Trying to Create Bootable USB X3 Partitions With Testing Distros

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Bondppq

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Can I have 3 different bootable Linux distro each on their own partitions on 1 USB thumbdrive, but what would happen when you insert the thumbdrive? Would a boot menu load first asking the user which partition you would like to start from?

I would like to eliminate any extra steps so that I can just plug in the thumbdrive and it goes into an autoloader mode to install the Linux distro, but a simple boot menu as described above is fine besides anything else further. Will this be possible and how much space would I need for this per partition, per Linux distro?

And with a new USB - (SanDisk Ultra Luxe 32GB USB 3.1 SDCZ74-032G-G46) after reformatting to EXT4 for these partitions will I be wiping away any vital Linux drivers or kernels that would prevent me from doing the set up what I’ve described above? thanks in advance for your advice.
 


Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files. With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk again and again, you just need to copy the iso file to the USB drive and boot it.
www.ventoy.net www.ventoy.net
 
I'll second Ventoy :)
 
well I don't want to reformat the disk again and again, I want to format it once to EXT4 and split it up into 3 partitions with distros on each, but what about the boot menu and drivers, kernels, what will happen with that?
 
Bondppq said:
well I don't want to reformat the disk again and again, I want to format it once to EXT4 and split it up into 3 partitions with distros on each, but what about the boot menu and drivers, kernels, what will happen with that?
Click to expand...
Did you read the Ventoy page? It does pretty much what you want.
If you want to do it yourself you'll have to have 4 partition as I see it and install grub in the first one in order to boot to the other partitions. But that is complicated to do Ventoy does that all for you.
 
You just drag the isos you want over to your Ventoy usb drive and then you can boot from them through a menu.

Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files. With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk again and again, you just need to copy the iso file to the USB drive and boot it.
www.ventoy.net www.ventoy.net
 
no I didn't read the Ventoy page yet but it sounds like what I need then, I tried to do this with BalenaEtcher, Rufus, PCLinq5, DiskGenius, GParted and I have gotten repeated errors and couldn't do it, so I thought this might be the same. but I'll give Ventoy a shot :)
 
Just to be clear - I don’t want to run a Linux distro off of the USB thumb drive as a daily workstation, I want to just plug the USB into many different computers to autoload install full versions of different Linux distros into different computers.

Will Ventoy or PenDrive do what I have just described? …or does it act as “only” a portable Linux op system working off of a USB drive? I’m trying to understand the true purpose of it, or maybe it acts as both?

And with Ventoy I don’t actually need to have 3 different partitions with 1 distort in each to load into other computers, I can have just 1 partition and have multiple Linux distro autoloaders on it right?
 
f33dm3bits said:
You just drag the isos you want over to your Ventoy usb drive and then you can boot from them through a menu.

Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files. With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk again and again, you just need to copy the iso file to the USB drive and boot it.
www.ventoy.net www.ventoy.net
Click to expand...
I'm using Windows at the moment (hate it) reformatted my new USB to EXT4 using Eassos DiskGenius. Then installed Ventoy on it which reformatted the USB back to FAT (I guess that's why I had to download the Windows version of Ventoy) but Ventoy did not create 2 partitions. I'm missing the smaller boot menu drive and not sure why that happened. I have copy-pasted 2 distros on to the main drive but now still can't boot from it. What happened and what to do now?
 
Ventoy is the way to go...you can have many ISOs on the one Flash Drive.

Just install Ventoy and drag your ISOs in...simple.
m1212.gif

As shown here...make sure the Flash Drive has enough space.
2023-03-14-10-01.png
 
Bondppq said:
Can I have 3 different bootable Linux distro each on their own partitions on 1 USB thumbdrive, but what would happen when you insert the thumbdrive? Would a boot menu load first asking the user which partition you would like to start from?

I would like to eliminate any extra steps so that I can just plug in the thumbdrive and it goes into an autoloader mode to install the Linux distro, but a simple boot menu as described above is fine besides anything else further. Will this be possible and how much space would I need for this per partition, per Linux distro?

And with a new USB - (SanDisk Ultra Luxe 32GB USB 3.1 SDCZ74-032G-G46) after reformatting to EXT4 for these partitions will I be wiping away any vital Linux drivers or kernels that would prevent me from doing the set up what I’ve described above? thanks in advance for your advice.
Click to expand...

I have been trying a few things with multiple thumb drives as well as sdd, hdd and sd cards.i have successfully installed Chrome Os Flex, played with it, wiped it, installed 2 versions od Linux Mint OS, being able to switch between the 2 freely with no problems. I then switched to Garuda Dragonized updated to Raptor and was able to to use a partition image i created from 1 of the Linux Mint distros. I'm still using Garuda whilst I clean up the mess I made of my 4tb external drive. Also waiting for more drives coming in the mail.

In my journey, i tried many, many different things. Including what you're trying to do. I wasn't succesful the first time.

I think I will succeed in the next.

We could probably help each other...


BTW... after i accidentally wiped Chrome OS Flex with an accidental restart when a friend of mine distracted me... I used a really old RCA tablet to create my first bootable thumb drive which gave me Linux Mint(love that distro). I've had fun lol.
 
I believe our Helpers here may be misunderstanding what the OP is seeking to achieve.

Bondppq said:
Just to be clear ...I want to just plug the USB into many different computers to autoload install full versions of different Linux distros into different computers.
Click to expand...

Ventoy cannot achieve that, or not that I am aware of.

Ventoy simply provides a solution that allows skipping the usual step of using 3rd-party software to "burn" a number of .iso to result in a format which provides a bootable medium with which to install one Linux Distro at a time, on one machine at a time. It also has an option to setup persistence on a number of .isos that allow for same.

