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A Multiple Partition USB Stick with Multi Boot OS


Markymoo

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jaclaz, sorry for so fuzzy posting.

I got the stick working just like I wanted.

The virtual disk thing didn't work and some other things either didn't work.

Here is description how to make 8 GB stick, containing DOS, UBCD 4.1.0 (ultimate boot CD) and Cent OS.

You need 2 USB stick (8 GB and 150 MB or bigger), gparted liveCD, UBCD 4.1.0 CD, dos boot floppy and Cent OS installation media.

No need to do the markymoo's thing described earlier.

First create the small USB stick with the UBCD script (which is located on the UBCD CD \tools\ubcd2usb) ubcd2usb.bat D: E: (the D: is my UBCD CD and E: is stick).

Then create with gparted 3 partitions to the bigger stick. I create 5 GB, exact size of the small stick and rest to the linux. Format each as FAT32 and manage flags that only 5 GB partition is not hidden. Boot with the dos boot floppy and format the 5 GB partition with startup disk option. Test that the stick boots to the created partition. After this connect both stick to computer and boot with gparted, you can check with gparted which stick is the small and bigger stick. Open terminal and type dd if=/dev/sda# of=/dev/sdb2 (the sda is the smaller stick and # should be the number where the UBCD is, I had it somehow on sda4, you can check that number from the gparted partition manage window). Now we have copied UBCD partition (including the data) from the smaller stick to the bigger. Remove the hidden flag from the sdb3.

Next boot with CentOS 5.1 DVD and make custom partitioning. Create the OS root partition to the sda3 (no swap or other partitions).

To the bootloader add the hidden UBCD /dev/sda2 to the bootmenu, the bootloader can be installed to the mbr, so no advanced settings needed. Choose custom install on packages, and take everything else away but editors and BASE install. After os installation the stick is ready.

My problem was earlier that I didn't find a way how to get the UBCD partition to the second partition (because the UBCD function break-up if the partition size is changed, don't know why) and windows XP only sees the first partition of the stick, even if the partition is hidden. I found that if I create an image of this tripple boot stick and restore it, it somehow break-up. I can still clone the stick with the linux dd command which I used earlier in the instructions.

Edited by MI4C
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  • 4 months later...

with both password and fingerprint protection, so nobody, even the police, will not be able to see unauthorized information

I agree with Jaclaz! Any prepared person with physical access to the thumb-drive can have your info in a matter of a handful of days, if not hours.

I haven't had much experience bypassing print readers, but am assured and have witnessed them being bypassed with things as simple as a COPY (Yes a Xerox-type copy) bypassing them. Plus if it's on the thumb-drive itself you can be assured its not too sophisticated of one.

As for the password I have bypassed many passwords in the past on things from bios to windows to programs. It's not hard and there is ready access to tons of programs that will nicely or, by brute force bypass nearly any password...

Edited by Kelsenellenelvian
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Hello, thanks for the reply, and I am sorry fot any wrong approach.I own licensed versions of both XP and Vista, I have 2 PCs, and I need to reinstall windows very frequently, a clean install, an image file recovery won`t help me.I will use my flash memory to reinstall the OS as soon as the **** encoding fails and messes up my system32, which happens at least once ever 2 weeks.I live in Bulgaria, where the law that any policeman can seize anything from people, with no document or order from a judge, means the Police can steal anything they want from people and never return it.The EU court is aware of this, the procedure is long, so, this is another story.I don`t want my flash stick seized and my licenses literally stolen, last time a friend of mine was a victim of police literally stealing his PC with a valid Windows sticker, from his office.The policeman even asked him if the PC was good enough for videogaming...Now, communism is evil, as you might know.I want a single flash drive to ensure and backup both my PCs, and nothing more, nothing illegal, if I would want something illegal, I do not think I would post it online so everyone can see it.Well, I hope this is the right approach...And, do not worry, the police do not have any experts, as when they took a PC, I just disconnected the SATA cable, and they nevery made the windows boot :blink:

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  • 5 months later...

Hopefully someone can help with this question...

How would I make something like UBCD bootable within this environment? It has it's own partition but how do I properly point to it? is it that wingrub / grup will automatically point to the right files?

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Hopefully someone can help with this question...

How would I make something like UBCD bootable within this environment? It has it's own partition but how do I properly point to it? is it that wingrub / grup will automatically point to the right files?

Something like UBCD or UBCD?

UBCD has been in latest releases modified as to allow use of both Isolinux/Syslinux and grub4dos.

However the steps are more or less the same.

See here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6119

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7312

For a "generic" DOS based floppy image, start from here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3963

jaclaz

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I meant booting an iso of some sort. Like say if I want to be able to add Acronis True Image to the boot as well

I'll give the links a look - thanks!

