Maximum PC

My computer stopped reading my usb flashdrive. I was trying to install ubuntu on it using the instructions here: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/04/09 ... m-windows/ Everything worked fine until i finished. When I tried to boot from the drive i just got a black screen with a flashing white cursor. When I booted into windows it didn't recognize the drive. It showed up under "Safely Remove Hardware" but not under my computer or Drive Manager. Is my drive shot or is there a way I can get it to work again? The drive is a Super Talent Pico C 8gb and the computer is an HP dv6700 with Vista.

They use ext3 for formating the drive when you install Linux and windows can't read it. Windows 2000 thru vista uses NTFS for a file system.

If the drive shows up in windows management just format it in NTFS.

Nasty

So its ext3 even though I formatted it FAT32 first with the hp software? Regardless shouldn't I be able to boot from the flash drive? How come I am not able to?

1) it probably reformatted it to ext3 when you went through the install process.

2) Do you know for sure you can boot from that flash drive on your computer? I assume so since you got the blank screen. Next, does Ubuntu support your flash drive, etc?

This is how to setup a bootable usb flash drive:

http://www.debuntu.org/how-to-install-u ... on-usb-bar

Nasty

I may be off target here but the link mentions:



The last requirment is a running Linux OS and the mentioned commands in the link are Linux?

Ron

You read it right Ron, I haven't found a way to do it from windows...yet...but I am a lookin'.

Nasty

Edit: Ureckia! I found a way...very complicated though.

http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/ubuntu-li ... drive.html

Instructions:

http://penlinux.com/articles/put-linux- ... drive.html

Just for the heck of it I am trying it using the link the original poster tried. The other day we were in Wal-Mart and they had a mountain of 2 GB Kingston pen drives for about five bucks each so I tossed on in the cart. Forgot about it till I read this thread.

So I downloaded the HP tool and formatted the 2 GB as FAT32, then downloaded Ub8convert2.exe and let it do its thing. Now I have the Ubuntu 8.04.1 ISO downloading to the created folder, all 600 + something MB of it. Muddling along at about 23% right now so we shall see how it goes.

This is my older everyday machine and soon to be replaced with my new build so it is a little slow. I'll have to screw with the BIOS as I am like 99% this system allows booting from USB. I hope the hell it does anyway.

Then we shall see if this works?

Ron

I'm interested Ron, let us know if it worked for you.

Nasty

Well here is where I am at.

Sort of worked!

The first try when I formatted the pen drive I wasn't thinking and used the HP tool and formatted as FAT (not FAT32). I set the system to boot form USB first and the thing took right off and I got the Ubuntu splash screen with options. I chose just run it (something like that). It has problems with LIB (Library) files.

OK, I figure I'll try again. This time I format as FAT32 and redo the process, everything extracts fine (that can take a few min) and I follow the prompts again to complete the pen drive including making it bootable.

This time the machine likes it less? Go figure?

Now the system just gets to it and reboots. I don't see anything and the system is in a loop of rebooting till I pull the pen drive out.

However, if I lookie at the pen drive in My Computer all the files ate there including the AutoRun pointing to what seems to be the right file to make things go.

Been a long day driving back from our holiday travels so I took a few Advil PM and have an appointment with the Sand Man. Damn neck has been bugging me. I'll get back on this in the morning. Advil or Tylenol PM render me useless (but I sleep damn well).

I see some possibilities with this.

Ron

Well it worked just fine.

I reformatted the flash drive and went back to choosing FAT rather than FAT32. When booting it even offers the options of booting from the hard drives in the system which would boot Windows XP.

Running off the flash drive things are really pretty fast. Pretty slick overall. It also has a few Open Office applications in it.

Exactly why it works following a few failures I don't know but several boots later it works every time? This post is being done using it (Firefox).

Ron

Thanks for the feedback Ron. Hope the neck feels better this morning. I just may get off my rear and go to Wallmart and see if they still have any pen drives on sale and pick one up to play with.

In what I have read, doing this with Unbuntu the system can be fussy about the flash drive used. San Disk seems popular. My experiment did work (finally) with a Kingston Traveler.

Whenever we are out shopping if I see a bucket or bin of something selling for nothing (like five bucks or less) I snag a few if I think someday it may come in handy.

My guess on the original post is the BIOS was not pointing to a USB boot?

The links you provided are actually a better choice as is a link from the original posted link in that they allow writting to and modifying the install.

This link:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/05/08 ... -tutorial/

allows a persistent install. Also, there are a few caveats if this is to be done on a Vista system.

Ron

Thanks for the help. I burned an Ubuntu Live CD and booted from to see if it would recognize the flash drive. Still no luck. Yes I did have the bios set to boot from a usb. So does anyone no how to get my flash drive to show up on a computer so I can reformat it?

Did you download and try the HP formatting tool?

http://files.filefront.com/SP27608exe/; ... einfo.html

Ron

Lord... what a mess we have here

Download Ubuntu 8.10! Boot using the Live CD & use the built in tool. If it doesn't work on your laptop then use another PC.
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/11/01 ... installer/


Does your PC recognize other USB storage devices?

Yes my computer reads other usb devices like my WD passport hard drive. The problem is I can't get the USB flash drive to show up in any way that will let me format it or change the files on it. It shows up in device manager but that's it. I used a live CD of Ubuntu 8.04 and it didn't show up with that either. When I get home tomorrow (visiting family) I will try it with Windows XP and my permanent Ubuntu install.

Why don't you use 8.10 and the built in installer from the live cd?

I am beginning to wonder if the pen drive you have is any good?

Ron

The reason I don't use the installer from the 8.10 live CD is because I still can't get the flash drive to show up on any computer. That is the problem.