Windows mutates Linux bootable installation disks
To make a bootable Fedora installation disk, I just do a dd from the .iso file to the USB flash stick (not a filesystem on the USB device) These work well for system repairs as well as installation. When you boot from these sticks, they offer an integrity check: the whole image is checked against a know checksum. Unfortunately, if Windows sees one of these sticks, it mutate the contents. So future integrity checks will fail. I've suffered from this for years: if you are not fast enough during POST to hit the key that lets you specify the boot device, your system might boot into Windows. And then your bootable stick is ruined. I learned a few things from links in Villy Kuses' posting in <https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/why-does-windows-corrupt-the-fedora-bootable-flash-drive/106405/3> Basically, this stick has a FAT ESP and Windows adds a magic file and changes a timestamp. How rude. It turns out that the USB stick will boot. Just don't do an integrity check. I wish USB sticks had read-only mechanical switch.
I suspect Ventoy or Yumi would solve your problem. These have a "normal" minimal image that boots, then lets you choose which .iso file to second boot from, presumably with any checksum verification as otherwise. you can add and delete .iso files easily, not having to worry about doing a DD to load the disk. In the past there were more USB drives with a read-only switch. But they cost 10 cents (?) more to make, and not enough people were willing to pay that, so they are a niche product and cost MUCH more: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&_nkw=usb+drive+with+write+protect&_sacat=0 I wonder if it would be possible to make a dongle with male/female USB connectors to put between a thumb drive and a computer to force read-only? probably not. maybe for an ide cable... <pre>--Carey</pre>
On 04/30/2024 12:03 AM CDT D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
To make a bootable Fedora installation disk, I just do a dd from the .iso file to the USB flash stick (not a filesystem on the USB device)
These work well for system repairs as well as installation.
When you boot from these sticks, they offer an integrity check: the whole image is checked against a know checksum.
Unfortunately, if Windows sees one of these sticks, it mutate the contents. So future integrity checks will fail.
I've suffered from this for years: if you are not fast enough during POST to hit the key that lets you specify the boot device, your system might boot into Windows. And then your bootable stick is ruined.
I learned a few things from links in Villy Kuses' posting in <https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/why-does-windows-corrupt-the-fedora-bootable-flash-drive/106405/3>
Basically, this stick has a FAT ESP and Windows adds a magic file and changes a timestamp. How rude.
It turns out that the USB stick will boot. Just don't do an integrity check.
I wish USB sticks had read-only mechanical switch. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
+1 for Ventoy I replaced a small wallet full of USB stick with one 128G with Ventoy with a ton of ISOs The one issue about Ventoy is that it does not support "any ISO", you have to check their website to make sure that ISO is supported and known to work. For rescue on the same machine, Debian has a package called grml-rescueboot that will pull a GRML ISO, put it into /boot and make it available via GRUB, very useful when you mess up things on SId :) -nick On Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 10:47 AM CAREY SCHUG via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
I suspect Ventoy or Yumi would solve your problem. These have a "normal" minimal image that boots, then lets you choose which .iso file to second boot from, presumably with any checksum verification as otherwise. you can add and delete .iso files easily, not having to worry about doing a DD to load the disk.
In the past there were more USB drives with a read-only switch. But they cost 10 cents (?) more to make, and not enough people were willing to pay that, so they are a niche product and cost MUCH more:
I wonder if it would be possible to make a dongle with male/female USB connectors to put between a thumb drive and a computer to force read-only? probably not. maybe for an ide cable...
<pre>--Carey</pre>
On 04/30/2024 12:03 AM CDT D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
To make a bootable Fedora installation disk, I just do a dd from the .iso file to the USB flash stick (not a filesystem on the USB device)
These work well for system repairs as well as installation.
When you boot from these sticks, they offer an integrity check: the whole image is checked against a know checksum.
Unfortunately, if Windows sees one of these sticks, it mutate the contents. So future integrity checks will fail.
I've suffered from this for years: if you are not fast enough during POST to hit the key that lets you specify the boot device, your system might boot into Windows. And then your bootable stick is ruined.
I learned a few things from links in Villy Kuses' posting in < https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/why-does-windows-corrupt-the-fedora-b...
Basically, this stick has a FAT ESP and Windows adds a magic file and changes a timestamp. How rude.
It turns out that the USB stick will boot. Just don't do an integrity check.
I wish USB sticks had read-only mechanical switch. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
On Tue, 30 Apr 2024 at 01:12, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
I wish USB sticks had read-only mechanical switch.
Some older ones did. Here's a 128M one I have. The read-only switch is in the indent on the side. https://www.mlxxxp.ca/flash_drive/ez-drive.jpg -- Scott
On Tue, 30 Apr 2024 at 01:12, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
I wish USB sticks had read-only mechanical switch.
One possibility: Full size SD cards and microSD to SD adapters have a lock "switch". This is just mechanical, as it was with floppy disks, so it's up to the card reader to detect and prevent writes when set. If you could find a USB SD card reader that detects and properly handles the "switch" you may be able to use it in place of a USB flash drive. -- Scott
participants (4)
-
CAREY SCHUG -
D. Hugh Redelmeier -
Nick Accad -
Scott Allen