[arch-general] Help with making a bootable usbkey from arch for ssd drive firmware update

[Mike Cloaked]

On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 11:11 PM, LANGLOIS Olivier PIS -EXT <
olivier.pis.langlois at transport.alstom.com> wrote:

> > I did try using unetbootin to make a freedos usbkey using freedos from
> the
> > standard list in the available options within unetbootin but the key I
> prepared
> > would not boot!  I don't know if it is critical to put the partition
> table into the
> > key in a particular way - but I tried using gparted and making a standard
> > msdos partition table followed by making a new partition which was fat32
> > with boot and lba labels. I have seen some articles which have the old 63
> > sector start point for the first partition on the usbkey - but again
> when I tried
> > that the key would not get recognised by the arch system when I plugged
> it
> > in.
> >
> > So is there any magic incantation in formatting the usbkey in the first
> place
> > before putting writing the MBR and placing the syslinux boot files and
> image
> > files in the key?  If using grub2 via grub-install on the key is there
> any magic
> > incantation for that ?  I guess if I can get freedos to boot on the key
> I may be
> > closer to getting something going! (Or getting sysylinux to boot - either
> > would be a solution)
> >
> You remember me when I had to burn Windows7 dvd on a USB key because in
> the middle of the installation the setup program was suddenly complaining
> about a missing dvd player driver even if it got loaded fine from the dvd
> drive!
>
> I was in a hurry to find a magic incantation or a magical recipe from the
> internet to do just that for literally a whole night. Before that, the last
> time I had to create a bootable disk was back from DOS where everything was
> simply done with just format /b a:
>
> I failed and after a couple of hours of sleep. I decided to take some time
> to just read grub2 documentation. Just by stopping trying to take shortcuts
> and just read the grub documentation, I have been able to build my first
> bootable USB key!
>
> I suggest you to do the same. Just half an hour and bootloading won't have
> any secrets to you anymore.
>
>
Yes - good idea - I will go and re-read the grub docs....

-- 
mike c