Boot iso from hard disk

oui · 2022-01-10 08:01:21

A question more: I don't like USB hardware stick outside from my laptops because danger (one more) for the computer itself. I assume other users are also afraid about the same danger and did try to use refracta snapshot iso's directly out the internal hard disk?

What seems to be the best way to do that?

fsmithred · 2022-01-10 11:51:16

oui wrote:

A question more: I don't like USB hardware stick outside from my laptops because danger (one more) for the computer itself. I assume other users are also afraid about the same danger and did try to use refracta snapshot iso's directly out the internal hard disk?
What seems to be the best way to do that?

Please start a new topic for this question. Maybe call it "boot iso from hard disk" or something similar.
Or search the forum for 'isofile loop findiso' to see past discussions.
Thanks.

xinomilo · 2022-01-10 15:50:31

grub-imageboot
some example : https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware/Update … -imageboot

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-10 16:27:28

Manual version here:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?ti … 407#Debian

andyprough · 2022-01-10 21:15:03

I got one of these short, stubby Samsung Fit Plus usb drives for that. Sticks out the side of the laptop about a quarter of an inch. Like one of those little nubs you get for a wireless mouse.

Most of the different usb drive makers have their own version. They're not expensive, like $8 - $10 for a 64GB one.

Last edited by andyprough (2022-01-10 21:17:23)

oui · 2022-01-10 21:49:40

@Head_on_a_stick and @xinomilo

I have some Debian-Live and Ubuntu-caspers (from Puppy-Dogs ;-) , a derivative of olds Debian Live designs) on the PC.

As far I can remember, it is possible to have more than one caspers system but only one unique Debian system with "live" on the hard disk...

As Devuan will be the conform extension of Debian with no systemd, the ISO's made by the refracta snapshot are based on Debian-live and a new ISO more seem to be outside the limit from one unique live system as a live system is already perhaps more than 5 years present on the disc...

I am afraid imageboot will require the same as it is from Debian or if used with a Debian like/compatible iso?

andyprough wrote:

Thank you andyprough
I got one of these short, stubby Samsung Fit Plus usb drives for that. Sticks out the side of the laptop about a quarter of an inch. Like one of those little nubs you get for a wireless mouse.
https://www.dataio.nl/wp-content/upload … t-Plus.jpg
Most of the different usb drive makers have their own version. They're not expensive, like $8 - $10 for a 64GB one.

I did do so with 2 big problems: I use 3 different laptops daily:

the main laptop fest on an support arm on the table
(because bad view so it is high enough AND a keyboard with my really map US INTL (it is a relatively rare map as hardware! But I have such keyboards; perhaps French speaking families in the USA also because no way to write easily French with the real French map of France if you are not accustomed, to much is different including sensible chars like "m" (for ex. to write setxkboarMap :-)) , or numbers in passwords, user names etc. The French keyboard of France is terrible...)! The US INTL map is best to write about ALL MAJOR LANGUAGE of all the world, if you write then not too often. Nothing to install, user directly in connection with the US INTL map the site http://inputking.com (you need only to install the adequate fonts!) and can immediately write Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Tamil, Telugu etc!)
not movable any more with and because all cables fest wired on the support arm

the transsormer laptop with touch screen usable as tablet with or without integrated keyboard / pad

the light weight laptop with phone adapter and SIM card.

My experience is: I have never the mini stick with me as I need it!

