Just finished up a multi-boot Linux DVD that contains almost everything a user could need.
I previously had said I wasn't going to make any more multi-boot disks but this was done on a challenge. Someone made a comment to me that it couldn't be done because of conflicts between distros with the same kernel names.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I like a challenge.
So I made this DVD and now the bug has bit me.
I have already started working on another disk that will also include an XP Pe environment. I don't use any special software to make these disks other then a hex editor, iso master and my archive reading software.
I do test my projects in VirtualBox before I burn the final product. Saves me money on DVD's when I screw up which is bound to happen.
For the record this multi-boot contains several major distros and numerous utilities.
One of these utilities allows me to install from a list of several major distros using the DVD and an internet connection. A virtual 6 in 1 by itself as I can choose which Linux distro I want to install on a computer and not need the specific disk.
The list is as follows:
Mint
Puppy
DSL
SliTaz
Clonezilla
DBAN
NT Password and Registry Editor
PING (Partimage Is Not Ghost)
Parted Magic
RIPLinux
Net Boot
SystemRescueCd
Trinity Rescue Kit
Balder Dos / FreeDos
Memtest
So I'm still alive and very active.
Here are the links
I have finally gotten the files uploaded to Rapidshare.
There are 15 Rar files and 1 How-to text file.
The links can be found here;
15 in 1 Links
http://rapidshare.com/users/LN4B53/2
Unrar all 15 files. This will create 1 Rar file. Unrar that file and you will have a DVD Iso that can be burned to a blank DVD.
Instructions on how to unrar, burn and modify the Iso can be found in the How-to text file.
Also feel free to pass it around, host it as a torrent or whatever. It's Linux, Open Source and free for all.
UPDATE!
Check out my new 20 in 1 Live DVD found at my blog post here;
20 in 1 Multiboot Live DVD
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
Showing posts with label Disk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disk. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Friday, November 7, 2008
Multiboot Linux Cd And Automake Script Download
I have been asked numerous times about providing download links to some of my multiboot disks I have made. Unfortunately, they are all over 4 gigs as they contain 8 or more distros on them and my upload speeds make that type of upload almost impossible.
So I put together a small multiboot Cd that will provide you with Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux and Memtest.
The total size is 136 megs and is split into 2 rar files (Using the script in my previous post) and is available via the 2 Rapidshare links.
MultiCd Part 1 75 Megs
http://rapidshare.com/files/161640669/multicd.iso-Split_RAR-75Megabyte_s_.part1.rar
MultiCd Part 2 61 Megs
http://rapidshare.com/files/161640671/multicd.iso-Split_RAR-75Megabyte_s_.part2.rar
Not only do you have a small Iso file but it contains 2 fully functional Linux systems and a utility to test your Ram! Also, both are very small and fast and will work on older, slower systems with minimal Ram and hardware.
It will also help you to see how a multiboot Cd is made although I have a confession to make.
Every other multiboot disk I have ever made was created by me from scratch. I did all the tedious editting and creating both the loader and menu.
But then I found a forum post that has a script to make multiboot disks.
It supports many distros and even a WinPE compilation.
There is a slight bug however that doesn't seem to affect the final Iso.
It has to do with the genisoimage version 1.1.6
I get an error that it expected a certain value but gets a different value.
No matter. I leave it run and it usually finishes with a working Iso.
But I have had the occasional tests where the script failed after getting that error.
It is a known bug when dealing with genisoimage version 1.1.6
If you use an older version you have no problems.
I must express the fact that the genisoimage bug is not due to itself but rather the way scripts are trying to use genisoimage.
Another con of this script is that it allows a limited choice of Linux distros.
The creator of the script has done a remarkable job of adding many distros but there are some good ones missing.
Also, because many distros use the same kernel you have to be careful of which versions you add into your compilation.
Examples would be Damn Small Linux and Knoppix. They both use the Knoppix kernel. Because the kernel of each Distro needs to be in the root path of the Cd and they are named the same you can't use both on a Cd unless you do custom editting of the files needed to boot up a renamed kernel.
But other then that it does a good job of creating multiboot Iso's.
The forum post can be found here;
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=718016
And the script file can be found on this page;
http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/
I strongly suggest you read all the pages in the forum post and the page at tuxfamily to understand how this script is used.
Enjoy!!
TaZMAn
P.S. I hope a few thank you's are in order.
So I put together a small multiboot Cd that will provide you with Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux and Memtest.
The total size is 136 megs and is split into 2 rar files (Using the script in my previous post) and is available via the 2 Rapidshare links.
