https://github.com/garywill/multibootudisk
A different (and old-fashioned) way to make a multi-boot (legacy BIOS) udisk on Linux. Can boot Linux/Windows
https://github.com/garywill/multibootudisk
boot boot-from-iso bootloader grub4dos linux live multiboot support-iso-boot syslinux udisk usb usb-flash-drives
Last synced: 22 days ago
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A different (and old-fashioned) way to make a multi-boot (legacy BIOS) udisk on Linux. Can boot Linux/Windows
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/garywill/multibootudisk
- Owner: garywill
- Created: 2017-11-27T08:35:31.000Z (over 8 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2018-05-31T04:13:42.000Z (almost 8 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-15T07:56:21.028Z (12 months ago)
- Topics: boot, boot-from-iso, bootloader, grub4dos, linux, live, multiboot, support-iso-boot, syslinux, udisk, usb, usb-flash-drives
- Language: Shell
- Homepage:
- Size: 1.06 MB
- Stars: 5
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Multi boot Udisk
Make a multi-boot udisk (usb flash disk) on Linux.
Can boot Windows/Linux.
Can boot from a `.iso` file, in this case no need extracting to udisk.
Still able to use this udisk space as general storage. (All files are on an FAT32 partition)
## How it work
Uses [syslinux](http://www.syslinux.org) as udisk's legacy BIOS bootloader.
On syslinux menu, an entry to boot [grub4dos](http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/) (a fork of grub) ([Github page](https://github.com/chenall/grub4dos)).
On grub4dos menu there are many entries to boot various maintain tools, systems, system installations. (You can customize your entries)
### Why this way?
`syslinux` is a legacy bootloader which is competitable for many machines.
`grub4dos` supports `.iso` file boot.
## What it can boot
For now I successfully boot:
1. Clonezilla , a linux cloning tool
2. Windows PE (support iso boot)
3. puppy linux
4. Windows 7/8 and it's Installation
5. Windows XP and it's Installation (support iso boot) (workaround. some machines fail)
6. Ubuntu (support iso boot)
## Usage
Procedure: (Following can be done by the shell script `makemultiboor.sh`.)
1. Make an msdos partition table on udisk
2. Make a partition on udisk, for example `/dev/sdb1`
3. Set `/dev/sdb1` boot flag
4. Format `/dev/sdb1` as FAT32
5. Write `syslinux` MBR to target `/dev/sdb`
6. Copy `syslinux` files, `grub4dos` files and others to `/dev/sdb1` (copy all files in `ubasic` folder to udisk)
Manually put your `.iso` files to udisk.
Some support booting from `.iso` file, some doesn't. For those that doesn't support, you need to extract them and put files into udisk.
To find out which support and which doesn't, try it yourself or google "grub4dos boot iso ".
Above should be done before you put other files (photo, music etc. for general storage) into udisk, to make sure the system or `.iso` files is physically continous and not far away from MBR.
**`grub4dos/menu.lst` is the key to success. Read it and modify it according to your need.**
> In this repo `syslinux` and `grub4dos` binaries are not latest.