Create Live USB from active Desktop?

[Fester Bestertester]

I feel like a newbie here. I've used linux since Mandrake, but latest developments seem to be leaving me behind. Now of Pension age, I'm partaking of 'Respite', a week or so a few times a year at a Retirement Home, and want to keep up with my 'net activities. To this end, I 'm looking for a way to create a Live USB (pendrive) customised to my requirements, and secure. The Home has a good 'all-in-one' Win10 (c/- free upgrade from 7), But using this would be insecure and upset settings for other users.

I've set up a Kubi system dual-boot, but this brings up a Grub screen. I've managed to set it to 1 second timeout and default to boot Win10 (Vista boot - Yuck, when will m$loth do something about this?), but can't find a means of fully hiding it until a keypress or SuperGrub disk during bootup. My search for this has led be to doubt my ability to remove Grub and revert should I wish to delete this system.
On my home system, I boot to Kubi using a SuperGrub CD. Without it, the system boots to Win10 (similar upgrade). Grub there is installed on the Kubi patition, but the install at the Home didn't give me that option (wonder why?), so the original bootloader got trounced by Grub.
Methods to restore original boot for latest Win systems seem to all involve having an original Install disk. What if you haven't? Of course I'm not sysadmin for the Home, and my own system was bought pre-installed - and no Install disk supplied. Xp disks were a dime a dozen. not so for these latest ones.

Now to the real deal: Live CD/DVD images for 15.10 (or anything post-14.04) seem to be as rare as hens' teeth. Add to that, I've yet to have a successful boot of a (Try/Install, they seem to be the only available images) USB created under the running 15.10. I've had success with UUI on Win10, but still a Try/Install USB, not a personal/custom/secure one. Can I personalise one of these? with a login screen replacing the Try/Install choice? (Install would still be an option from Desktop or Menu - I really fail to see the need).

Any pointers, anyone?

[claydoh]

I feel like a newbie here. I've used linux since Mandrake, but latest developments seem to be leaving me behind. Now of Pension age, I'm partaking of 'Respite', a week or so a few times a year at a Retirement Home, and want to keep up with my 'net activities. To this end, I 'm looking for a way to create a Live USB (pendrive) customised to my requirements, and secure. The Home has a good 'all-in-one' Win10 (c/- free upgrade from 7), But using this would be insecure and upset settings for other users.

You can install the OS directly to a usb flash drive or portable hard drive, just as if it were a regular hard drive in a computer. The only thing you would ha ve to make sure of is when installing/partitioning, you have to tell it to install grub to the flash drive (which will show as /sdb, or similar - note NOT sdb1, but just sdb), the default is the main hard drive (sda, usually). Then , as long as the computer can boot to usb, you will be off and running. You my have to hit a key at the bios splash to bring up a device booting option, else set it to look for usb drives first during bootup. You'll want a decent sized drive if possible, 8gb is probably the minimum, but if you want apps and mail and goodies, more is better.

I've set up a Kubi system dual-boot, but this brings up a Grub screen. I've managed to set it to 1 second timeout and default to boot Win10 (Vista boot - Yuck, when will m$loth do something about this?), but can't find a means of fully hiding it until a keypress or SuperGrub disk during bootup. My search for this has led be to doubt my ability to remove Grub and revert should I wish to delete this system.

Set GRUB_TIMEOUT to zero instead of 1 second, and it won't show at all unless you hit your shift key just after the bios screen, or tap it furiously as I usually do, hoping to hit the sweet spot that opens it - it can be finicky.

On my home system, I boot to Kubi using a SuperGrub CD. Without it, the system boots to Win10 (similar upgrade). Grub there is installed on the Kubi patition,

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Re...tallingWindows
This shows you how to get grub back, I dunno why the *buntu installer put grub on the actual partition (ie /dev/sda2 instead of sda - without the number at the end), as grub needs to be installed to the mbr usually, not to the kubuntu drive. It can be installed to other places, which some do in multi-linux boots, but usually the Last OS Installed installs the controlling bootloader.


[/quote]but the install at the Home didn't give me that option (wonder why?), so the original bootloader got trounced by Grub.[/quote]

Methods to restore original boot for latest Win systems seem to all involve having an original Install disk. What if you haven't? Of course I'm not sysadmin for the Home, and my own system was bought pre-installed - and no Install disk supplied. Xp disks were a dime a dozen. not so for these latest ones.

No clue on that.
Look at this, maybe, with a link to a utility to fix things after the Windows command line needed.

Now to the real deal: Live CD/DVD images for 15.10 (or anything post-14.04) seem to be as rare as hens' teeth. Add to that, I've yet to have a successful boot of a (Try/Install, they seem to be the only available images) USB created under the running 15.10. I've had success with UUI on Win10, but still a Try/Install USB, not a personal/custom/secure one. Can I personalise one of these? with a login screen replacing the Try/Install choice? (Install would still be an option from Desktop or Menu - I really fail to see the need).

Any pointers, anyone?

I do not understand this one. The install iso IS a live iso. There is no separate cd and dvd images anymore, just the one, as it no longer fits in a cd anymore, and usb sticks are the de-facto standard install method. Are you saying that you can't get to a live desktop session from the install disk, but can run the installer from that same disk?

