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Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:03 pm
by pepperminty
What's the official or best or user-friendly way to install Linux Mint 11 from a 1GB USB/flash drive?

Update: I have easy access to a Win7 computer.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:44 pm
by richyrich

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:20 pm
by pepperminty
Thanks. I had to rename linuxmint-11-gnome-oem-64bit.iso to a name that Universal-USB-Installer-1.8.5.7.exe would search for: linuxmint-11-gnome-dvd.iso

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:14 pm
by ThistleWeb
I use Unetbootin for that, download the iso you want to put onto the USB, and point to that instead of using the drop down menu of pre-populated options. It will put the equivalent of the live CD / DVD onto the USB. Reboot and you're in a live environment ready to install to the HD.

unetbootin vs pendrivelinux; low disk space

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:21 pm
by pepperminty
I chose the pendrivelinux route. I did not try unetbootin, as the post on unetbootin came after i prepared my usb drive with pendrivelinux.

what's the difference? with the pendivelinux method, i get into the live environment, which seems usless, since I got a "Low disk space" warning. With 0 bytes free, how can one test out the live environment?

i've reached the mint live desktop, what now?

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:27 pm
by pepperminty
i've reached the mint live desktop, what now?

1. how do i install mint?
2. how come it cannot connect to wireless internet?
3. How come there is low disk space warning?

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:35 pm
by Roken
In reverse:

3. The low disk warning is because the only mounted drive is your USB drive, which will by it's very nature be a bit short of space
2. We need more information. At the very least details of your wireless adapter and what exactly it IS doing
1. There should be an icon on the desktop to install LinuxMint. Double click and follow it through.

richyrich, i think we have a miscommunication problem

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:37 pm
by pepperminty
um, i heeded your advice, but i should not have.

Pendrivelinux (pdl hereafter) is for installing linux TO the usb.

But what I asked for is installing linux FROM usb drive to hard drive.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:13 am
by kooldino
What a waste of my night. I tried all night to install Mint 11 to my main PC. It's a 3GHZ Core 2 Duo on a plane jane Intel DP35DP mobo.

I could not for the life of me get it to boot off of the DVD OR a USB drive.

I checked the checksums of the images.
I tried burning several DVDs which booted fine in 3 other machines but would not boot on the one I wanted it to.
I tried both pendrive and unetbootin to create bootable 1GB USB drives with the Mint 11 image on it.
I even went as far as updating the BIOS and trying multiple DVD ROM drives in the machine.

The bootable DVD won't even attempt to boot. Yes, my BIOS is set up properly.

As for the USB boot drives, they will attempt to boot but give me some vague "can't boot" error message no matter what machine I attempt it on. Mind you, I've successfully used unetbootin before. I'm at my wit's end.

Fun fact: ubuntu 11.04 live CD boots on the machine without a hitch.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 5:09 am
by SimonTS
@Kooldino;-

Please don't 'hijack' someone else's thread. If you have an identical problem or something to say that might help the OP then it is valid, but to just post what you did is no help to anybody. Most people will just ignore it as being irrelevant to the thread and it also means that anyone who has already discarded this thread won't be able to help you as they won't know you are looking for help.
Please, open your own thread about this problem. Please also tell us your system hardware, what OS you are using when you burn the DVD/USB and exactly what does or doesn't happen when you try to boot off each of them.
Thank you.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:43 am
by Oscar799
kooldino,
Please start a new thread with your question.
Include the information SimonTS advised you to
Questions tacked onto the end of threads often end up ignored

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:03 am
by MALsPa
A little clarification, please. When we're talking about "the pendrivelinux route," is that referring to the Universal USB Installer?

And, about this:
Roken wrote:There should be an icon on the desktop to install LinuxMint. Double click and follow it through.
That seems straight-forward enough; any reason why that wouldn't work? I've used MultiSystem (http://www.pendrivelinux.com/multiboot- ... rom-linux/) and when I boot into a live session I do see the the installation icon on the desktop, but haven't actually tried it yet. It should work the same way as if you're running a live CD/DVD, right?

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:11 am
by pepperminty
MALsPa wrote:A little clarification, please. When we're talking about "the pendrivelinux route," is that referring to the Universal USB Installer?

And, about this:
Roken wrote:There should be an icon on the desktop to install LinuxMint. Double click and follow it through.
That seems straight-forward enough; any reason why that wouldn't work? I've used MultiSystem (http://www.pendrivelinux.com/multiboot- ... rom-linux/) and when I boot into a live session I do see the the installation icon on the desktop, but haven't actually tried it yet. It should work the same way as if you're running a live CD/DVD, right?
Malspa,
Yes, pendrivelinux route = universalusb installer exe file.
But read my reply to richyrich. He hsould not have suggested PDL at all. PDL is for installing linux ONTO the usb drive. What i want is what I wrote in this thread title.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:18 am
by MALsPa
pepperminty wrote:But read my reply to richyrich. He hsould not have suggested PDL at all. PDL is for installing linux ONTO the usb drive. What i want is what I wrote in this thread title.
I know, but if the install button is there on the desktop once you boot into the live session, it should work, isn't that so? Not saying it does, but I'm just asking.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:33 am
by pepperminty
MALsPa wrote:
pepperminty wrote:But read my reply to richyrich. He hsould not have suggested PDL at all. PDL is for installing linux ONTO the usb drive. What i want is what I wrote in this thread title.
I know, but if the install button is there on the desktop once you boot into the live session, it should work, isn't that so? Not saying it does, but I'm just asking.
malspa,
There is no install button on the desktop.

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:12 pm
by MALsPa
pepperminty wrote:There is no install button on the desktop.
That's interesting.

However, there's this statement right there at http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ so I don't see why you couldn't install it from a flash drive:
Pendrivelinux provides simplified information to make it easy for anyone to install, boot, and run their favorite Linux Distro from a portable flash drive!
I mentioned MultiSystem earlier. I've got Ubuntu 11.04 on a MultiSystem flash drive. The install button is there, but I haven't tried it (yet). But MultiSystem is very easy to use, and I found this quote here in these forums:
hamamelis wrote:I have been using MultiSystem successfully install various Mint version.
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=61390

So maybe MultiSystem will work, even though its primary purpose is to "Create a MultiBoot USB Flash Drive from Linux."

Re: Installing mint from USB Drive

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:26 pm
by SimonTS
If there is no 'Install' button on your Live desktop then I would suggest that you don't have a Live system, but have actually managed, somehow, to install the Mint OS to that USB stick instead of just 'burning' the .iso image.

However, open a terminal window and type 'ubiquity' - this should kick off the installer manually if the icon has, genuinely, just done a vanishing act.