AROS boots form usb sticks
Date 20-Mar-2010 9:34:29
Topic: Software News
| Thanks ot the efforts of Neil Cafferkey, since march 9 it is possible to install and boot AROS from an USB stick. (if your BIOS supports this functionality). There is a topic ongoing in Aros-Exec at this link and also icaros desktop blog talks about it.
Aros-exec link:
here
Icaros Desktop Blog link:
http://vmwaros.blogspot.com/2010/03/breaking-news-glitch-and-broken-link.html
AROSworld link:
http://www.arosworld.org/news.php?readmore=245
To perform my tests i used a dane-elec (toshiba inside) 2GB USB stick; the first formatting test did not worked, since the card had two partitions (one for an extra bonus tool); in order to wipe the partitions and have a blank stick i used a tool called Hard Disk Wipe Tool on Windows, that can be found here, but i guess even a gParted or similar tools on linux should be fine.
Clicking InstallAROS on the desktop, will be requested in what device to install AROS and to format it: in order to install it on the stick please choose "wipe disk" radio button and then the USB option {should say usbscsi.device in the device window) from the drop-down menu, then proceed to format the drive. Once finished, will be asked to reboot.
Once rebooted, run InstallAROS again, choose this time "use existing AROS partitions" and click proceed; the installer will set up AROS on your stick.
For what concerns me, i made several tests: one in my modern laptop (DELL VOSTRO 1000), one in my wife netbook (MSI WIND u100) and one in my old laptop (ASUS a1300).
The ASUS has no option to boot from removable USB device so is out; by the way its internal OHCI USB controller never recognized any of my sticks so guess is pretty out of option; a pity since the network card (sis900) is supported.
The Dell Vostro can boot if I keep the "USB legacy driver" option on form the BIOS but this means no external mouse and keyboard can be used; the HDAUDIO driver seems not to recognize the sound card (a particular one that also works as modem/fax) and the Broadcom 440 network card is not supported either; thankfully i can plug other sticks to transfer data.
The MSI Wind netbook comes out as the best supported device: audio works, network (wired) works, reads other sticks and is quite fast too; for me used at the clunkiness of OWB on virtual machine qemu the performance on real hardware was quite an epiphany :)
Simone "Saimon69" Bernacchia
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