' with the first free letter after the last letter in use on the system where you are installing Arch Linux (e.g. if you have two hard drives, use {{ic|c}}.). You can make this change during the first phase of boot by pressing {{ic|Tab}} when the menu is shown.<br />
<br />
== On Mac OS X ==<br />
<br />
To be able to use {{ic|dd}} on your USB device on a Mac you have to do some special maneuvers. First of all insert your usb device, OS X will automount it, and in {{ic|Terminal.app}} run:<br />
<br />
$ diskutil list<br />
<br />
Figure out what your USB device is called with {{ic|mount}} or {{ic|<nowiki>sudo dmesg | tail</nowiki>}} (e.g. {{ic|/dev/disk1}}) and unmount the partitions on the device (i.e., /dev/disk1s1) while keeping the device proper (i.e., /dev/disk1):<br />
<br />
$ diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk1<br />
<br />
Now we can continue in accordance with the instructions above (but use {{ic|1=bs=8192}} if you are using the OS X {{ic|dd}}, the number comes from {{ic|1024*8}}).<br />
<br />
{{hc|<nowiki>dd if=image.iso of=/dev/disk1 bs=8192</nowiki>|<br />
20480+0 records in<br />
20480+0 records out<br />
167772160 bytes transferred in 220.016918 secs (762542 bytes/sec)<br />
}}<br />
<br />
It is probably a good idea to eject your drive before physical removal at this point:<br />
<br />
$ diskutil eject /dev/disk1<br />
<br />
== On Windows ==<br />
<br />
=== Win32 Disk Imager ===<br />
{{Warning|This will destroy all information on your USB flash drive!}}<br />
First, download the program from [http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/ here]. Next, extract the archive and run the executable. Now, select the Arch Linux ISO under the {{ic|Image File}} section and the USB flash device letter (for example, [D:\]) under the {{ic|Device}} section. Finally, click {{ic|Write}} when ready.<br />
{{Tip|By default, the Win32 Disk Imager's file-browser assumes disk image files end with a {{ic|.img}} extension. However, you can simply change the {{ic|Files of type}} drop-down list to {{ic|*.*}} and continue on to selecting your Arch Linux ISO.}}<br />
{{Note|After installation, you may need to restore the USB flash drive following a process as outlined [[USB_Installation_Media#How_to_restore_the_USB_drive|here]].}}<br />
<br />
=== USBWriter for Windows ===<br />
<br />
Download the program from http://sourceforge.net/projects/usbwriter/ and run it. Select the arch image file, the target USB stick, and click on the {{ic|write}} button. Now you should be able to boot from the usb stick and install Arch Linux from it.<br />
<br />
=== The Flashnul Way ===<br />
<br />
[http://shounen.ru/soft/flashnul/ flashnul] is an utility to verify the functionality and maintenance of Flash-Memory (USB-Flash, IDE-Flash, SecureDigital, MMC, MemoryStick, SmartMedia, XD, CompactFlash etc).<br />
<br />
From a command prompt, invoke flashnul with {{ic|-p}}, and determine which device index is your USB drive, e.g.:<br />
<br />
{{hc|C:\>flashnul -p|<br />
Avaible physical drives:<br />
Avaible logical disks:<br />
C:\<br />
D:\<br />
E:\<br />
}}<br />
<br />
When you have determined which device is the correct one, you can write the image to your drive, by invoking flashnul with the device index, {{ic|-L}}, and the path to your image, e.g:<br />
<br />
C:\>flashnul '''E:''' -L ''path\to\arch.iso''<br />
<br />
As long as you are really sure you want to write the data, type yes, then wait a bit for it to write. If you get an access denied error, close any Explorer windows you have open.<br />
<br />
If under Vista or Win7, you should open the console as administrator, or else flashnul will fail to open the stick as a block device and will only be able to write via the drive handle windows provides<br />
<br />
{{Note|Confirmed that you need to use drive letter as opposed to number. flashnul 1rc1, Windows 7 x64.}}<br />
<br />
=== The Cygwin Way ===<br />
<br />
Make sure your [http://www.cygwin.com/ Cygwin] installation contains the {{ic|dd}} package.<br />
<br />
{{Tip|If you do not want to install Cygwin, you can download {{ic|dd}} for Windows from [http://www.chrysocome.net/dd here]. See the next section for more information.}}<br />
<br />
Place your image file in your home directory:<br />
<br />
C:\cygwin\home\John\<br />
<br />
Run cygwin as administrator (required for cygwin to access hardware). To write to your USB drive use the following command:<br />
<br />
dd if=image.iso of=\\.\[x]: bs=4M<br />
<br />
where image.iso is the path to the iso image file within the {{ic|cygwin}} directory and {{ic|\\.\['''x''']}}: is your USB flash drive where '''x''' is the windows designated letter, e.g. {{ic|\\.\d:}}.<br />
<br />
On Cygwin 6.0 find out the correct partition with:<br />
<br />
cat /proc/partitions<br />
<br />
and write the ISO image with the information from the output. Example:<br />
<br />
{{Warning|This will irrevocably delete all files on your USB flash drive, so make sure you do not have any important files on the stick before doing this.}}<br />
<br />
dd if=image.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M<br />
<br />
=== dd for Windows ===<br />
<br />
