Installing Slax Linux onto a USB pendrive

posted by Andy Fletcher, 0608230

Installing Slax Linux onto a USB pendrive

Installing Linux on a pendrive allows you to carry a powerful operating system around in your pocket. Slax is based on Slackware Linux, and was created by Tomas, of slax.org.

This is a very simple tutorial for installing Slax Linux on a 256MB or larger USB pendrive. This allows you to boot Slax directly from the USB drive, leaving your Windows installations perfectly untouched on your hard drive. Linux will also run faster than from a Live CD. Please note that this will not work on the university computers, or any machine that won't let you access or modify the BIOS and run .exe files.

Basic Essentials

• A 256MB or greater USB pendrive.
• HP-USB Format Tool
• USBSLAXFULL.zip
• WinRAR,WinZip or similar archiving tool (optional)

System Requirements

Please ensure that you have at least 32MB of RAM, and an i486 processor or better, Pentium or AMD are both OK. Also ensure that your BIOS supports booting from USB mass storage device. You can view your systems specifications by clicking Start>Run and entering "DXDIAG" followed by "Enter". Refer to your motherboard handbook, or load the BIOS (see #6 below for instructions) to check that it allows USB booting.

Tutorial

This tutorial may look long winded and time consuming, but it really isn't, it's just explained very very simply. It should take less than ten minutes to complete once you have downloaded the appropriate files. I recommend that you read through the entire tutorial and troubleshooting sections first in order to obtain a clear understanding of what you are about to do.

1. Boot into Windows as usual, and download and install the HP USB Format Tool and format your pendrive using the FAT or FAT32 option (try FAT32 first, then FAT later if FAT32 doesn't work). Do not use Quick Format. Ensure that it is your pendrive that you are formatting in the drop down menu, and that you arent about to format anything important. ALL DATA ON THE PENDRIVE WILL BE ERASED, SO BACKUP ANTHING IMPORTANT. Also ensure that your pendrive is a USB pendrive, and not a flash based MP3 player, as formatting it may render it inoperable as a music playing device.

(Optional - Install WinRAR if you don't already have WinRAR, WinZip or similar installed.

2. Download USBSLAXFULL.zip.

3. Upon completion of the download, extract the contents to your pendrive by right-clicking the USBSLAXFULL.zip file and clicking "Extract to ...". Enter the drive letter that reperesents your pendrive "E.g: G:\".

4. Browse to your flash drive and double click "Makeboot.exe" to execute it. IMPORTANT - MAKE SURE YOU EXECUTE MAKEBOOT.EXE FROM YOUR PENDRIVE AND NOT YOUR LOCAL HARD DRIVE. DOING SO COULD POTENTIALLY MAKE WINDOWS UN-BOOTABLE.

5. Follow the simple on screen instructions-the entire process should only take a few seconds.

6. Shut down WIndows using Start>Turn Off Computer (don't just hit the Power button) and turn the computer back on. You now need to configure the BIOS to load Slax from the USB pendrive instead of Windows from the hard disc drive. With most PC's, hitting the "Delete" key repeatedly after immediately switching on will load the BIOS-if not, consult your motherboard handbook for instructions on how to access the BIOS. You need to hit Delete immediately after you hit the power switch to turn your computer on, before Windows starts to load.

7. The BIOS looks very confusing to someone who hasn't used it before, but don't worry, so long as you don't mess with anything you don't understand everything will be fine. Scroll through the options using the left, right, up and down keys on your keyboard until you find the boot priority setting. First, make a note of what it is as default (Usually Floppy>HDD-0>CDROM) and then change it to boot from either USB-HDD or USB-ZIP. Now, save and exit (Usually "F10", "Y" and "Enter").

8. The computer will effectively restart, and Slax should load instead of Windows.

9. If given the option to "boot:" hit "Enter" on your keyboard and wait until you are prompted to login. Enter "root" as the username and "toor" as the password. Hit "Enter".

10. Now type "startx" followed by the "Enter" key. Linux should now boot.

11. To get back to Windows, power down Slax from the menu. If the shut down stops and you are given a prompt, type "reboot" and hit enter.

12. To boot back to Windows, simply either remove your USB-pendrive or change the BIOS settings back to their default values.

Troubleshooting

Q. Help, i can't boot into Slax!

A. First, try removing all other USB devices-sometimes they can interrupt the boot process and cause problems. Also, ensure that you completed the tutorial exactly as described in the above steps. If you formatted in FAT32, try formatting in FAT or vice-versa. Try another USB port (the frontal USB ports often don't allow booting), or failing that another pendrive, or a friends machine. Ensure that you have set the BIOS to boot from USB-HDD, and failing this, try booting with the boot priority set to boot from USB-ZIP, or similar.

Q. I can't see anything after i enter "startx"/My screen flickers!

A. This is a common problem, but one that can be easily fixed. Before you enter "startx", enter "xconf" and hit "enter". The screen may flicker or dissapear for a few seconds-this is OK. The graphics settings should now be properly configured to run Slax. Enter "startx" as usual and hit "enter" to boot.

