USB Installer dual boot - is this even possible?

Naf

Basically I want to produce a single USB stick which I can use to install (and troubleshoot) Windows 7 and Ubuntu (as in choose which to install). Windows 7 USB installer takes just over 4Gb, the Ubuntu one takes less than 1Gb when installed on single USB drives.
To my mind I'd like to put them into separate directories (since I know you can't partition a USB stick) and point the GRUB loader to each installer.
Can this even be done?

GunJack

look at xboot, there's a couple of threads on here about it somewhere that I may or may not have contributed to, along with spud17 and debitcardmayhem

spud17

Who said you can't partition a flash drive? I usually use something non Windows.
But just done it with Easeus Partition Master in Win7, 2x fat32 partitions on an 8GB stick. * see below

The main problem with xboot that I can see, is that the Linux distro's run the same as a 'live' cd.
Puppy does create a 'pup save' file to speed consequent boots.

xboot flash drive Linux .isos can be used on any usb bootable machine, i.e appropriate drivers are loaded each time.

Nothing is actually installed, Win 7 would need to be installed, as AFAIK it can't be used as a 'live' .iso.

Needs a greater mind than mine.:D

* forgot to add the caveat, that Windows can only see the first partition.

henm2

All my systems are dual boot, Windows 7 and Linux Mint. My PC is Windows 7 and Linux Mint 14 mate version dual boot.

You can boot from USB. I have several ISOs installed including Windows 7 and Ubuntu and Linux Mint put there using something called YUMI see http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ very easy to use and usually very reliable. AFAIK it can only be used for live boot purposes and that is the way I have used several USB flash drives set up that way in the last couple of years.

You can also do the same thing using Xboot. However I have found Xboot to be often unstable and development of it stopped 18 months ago. The developer Sharmur was reported only recently to have unfortunately died. http://reboot.pro/topic/18247-in-memoriam-of-shamur/

Naf

spud17 wrote: »

Who said you can't partition a flash drive? I usually use something non Windows.
But just done it with Easeus Partition Master in Win7, 2x fat32 partitions on an 8GB stick. * see below

The main problem with xboot that I can see, is that the Linux distro's run the same as a 'live' cd.
Puppy does create a 'pup save' file to speed consequent boots.

xboot flash drive Linux .isos can be used on any usb bootable machine, i.e appropriate drivers are loaded each time.

Nothing is actually installed, Win 7 would need to be installed, as AFAIK it can't be used as a 'live' .iso.

Needs a greater mind than mine.:D

* forgot to add the caveat, that Windows can only see the first partition.

Yes; it's Windows ability to see subsequent partitions that was my problem.
Can my BIOS still see both, I presume it could for boot purposes?

Johnmcl7

A completely different solution that I've seen mentioned recently but not looked into yet is to run a portable version of Virtualbox (or portable VMware) on a USB and then you can run a variety of operating systems virtually.

John

Naf

I don't want to run Windows & Ubuntu off the USB; only their installers.

spud17

Naf wrote: »

I don't want to run Windows & Ubuntu off the USB; only their installers.

Sorry, I had a slight mis-read.
You could user 2x smaller flash drives.

Any BIOS I've seen only recognises complete disks and doesn't pick up individual partitions.

Will have a further think, going to need some sort of loader.

Naf

:rotfl:

spud17 wrote: »

Sorry, I had a slight mis-read.
You could user 2x smaller flash drives.

Any BIOS I've seen only recognises complete disks and doesn't pick up individual partitions.

Will have a further think, going to need some sort of loader.

I was thinking a loader which can mount an ISO? Then I can easily switch out images.
I think I heard of loading a RAM disk at startup, and inserting the files from the ISO into it to boot from?

spud17

Putting aside Win7 for a minute, the beauty of the Ubuntu .iso is that you can run it 'live',which only takes a few minutes, then install from the desktop.

debitcardmayhem

Hola , guess who's just got back from Spain, I have used xboot and my USB also has a Win 7 64 bit and 32bit rescue isos on it, alongside ubuntu , puppy, gparted and system rescuecd, and Hirens.
Edit: I forgot acronis 2012 rescue too