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Old 03-06-2013, 02:51 AM   #1
jadedXMpp
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Unhappy older laptop, only one UFD is bootable, how to replicate to install linux?


By older I mean P4. The cost to replace optical drive exceeds value of device. Only the lexar lightning is recognized as bootable. It has a flavor of windows miniPE: not suited to install ubuntu I bet. But that usb thumb drive is useful so I have no desire to make it a liveboot of ubuntu.

How do I extract- or identify the whatsit properties that my old bios deem bootable but no dozen newer usb thumb drives are? Then how do I inflict those on a new usb thumb drive? or buy one that is?

What're some options for backing up (clone?) the lexar lightning usb thumb drive?


Being old the toshiba bios is as updated as it will ever be. The lightning shows as a removable device. I have tried using a single partition less than 2gigs on newer thumb drives known to boot newer machines. The plan was to post the usb vidid but is has wandered off my desk. The internal HD was wiped a few years ago.

What additional information need I provide?
 
Old 03-06-2013, 09:10 AM   #2
michaelk
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There are several tools via both windows and linux that are capable of creating a bootable flash drive. What tool(s) have you tried? If the Lexar USB boots that it should be possible to create others.

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
 
Old 03-19-2013, 07:52 PM   #3
jadedXMpp
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ubuntu

unetbootin
tuxboot
ubuntu's built in USB creator

the process whereby I have made other USB pen drives bootable* have allowed booting other machines; those same verified booting drives will not boot the laptop

I'm reasonably sure miniPE on the lightening was installed via FlashBoot under windows XP.

Pairing down the FAT/32 parition to less than 2gigs for larger drives does not seem to allieviate non-bootedness.



* most recently Patriot supersonic XT. Interestingly Patriot Rage XT resists becoming bootable but that's an OT on multichannel USB pen drives.
 
Old 04-06-2013, 11:54 AM   #4
jadedXMpp
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most importantly:

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Originally Posted by jadedXMpp View Post

How do I extract- or identify the whatsit properties that my old bios deem bootable but no dozen newer usb thumb drives are? Then how do I inflict those on a new usb thumb drive? or buy one that is?
 
  


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