This also is an important reason... But more, my mini stick connect unwilling on USB3 ;-( . If you have the stick with you, it is possible, you can't connect because unclear ancompatibilities... Also you need more sticks and soon you will have software differences from stick = from hardware, probably laptop, to stick.

no really, it is not the good solution! Why an Terra Byte(s) big HardDisk if it can't store all the software?

andyprough · 2022-01-10 23:48:32

You may want to check out the antiX distro. It's very similar to Devuan with a Debian base and sysvinit as the init system. It's got a ton of boot options, including the boot from iso you are looking for, about 7 different USB persistence options which could also help you, and "frugal install" in which you boot with a USB stick but have a small partition on the hard drive where you can store files. I've used it a lot over the years. Not near as polished of a desktop as Devuan, but it's got some amazing tools.

hevidevi · 2022-01-11 07:58:22

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Manual version here:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?ti … 407#Debian

so could i create an ext4 partition on same disk as devuan os and host say a debian live iso on it and boot to it via this kind of menu setup?

my thinking is just copy over to say /dev/sda3/debian11/debian11.iso then use that menu config like so below ?

menuentry '[loopback]debian11' {
        set isofile='/debian11/debian11.iso'
        loopback loop $isofile
        linux (loop)/live/vmlinuz boot=live config fromiso=/dev/sda3/$isofile
        initrd (loop)/live/initrd.gz
}

Last edited by hevidevi (2022-01-11 08:00:14)

fsmithred · 2022-01-11 13:31:25

As far I can remember, it is possible to have more than one caspers system but only one unique Debian system with "live" on the hard disk...

You can have more than one debian/devuan live iso bootable on hard disk or usb. It depends on how you lay out the disk. I make multiboot live-usb devuan or debian systems all the time using refracta2usb.
https://refracta.org/docs/readme.refracta2usb.txt
https://sourceforge.net/projects/refrac … -2.4.3.deb

fsmithred · 2022-01-11 13:36:22

@hevidevi
I think the isos have to be in the same partition that has the /boot directory.

alphalpha · 2022-01-11 14:36:32

You could use a mini pci-e to usb card, if you have a free slot
There are also cards that can take two micro sd cards

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-01-11 14:42:29

hevidevi wrote:

my thinking is just copy over to say /dev/sda3/debian11/debian11.iso then use that menu config like so below ?

That would only work if GRUB is installed on /dev/sda3 (ie, if grub.cfg is being read from that partition).

Otherwise the partition it must be identified on the loopback line, like this:

menuentry '[loopback]debian11' {
   search --set=isopart --fs-uuid $uuid
   set isofile='/debian11/debian11.iso'
   loopback loop ($isopart)$isofile
   linux (loop)/live/vmlinuz boot=live config fromiso=/dev/sda3/$isofile
   initrd (loop)/live/initrd.gz
}

Replace $uuid with the actual UUID of the partition.

oui · 2022-01-11 21:24:19

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

hevidevi wrote:
my thinking is just copy over to say /dev/sda3/debian11/debian11.iso then use that menu config like so below ?
That would only work if GRUB is installed on /dev/sda3 (ie, if grub.cfg is being read from that partition).
Otherwise the partition it must be identified on the loopback line, like this:
menuentry '[loopback]debian11' {
   search --set=isopart --fs-uuid $uuid
   set isofile='/debian11/debian11.iso'
   loopback loop ($isopart)$isofile
   linux (loop)/live/vmlinuz boot=live config fromiso=/dev/sda3/$isofile
   initrd (loop)/live/initrd.gz
}
Replace $uuid with the actual UUID of the partition.

a great problem for me (as I will use exactly the same software on 3 laptops (describe above, for what an use...) all DELL, all i7, but different Dell hardware, ... and, logic, different firmware, as well different disk size, ram size according to the uses...) I would better never use UUID because each UUID has to be unique!

I always try to continue to prefer /dev/sdaN ...

but I must say, I don't know how the ACTUAL usages permitting to use that old sort of address of partitions are today, in GRUB, in each OS etc.

and search the right manual pages is not easy if you search translating the name you use in a foreign language (as the manual pages in French and German) are not always available (the non interesting pages being not problematic are about ALL present l-) but the real problematic pages or, the new style of Debian, all in informations Web pages (and ancomprehensible manual pages, beeing not any more comprehensible, often because the word selection used in the translation of those man pages ...) are difficult to find with search engines because you don't use the correct English vocabulary.