Actually, if I re-read that correctly, you have been unable to create a working flash drive from within Kubuntu, using the built-in tool to make one. The tool is afaik still broken, even unetbootin has a hard time creating them for any Ubuntu flavour of 15.10

Either use the dd commandline, or give mkusb a try, it works for me 100% so far.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mk..._and_mkusb_PPA

As to personalising the iso, it is possible, there are, or were gui tools to do this for previous versions of *buntu, but with the changes to how the isos are created, they may not work for 15.10. I don't know how much you can customize it for things such as direct booting and logging in, but I think for your purposes installing directly to a usb stick will do what you want.

[Fester Bestertester]

You can install the OS directly to a usb flash drive or portable hard drive, just as if it were a regular hard drive in a computer. The only thing you would have to make sure of is when installing/partitioning, you have to tell it to install grub to the flash drive (which will show as /sdb, or similar - note NOT sdb1, but just sdb), the default is the main hard drive (sda, usually).
...
8gb is probably the minimum, but if you want apps and mail and goodies, more is better.

OK, to install directly I need the DVD - or is there an obscure method of installing from a running system? My DVD(-RW) of 15.10 has failed, my DVD+R of 14.04 is the best I've got. Will try that (later, see below). USB=14GB.

Set GRUB_TIMEOUT to zero instead of 1 second, and it won't show at all unless you hit your shift key just after the bios screen, or tap it furiously as I usually do, hoping to hit the sweet spot that opens it - it can be finicky.

It's a while ago now, but I recall setting timeout to 0 made it wait infinitely, -1 was not accepted. I tried some utility that gave a minimum 1sec.

Look at this, maybe, with a link to a utility to fix things after the Windows command line needed.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Re...tallingWindows
This shows you how to get grub back, I dunno why the *buntu installer put grub on the actual partition (ie /dev/sda2 instead of sda - without the number at the end), as grub needs to be installed to the mbr usually, not to the kubuntu drive. It can be installed to other places, which some do in multi-linux boots, but usually the Last OS Installed installs the controlling bootloader.

Sorry, bum steer. My home install has the system itself on part of sda, but the Grub is on a different drive.
It's not Grub I want to get back, it's the 'Vista' bootloader for Win7/10 on the Home's all-in-one, in the event I may need to remove my Kubuntu. That's the purpose of the USB stick, to give me my own system there.
(BTW, the Home was created by my Bro-in-law from his own home with extensions.)

Actually, if I re-read that correctly, you have been unable to create a working flash drive from within Kubuntu, using the built-in tool to make one. The tool is afaik still broken, even unetbootin has a hard time creating them for any Ubuntu flavour of 15.10

Either use the dd commandline, or give mkusb a try, it works for me 100% so far.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mk..._and_mkusb_PPA

Thanks. I hadn't heard of USB-creator being broken, and I'm not confident of using dd competently. I installed and tried mkusb, and it gave me a bootable 15.10 in a minimal partition, but no persistence. Would a casper-rw e2fs partition do the trick, or would it need some other enabling config? I'll try that.

[claydoh]

Hmm mebbe I need new glasses. Here's my stock grub config, unmodified, but only one OS

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""


I think with the broken usb installers, persistence may be broken too, I've not gotten this to work in a while, but have not tried recently. Also, this:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mk...usb_version_10
You are supposed to be able to do this with new version of mkusb now, but I have not used that feature yet, or seen it as I have not used it recently.


You can Use one usb stick to run the Kubuntu install, and then physically install it to another usb stick. That way you get the login and customization you want, and not having to run from a compressed image. Just put grub to the root of the flash drive, not the partition.



Also, "Home" and "home" are confusing and I have no attention span

[Fester Bestertester]

Hmm mebbe I need new glasses. Here's my stock grub config, unmodified, but only one OS

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

This looks good: the 'HIDDEN' lines should do the job. Material for a note for my next respite.

I think with the broken usb installers, persistence may be broken too, I've not gotten this to work in a while, but have not tried recently. Also, this:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mk...usb_version_10
You are supposed to be able to do this with new version of mkusb now, but I have not used that feature yet, or seen it as I have not used it recently.

mkusb installed and tried, but only 'Live', no persistence. Attempted with persistence, but failure mounting /dev/sdx3 (vfat?)

You can Use one usb stick to run the Kubuntu install, and then physically install it to another usb stick. That way you get the login and customization you want, and not having to run from a compressed image. Just put grub to the root of the flash drive, not the partition.

Will try that tonight: it's so s l o w ... Material for a overnight task. I *really* need another machine to use while DVD -> USB occupies this one! (or vice versa)

I've a suggestion:
There would be very few systems without sufficient disk space to accommodate a USB stick's capacity in a ~/tmp file. To reduce the file traffic on USB, why not build an image there and then dd it (with pv?) *Much* faster! (Grub install after). Something for the devs to chew on?

Also, "Home" and "home" are confusing and I have no attention span

:>) Noted. "Home" was usually 'the' Home , the Retirement Home where I now have the obtrusive Grub and Kubuntu.

[Fester Bestertester]

[SOLVED]

Thanks (mostly to) claydoh. I used mkusb to create an 8GB USB non-persistent 15.10 "Try/Install" stick from iso file, then used that to full-install to a 16GB stick. All needs fulfilled! Now I've got to remember the password. Stupid me. In the words of Hex (Unseen University, Ankh-Morpork, Discworld), " + + + Re-do from start + + + ". Well, the 8GB stick doesn't need a password, so it's half-done anyway. Just need the main machine for an hour or two...

Cheers all!