Edited by andyd
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I meant booting an iso of some sort. Like say if I want to be able to add Acronis True Image to the boot as well

Boy, do I hate the use of the "any": each .iso and each OS has it's own story. :ph34r:

Read here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...c=6896&st=4

And here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5041 (post #4 is for Acronis)

jaclaz

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Well I meant more towards bootable tools etc but yeah I guess it was inappropriate :P Thanks for the links. I actually registered and have been asking around there too.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello guys

I try to follow the guide but i cannot create primary partition more than 4. My storage is 80GB 2.5" hdd in usb enclosure.

Does it need to be primary for booting the OS?

I need to make 6 partition like this

1. XP setup

2. Vista Setup

3. Seven Setup

4. Linux Setup

5. Ghost Image for boot

6. Program setup for each OS

Now i can boot from Grub4Dos 0.4.4 and can see the menu

But cannot boot !!

Could anyone guide me the rest of this ?

PS. i need windows setup partition to be NTFS but i am not sure for linux and else, please tell me what it should be?

Edited by Freshbie
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@Freshbie

This guide, though still largely valid, is a bit oldish.

Newer releases of grub4dos have added features, and solutions/workarounds were found for most problems.

BUT, you seem to have started, just like all "freshbies" do ;), with a very ambitious project, without having (yet) digested the needed background knowledge.

There is NO way you can have more than 4 Primary partitions on any hard disk, for the simple reason that there are 4 entries in the partition table in the MBR.

You can have a standard setup:

1 primary partition + any number of logical volumes inside extended partition

OR

a maximum of 3 primary partitions + any number of logical volumes inside extended partition

OR

a maximum of 4 primary partitions

The above is NOT negotiable, though there are a couple of (relatively complex) workarounds to do that, but the whole point is that you need NOT more than 4 primary partitions.

Another thing that you may want to note is that you simply won't be able to install XP from a USB harddisk unless you use one of the apps in the dedicated forum (or replicate manually what they do).

What you should do is browse, search and READ both here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=157

and here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=66

(start from the pinned topics in both forums)

Using this app:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=120444

you will have most of the things you asked for, then you will need to integrate the results with the other items.

jaclaz

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Very glad to hear from you !! Jaclaz

I now success to install XP Pro from my first partition.

I have read the thread you give me here.

It seems like, one who will truely understand must have technically knowledge on it.

If something i don't get it, i hope i can ask for your help :sneaky:

Lastly i will try to make my HDD boot from extended partition on logical disk.

I will see if i can do it and will report here for us all to study from it.

My primary concern for now is, Can i boot XP pro, Vista, Seven on same partition?

And for XP can i use the same partition for different version of XP?

Thanks alot !!

Freshbie

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My primary concern for now is, Can i boot XP pro, Vista, Seven on same partition?

And for XP can i use the same partition for different version of XP?

Only up to a certain extent.

For complex/multiversion setups, I guess this:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=121446

or a similar approach, running the actual setup from an already booted PE of some kind is easier/better.

Lastly i will try to make my HDD boot from extended partition on logical disk.

I will see if i can do it and will report here for us all to study from it.

Good :)

Read these:

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/ptedit.htm

and this only partially unrelated thread, that may however give you some ideas:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=7138&hl=

jaclaz

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Thanks Jaclaz.

The post you give to me is very interesting.

I try to follow and adapt to my use

Now i got an idea. If i use multiple folder to keep setup files instead of mutipartition.

How can i tell grub4dos to boot the loader inside the folder?

And now after i install a windows to my computer, i got a problem that my computer see any external HDD as a removable disk

then i can see only first partition. I use winsetupfromusb. I think i have to fix a migrate.inf but don't know how :blushing:

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Now i got an idea. If i use multiple folder to keep setup files instead of mutipartition.

How can i tell grub4dos to boot the loader inside the folder?

You can tell grub4dos almost everything you want, and it will probably do what you told it to do, but the problem remains with the HARDCODED paths and more generally NOT FLEXIBLE way the Windows Setup works.

In other words, I doubt that you will succeed with your idea. :(

And now after i install a windows to my computer, i got a problem that my computer see any external HDD as a removable disk

then i can see only first partition. I use winsetupfromusb. I think i have to fix a migrate.inf but don't know how :blushing:

migrate.inf is only needed/useful to assign letters to a drive partition (differently from wht setup would do automatically).

If all your USB hard disk are shown as "Removable", there are two possibilities:

  • all your USB hard disks are "Removable" ;)
  • somehow you managed to have installed/running the "reversed" dummydisk.sys Filter Driver :w00t:

I haven't handy any install on which the rdummy.sys is installed/running, but it should be in the Registry in

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\rdummy]

(or somethng similar)

jaclaz

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