How can I make boot media using Linux Mint?

[zzz]

https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto ... dia_linux/
is a tutorial titled "How To Create IFL Boot Media From A Linux Distribution"

Is it up-to-date as of 9 November 2022?
Or could someone give simple instructions for the one thing I want to do?

I have easily made boot CDs and USB sticks using makedisk in Windows.
But I now want to move away from Windows completely.
It's a nuisance to dual-boot Windows just to make Image For Linux boot media.

I use Linux Mint 21 cinnamon, the latest version of Linux Mint.
I just want to make one thing:

A USB stick of the latest Image For Linux (Version 3.56 made available on November 1, 2022)
GUI version
Traditional options
For UEFI computers.

The tutorial above seems too complicated for me to follow
and may be out of date.

If you have time, would someone be kind enough to reply with simple instructions.
It would be much appreciated.
And I would tell others who prefer to use Linux.

[Brian K]

zzz,

The tutorials look up to date to me.

Have you installed IFL to the Linux Mint OS yet?

[zzz]

I tried everything in that tutorial - and nothing worked.
Except a default boot CD - but that needed name and key to be entered every time run.
I have messed about for five hours, with no success.
It would take hours to document all I have done.
Everything I attempted resulted in error messages.
Please forgive my anguished moan!
I must be too stupid.
Has anyone here tried making a usb boot stick using Linux?

[Brian K]

Has anyone here tried making a usb boot stick using Linux?

I made a couple yesterday.

I assume you have installed IFL in Mint, can you run IFL and Partwork without being asked for the serial numbers.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

Is IFL installed in a folder? The setup script requires some 32-bit libs before it will run so you have to install those first. The basic steps are:

1. Unzip the IFL download to a folder.

2. Install the 32-bit libs for Mint. The command lines for that are in this KB article:
https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/kb ... /#ubuntu19

Assuming you're using the GUI version of IFL, the terminal commands you need to run are as follows (each line is a separate command to run):

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sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install lib32z1 libjpeg62:i386 libxext6:i386 libxft2:i386 libxinerama1:i386 libstdc++6:i386 libncursesw5:i386 libxcursor1:i386
sudo wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/libp/libpng/libpng12-0_1.2.54-1ubuntu1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -x libpng12-0_1.2.54-1ubuntu1_i386.deb libpng12
sudo cp -P libpng12/lib/i386-linux-gnu/* /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/

3. From the terminal, go to the IFL folder and run the setup script:

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sudo ./setup

4. Follow the instructions and enter your license when prompted.

After installing, the iflbuild script (run from the IFL folder) can be used to create the boot media:

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sudo ./iflbuild

However, the iflbuild script likely requires the 'dialog' lib to be installed (as noted in the KB article https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto ... /#section8). To install it, run the command from the terminal:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install dialog

Note that when creating a UFD, the drive needs to be unmounted for the script to work. This may require going into the disk utility and unmounting the UFD's partition (don't eject the UFD as then it won't be seen).

[zzz]

Thanks for replies.
Paul - I went through all those four points you kindly listed.
There were failures ad error messages throughout.
I can't go into all the things that did not work, but ...

That last point is significant:
"Note that when creating a UFD, the drive needs to be unmounted for the script to work. This may require going into the disk utility and unmounting the UFD's partition (don't eject the UFD as then it won't be seen)."
That wasn't mentioned in the tutorial.

Also I was using the nonet download - and eventually got an error message saying that only works in Windows and that in using Linux I needed the standard version.
Again, that wasn't in the tutorial.
And I couldn't have guessed it.

When I gave up and used Windows on a dual-boot machine it took only a few minutes to make the usb stick.
I used a very old 2GB stick and on each screen just accepted the pre-selected defaults, and kept clicking next.
The resulting boot stick worked on both UEFI and also BIOS computers.

So the job is done, at the cost of having to keep Windows for this one purpose.
But it gave me an idea, which may be sensible or silly.
(I don't know enough to have an opinion on that.)
Anyway, here it is:

Could Terabyte make a FlatPak version for Linux?
That would have all its dependencies included in the package.
And perhaps could work just like the Windows Makedisk.
Is that feasible?
Is it worth doing?

[Brian K]

Also I was using the nonet download - and eventually got an error message saying that only works in Windows and that in using Linux I needed the standard version.
Again, that wasn't in the tutorial.

It is in the tutorial...

The starting point for the procedure below will be with the full version IFL zip file downloaded and placed on the KDE or Gnome Desktop. The filename for the IFL CUI download is ifl_en.zip; for IFL GUI, it's ifl_en_gui.zip. The trial version filenames are different, but the procedure is still the same. Note that the "no net" versions of the downloads (ifl_nonet_en.zip, ifl_nonet_en_gui.zip) do not include the files necessary to install in Linux.

[zzz]

Brian K - I think I see my fundamental mistake now. Thanks.

I went straight to making boot media.
I didn't see why I would want to actually install IFL on a computer.
Why would one do that?
I have used IFL for years (and value it very much) but never installed it on anything.

I have always made boot CDs and USB sticks using Windows.
And doing that there is no need to install anything.

So why the difference?

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

It depends on how you use IFL. With it installed you can back up and restore unmounted partitions on the system, use partition work, run cron jobs, etc.

If you don't want/need it installed, you can also create the boot media when booted to IFL. Normally, you would use the zip file mode, which requires copying in the downloaded IFL zip file (the _x64 zips are also supported), since it provides the most configuration options.
https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/kb ... boot-disk/

[Brian K]

zzz,

If you want to be completely free of Windows you will need IFL to be installed in your Mint OS. An IFL install takes 2 minutes. To create a boot UFD takes 1 minute.