Simplest way to make a bootable flash drive for testing BSOD

What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?
http://i.cubeupload.com/JucFrh.jpg

FAIL 1:
I made the AVG flash drive but it was a waste of time
in effect. I guess I should have realized it was only
useful to remove a virus. It did have a memory test and
a smartctl and testdisk function, but essentially you
can't "boot" to an operating system to "do anything",
least of all to test the hardware operation.

Googling for how to make a Windows OS bootable flash
drive, I'm amazed at how complex the task it. Nobody
in the US has a "Windows installation disc", simply
because all the laptops come with Windows pre-installed
and they don't give you a "Windows" disc, so all the
"BART PE" stuff I found seemed utterly useless.

FAIL 2:
I'm OK for this purpose booting to *any* operating system,
so I downloaded a Kubuntu 16.04 Rescue Flash Drive but
it asks for a login and a password when it boots. Huh?
What's the login? Password? I don't know.

Not wanting to give up so easily, I just now downloaded a
bit torrent client and obtained a knoppix DVD ISO torrent
http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/ (4,349,960KB)

Looking for how to turn that into a bootable flash drive
I found and downloaded the Windows ISO2Disc software.
http://www.top-password.com/iso2disc.html

The web site for iso2disc looks a little dodgy but I couldn't
use BartPE because BartPE requires a Windows disc which is
never going to be available.

Anyway, before I begin FAIL 3, what is the easiest way to
get any bootable operating system on a USB flash drive?

(I will post what I am attempting next, but this has taken
days and it is never as easy as people make it out to be.)

Donna D. wrote:

Anyway, before I begin FAIL 3, what is the easiest way to
get any bootable operating system on a USB flash drive?

(I will post what I am attempting next, but this has taken
days and it is never as easy as people make it out to be.)

Here is my proposed FAIL 3, which I outline just to ask if
there is an *easier* way to creat a bootable flash drive!

1. Boot to any version of Windows
2. Obtain & install a small simple free bit-torrent client
(e.g., Transmission-Qt, Deluge, qBittorrent, uTorrent, etc.)
3. Locate any free Linux troubleshooting ISO
(e.g., knoppix DVD ISO torrents http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/)
4. Download a free Linux troubleshooting ISO
(e.g., KNOPPIX_V7.6.1DVD-2016-01-16-EN.iso 4,349,960KB)
(http://i.cubeupload.com/JucFrh.jpg)
5. Download and install ISO2Disc
(http://www.top-password.com/iso2disc.html)
6. Plug in the empty USB flash drive of at least 4GB (no need to format it)
7. Run Iso2Disc & browse to locate your 4GB ISO image on your hard drive
8. In iso2disc, check the "Burn to USB Flash Drive" option
9. In iso2disc, choose your flash drive
10. In iso2disc, set the partition style to MBR
12. In iso2disc, click Start Burn
12. This should format the USB drive & make the partition bootable,
and extract the contents of the ISO image to the USB flash drive.
13. "Burn Finished" should display when done.
14. Reboot and press F1 to enter the BIOS setup
15. Set the BIOS to boot off the USB flash drive before the hard drive
16. Boot off of the Knoppix flash drive
(then what?)

Donna D. wrote:
What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?

Assuming 'make ... from Windows' means make with Windows rather than
create a PE from windows.

My preferred USB writer is Rufus, but not all linux .iso/s are written
the same way, so the same tool doesn't work 100% of the time. However,
rufus has the most strategies for resolving 'issues'.

The rufus page below mentions Knoppix among the numerous distros which
are OK, and you have a knoppix. Rufus can also write Win .iso/s.

Besides many scores of linux distros, I've used Rufus to write useful
..iso tools such as Hiren's Boot CD and the Tiny Wins XP & 7 to USB.

https://rufus.akeo.ie/


--
Mike Easter

If you are on a Windows System then this works:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200124%28v=ws.11%29.aspx

I have done it many times but to install Windows 10, 8.1 and 7

After following that, you also need to download the full ISO of Windows
and then unzip it using z-zip. Then copy everything from the unzipped
folder to the root of the flash drive. But you only do this AFTER you
have followed the instructions linked above. NOT BEFORE.

Good luck.



On 27/06/2016 17:45, Donna D. wrote:
What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?
http://i.cubeupload.com/JucFrh.jpg

FAIL 1:
I made the AVG flash drive but it was a waste of time
in effect. I guess I should have realized it was only
useful to remove a virus. It did have a memory test and
a smartctl and testdisk function, but essentially you
can't "boot" to an operating system to "do anything",
least of all to test the hardware operation.

Googling for how to make a Windows OS bootable flash
drive, I'm amazed at how complex the task it. Nobody
in the US has a "Windows installation disc", simply
because all the laptops come with Windows pre-installed
and they don't give you a "Windows" disc, so all the
"BART PE" stuff I found seemed utterly useless.

FAIL 2:
I'm OK for this purpose booting to *any* operating system,
so I downloaded a Kubuntu 16.04 Rescue Flash Drive but
it asks for a login and a password when it boots. Huh?
What's the login? Password? I don't know.