Welcome to linux.org, both @Bondppq and @loudmouthjester :)

It seems to me that the OP is looking for an OEM-style functioniality which would provide an auto-run type non-interactive installation that you could walk away from and come back when it is completed. Is that the case, @Bondppq ?

Is this a workplace or office environment, and are the machines networked?

I am guessing that if the latter, some sort of multicast situation could be employed after logging users out, but Maarten @f33dm3bits may have more ideas in that regard.

I think the OP's interests might be better served by entering into his favourite search engine something like

installing linux on multiple machines

and seeing if that provides fruit.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
wizardfromoz said:
I believe our Helpers here may be misunderstanding what the OP is seeking to achieve.



Ventoy cannot achieve that, or not that I am aware of.

Ventoy simply provides a solution that allows skipping the usual step of using 3rd-party software to "burn" a number of .iso to result in a format which provides a bootable medium with which to install one Linux Distro at a time, on one machine at a time. It also has an option to setup persistence on a number of .isos that allow for same.

Welcome to linux.org, both @Bondppq and @loudmouthjester :)

It seems to me that the OP is looking for an OEM-style functioniality which would provide an auto-run type non-interactive installation that you could walk away from and come back when it is completed. Is that the case, @Bondppq ?

Is this a workplace or office environment, and are the machines networked?

I am guessing that if the latter, some sort of multicast situation could be employed after logging users out, but Maarten @f33dm3bits may have more ideas in that regard.

I think the OP's interests might be better served by entering into his favourite search engine something like

installing linux on multiple machines

and seeing if that provides fruit.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
wizardfromoz said:
"Ventoy simply provides a solution that allows skipping the usual step of using 3rd-party software to "burn" a number of .iso to result in a format which provides a bootable medium with which to install one Linux Distro at a time, on one machine at a time.

provide an auto-run type non-interactive installation that you could walk away from and come back when it is completed. Is that the case, @Bondppq ?

Is this a workplace or office environment, and are the machines networked?"
Click to expand...
yes, this is what I'm trying to do - "install one Linux Distro at a time, on one machine at a time"

"provide an auto-run type non-interactive installation that you could walk away from..." - yes, this is what I'm trying to do to.

this is for my own home workspace, but I have 4 Windows PC's that I would like to convert (all) over to Linux and just explore different distros on each.

but I'm not sure why I don't have the smaller secondary partition holding the gnu or github boot menu or whatever its called?

shouldn't this 2nd partition be automatically created with this boot menu already installed when I reformatted the USB using Ventoy?
 
AFAIK Ventoy is just for creating live installation media where you have the option to choose from a menu which one you want to boot. If you want persistence with that you can use a plugin which I have never used because having no need for it.

Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files. With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk again and again, you just need to copy the iso file to the USB drive and boot it.
www.ventoy.net www.ventoy.net
If you want a non-interactive installation you would have to figure out for each distribution how that is done, but if you want to go that for that is more than the average user does here. So I am sure you will be able to figure that part out yourself since but here to give you a few ideas.
 
I think your expectations might be too great and too complicated.

You can make multiple installations of Debian and derivations with "preseed". This only does one distro and involves writing a file to automatically answer all the questions. https://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed

Similarly, there is FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) for mass installation of one distro. https://fai-project.org/

Neither of these will solve your problem. Would you, or could you, expect such a thing from other OSs?

One solution might be to use distros that use Calamares. You won't get an automatic, full install, but Calamares asks minimal questions. A distro can be installed in six simple steps. https://calamares.io/about/
 
arochester said:
One solution might be to use distros that use Calamares. You won't get an automatic, full install, but Calamares asks minimal questions. A distro can be installed in six simple steps. https://calamares.io/about/
Click to expand...
okay, what other distros asks minimal questions or has minimal steps to upload from the USB into a wiped PC's drive? any other names would be greatly appreciated.
 
okay so I was finally able to just now successfully install Ubuntu 22.04.2 Linux Lite 6.4.iso onto this small Asus TS10 VivoStick which has only 32 gb's HD on it. The Deepin' says it needed 64 gb's for an install, not sure why so much, it's crazy so I wasn't able to install my preferred distro.

I could not have done this install without this YouTube tutorial -
which gives a good and "real" step-by-step through the BIOS menus and blue screens. You can't just plug-in a USB and expect it to load up and its as simple as that. It doesn't work that way despite what people or YouTube says, there are these blue screen menu steps involved.

I am more than thrilled that I now have a viable route to get away from Windows forever. And now for some reason the 2nd boot menu loader E drive was showing up in Windows when it wasn't before.

Does anybody know how to permanently shutoff any and all automatic updates of all programs in Ubuntu? Does anybody here use Ubuntu and know how? I am a staunch non-believer in updates, I shut them off in all computers and PDA's I have. Windows auto-updates is what got me into this flooding of these small hard drives to begin with.

I don't know which final (or combo-of) distro(s) I will choose to put on these 4 mini-PC systems. I have 9 distros loaded onto this 1 USB partition now with Ventoy to explore. But my choices will be barebones, superlight systems with zero bloatware as I only use these mini-PC's to run a stock trading platform called Think or Swim and I don't use them for anything else. I use a Mac for my workhorse.
 
Bondppq said:
Does anybody know how to permanently shutoff any and all automatic updates of all programs in Ubuntu?
Click to expand...

That question is best served by starting a new Thread on the subject. If you want to, mention it here and I will start one for you, moving relevant parts of the above Post to the new Thread.

There is an article I can point you too that will likely provide the answers you are seeking.

Bear in mind I am in east coast Australia for timezone differences.

Cheers

Wizard
 
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