I recently made the switch. No! Not to Windows 7 !!!!
I switched to Mint.
I have been using Ubuntu since Edgy and became a full time Linux user since Feisty.
As good as it is, I needed a change. Not so much a full distro change but more of a look and feel change.
I had some help with this decision. I was trying out ReneL's new multi-boot DVD which contains Mint (Both Gnome and KDE) along with all the Ubuntu versions, SysRescue and TinyCore.
In case you haven't been following the comments in my blogs and missed it, you can get the torrent from here;
http://www.mininova.org/tor/2837481
I will also be posting a new article about it and hope to put up some RS links to it.
Now about Mint.
After I installed it I realized that the look was very different. Instead of 2 task bars, there was only one. And that was at the bottom of the screen. I know I said I wanted a new look and feel but I'm so accustomed to having the task bar on top I switched its position.
The install and updates along with additional software installs took about 2 hours.
And thanks to Linux keeping all your personal files in the Home directory along with the ability to have your Home folder loaded into it's own partition, my documents, bookmarks and email were all ready and waiting for me.
So now I will be using Mint until I tire of it and switch to another distro.
But I still have my back up computer that currently has Vector Linux on it that I also use.
I enjoy variety and thankfully Linux provides me with plenty of choices.
Maybe I will just have to set up a multi-boot on my back up computer and install TinyCore next to Vector just for the fun of it.
BTW..... As with all the Debian distros, Streamtuner also needed to be patched for the Shoutcast bug. Mint may look different but it still has it's roots in Debian.
Until next time.
TaZMAn
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
A Look At DVDStyler (Mini Review)
Recently I came across DVDStyler to make DVD's from some video files I have.
This is my second time trying this software. My first encounter with DVDStyler was a not very successful. But that was back in the Feisty Fawn days.
Today I take back what I said back then about DVDStyler.
I'm using version 1.7.2 and have had no real problems except for the few I will mention in this article.
It is available for Linux and Windows users which is a major plus for open source software.
The layout is simple and easy to navigate. It uses category tabs on the left to pick backgrounds, buttons and files. It's all drag and drop and allows customizing the size, color and font of the buttons and any text you add such as titles.
It converts almost any file fairly fast and allows auto-chaptering and multiple video files. Just add the file to the time line at the bottom and pop in a few sub-menus. Add text, images and frames by right clicking on the screen and make a selection from the menu.
It also offers options to choose the video aspect ratio, video bitrate, audio output of mp2 or ac3, NTSC or PAL formats. Many features but not overwhelming that it will confuse the new user.
I've been using DVDStyler to create a DVD disk and have it save the resulting disk as a ISO. Then I open the ISO with VLC media player to check it. Once I'm satisfied I burn the ISO to a DVD with k3b or you can use the burner of your choice.
The only drawbacks I have had with this DVD creator are as follows:
Background selection is minimal. This can easily be fixed by adding in your own jpg background files using root access to the DVDStyler folder.
The selection of buttons is also minimal. The buttons are svg graphics so they can be scaled to any size with out loosing clarity. Finding additional svg graphics can turn into a scavenger hunt.
When adding a sub-title (srt file) I thought I had figured it out, details and help are sketchy for doing this, but when running the conversion I received an error saying it couldn't find the font file. After a few hours of trying to find a fix I ended up using avidemux to integrate the srt file into the video then used DVDStyler to create the DVD.
I use the restricted extra codecs on my 'nix box but haven't been able to successfully convert DivX avi video files. For this problem I use WinFF to
convert the avi to a DVD compliant mpeg. That way DVDStyler doesn't have to re-encode the video file. It only needs to turn it into the vob and ifo files which only takes 10 -15 minutes depending on the file size.
That said, I have been very happy with the ease and quality of DVDStyler.
It has done what I needed it to do, is easy to use and is faster then most video converters and dvd creators.
Whether you use Linux or Windows, you should do yourself a favor and try out DVDStyler. You may be pleasantly surprised.
And in case you missed the text link you can find it here;
http://www.dvdstyler.org/
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
This is my second time trying this software. My first encounter with DVDStyler was a not very successful. But that was back in the Feisty Fawn days.
Today I take back what I said back then about DVDStyler.
I'm using version 1.7.2 and have had no real problems except for the few I will mention in this article.
