Re: test Digest, Vol 79, Issue 99 - Watch for U3 partition on USB sticks

Thomas C Gilliard <satellit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> · Tue, 28 Sep 2010 07:28:55 -0700

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Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 08:52:42 +0100
From: mike cloaked <mike.cloaked@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Fedora QA] #134: Clarify writing ISO to USB tests
To: nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, For testers of Fedora development
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On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 11:14 PM, Fedora QA <trac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

    #134: Clarify writing ISO to USB tests
--------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
?Reporter: ?rhe ? ? ? ? ?| ? ? ? Owner:
? ? ?Type: ?enhancement ?| ? ? ?Status: ?new
?Priority: ?major ? ? ? ?| ? Milestone:
?Component: ?Test Review ?| ? ? Version:
Resolution: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? | ? ?Keywords:
--------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
Comment (by adamwill):

  snip

    ?The ISOs we have to consider are:

?* Live images [[BR]]
?* DVD images [[BR]]
?* boot.iso / netinst.iso images [[BR]]
?* install.img image [[BR]]

?The writing methods we have to consider are:

?* dd (and equivalent utils, e.g. Windows tools which just do a simple raw
?image like dd does) [[BR]]
?* livecd-iso-to-disk [[BR]]
?* liveusb-creator [[BR]]
?* unetbootin [[BR]]

There is possibly more to it as well - for example in the past I have
tried the dd method and it sometimes works and sometimes does not -

FYI:Beware of Sandisk Micro USB sticks with hidden partition for
running applications (U3). They are not always marked on packaging and
this partition must be 

removed in Windoz by running U3 application. Normal gparted formatting
does not remove it. It will interfere with normal booting

Tom Gilliard

  but I never got to the bottom of that.
There are possibly issues with whether or not the usbkey is labelled
and sometimes what the partition structure is.
Also in the past I have had to resort to booting the boot.iso image on
the key and then referencing the DVD iso file via an HD install (with
its associated images/ directory) placed on the same key in the root
directory - which did work, where booting the dvd iso directly on the
key did not. Should booting an install dvd iso directly on the key
*always" work?

In addition sometimes which usbkey is used can make a difference -

Also there is the (possibly not Fedora problem) issue of getting a
usbkey to boot on old machines where usb boot is not available from
the BIOS.

All these issues tend to make the use of usbkeys less than 100%
reliable - anyway I will run some tests with the beta trying to
install from usbkey - and report back in due course.

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