Out of box support comparison

If, in a terminal, you run the command

Code:

mount

you'll see something like

Code:

/dev/sdb1 on /media/LIVE type vfat (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=devkit,uid=1000,gid=1000,shortname=lower,dmask=0077,utf8=1)

where /media/LIVE will be replaced by /media/disk, and /dev/sdb1 may be replaced by something else. /dev/sdb1 refers to the first partition on "drive" sdb. It's this "drive" that should appear on the right side of the = sign in the of=/dev/sdx parameter; replace x as appropriate. It's also probably a good idea to unmount /media/disk before executing the dd command. You do not want to copy the iso file to a partition on your USB stick, which is what will happen if you do something like

Code:

dd if=<iso filename goes here without angle-brackets> of=/media/disk bs=8M

 

When I run mount in terminal I get
[don@localhost ~]$ mount
/dev/sda1 on / type ext3 (rw)
none on /proc type proc (rw)
/dev/sda6 on /home type ext3 (rw)
none on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)
/dev/sdb1 on /media/disk-2 type vfat (rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,uhelper=hal,shortname=lower,uid=500,flush,utf8)

Just what does the dd command do?
What does the if command do?
What does the of command do?
What does the bs=8M do?
I ask these questions because I am trying to figure a way to do this without the terminal codes seeing as they don't seem to work.

 

dd does a direct bit-by-bit copy
if is the input file (or device)
of is the output file (or device)
bs is the block size (8M in this case)
Given what you see, your USB stick device is /dev/sdb, so here's what should work for you:
1. Open a terminal window
2. su - (become root)
3. umount /dev/sdb1 (unmount the USB stick, but keep it plugged in)
3. cd <iso-dir> (replace <iso-dir> with the directory containing the mandriva iso file. Do not type the angle-brackets. For me, the command is cd /home/a/Desktop
4. dd if=mandriva-linux-one-2009.1-rc2-GNOME-europe-cdrom-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=8M

 

just to be sure, (and i don't mean to infer anything) but you are using the filename of the actual iso you downloaded?

phil

 

I really appreciate your assistance. I have worried about getting the exact name being used and so I used copy and paste but I also renamed the file to a real simple name like usbmandriva.iso. I ha been keeping a record of the code variations I have used and one of them was
dd if=mandriva-linux-one-2009.1-rc2-GNOME-europe-cdrom-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=8M With the terminal in the directory /home/don/Download and again in the/ root/Download (I put the file in both directories). In Mandriva there is a folder /dev that is full of files and folders so maybe that keeps it from working in Mandriva?

 

you are using mandriva as your os already? if so how did you get it on your aoa110? the /dev folder and it's contents is an integral part of linux and wont be causing any problems. as for the dd problem the only thing i can think is to give the actual location as the input, so something like

Code:

dd if=/home/don/Download/mandriva-linux-one-2009.1-rc2-GNOME-europe-cdrom-i586.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=8M

as there is no real reason i can see for it not to have worked so far i'm not sure if that will work either but it's worth a try

phil

 

[/quote]I really appreciate your assistance. I have worried about getting the exact name being used and so I used copy and paste but I also renamed the file to a real simple name like usbmandriva.iso.[/quote]
When I have that concern (which is often), I do a copy and paste from one terminal window to another.
For example, I'm on my desktop system right now, and in my Desktop directory. I open two terminal windows. In this directory have two mandriva-related files :

Code:

~/Desktop$ ls -1 man*
mandriva-2009.1.rpms
mandriva-linux-one-2009.1-rc2-GNOME-europe-cdrom-i586.iso

The -1 parameter (it's the number one, not a lowercase L) causes the listing to appear one file per line.
I highlight the name of the file I want (the iso file, in this case), click on Edit then Copy in the terminal's menu bar.
I go to the second window to type my command. I type:

Code:

sudo dd if=

then move my mouse to this terminal's menu and click on Edit then Paste to paste the exact name of the file into my command line, make sure my cursor is just beyond the name of the file that goes with the if parameter, then continue typing the remainder of the command.

Why two terminal windows? If the list from the ls file is long enough that I have to scroll back to get to the file I want, then if I use only one window, I won't be able to verify that I've pasted the complete filename into my command line.

 

Yes I am already using Mandriva and it is great. I installed it with an external CD/DVD drive.

The reason I ask is because in the code "of=/dev/sdb" the /dev looks like it is a path statement.

Actually I tried that also. So if anyone has done this from within Mandriva 2009 Gnome please chime in and let us know how.

 

well it can't be that great if basic built in commands like dd aren't working lol and if you have an external cdrom and mandriva is already installed why are you trying to put it on usb?

it is a path statement /dev=devices /sdb=scsi disk b , but sdb* should only be present in the /dev folder when a usb pendrive is connected to your machine as sda=your hard drive/ssd.

the best thing i can say now is to try asking in the mandriva sub forum here>> viewforum.php?f=72 as maybe someone there has come across the same problem

phil

 

Hard to believe dd wouldn't work. Are we absolutely positive that we're running as root, that the USB stick is /dev/sdb, and that we've got the complete path to the iso file?

 

just for an update the ath5k wireless led fix is included in fedora kernel-2.6.29.1-30.fc10, so now an up to date F10 is fully functional on the aspire one with no hacks at all required, isn't progress great

phil

 

I am trying so that I know it works before I suggest it to someone that doesn't have an external DC/DVD drive and to learn what is needed to give good instructions and maybe find a method to do the same thing with the GUI.

Then how does the system know the difference between /dev folder path and the /dev device path?

Too hard to find the answer in all the post (at least for me).

 

Donec,
The following script generates a simple GUI that will help you install the Mandriva combo-iso file onto your usb stick. It's probably not the most efficient, but it does work and can be run as a normal user. A suggestion for using it:
1. Cut and paste this into your favorite text editor
2. Save it to your Desktop
3. Right-click on the icon, then select Properties->Permissions and check the Execute box
4. Close the properties dialog
5. Double-click on the icon, and select Run

Note to experienced bash programmers: I'm a geologist, not a bash programmer :lol: :lol: :lol:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

# A script to help donec install Mandriva on a bootable USB stick
# version 1
# RockDoctor 20090416

ISOFILE=`zenity --file-selection --title="Select a File"`

function get_devs {
  k=$1
  DEVS="$k "
  shift
  while [ -n "$1" ]; do
    lenk=${#k}    
    front1=`expr substr $1 1 $lenk`
    if [ "$k" = "$front1" ]; then
      shift
    else   
      DEVS="${DEVS}$1 "
      k=$1
      shift
    fi
  done
}

PARTS=`cat /proc/partitions | grep sd | awk '{print $4}'`
DEVS=""
NUMPARTS=${#PARTS}
get_devs $PARTS
dd_target=`zenity --list --title="Which Device is Your USB Stick?" --column="MyUSB Stick" $DEVS`

zenity --entry \
--title="Your Personalized Command Line" \
--text="Open a terminal window. Then, as root, cut and paste the following into your terminal window and run it: " \
--entry-text="dd if=$ISOFILE of=/dev/$dd_target bs=8M"

 

Thanks RockDoctor, I'll try it and let you know how it works.

 

ok no problem, i just wondered

there is no difference, the /dev folder is full of symlinks (shortcuts in windows speak) that link to the specific hardware, it's like an address book of the hardware on your system

no problems, anyway rockdoctor has very kindly written a neat little script for you to use

phil

 

Thanks again RockDoctor, your script works fine.