It is available for Linux and Windows users which is a major plus for open source software.
The layout is simple and easy to navigate. It uses category tabs on the left to pick backgrounds, buttons and files. It's all drag and drop and allows customizing the size, color and font of the buttons and any text you add such as titles.
It converts almost any file fairly fast and allows auto-chaptering and multiple video files. Just add the file to the time line at the bottom and pop in a few sub-menus. Add text, images and frames by right clicking on the screen and make a selection from the menu.
It also offers options to choose the video aspect ratio, video bitrate, audio output of mp2 or ac3, NTSC or PAL formats. Many features but not overwhelming that it will confuse the new user.
I've been using DVDStyler to create a DVD disk and have it save the resulting disk as a ISO. Then I open the ISO with VLC media player to check it. Once I'm satisfied I burn the ISO to a DVD with k3b or you can use the burner of your choice.
The only drawbacks I have had with this DVD creator are as follows:
Background selection is minimal. This can easily be fixed by adding in your own jpg background files using root access to the DVDStyler folder.
The selection of buttons is also minimal. The buttons are svg graphics so they can be scaled to any size with out loosing clarity. Finding additional svg graphics can turn into a scavenger hunt.
When adding a sub-title (srt file) I thought I had figured it out, details and help are sketchy for doing this, but when running the conversion I received an error saying it couldn't find the font file. After a few hours of trying to find a fix I ended up using avidemux to integrate the srt file into the video then used DVDStyler to create the DVD.
I use the restricted extra codecs on my 'nix box but haven't been able to successfully convert DivX avi video files. For this problem I use WinFF to
convert the avi to a DVD compliant mpeg. That way DVDStyler doesn't have to re-encode the video file. It only needs to turn it into the vob and ifo files which only takes 10 -15 minutes depending on the file size.
That said, I have been very happy with the ease and quality of DVDStyler.
It has done what I needed it to do, is easy to use and is faster then most video converters and dvd creators.
Whether you use Linux or Windows, you should do yourself a favor and try out DVDStyler. You may be pleasantly surprised.
And in case you missed the text link you can find it here;
http://www.dvdstyler.org/
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
Monday, July 20, 2009
Streamtuner Shoutcast Plugin Oddity
I have to really wonder if the continuing Shoutcast problem in Streamtuner is in fact caused by the Ubuntu kernel.
I ask this question out loud after installing Vector Linux which is based on Slackware using Linux Kernel version 2.6.27.12
After I installed Vector Linux on an older 1 Ghz computer I saw that Streamtuner was preinstalled. Curious as to whether it would work properly or not I fired it up.
To my surprise, not only did the Shoutcast tab work perfectly but Punkcast and basic.ch plugins were installed and working properly.
Now it is possible that the good people involved with Vector Linux may have patched the plugin or it may be the latest Streamtuner release works as it should in Vector while still causing problems in Ubuntu.
I've also read that other distros don't have problems with the Streamtuner Shoutcast plugin that was recently released.
Yet it seems most Ubuntu users are still having problems with it.
I plan to take a look at the Vector install and the plugin they are using in an attempt to put this to rest once and for all.
I like Streamtuner and have not found anything that compares to it. So I'm not going to give up the fight to get this fixed properly.
TaZ
I ask this question out loud after installing Vector Linux which is based on Slackware using Linux Kernel version 2.6.27.12
After I installed Vector Linux on an older 1 Ghz computer I saw that Streamtuner was preinstalled. Curious as to whether it would work properly or not I fired it up.
To my surprise, not only did the Shoutcast tab work perfectly but Punkcast and basic.ch plugins were installed and working properly.
Now it is possible that the good people involved with Vector Linux may have patched the plugin or it may be the latest Streamtuner release works as it should in Vector while still causing problems in Ubuntu.
I've also read that other distros don't have problems with the Streamtuner Shoutcast plugin that was recently released.
Yet it seems most Ubuntu users are still having problems with it.
I plan to take a look at the Vector install and the plugin they are using in an attempt to put this to rest once and for all.
I like Streamtuner and have not found anything that compares to it. So I'm not going to give up the fight to get this fixed properly.
TaZ
Friday, July 10, 2009
Multiboot Links
I've gotten many requests for some multiboot links and info so I gathered up a bunch of the best from my library.
I used the info to learn how to make my TaZMAn's 15 in 1 Multiboot DVD.
