Removing installer from Mint 20.iso Possible?

[ScrambledEggs]

I'm curious to know if it is possible to modify a Mint20.iso by removing the installer so that all your left with is a base system of Mint 20?

Ran into an article about a program called Ventoy. I'm experimenting with it today and the modified .iso idea popped into my head.

 

[stan]

You're looking at it the wrong way. It's not really possible to "remove the installer" from the ISO file, but what you should be able to do is a full install of Mint to another USB drive. That would effectively satisfy your goal and remove the installer tools.

 

[KGIII]

Also... I'm assuming you want to remove the popup to install or try?

You can edit the grub.cfg and remove 'maybe-ubiquity' from a Live Ubuntu ISO. That stops the "Install/Try Ubuntu" dialogue from popping up on boot.

I have no idea what Mint uses as the installer, but it's possibly the same - so that's what you'd remove to accomplish that. You could then delete the files, but I'd not muck about with that as then you need to find menu options and remove those and stuff like that.

The installer is actually just a small file that calls other things. So, it won't take up a bunch of space.

But, that should give you a starting point.

Now, if you want to make a minimal install and then 'package' it for use with Ventoy, that's also possible but an entirely different question.

 

[Tolkem]

I'm curious to know if it is possible to modify a Mint20.iso by removing the installer so that all your left with is a base system of Mint 20?

Ran into an article about a program called Ventoy. I'm experimenting with it today and the modified .iso idea popped into my head.

Not exactly. You can remaster the .iso file and modify its content; remove/install pkgs, change themes, menus, scripts, customize the desktop and whatever else you can... by doing so you're actually "creating" your own Mint "version" containing only what you want/need. However, it's not a trivial task and requires so trial and errors.
Here are some tutorials on the topic to get you started:

How to Remaster Q4OS - ReSpin / Tips and tutorials / Q4OS Forum

How to remaster Q4OS Live CD / Tips and tutorials / Q4OS Forum

DebianInstaller/Modify/CD - Debian Wiki

wiki.debian.org

GitHub - unixabg/remaster-iso: Set of scripts to remaster Debian iso images.

Set of scripts to remaster Debian iso images. Contribute to unixabg/remaster-iso development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Create A LiveCD Media

Nearly everyone using Linux has come across a LiveCD of some type. If you haven't, a LiveCD is an ISO file that can be burned to a USB or CD and booted from to create a running version of Linux in RAM. This means you can use the Linux Distro in RAM and not install it. You can also make an...

www.linux.org

Hope this helps!

 

[Lord Boltar]

This will require either mkusb (Linux) or Rufus (Windows)

For mkusb, the Try/Install screen can be eliminated by removing "maybe-ubiquity" from the persistent grub.cfg menuentry, on a drive made using mkusb. Try/Install has been removed from Persistence option in latest version of mkusb.

For Rufus, the Try/Install screen can be eliminated in BIOS mode by overwriting the contents of syslinux.cfg with:

default persistent
label persistent
say Booting an Ubuntu Persistent session...
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper persistent initrd=/casper/initrd quiet splash noprompt --

In UEFI mode the Try/Install screen can be eliminated by removing "maybe-ubiquity" from the persistent grub.cfg menuentry.

After this you can uninstall the installer generally ubiquity
But doing this you cannot save anything to the thumb drive you will need to make a full persistence thumb drive to do that

 

[Tolkem]

This will require either mkusb (Linux) or Rufus (Windows)

For mkusb, the Try/Install screen can be eliminated by removing "maybe-ubiquity" from the persistent grub.cfg menuentry, on a drive made using mkusb. Try/Install has been removed from Persistence option in latest version of mkusb.

This will create a live usb with persistence so changes are saved across reboots while the OP (or at least that's what I understand) wants/needs to create a custom live.iso file from Mint which is a different thing.

 

[Lord Boltar]

This will create a live usb with persistence so changes are saved across reboots while the OP (or at least that's what I understand) wants/needs to create a custom live.iso file from Mint which is a different thing.

You can use Rufus and MKUSB to make a full persistence but what I posted above will remove only the Try/Install screen, not making it persistent

 

[Tolkem]

Ah, almost forgot

HELP: MX Remaster – MX Linux

 

[Tolkem]

You can use Rufus and MKUSB to make a full persistence but what I posted above will remove only the Try/Install screen, not making it persistent

Yes, and like you said

After this you can uninstall the installer generally ubiquity
But doing this you cannot save anything to the thumb drive you will need to make a full persistence thumb drive to do that

The system will be a live usb with persistence and no installer and like I said, unless I misunderstood OP post, he/she wants/needs to remaster Mint's .iso file creating his/her own custom one and by using this method he/she won't make any modifications to the original.

 

[Lord Boltar]

Then maybe Cubic would be a possibility

Cubic in Launchpad

launchpad.net

 

[stan]

Well, this is interesting. The OP gave us 3 sentences, and only one of them is relevant, but we are all engaged in various interpretations of what he/she is asking. It's quite likely the OP doesn't even realize the possibilities this question opens up.

The Linux Mint installer on LM20 MATE Edition (Ubiquity) does not have the Try/Install option that is shown with Ubuntu (it has an OEM install for manufacturers, but that is different). So the Mint bootloader takes us to a desktop, and there is an icon there to run the installer. Maybe other Mint editions have Try/Install, but I just booted on MATE, and it doesn't.

The OP asks about leaving a "base system of Mint 20" after removing the installer. For my part, I do NOT consider a "live system" to be the same as a "base system," though perhaps that is indeed what the OP wants. A "live system" boots up without a login (with Mint, but not all distros), and it has full root privileges. That's fine for an installer that needs root (and to test hardware compatibility), but it's not typical in a "base Linux system." It goes against our lifelong Linux lesson: don't use root unless you need it.

Even a "live system" with persistence is not a "base system" (IMO) due to limitations with this method, such as being difficult or impossible to upgrade the kernel or install drivers (see here). Maybe there are workarounds even for this these days. Maybe, for the OP, using Mint with persistence and deleting the desktop installer icon would be good enough. Maybe we are all over-thinking the question.

 

[wizardfromoz]

Maybe we are all over-thinking the question.

Possibly, stan.

Maybe other Mint editions have Try/Install,

Nope, all the same now.

"Eggs" you may need to just try to clarify a little what you seek to achieve.

I have him covered with Timeshift, and if he chooses to perform a full install of Mint to a USB stick, he can actually make a Timeshift screenshot of that stick (best stored on a hard drive).

Cheers all

Wiz

 

[ScrambledEggs]

My apologies for the late response. Im under the weather.

When I was experimenting with Ventoy I knew I had to boot with a live iso. I wanted to bypass the initial install screen, and the installer icon, along with the various packages that are uninstalled automatically during a normal install, so I was curious if I could modify the iso. In a nutshell: I wanted my Ventoy usb to boot up like a normal install.

(I made a cool bootable usb with LM20, persistence, password on boot, and custom boot menu)

 

[stan]

In a nutshell: I wanted my Ventoy usb to boot up like a normal install.

Ventoy is specifically designed to boot up MANY different Linux distros, not just one. That isn't exactly "normal" for most folks (@wizardfromoz being a notable exception).

(I made a cool bootable usb with LM20, persistence, password on boot, and custom boot menu)

And doesn't that solve your original question?