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

[LANGLOIS Olivier PIS -EXT]

> 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.


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