Since I built that DVD some new software and scripts have been released that make this task easier. Two that immediately come to mind are Unetbootin and the script I posted earlier that will create the Cd/DVD for you.
So without further fanfare here are the links and I hope they help all of those who want to create their own multiboot disk.
multicd.sh
http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/
Creating a Multi-boot DVD
http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/enterprise/2005/105070101.asp
Bootland Forum
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/
ISOLINUX
http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/ISOLINUX
LiveCD Creation Resources
http://www.livecdlist.com/wiki/index.php/LiveCD_Creation_Resources
Create a multiboot CD
http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Create_a_multiboot_CD_%28or_USB_flash_drive%29
Multi-boot 30+ Operating Systems with just the ISO, no Disks
http://www.askapache.com/security/install-multiple-os-without-cds.html
Repository of Distros
http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/
XercesTech
http://tech.xerces.com/
Super-Disc: Multi-Boot Project CD/DVD Using ISOLINUX
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=94398
Multiboot DVD with Isolinux
Look on the last page for Jotnar's post
You want this article he posted;
Chris D'Hondt- Changes to Support Multibooting Linux Live CDs on the Same Disc
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=703905&page=3
Update!
This just in from Mufaizal. A pdf file that explains how to make a multi-boot Linux disk.
http://www.byui.edu/Societies/Linux/Archive/creating_a_linux_multi-boot_dvd_LWellman.pdf
Thank you Mufaizal.
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
I used the info to learn how to make my TaZMAn's 15 in 1 Multiboot DVD.
Since I built that DVD some new software and scripts have been released that make this task easier. Two that immediately come to mind are Unetbootin and the script I posted earlier that will create the Cd/DVD for you.
So without further fanfare here are the links and I hope they help all of those who want to create their own multiboot disk.
multicd.sh
http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/
Creating a Multi-boot DVD
http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/enterprise/2005/105070101.asp
Bootland Forum
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/
ISOLINUX
http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/ISOLINUX
LiveCD Creation Resources
http://www.livecdlist.com/wiki/index.php/LiveCD_Creation_Resources
Create a multiboot CD
http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Create_a_multiboot_CD_%28or_USB_flash_drive%29
Multi-boot 30+ Operating Systems with just the ISO, no Disks
http://www.askapache.com/security/install-multiple-os-without-cds.html
Repository of Distros
http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/
XercesTech
http://tech.xerces.com/
Super-Disc: Multi-Boot Project CD/DVD Using ISOLINUX
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=94398
Multiboot DVD with Isolinux
Look on the last page for Jotnar's post
You want this article he posted;
Chris D'Hondt- Changes to Support Multibooting Linux Live CDs on the Same Disc
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=703905&page=3
Update!
This just in from Mufaizal. A pdf file that explains how to make a multi-boot Linux disk.
http://www.byui.edu/Societies/Linux/Archive/creating_a_linux_multi-boot_dvd_LWellman.pdf
Thank you Mufaizal.
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Computer Repairs - Texas Style
Last year, in it's infinite wisdom, Texas passed a law affecting all Computer Techs and computer repair shops.
Seems that in order to continue business as usual the tech will now need a Private Investigator license or face 1 year in jail and up to a total of $14,000 in fines.
And if the customer knowingly takes their computer to an unlicensed tech, they also face the same fines and jail time.
Excuse the following rant....................
What!!!! Are They #@%*&%$ NUTS!!!!
Do they realize the ramifications and repercussions from this idiotic law?
Do they really care or were they scammed by the Texas Private Security Board.
This Board is nothing more then a cartel using every sneaky move in the book to protect their archaic and technology unsavy members.
It seems that even repair shops like the ones in the big box stores that starts with a G got letters from the board to cease and desist until they come into compliance.
Oh yea! I can see them sending their techs to college so they can get a 4 year criminal justice degree or spending 3 years as an apprentice of a licensed P.I.
Or how about the neighbor down the street that does repair work for cheap.
Besides being an unlicensed business, he is now operating without a P.I. license.
In Texas that could very well mean the electric chair.
And what about the consumers? Think the cost for education, licensing and yearly dues aren't going to be passed on to them?
Okay Sir. I installed a new anti-virus program for you. The software is $50 and the labor is $700 for a total of $750.