Q. Can this damage any of my files on my PC?

A. Its highly unlikely, so long as you only run Makeboot.exe from your pendrive and not your HDD(s). It's still always a good idea to backup any data however before attempting this tutorial. Bear in mind though that messing with the BIOS, other Linux distributions, and generally doing things you don't understand will probably result in you messing something up, so don't push buttons if you don't know what they do.

Q. I can't fit Slax onto my pendrive!

A. You can try either a larger pendrive, or visit pendrivelinux.com for linux distributions that can fit on even a 64MB pendrive.

Q. Im tired of Slax, how do i get my pendrive back to how it was?

A. Load up the HP USB Format Tool and format the drive as before, ensuring that you select the correct drive from the drop down menu.

Q. The HP USB Format Tool gives me an error!

A. This is a common problem; under Windows XP, open the "Control Panel", make sure you are in "Classic View" and click "Administrative Tools" followed by "Computer Management". Select "Disk Managment" from the menu on the left, and delete any partitions on the drive, making sure that you have selected your pendrive and not your HDD(s) by mistake, then format it in either FAT or FAT32. It is then recommended that you format again using the HP Format Tool, for compatibility reasons. Failing this, try formatting the drive using the above methods on a different machine, or use a different pendrive.

Q. Can i use a USB-HDD?

A. Compatibility with USB-HDD's is not guaranteed. I couldn't get a single distro to boot using my Hitachi HDD in a USB caddy. Try it, and add your findings to the Wiki.

Q. I love Linux, where can i find out more?

A. Check out pendrivelinux.com for more Linux distributions that run from USB pendrives.

Q. I really love Linux, can i install it to my hard drive?

A. Yes! But this may involve formatting your Windows HDD. It is possible to install most Linux distributions alongside Windows, but you risk destroying your data doing this if anything goes wrong. Before undertaking any OS installation, always backup any important data, and if possible make a complete copy of your HDD using Norton Ghost or similar.

Q. Can i still read from/write to my Windows disks whilst running Slax?

A. Yes and no. If your partitions are formatted in NTFS (which if you are running XP then they probably are) then you can only read from them, if they are formatted in FAT then you can read and write to them. There is no way to change the filesystem from NTFS so FAT without formatting the drive. You can browse your Windows drives whilst running Slax through the "Konqueror" browser.

Q. Should i make backups of my files?

A. Absolutely! If your pendrive becomes unreadable, or physically broken or damaged, recovery of data will be difficult. Always keep a recent backup of your files on at least one other storage device.

Q. Can i still browse my local area network/surf the net?

A. Yes! Slax will automatically set up filesharing and internet acess. To access your networked files, open "Konqueror">"Network Folders">"Samba Shares" in Slax. Konqueror is also the dault browser client for web browsing when running Slax. Your shared folders on your Windows HDD will not be available from another machine while you are running Linux, however.

Q. Can i load Slax on another machine?

A. Yes, just insert the pendrive into a USB port, configure the BIOS and boot as usual. Run "xconf" as explained above if you encounter any graphical glitches.

Q. I can't get back into Windows-HELP!

A. Calm down, it's pretty much impossible to screw anything up using this tutorial, so long as you run Makeboot.exe from the pendrive and not your HDD(s) you'll be fine. Remove the pendrive, and check that you have reset the boot priority in the BIOS to boot from the HDD (usually set it to "HDD-0"). Are there any floppy disks or CD's inserted? If so remove them. If all else fails, seek help from somebody in the know, or key your exact problem into Google.

Q. I still can't get this to work/You haven't answered my questions-HELP!

A. Whats your problem? Somebody somewhere will have already experienced it and probably solved it whatever it is, so enter it into Google Groups, ask friends, try another distro, or email a lecturer, or myself - (Andrew Fletcher).

If you have experienced problems and have overcome them, please add your experiences to the Wiki to help others.

Credits

All props go to pendrivelinux.com for the tutorial which i have expanded upon a little, and Tomas of slax.org for creating Slax. I take no credit whatsoever for any of the files or methods used here.

Slax is a very small distribuiton, which is great for those with smaller pendrives. I recommend trying different distributions if you have a larger drive until you find one that you are happy with. You must format the pendrive each time you install a new Linux distribution. Visit pendrivelinux.com for more Linux distribuitons to fit on your pendrive.

Disclaimer

I take no credit whatsoever for any of the files or methods used here. I will not take any responsibility for any damage dealt to your computer, your pendrive, yourself or others around you when follwing this tutorial. You follow this tutorial entirely at your own risk, and by installing and running Slax, you agree to this.

Notes

USB Slax supports "Persistance", meaning that system changes are saved and loaded upon the next boot, however this doesn't appear to be working right now. A solution will be posted to the Wiki as soon as it is figured out.