MultiCd Part 1 75 Megs
http://rapidshare.com/files/161640669/multicd.iso-Split_RAR-75Megabyte_s_.part1.rar
MultiCd Part 2 61 Megs
http://rapidshare.com/files/161640671/multicd.iso-Split_RAR-75Megabyte_s_.part2.rar
Not only do you have a small Iso file but it contains 2 fully functional Linux systems and a utility to test your Ram! Also, both are very small and fast and will work on older, slower systems with minimal Ram and hardware.
It will also help you to see how a multiboot Cd is made although I have a confession to make.
Every other multiboot disk I have ever made was created by me from scratch. I did all the tedious editting and creating both the loader and menu.
But then I found a forum post that has a script to make multiboot disks.
It supports many distros and even a WinPE compilation.
There is a slight bug however that doesn't seem to affect the final Iso.
It has to do with the genisoimage version 1.1.6
I get an error that it expected a certain value but gets a different value.
No matter. I leave it run and it usually finishes with a working Iso.
But I have had the occasional tests where the script failed after getting that error.
It is a known bug when dealing with genisoimage version 1.1.6
If you use an older version you have no problems.
I must express the fact that the genisoimage bug is not due to itself but rather the way scripts are trying to use genisoimage.
Another con of this script is that it allows a limited choice of Linux distros.
The creator of the script has done a remarkable job of adding many distros but there are some good ones missing.
Also, because many distros use the same kernel you have to be careful of which versions you add into your compilation.
Examples would be Damn Small Linux and Knoppix. They both use the Knoppix kernel. Because the kernel of each Distro needs to be in the root path of the Cd and they are named the same you can't use both on a Cd unless you do custom editting of the files needed to boot up a renamed kernel.
But other then that it does a good job of creating multiboot Iso's.
The forum post can be found here;
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=718016
And the script file can be found on this page;
http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/
I strongly suggest you read all the pages in the forum post and the page at tuxfamily to understand how this script is used.
Enjoy!!
TaZMAn
P.S. I hope a few thank you's are in order.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Linux Multi-Boot Disks
Update!
Check my November 7th post for a script to auto-make your own multi-boot disk and links to a small Cd iso image I made using this script.
There seems to be more info and instructions on how to make a multi-boot Windows
based disk then there is for Linux distros.
This is probably due to how different Linux distros boot up.
Some use vmlinuz and syslinux while others use casper to boot up the kernel.
This presents a problem especially when you have several distros that use the same kernel. Examples would be Knoppix, and Damn Small Linux. They both use the Knoppix kernel.
So how do you get around this problem when making a multi-boot Linux disk?
Well there are several options. You can change one of the kernel names then use a hex editor to make the name change in vmlinuz to point it to the proper renamed kernel.
You could also use a Grub Loader menu program to load the proper kernel.
And there is a program available for Windows called Easy Boot that supposedly allows you to add Linux distros to a multi-boot disk.
I have used the first 2 methods for my projects.
Yes, I have made a total of 3 multi-boot Linux disks.
I got interested when I saw a multi-disk in a Linux magazine. Didn't buy the magazine because it was too expensive. So I looked around the internet for info on how to make one.
Info was sparse or even cryptic in nature. But I pieced together the info and designed my first disk using the method of hex editting the vmlinuz files.
That first disk, a DVD, had 7 distros on it.
Not satisfied with it, I started a 2nd project.
That disk used the grub boot menu and had 8 distros on it.
My 3rd disk is more of an updated disk then a fully made from scratch disk.
I happened to find a release from several years ago by someone who also was interested in making a multi-boot Linux disk.
The distros were very old so I redid it with newer releases. This was the easiest of the 3 to make.
LOL!
I am planning one more disk. That will be a Windows-Linux multi-boot.
Will use something like UBCD and either Slax, Gentoo or maybe Knoppix.
That way I will have a ultimate repair disk that I can use to fix both Windows and Linux systems.
Making these disks was a very good challenge and provided me the ability to try out different linux versions. And I did pick out a bunch of non run of the mill versions.
And it has paid off. I have found numerous software that works better for my needs.
Sticking with one or two distros keeps you too confined. Exploring various versions exposes you to the best of the best.
I also learned that all the distros on any of the 3 disks I made do not work on all computers.
It's strange but I guess it all depends on what the version supports.
Some distros hated my newer computer while others wouldn't even boot on my older computer.