Oh! I forgot that I also need to add $10 to your bill to cover the cost of my license renewal. So that will be $760 and have a nice day!
If you care to wade through the whole messy details you can follow the link below to a page that documents all the gory details being used in the pending lawsuits.
Mandated Computer License
http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2189&Itemid=129
And should you happen to be a resident of Texas, I urge you to write you representatives and governor urging them to abolish this asinine law.
Because in the long run it will ultimately be you, the consumer, that pays the ultimate price for your government's stupidity.
TaZ
Seems that in order to continue business as usual the tech will now need a Private Investigator license or face 1 year in jail and up to a total of $14,000 in fines.
And if the customer knowingly takes their computer to an unlicensed tech, they also face the same fines and jail time.
Excuse the following rant....................
What!!!! Are They #@%*&%$ NUTS!!!!
Do they realize the ramifications and repercussions from this idiotic law?
Do they really care or were they scammed by the Texas Private Security Board.
This Board is nothing more then a cartel using every sneaky move in the book to protect their archaic and technology unsavy members.
It seems that even repair shops like the ones in the big box stores that starts with a G got letters from the board to cease and desist until they come into compliance.
Oh yea! I can see them sending their techs to college so they can get a 4 year criminal justice degree or spending 3 years as an apprentice of a licensed P.I.
Or how about the neighbor down the street that does repair work for cheap.
Besides being an unlicensed business, he is now operating without a P.I. license.
In Texas that could very well mean the electric chair.
And what about the consumers? Think the cost for education, licensing and yearly dues aren't going to be passed on to them?
Okay Sir. I installed a new anti-virus program for you. The software is $50 and the labor is $700 for a total of $750.
Oh! I forgot that I also need to add $10 to your bill to cover the cost of my license renewal. So that will be $760 and have a nice day!
If you care to wade through the whole messy details you can follow the link below to a page that documents all the gory details being used in the pending lawsuits.
Mandated Computer License
http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2189&Itemid=129
And should you happen to be a resident of Texas, I urge you to write you representatives and governor urging them to abolish this asinine law.
Because in the long run it will ultimately be you, the consumer, that pays the ultimate price for your government's stupidity.
TaZ
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
MultiBootin With UNetbootin. A Multiboot Flash Drive Tutorial
I have found that it is fairly easy to make a multiboot flash drive using UNetbootin.
A bit of time, moving files and some simple edits to the syslinux.cfg file is all that is needed.
I'm going to give a short tutorial on how to dual boot Mint Linux and Puppy Linux.
This is done on a 1 gig flash drive with only one partition.
Assuming you already have UNetbootin installed insert your flash drive.
Make sure that any data on your flash drive is saved elsewhere as UNetbootin will wipe it all out.
Start UNetbootin and from the drop down list select Puppy Linux.
The only version available should be the 'Latest Live' version. Select it and then choose the proper destination drive for the flash drive.
After it is finished downloading and configuring Puppy it may be a good idea to try it out by rebooting your computer with the flash drive still installed. If your Bios is configured properly to boot from the flash drive you will see Puupy boot up, ask some questions about hardware and screen resolution then boot to it's Desktop. Once you have verified that it works, reboot your computer with the flash drive removed.
Now that you are back in your computer make a folder on the Desktop or anywhere else you prefer and name it something like USB Puppy.
Insert your flash drive, open it, select all the files and copy them over to the new folder you just made. Now delete all the files on the flash drive. It's time for step 2.
Open UNetbootin and select Mint Linux. Choose the flash drive for the destination and start the download. After it is done you will again want to test it to verify it is working.
When you are satisfied that all is working properly boot back into your main system and then insert your flash drive once again.
Open the flash drive to reveal all the files and folders. Now open the first folder you created named USB Puppy. I resize both windows so they are visible side by side for easy transfer.
In the Puppy folder select all the files except those that have duplicate names in the flash drive containing Mint.
These are the file names you do NOT want to transfer over;
vesamenu.c32, ubnpathl.txt, ubnkern, ubninit, ubnfilel.txt, syslinux.cfg, ldlinux.sys
You could also select all then tell the file manager to skip the files that already exist but I don't like taking a chance that a file may get overwritten or corrupted.
Now that you have all the files from the Puppy folder copied to the flash drive it's time to add the Puppy Linux entry into the Mint syslinux.cfg file. It really is painless! :-)
Open the syslinux.cfg file in the Puppy folder with your favorite text editor.
