Slackware64-current usbboot.img fails to boot
 

Using the latest usbboot.img file, my PC fails to load with the message -
Could not find kernel image: linux
boot:

Using the normal dd if=, and/or the usbimg2disk.sh.

32bit-current, and 12.2 usbboot.img files work fine with same method/usb stick. 64-current CD and DVD also load/install. NFS just happens to be faster than my optical drives.

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md5sum usbboot.img
7ea8087000f48d8f84a3a9459672f478 usbboot.img

Tested and found the same problem here. Made a new usbboot.img, tested it and it works. It has been uploaded to ftp.slackware.com and ftp.osuosl.org. Thanks for the report!

Seems to work now.

I don't know what's with the usbboot.img but i have never got it to any of my machines. It always returns boot error.
I had to use the usbimg2disk.sh which used to work until recently but not lately.
Some days ago using usbimg2disk.sh and booting from USB gave nothing but a blank screen.
Hopefully the latest rebuild will fix at least one of those problems too.

Could be a bios issue.

With the Slackware usbboot.img, using dd, one of my PC's reports it as a removable Zip drive. When using the usbimg2disk script, that same PC reports it as a USB thumb drive. Kind of strange. They both perform the same once booted.

Give Unetbootin a try ( http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ ) I've used it a couple of times to put Slackware on 1/2/4/8 GIG USB sticks.

I doubt it's a BIOS issue as it happens only with the Slackware USB installer.
Both Arch & Ubuntu NBR have loaded fine on the same machine, & so did the Slackware one if you created it with the usbimg2disk.sh script until recently.
BTW i have just verified that todays version doesn't work at all either.

Just tested the latest usbboot.img with the usbimg2disk.sh script, and it works fine here.

The only change i have made to my system is that i no longer run a kernel with an initrd.
Could this be relevant?
Other than that, the latest usbboot.img doesnt work at all. Same as before, if i dd it directly when booting it says Boot error,
if i use usbimg2disk, theres nothing but a black sreen with a cursor blinking.
I tried the one in the 32bit-current tree, with the same results.

I figured out what the problem for me was. I didnt have floppy installed (i dont have a floppy drive on any machine)
Syslinux needs mtools to work properly. I still dont know why just dd'ing the .img doesnt work though, most likely
doing it this way doesnt mark the partition as bootable. Its the only difference i can think of.

It seems that there is a problem again with the 64bit usbboot.img...

As of 1/2 hour ago, usbboot.img still contains only part of the syslinux bits.

WorkAround:
1. copy the x86_64 slackware-13 usbboot.img
2. create the flash with usbimg2disk.sh using the borrowed usbboot.img
3. mount the flash
4. replace 'huge.s' in the flash with 'kernels/huge.s/bzImage' from the slackware64-current tree (remember to rename 'bzImage' to 'huge.s')
5. The flash will now boot with the kernel it would have had if usbboot.img was correct, and you can install as usual.

Notes:
a. This same method will most likely work with the 'dd' method of creating a install boot flash but I did not test it.
b. usbboot.img will probably be corrected in slackware64-current shortly.

Cheers,
Emilio

PS:
Note that machines that need the syslinux wrapper
(e.g. usbimg2disk.sh) will not boot from the 'boot flash' you have the option to create towards the end of the install.

In 64-current its currently broken. Its a known problem and should be fixed soon.

BTW since Slackware passed into 2.6.32.x and removed hda support the usbboot.img's can be dd'ed and boot my machines just fine.