Trouble installing Slackware 14 using unetbootin USB on Dell Studio 15 1535 laptop
 

On my windows computer, I have created a bootable USB using Unetbootin... It is easy!

Only now while in the slackware setup, I have trouble determining what to select under "Source"

Technically I should count this as a CD/DVD since it is an .iso, right? While doing so, under "manual" and "custom", I enter the source: /dev/sdb1 and boom comes the error.

On a side note, I do not want suggestions for alienbob's method of creating a usb because it does not work.

Does anyone have any success with installing Slackware from a USB (preferably created thru Unetbootin) onto a machine, and how?

I read your post just before I tried to install Slackware. So I decide to give it a quick try. Had issue after issue but decided to try one last thing before I gave up.

Where it says setup the target partitions is what you want. I am going to assume that you know how to set up swap, / /boot and so on.

In the setup target partitions it gives you the option for a quick format on each partition. For example mine was,

/boot (dev/sda1)
/swap (dev/sda2)
/ (dev/sda3)

I had to pick the root partition which is /dev/sda3 for me. Then I picked the boot partition, which was /dev/sda1 for me. My usb card is /dev/sdb1 as your is. So what I did was from the setup target partitions I chose that one and set it up as /slack this set it up so it would be accessible through the /dev/sda3/ BUT DO NOT FORMAT sdb1, choose the third option. Then it will ask you where you want to mount it, as I said for me it was /slack

So when it asked me for the hard drive path I chose /dev/sda3 (my root) and then it asked the folder I typed in /slack/slackware

It installed fine after that.

I am in a bit of a rush so sorry if made any typos. Hopefully I was able to explain this clearly for you. Also I didn't go through with the whole install. I stopped it after a few minutes. As long as I got this to work I need to redo it on another hard drive after I set up luks+lvm.

How did you pick the root? I know you were rushed, but I need a little more detail. After awhile, it seemed to go fine, but when it came to LILO, it gave errors, and rebooting did nothing after the installation "completed".

Also, in my cfdisk, I have:

sda5 [unflagged] Logical swap 6000.0mb
sda2 [boot] Primary ext2 160000.00mb

I can make it bootable or unbootable thru cfdisk, but that's it. Also, how did you set it up as /slack?

I looked at this years ago, and couldn't get it to work. Back then the UNetbootin did NOT claim to support any version of slackware. It STILL doesn't. If you do manage to get this to actually work, please make meticulous notes of the steps and post back here. Lots of people would like to see this work.

I always had trouble with Unetbootin and Slackware. Try the supported way to install Slackware: Use the USB install image (can be found in any repository and on your Slackware DVD). Write it to the USB disk either with dd (on Linux) or with Image Writer for Windows (obviously on Windows). That always works for me.

How?

Also, here are my notes for how I used UNetbootin:

• insert usb
• run UNetbootin
• select .iso file (not linux version)
• booted completed stick onto laptop
• log in as root
• cfdisk (sda5 set as swap, sda2 set Primary and /boot)
• setup
• read HELP and continue to addswap
• I checked for bad blocks on my first round
• continued to target (formatted as ext2) bad blocks checked originally
• Source: Install form a hard drive partition
• /dev/sdb1
• /slackware64 (after this, the list of packages comes up)
• I chose terse install after this

After this, the installation just stops. ALT+4 shows me that EXT2-fs and EXT3-fs are not on my dev sdb1, which is new... Before, it would allow me to try and install the rest, leading to failure anyway.

As described in the documentation: http://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/linux/slackw...README_USB.TXT

Nope, that doesnt work in windows, especially not dd. dd just repeats the command you just input, and thats about it. Any changes it makes are definitely not indicated through my usb drive, thats for sure.

plus what good is a bootable usb without the core packages?

As I have stated before, you can use the Image Writer on Windows instead of dd, I already gave you the link to that in a previous post.
The installer is able to use any Slackware mirror or packages on a second partition for the install. There is no need to have the packages on the USB.

Well how do I get packages on my system if I cant install them thru the USB?

specifically: the core packages?

Also, the link you gave me led me to download a program that does not have a setup or executable...

As I stated above, any Slackware mirror will do the job. You can find a list of mirrors here: http://mirrors.slackware.com/mirrorlist/
A Slackware package tree on any other medium (DVD, USB, HDD, Samba-share, ...) will also work.

If you look at the right site of that page I linked to you will find a binary download, inside a zip file. Installation is not needed.

...

I have Slackware64-14.0-install-dvd already, I meant ImageWriter for Windows.

I too.

As an FYI, the OP has a second active thread here http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ll-4175435818/ on the same issue.

More than one way to skin a cat... Any logical individual would opt to seek help with different methods and and pathways, so careful if you meant to accuse someone seeking assistance.

As an FYI, the OP is making a video of exactly what happens to help those helping me. Thanks.

Per the forum rules you should create on thread and not have duplicate threads. Besides, I am not accusing, just letting others know so they can see what else you have tried, and to mention LQ rules.

They say in part:

Ok, so technically, if I used ImageWriter to make:

USB1: usbboot.img

and

USB2: slackware64-14.0-install-dvd.iso

and had them both plugged in while booting... couldnt I use one to load setup, and the other to load the packages? And what are the exact commands to do this from start to finish? Im a nub.

1. Start from the installer USB
2. When you are at the CLI login as root, as usual.
3. Now create 2 new directories, used as mountpoints for accessing the packages:4. Now we are mounting the second USB, that one with the ISO on it. To do so we have of course to know its device descriptor. You can check that with I assume now that the device descriptor for that partition is /dev/sdc1 and mount that to USB:5. Now we mount the ISO to the /iso directory:6. Now you can just start the installer. When it comes to selection of the source for packages use the "Install from mounted filesystem" option (or similar, I don't know exactly how the option is named) and point the installer to the slackware directory under /iso.

Hello,

Follow this link to download the zip file including the executable...

Cheers

Hello,

Follow this link to download the zip file including the executable ...

Cheers

Alien BOB's instructions work perfectly. I have done 5 installs in the last two months with usb sticks I have created follwoing his instructions. It's friggin awesome. You may have had trouble, but I can assure you that it works.

Hi,

if your problem is to mount the sources directory (which is included into the USB-images), you have several other choices to deal with the sources.
For example, before you start "setup" create a directory /install/ and mount the sources there.
then when the installer asks for the sources, select "from a premounted directory" and the path should then be
BTW: don't format with ext2, use ext3 instead. And: I don't know in which country you are but we have our installation-guide at SlackDocs by now translated in several languages: http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:install and there are additional sources of information which may be helpful. Installing Slackware is definitely easy once the partitioning is done.

Markus