This is what you will see;
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100
label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit pmedia=cd
label ubnentry0
menu label puppy
kernel /vmlinuz
append initrd=/initrd.gz pmedia=cd
All we want is the last 4 lines of this file (In Bold). Select this portion and copy it.
Now open up the syslinux.cfg file for Mint which looks like this;
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100
label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry0
menu label Start Linux Mint
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry1
menu label Start Linux Mint in compatibility mode
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll --
label ubnentry2
menu label Memory Test
kernel /isolinux/memtest
append initrd=/ubninit
label ubnentry3
menu label Boot from local drive
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit
Now place your cursor in between the section that starts with label ubnentry1 and label ubnentry2 and paste the entry from Puppy between them. I use the Enter and Delete keys to make this new entry conform to the format of the other entries. Makes editting easier.
Now before we close and save this file we need to correct some of the label entries.
Notice that each new entry starts with label unetbootindefault then continues with label ubnentry0, ubnentry1, etc. until we get to the entry that contains the new Puppy info.
That one says label ubnentry0 but we already have a label ubnentry0 that points to Mint.
So we take the last entry numbered 3 and change it to 4. Then change entry number 2 to number 3. And finally change the label for Puppy from 0 to 2.
The final syslinux.cfg file should look like this;
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100
label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry0
menu label Start Linux Mint
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry1
menu label Start Linux Mint in compatibility mode
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll --
label ubnentry2
menu label puppy
kernel /vmlinuz
append initrd=/initrd.gz pmedia=cd
label ubnentry3
menu label Memory Test
kernel /isolinux/memtest
append initrd=/ubninit
label ubnentry4
menu label Boot from local drive
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit
Now close and save this new modified syslinux.cfg file.
Close all open folders, reboot your system with your new multi-boot flash drive still inserted and try it out. If you did it right you should now be able to access either Mint or Puppy and use them in 'Live' mode.
Before I go I want to leave you with some ideas, thoughts and tips.
This tutorial is not the only method to create a multi-boot flash drive nor may it be the fastest or easiest. But this is the way I first tried it and with this method I had success.
Not all distros will be multi-bootable in the same manner. If two distros have the same kernel or boot loader name you will have conflicts that will cause it not to work.
One method to get around this would be to either use 2 partitions or put them in seperate folders. I have not tried this nor am I saying these methods will work. I'll leave you to try it and experiment.
Don't feel that you are limited to just these 2 distros or that you can only have 2 distros for a multi-boot flash. Since I first tried this experiment I have also added Clonezilla to the drive giving me the option to boot to one of three distros/software.
Some flash drives may not be compatible with the Bios and will not boot.
I have some 2 Gig flash drives that won't work yet my 1 Gig flash drives from the same manufacturer works. So if it doesn't work the first time try a different flash drive.
I will not hold anyone's hand or walk them through these procedures. Learning computers and new ideas requires the user to try it and possibly fail until they have success. I have found that this works the best when teaching people new ideas or techniques. Call it tough love or whatever. It works!
Finally I need to make a comment on hidden files. Some distros have them, others don't.
Puppy doesn't but Mint does. I could have had you install Puppy then moved Mint over to the flash drive. But in order for Mint to work properly you would need to choose Show Hidden Files from the View button and make sure that you copied these over to the flash drive as well as the main files.
Hope this mini-tutorial helps you into your journey of multi-boot flash drives.
Enjoy!!
TaZMAn
A bit of time, moving files and some simple edits to the syslinux.cfg file is all that is needed.
I'm going to give a short tutorial on how to dual boot Mint Linux and Puppy Linux.
This is done on a 1 gig flash drive with only one partition.
Assuming you already have UNetbootin installed insert your flash drive.
Make sure that any data on your flash drive is saved elsewhere as UNetbootin will wipe it all out.
Start UNetbootin and from the drop down list select Puppy Linux.
The only version available should be the 'Latest Live' version. Select it and then choose the proper destination drive for the flash drive.
After it is finished downloading and configuring Puppy it may be a good idea to try it out by rebooting your computer with the flash drive still installed. If your Bios is configured properly to boot from the flash drive you will see Puupy boot up, ask some questions about hardware and screen resolution then boot to it's Desktop. Once you have verified that it works, reboot your computer with the flash drive removed.