That is something I'd like to fix but it would require the adding of drivers to each distro and recompiling each kernel. More work then it's worth because I have the ability to use one of the other distros on the disk.
All three of these disks were run as Live distros. I wouldn't attempt to use them to install that particular version seeing how some of the components were removed during the construction of these disks.
Will I make any more after the Windows/Linux disk?
Doubtful. It was a challenge to myself and I doubt anyone else would be interested in these disks.
I proved to myself that it can be done without cheating like they did with that computer magazine disk.
Cheating!???
What do you mean they cheated?
Well I found out a few weeks later that the magazine used a dual layer DVD and had Ubuntu as their base system. You booted the disk and it started up Ubuntu. Then from Ubuntu you selected that other distros that were installed in vmware.
So they didn't create a 'real' multi-boot disk like I did.
And by running vmware from within Ubuntu while in a 'Live' environment, they require the user to have a fairly powerful computer with plenty of Ram.
My method only uses the needed resources for the single distro running at that time.
That makes it older computer friendly.
So go to Google, look up the info and make your own multi-boot disk.
It's not only fun, it gives you a good feeling after you finish it.
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
Check my November 7th post for a script to auto-make your own multi-boot disk and links to a small Cd iso image I made using this script.
There seems to be more info and instructions on how to make a multi-boot Windows
based disk then there is for Linux distros.
This is probably due to how different Linux distros boot up.
Some use vmlinuz and syslinux while others use casper to boot up the kernel.
This presents a problem especially when you have several distros that use the same kernel. Examples would be Knoppix, and Damn Small Linux. They both use the Knoppix kernel.
So how do you get around this problem when making a multi-boot Linux disk?
Well there are several options. You can change one of the kernel names then use a hex editor to make the name change in vmlinuz to point it to the proper renamed kernel.
You could also use a Grub Loader menu program to load the proper kernel.
And there is a program available for Windows called Easy Boot that supposedly allows you to add Linux distros to a multi-boot disk.
I have used the first 2 methods for my projects.
Yes, I have made a total of 3 multi-boot Linux disks.
I got interested when I saw a multi-disk in a Linux magazine. Didn't buy the magazine because it was too expensive. So I looked around the internet for info on how to make one.
Info was sparse or even cryptic in nature. But I pieced together the info and designed my first disk using the method of hex editting the vmlinuz files.
That first disk, a DVD, had 7 distros on it.
Not satisfied with it, I started a 2nd project.
That disk used the grub boot menu and had 8 distros on it.
My 3rd disk is more of an updated disk then a fully made from scratch disk.
I happened to find a release from several years ago by someone who also was interested in making a multi-boot Linux disk.
The distros were very old so I redid it with newer releases. This was the easiest of the 3 to make.
LOL!
I am planning one more disk. That will be a Windows-Linux multi-boot.
Will use something like UBCD and either Slax, Gentoo or maybe Knoppix.
That way I will have a ultimate repair disk that I can use to fix both Windows and Linux systems.
Making these disks was a very good challenge and provided me the ability to try out different linux versions. And I did pick out a bunch of non run of the mill versions.
And it has paid off. I have found numerous software that works better for my needs.
Sticking with one or two distros keeps you too confined. Exploring various versions exposes you to the best of the best.
I also learned that all the distros on any of the 3 disks I made do not work on all computers.
It's strange but I guess it all depends on what the version supports.
Some distros hated my newer computer while others wouldn't even boot on my older computer.
That is something I'd like to fix but it would require the adding of drivers to each distro and recompiling each kernel. More work then it's worth because I have the ability to use one of the other distros on the disk.
All three of these disks were run as Live distros. I wouldn't attempt to use them to install that particular version seeing how some of the components were removed during the construction of these disks.
Will I make any more after the Windows/Linux disk?
Doubtful. It was a challenge to myself and I doubt anyone else would be interested in these disks.
I proved to myself that it can be done without cheating like they did with that computer magazine disk.
Cheating!???
What do you mean they cheated?
Well I found out a few weeks later that the magazine used a dual layer DVD and had Ubuntu as their base system. You booted the disk and it started up Ubuntu. Then from Ubuntu you selected that other distros that were installed in vmware.
So they didn't create a 'real' multi-boot disk like I did.
And by running vmware from within Ubuntu while in a 'Live' environment, they require the user to have a fairly powerful computer with plenty of Ram.
My method only uses the needed resources for the single distro running at that time.
That makes it older computer friendly.
So go to Google, look up the info and make your own multi-boot disk.
It's not only fun, it gives you a good feeling after you finish it.
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
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