Not wanting to give up so easily, I just now downloaded a
bit torrent client and obtained a knoppix DVD ISO torrent
http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/ (4,349,960KB)

Looking for how to turn that into a bootable flash drive
I found and downloaded the Windows ISO2Disc software.
http://www.top-password.com/iso2disc.html

The web site for iso2disc looks a little dodgy but I couldn't
use BartPE because BartPE requires a Windows disc which is
never going to be available.

Anyway, before I begin FAIL 3, what is the easiest way to
get any bootable operating system on a USB flash drive?

(I will post what I am attempting next, but this has taken
days and it is never as easy as people make it out to be.)



--

Windows 10
https://app.box.com/representation/file_version_74032471857/image_2048/1.png?shared_name=jx7x8bblrf906i7ktrvu4kn89t48b43b

Donna D. wrote on 06/27/2016 12:45 PM:
What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?
http://i.cubeupload.com/JucFrh.jpg

Does your operating system support booting from a flash drive ?


--
...winston
msft mvp windows experience

On 2016-06-27, Donna D. wrote:
What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?
http://i.cubeupload.com/JucFrh.jpg

FAIL 1:
I made the AVG flash drive but it was a waste of time
in effect. I guess I should have realized it was only
useful to remove a virus. It did have a memory test and
a smartctl and testdisk function, but essentially you
can't "boot" to an operating system to "do anything",
least of all to test the hardware operation.

Googling for how to make a Windows OS bootable flash
drive, I'm amazed at how complex the task it. Nobody
in the US has a "Windows installation disc", simply
because all the laptops come with Windows pre-installed
and they don't give you a "Windows" disc, so all the
"BART PE" stuff I found seemed utterly useless.

FAIL 2:
I'm OK for this purpose booting to *any* operating system,
so I downloaded a Kubuntu 16.04 Rescue Flash Drive but
it asks for a login and a password when it boots. Huh?
What's the login? Password? I don't know.

I don't suppose reading the README file would give you that informtion.
Usually it is root with no password.

Anyway you could try Mageia
https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Installat..._flash_ drive
Ie, you just copy (dd) the iso file to the usb stick.


Not wanting to give up so easily, I just now downloaded a
bit torrent client and obtained a knoppix DVD ISO torrent
http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/ (4,349,960KB)

Looking for how to turn that into a bootable flash drive
I found and downloaded the Windows ISO2Disc software.
http://www.top-password.com/iso2disc.html

The web site for iso2disc looks a little dodgy but I couldn't
use BartPE because BartPE requires a Windows disc which is
never going to be available.

Anyway, before I begin FAIL 3, what is the easiest way to
get any bootable operating system on a USB flash drive?

(I will post what I am attempting next, but this has taken
days and it is never as easy as people make it out to be.)


You have not told us which operating system you are using to burn the
data to the usb stick.

On 2016-06-27 19:40, Mike Easter wrote:

My preferred USB writer is Rufus, but not all linux .iso/s are written
the same way, so the same tool doesn't work 100% of the time. However,
rufus has the most strategies for resolving 'issues'.

For instance, with openSUSE Linux you simply copy the iso file to the
usb device (not as file, but raw). If using Windows you need an
application that does that raw copy.

In fact, if you try to make the openSUSE image bootable by some other
means, it breaks. It is a common mistake.

In case the OP wants to try openSUSE, I would recommend the XFCE rescue
iso image (vers 13.2).

--
Cheers, Carlos.

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

Donna D. wrote:
What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?

Simplist depends upon what you have. If you have Macrium Reflect, just tell
it to make a "rescue disk" and point it at the drive.

BTW, it has to have a FAT32 partition on the drive but it only needs one
about 1 GB; others could be made on the drive in whatever file format you
want. Me, I just let it format the whole thing as FAT 32.

On Mon, 27 Jun 2016 14:03:00 -0400
". . .winston" wrote:

Does your operating system support booting from a flash drive ?

greg,
That does not answer the question, which was:

What's the simplest way to make a bootable flash drive
from Windows so I can test a bad system that won't boot
and which does not have an optical disc drive?

Since you do not know you should STFU, You racist slug.


On Tue, 21 Jun 2016 13:49:27 -0400
". . .winston" wrote:


Surely winston gave them instructions?

2 points for that one...... :-)

How about that, Buckwheat has a friend.

....winston
msft mvp windows experience



on Mon, 30 May 2016 19:25:46 -0400
". . .winston" wrote:

BuckwheaTJ - are you having one of those 'wish I had a watermelon'
moments again trying to be heard.


...winston
msft mvp windows experience

On Wed, 22 Jun 2016 08:09:44 -0400
burfordTjustice wrote:

Surely winston gave them instructions?

2 points for that one...... :-)

How about that, Buckwheat has a friend.

Whoa! Someone playfully teases you and you strike out with a
racist attack. Nice, real mature.

Sorry, Stimey.

--
...winston
msft mvp windows experience

More Racism we see.
What is with you greg?

https://www.google.com/search?