Now that you are back in your computer make a folder on the Desktop or anywhere else you prefer and name it something like USB Puppy.
Insert your flash drive, open it, select all the files and copy them over to the new folder you just made. Now delete all the files on the flash drive. It's time for step 2.
Open UNetbootin and select Mint Linux. Choose the flash drive for the destination and start the download. After it is done you will again want to test it to verify it is working.
When you are satisfied that all is working properly boot back into your main system and then insert your flash drive once again.
Open the flash drive to reveal all the files and folders. Now open the first folder you created named USB Puppy. I resize both windows so they are visible side by side for easy transfer.
In the Puppy folder select all the files except those that have duplicate names in the flash drive containing Mint.
These are the file names you do NOT want to transfer over;
vesamenu.c32, ubnpathl.txt, ubnkern, ubninit, ubnfilel.txt, syslinux.cfg, ldlinux.sys
You could also select all then tell the file manager to skip the files that already exist but I don't like taking a chance that a file may get overwritten or corrupted.
Now that you have all the files from the Puppy folder copied to the flash drive it's time to add the Puppy Linux entry into the Mint syslinux.cfg file. It really is painless! :-)
Open the syslinux.cfg file in the Puppy folder with your favorite text editor.
This is what you will see;
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100
label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit pmedia=cd
label ubnentry0
menu label puppy
kernel /vmlinuz
append initrd=/initrd.gz pmedia=cd
All we want is the last 4 lines of this file (In Bold). Select this portion and copy it.
Now open up the syslinux.cfg file for Mint which looks like this;
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100
label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry0
menu label Start Linux Mint
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry1
menu label Start Linux Mint in compatibility mode
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll --
label ubnentry2
menu label Memory Test
kernel /isolinux/memtest
append initrd=/ubninit
label ubnentry3
menu label Boot from local drive
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit
Now place your cursor in between the section that starts with label ubnentry1 and label ubnentry2 and paste the entry from Puppy between them. I use the Enter and Delete keys to make this new entry conform to the format of the other entries. Makes editting easier.
Now before we close and save this file we need to correct some of the label entries.
Notice that each new entry starts with label unetbootindefault then continues with label ubnentry0, ubnentry1, etc. until we get to the entry that contains the new Puppy info.
That one says label ubnentry0 but we already have a label ubnentry0 that points to Mint.
So we take the last entry numbered 3 and change it to 4. Then change entry number 2 to number 3. And finally change the label for Puppy from 0 to 2.
The final syslinux.cfg file should look like this;
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100
label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry0
menu label Start Linux Mint
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash --
label ubnentry1
menu label Start Linux Mint in compatibility mode
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.gz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll --
label ubnentry2
menu label puppy
kernel /vmlinuz
append initrd=/initrd.gz pmedia=cd
label ubnentry3
menu label Memory Test
kernel /isolinux/memtest
append initrd=/ubninit
label ubnentry4
menu label Boot from local drive
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit
Now close and save this new modified syslinux.cfg file.
Close all open folders, reboot your system with your new multi-boot flash drive still inserted and try it out. If you did it right you should now be able to access either Mint or Puppy and use them in 'Live' mode.
Before I go I want to leave you with some ideas, thoughts and tips.
This tutorial is not the only method to create a multi-boot flash drive nor may it be the fastest or easiest. But this is the way I first tried it and with this method I had success.
Not all distros will be multi-bootable in the same manner. If two distros have the same kernel or boot loader name you will have conflicts that will cause it not to work.
One method to get around this would be to either use 2 partitions or put them in seperate folders. I have not tried this nor am I saying these methods will work. I'll leave you to try it and experiment.
Don't feel that you are limited to just these 2 distros or that you can only have 2 distros for a multi-boot flash. Since I first tried this experiment I have also added Clonezilla to the drive giving me the option to boot to one of three distros/software.
Some flash drives may not be compatible with the Bios and will not boot.
I have some 2 Gig flash drives that won't work yet my 1 Gig flash drives from the same manufacturer works. So if it doesn't work the first time try a different flash drive.
I will not hold anyone's hand or walk them through these procedures. Learning computers and new ideas requires the user to try it and possibly fail until they have success. I have found that this works the best when teaching people new ideas or techniques. Call it tough love or whatever. It works!