I don't know some Debian wiki beginning with:

Here are your access to all official manuals publish in you tongue (in black) and those also existing but not in your tongue (in red):

- newbie manual for this (black)
- newbie manual for that (black)
- beginner manual for this (black)
- beginner manual for that (red)
- administrator manual for this (red ;-) !)
- administrator manual for that (black)
- manual for x.
- manual for y
- manual for x
- manuals for (more) ...
- mixed alphabetic index for precedent topics (words in your language in black, words only available in English in red)
- mixed alphabetic index for main pages (words in your language in black, words only available in English in red)

this is the reason why you have to repeat along the year always probably always the same recommendations again and again and again in the forums...

Debian is made only for less than 340000000 people (USA) and under 68000000 people (UK) as well as under 38000000 people (Canada) as well (perhaps!) as under 5500000 people (Liberia)... It is ridiculous quantity compared with the world population (propab. ab. 8000000000 people minus the quantities named before) made linguistic colony from USA through ...
... Debian / Devuan!

Microsoft did understand that problem 40 years ago and present since 1985 a linguistic support for each part of the world totally adapted to each population...

I am not an enemy from English language (I have grand parents being English person having live in North of France, reality being not as rare as perhaps certain admit, and have English blood in me...) but I see the division of the world through the languages and the negative influences of that evolution, the building of blocks, especially in micro informatical sciences and this will create the exactly same consequences that in the years 1965..1980 where the USA did have to admit that a lot of technological problems were already perfect solved in common Russian literature (not being accessible for American people only because language as Slavic migrants were rare in USA...). I assume that tomorrow, as no people any more else Chinese (and perhaps Japanese) people is able to produce great CPU's, Debian etc. will live terrible future: Chinese and Chinese writing will have become the new standard as Chinese people needs nobody more now to develop her technological culture completely in Chinese writing (as Indonesian people does in Indonesian, like Chinese and English one of the most simple languages. Yes, Chinese is difficult but only the writing with the benefit, that all Far East can understand the text written in Chines as far they did learn the Chinese chars traditionally also used in her own language, Cantonese, Japanese, Koreans, etc. do that)! Learn Chinese, brothers ;-) being today to proud to admit we have to do as Microsoft in the past and BUILD ALL TOGETHER an uniform and complete base technical culture in each important language room of the world if we will avoid to create more negative world structures as today (differences in financial etc. levels)...

UNIX did have avoid that problem using about only man pages: all was concentrate in those and it was clear what was to translate in which language (the only one interesting extensions were unix man pages WITH examples of uses an hints. Different internet pages offer that...).

Last edited by oui (2022-01-11 21:36:26)

siva · 2022-03-24 19:06:10

oui wrote:

A question more: I don't like USB hardware stick outside from my laptops because danger (one more) for the computer itself. I assume other users are also afraid about the same danger and did try to use refracta snapshot iso's directly out the internal hard disk?
What seems to be the best way to do that?

I'm half-sure what you're asking, but I once ran dd to an HDD and basically copied a Kali ISO directly to a laptop's hard drive. Session data is non-persistent, which is a dealbreaker for most use cases.

Last edited by siva (2022-03-24 19:06:33)

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#1 2022-01-10 08:01:21

Boot iso from hard disk

#2 2022-01-10 11:51:16

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#3 2022-01-10 15:50:31

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#4 2022-01-10 16:27:28

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#5 2022-01-10 21:15:03

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#6 2022-01-10 21:49:40

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#7 2022-01-10 23:48:32

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#8 2022-01-11 07:58:22

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#9 2022-01-11 13:31:25

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#10 2022-01-11 13:36:22

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#11 2022-01-11 14:36:32

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#12 2022-01-11 14:42:29

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#13 2022-01-11 21:24:19

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

#14 2022-03-24 19:06:10

Re: Boot iso from hard disk

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