A GPL licensed dd version for Windows is available at http://www.chrysocome.net/dd. The advantage of this over Cygwin is a smaller download. Use it as shown in instructions for Cygwin above.<br />
<br />
To begin, download the latest version of dd for Windows. Once downloaded, extract the archive's contents into Downloads or elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Now, launch your {{ic|command prompt}} as an administrator. Next, change directory ({{ic|cd}}) into the Downloads directory.<br />
<br />
If your Arch Linux ISO is elsewhere you may need to state the full path, for convenience you may wish to put the Arch Linux ISO into the same folder as the dd executable. The basic format of the command will look like this.<br />
<br />
{{bc|<nowiki>dd if=archlinux-2013-XX-xx-dual.iso of=\\.\x: bs=4m</nowiki>}}<br />
{{Warning|This command will replace the drive's contents and its formatting with the ISO's. You will likely be unable to recover its contents in the event of an accidental copy. Be absolutely sure that you are directing dd to the correct drive before executing!}}<br />
Simply replace the various null spots (indicated by an "x") with the correct date and correct drive letter.<br />
<br />
Here is a complete example.<br />
{{bc|<nowiki>dd if=ISOs\archlinux-2013.08.01-dual.iso of=\\.\d: bs=4M</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
=== Loading the installation media from RAM ===<br />
This method uses [[Syslinux]] and a [[Ramdisk]] ([http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/MEMDISK MEMDISK]) to load the entire Arch Linux ISO image into RAM. Since this will be running entirely from system memory, you will need to make sure the system you will be installing this on has an adequate amount. A minimum amount of RAM between 500 MB and 1 GB should suffice for a MEMDISK based, Arch Linux install.<br />
<br />
For more information on Arch Linux system requirements as well as those for MEMDISK see the [[Beginners' Guide]] and [http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/bootingmemdisk#preliminaries here].<br />
{{Tip|Once the installer has completed loading you can simply remove the USB stick and even use it on a different machine to start the process all over again. Utilizing MEMDISK also allows booting and installing Arch Linux to and from the same USB flash drive.}}<br />
====Preparing the USB flash drive====<br />
Begin by formatting the USB flash drive as '''FAT32'''. Then create the following folders on the newly formatted drive.<br />
* {{ic|Boot}}<br />
** {{ic|Boot/ISOs}}<br />
** {{ic|Boot/Settings}}<br />
====Copy the needed files to the USB flash drive====<br />
Next copy the ISO that you would like to boot to the {{ic|Boot/ISOs}} folder. After that, extract from the following files from the latest release of {{pkg|syslinux}} from [http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/ here] and copy them into the following folders.<br />
* {{ic|./win32/syslinux.exe}} to the Desktop or Downloads folder on your system.<br />
* {{ic|./memdisk/memdisk}} to the {{ic|Settings}} folder on your USB flash drive.<br />
====Create the configuration file====<br />
After copying the needed files, navigate to the USB flash drive, /boot/Settings and create a {{ic|syslinux.cfg}} file.<br />
{{Warning|On the {{ic|INITRD}} line, be sure to use the name of the ISO file that you copied to your {{ic|ISOs}} folder!}}<br />
{{hc|/Boot/Settings/syslinux.cfg|2=<br />
DEFAULT arch_iso<br />
<br />
LABEL arch_iso<br />
MENU LABEL Arch Setup<br />
LINUX memdisk<br />
INITRD /Boot/ISOs/archlinux-2013.08.01-dual.iso<br />
APPEND iso}}<br />
For more information on Syslinux see the [[Syslinux|Arch Wiki article]].<br />
====Final steps====<br />
Finally, create a {{ic|*.bat}} file where {{ic|syslinux.exe}} is located and run it ("Run as administrator" if you're on Vista or Windows 7):<br />
{{hc|C:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop\install.bat|<br />
@echo off<br />
syslinux.exe -m -a -d /Boot/Settings X:}}<br />
<br />
=== Add to a MULTIBOOT Live USB ===<br />
<br />
The Windows tool [http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/ YUMI MultiBoot Live USB Creator] can be used to quickly create a Live USB media with multiple Installers of many Linux distros. Once created, Installers can be added or removed without reformatting the USB drive.<br />
<br />
== Troubleshooting ==<br />
{{Note|For the [[#Boot the entire ISO from RAM|MEMDISK Method]], if you get the famous "30 seconds" error trying to boot the i686 version, press the {{Keypress|Tab}} key over the {{ic|Boot Arch Linux (i686)}} entry and add {{ic|vmalloc&#61;448M}} at the end. For reference: ''If your image is bigger than 128MiB and you have a 32-bit OS, then you have to increase the maximum memory usage of vmalloc''. [http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/MEMDISK#-_memdiskfind_in_combination_with_phram_and_mtdblock (*)]}}<br />
<br />
{{Note|If you get the "30 seconds" error due to the {{ic|/dev/disk/by-label/ARCH_XXXXXX}} not mounting, try renaming your USB media to {{ic|ARCH_XXXXXX}} (e.g. {{ic|ARCH_201302}}).}}<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/liveusb.xml Gentoo liveusb document]</div>Qewlpal