Finally I need to make a comment on hidden files. Some distros have them, others don't.
Puppy doesn't but Mint does. I could have had you install Puppy then moved Mint over to the flash drive. But in order for Mint to work properly you would need to choose Show Hidden Files from the View button and make sure that you copied these over to the flash drive as well as the main files.
Hope this mini-tutorial helps you into your journey of multi-boot flash drives.
Enjoy!!
TaZMAn
Sunday, May 10, 2009
UNetbootin - Boot Distros From Flash Drive
UNetbootin is a great free program that is available for Windows and numerous Linux Distros.
It allows you to boot your computer from a flash drive that has a pre-installed Distro or App on it.
Your computer needs to both boot from USB and recognize the flash drive as a USB Hard Drive. You will need to access your Bios and set it to boot from the USB port.
UNetbootin can either use a supported distro ISO file that has been saved on your hard drive or you can select a distro from the drop down box and it will download and configure the flash drive for you.
I've tried several distros found in the drop box with much success. The only distro I had a problem with was Slax. Not sure why I had a problem with it because I have used Slax in a 'Live' environment on this system before with no problems.
I'm planning to use UNetbootin to make a multi-boot USB flash drive.
I figure that if I use one larger distro like Mint, I can still get 2 or 3 smaller distros on a 1 gig flash drive.
I have several larger flash drives in the 2, 4 and 8 gig varieties but my system won't properly recognize these flash drives during the boot process.
So until I get a chance to find a work around like partitioning the larger flash drives into 1 gig partitions, I will stick with the 1 gig variety.
I don't see much of a problem setting up a multi-boot flash drive.
I'll install the distros one at a time. When one is installed I will copy the contents of the flash drive and save it on my hard drive then wipe the flash drive for the next distro.
Then I will install the 2nd and 3rd distros doing the same as the first between each download.
When the last distro is downloaded and installed on the flash drive I will copy the contents of the previous installs onto the drive one at a time.
The boot loader used is Syslinux which is easily modified to include the boot info needed by the other distros.
If I can get the larger flash drives working by setting up multiple partitions then I may need to use grub with a modified loader and menu but for a simple 1 partition drive Syslinux should be fine.
I'll update my blog with the results once I'm done playing.
I need some premium playtime and this project will be just what the doctor ordered.
UPDATE!
Check my May 12 entry for a mini tutorial on making a multiboot flash drive using UNetbootin.
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
It allows you to boot your computer from a flash drive that has a pre-installed Distro or App on it.
Your computer needs to both boot from USB and recognize the flash drive as a USB Hard Drive. You will need to access your Bios and set it to boot from the USB port.
UNetbootin can either use a supported distro ISO file that has been saved on your hard drive or you can select a distro from the drop down box and it will download and configure the flash drive for you.
I've tried several distros found in the drop box with much success. The only distro I had a problem with was Slax. Not sure why I had a problem with it because I have used Slax in a 'Live' environment on this system before with no problems.
I'm planning to use UNetbootin to make a multi-boot USB flash drive.
I figure that if I use one larger distro like Mint, I can still get 2 or 3 smaller distros on a 1 gig flash drive.
I have several larger flash drives in the 2, 4 and 8 gig varieties but my system won't properly recognize these flash drives during the boot process.
So until I get a chance to find a work around like partitioning the larger flash drives into 1 gig partitions, I will stick with the 1 gig variety.
I don't see much of a problem setting up a multi-boot flash drive.
I'll install the distros one at a time. When one is installed I will copy the contents of the flash drive and save it on my hard drive then wipe the flash drive for the next distro.
Then I will install the 2nd and 3rd distros doing the same as the first between each download.
When the last distro is downloaded and installed on the flash drive I will copy the contents of the previous installs onto the drive one at a time.
The boot loader used is Syslinux which is easily modified to include the boot info needed by the other distros.
If I can get the larger flash drives working by setting up multiple partitions then I may need to use grub with a modified loader and menu but for a simple 1 partition drive Syslinux should be fine.
I'll update my blog with the results once I'm done playing.
I need some premium playtime and this project will be just what the doctor ordered.
UPDATE!
Check my May 12 entry for a mini tutorial on making a multiboot flash drive using UNetbootin.
Enjoy!
TaZMAn
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