Mike Easter wrote:

Assuming 'make ... from Windows' means make with Windows rather than
create a PE from windows.

My preferred USB writer is Rufus, but not all linux .iso/s are written
the same way, so the same tool doesn't work 100% of the time. However,
rufus has the most strategies for resolving 'issues'.

The rufus page below mentions Knoppix among the numerous distros which
are OK, and you have a knoppix. Rufus can also write Win .iso/s.

Besides many scores of linux distros, I've used Rufus to write useful
.iso tools such as Hiren's Boot CD and the Tiny Wins XP & 7 to USB.

https://rufus.akeo.ie/

I don't know what a "PE" is really, but I just want an easy way to
boot from a "rescue thumb drive" so I can tell if the hardware or
the hard disc is what is giving me the BSOD (unmountable boot volume).

I don't really care *what* OS I boot for that purpose, but I first
tried to figure out how to make a windows boot flash drive but nobody
is going to have a windows installation disc in the USA because they
just don't provide them, and windows is already on every laptop ever
sold so there's no need to buy one.

I googled for which Linux to use and a lot of confusing hits came up
with Ubuntu and Knoppix seemingly more popular. I don't want to
actually *use* the operating system (except in rescue and diagnostic
purposes), so Knoppix seemed to fit the bill.

I had never torrented, so I downloaded a torrent application, and now
I have the Knoppix 4.3 KB ISO on my hard drive in Windows.

I'm perfectly happy to use Rufus to put that Knoppix bootable ISO onto
a flash drive so I just downloaded the latest Rufus as of May 17th:
https://rufus.akeo.ie/downloads/rufus-2.9.exe

Is the process this simple?
1. Run Rufus
2. Tell Rufus to put the Knoppix ISO onto the flash drive
3. Boot off the flash drive
4. Start debugging

On Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:23:40 -0000 (UTC)
"Donna D." wrote:

From: "Donna D."

Organization: Mixmin

You should know...

.. . .winston wrote:

Does your operating system support booting from a flash drive ?

Funny you mention that.

I have a couple of "broken" windows systems, and in one, an
IBM A31p, you can't set the BIOS to boot from a flash drive
*unless* the flash drive is actually inserted in a slot!

Then, when you reboot, the setting disappears!
What?
I've never heard of a transient BIOS setting, but there it
seems to be.

I even put *two* USB thumb drives in the two slots, and
the BIOS only allows you to set which one to boot off of
when they are in the slots.

Once you boot without either of them in the slots, you're
back to the inability of booting off the USB. I never
knew BIOS settings were transient.

On the other hand, the laptop which I'm trying to fix is
a DELL which has permanent settings for the flash drives.

Once I put them in and boot to the BIOS, it lists the flash
drives under the hard disc drive so I just move it up above
the hard disc drive.

The BIOS never ceases to surprise me because I would have
put the flash drive in the "removable drives" section, but
it goes with the hard drives on the DELL.

So, I think it's up to the BIOS how it handles such things.

It should be noted that the IBM A31p booted both to the
AVG Rescue Drive and to the Kubuntu Linux 16.04 drive, but
the DELL only booted to the AVG Drive.

The DELL simply flashed all red, all blue, all black, etc.,
when I tried to boot to the Kubuntu drive.

Wolf K wrote:

Search on "Make bootable flash drive for Windows" for more.

I did search for making a bootable Windows flash drive.
Basically it's impossible.

I mean, who has a physical Windows installation CD in the USA?

William Unruh wrote:

You have not told us which operating system you are using to burn the
data to the usb stick.

The operating system I'm trying to put on a flash drive is Knoppix.
Then I'm going to (somehow) use that Knoppix OS to debug the bad laptops.

I have two dead laptops, both of which are Windows.
I have one live laptop, which is Windows.

It's basically impossible to create a Windows flash drive, simply
because the requirements are impossible. So that is why I'm choosing
to use Knoppix as my rescue flash drive.

dadiOH wrote:

Simplist depends upon what you have. If you have Macrium Reflect, just tell
it to make a "rescue disk" and point it at the drive.

BTW, it has to have a FAT32 partition on the drive but it only needs one
about 1 GB; others could be made on the drive in whatever file format you
want. Me, I just let it format the whole thing as FAT 32.

I looked up what it takes to get a Windows boot drive, and it reminded me
of the things that the Apple people talk about.

It sounds so easy in text, but it's virtually impossible to do, and, even
more virtually impossible if the machine is dead and you're doing it from
another Windows machine (with a different Windows version).

I concluded after an entire day of reading how to do it that it's basically
impossible to create a Windows bootable flash drive.

The requirements are essentially impossible.

For example, who has a physical Windows boot disc in the USA nowadays?
And your example of Macrium Reflect requires software I don't have, and
I suspect it requires the exact machine that is dead (which is impossible).

If that is the case, then it's just like the Apple people who tell you
to do stuff which is basically impossible unless you're inside the walled
garden.

Luckily, Knoppix plays outside the walled garden (I think).