Multi-Boot USB Flash Drive with Syslinux

Why create a USB Drive bootable?

|--- Recover your data when the system no longer boots

|--- Surf the internet without any OS installed

|--- Hardware Diagnostics (i.e. Seatools)

|--- Offline Virus Scanner (i.e. Avg-rescue-cd)

|--- Optical Drive is broken or not available

‘--- Easy to carry…and so forth...

Requirements:

|--- Atleast 1GB + USB Drive

|--- Download Syslinux-6.02.zip

|--- Lightweight linux distros like Puppy Wary 5.5  and Slitaz 4.0

|--- Archiving utility for extracting iso files such as 7zip

‘--- Patience :-)

NOTE: No need to format the drive if the filesystem type is FAT or FAT32

INSTRUCTION: Windows Machine

I. Syslinux Components

Inside the drive create a folder and name it “boot”

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  | x:\boot>

  '----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the folder “boot” create another folder and name it “syslinux”

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  | x:\boot\syslinux>

  '----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extract Syslinux-6.02.zip to desktop

Copy all this files to the folder you had created on step #2 "syslinux"

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  |--- syslinux-6.02\bios\win32\syslinux.exe

  |--- syslinux-6.02\bios\com32\menu\menu.c32

  |--- syslinux-6.02\bios\com32\chain\chain.c32

  |--- syslinux-6.02\bios\memdisk\memdisk

  |--- syslinux-6.02\bios\com32\modules\reboot.c32

  |--- syslinux-6.02\bios\com32\modules\linux.c32

  '----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The folder should look like this

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  |-- x:\boot\syslinux>

  |                   |--- syslinux.exe

  |                   |--- menu.c32

  |                   |--- chain.c32

  |                   |--- memdisk

  |                   |--- reboot.c32

  |                   ‘--- linux.c32

  '----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Lightweight Linux Distros

Puppy Linux Wary 5.5

Create a folder and name it “puppy” and extract wary-5.5.iso to that folder and transfer it to Flash Drive

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  |-- x:\puppy>

  |            |--- puppy_wary_5.5.sfs

  |            |--- vmlinuz

  |            |--- initrd.gz

  |            |--- logo.16

  |            ‘--- etc..…..

  '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slitaz 4.0

Extract slitaz-4.0.iso to a folder and rename the extracted “boot” folder to “slitaz” and transfer it to to Flash Drive

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  |-- x:\slitaz>

  |           |--- vmlinuz-2.6.37-slitaz

  |           |--- bzImage

  |           |--- rootfs1.gz

  |           |--- rootfs2.gz

  |           |--- rootfs3.gz

  |           |--- rootfs4.gz

  |           ‘--- etc..………

  '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. The Configuration File

Open notepad and copy this code

::--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  default menu.c32

  prompt 0

  menu title YOUR NAME

  label puppy

  menu label Puppy Wary 5.5

  kernel /puppy /vmlinuz

  append pmedia=usbflash psubdir=/puppy lang=en pkeys=us

  initrd /puppy/initrd.gz

  LABEL slitaz

  menu label Slitaz 4.0

  KERNEL /slitaz/bzImage

  append initrd=/slitaz/rootfs4.gz,/slitaz/rootfs3.gz,/slitaz/rootfs2.gz,/slitaz/rootfs1.gz rw root=/dev/null

  lang=C kmap=us vga=normal autologin

::--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Save the file as “syslinux.cfg” and transfer it to syslinux folder

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  |-- x:\boot\syslinux>

  |                   |--- syslinux.cfg

  |                   |--- syslinux.exe

  |                   |--- menu.c32

  |                   |--- chain.c32

  |                   |--- memdisk

  |                   |--- reboot.c32

  |                   ‘--- linux.c32

  '-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|V. Make the USB Flash Drive Bootable

Open notepad and copy this code
::--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  @ECHO OFF

  :HOME

  CLS

  ECHO ---------------------------------------------

  ECHO      SYSLINUX INSTALLER     

  ECHO ---------------------------------------------

  IF NOT EXIST "syslinux.exe" (

   ECHO Syslinux.exe does not exist

    PAUSE > nul

   EXIT

  )

  :DRIVE

  SET /p USB=Drive letter:

   IF EXIST %USB%:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe (

     GOTO OS

    ) ELSE (

   GOTO INSTALL

  )

  :INSTALL

  syslinux.exe -mad \boot\syslinux -f %USB%:

    IF EXIST %USB%:\boot\syslinux\ldlinux.sys (

      ECHO Syslinux successfully installed on drive %USB%:

       PAUSE > nul

      EXIT

     ) ELSE (

    PAUSE > nul

   GOTO HOME

  )

  :OS

   ECHO Cannot run Syslinux from your local system hard drive

    PAUSE > nul (

   GOTO HOME

  )
::--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Save the file as “syslinux-installer.bat” and transfer to syslinux folder

The contents of your USB Drive should now look like this...
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  |-- x:\boot\syslinux>

  |                   |--- syslinux-installer.bat

  |                   |--- syslinux.cfg

  |                   |--- syslinux.exe

  |                   |--- menu.c32

  |                   |--- chain.c32

  |                   |--- memdisk

  |                   |--- reboot.c32

  |                   ‘--- linux.c32

  |-- x:\puppy>

  |            |--- puppy_wary_5.5.sfs

  |            |--- vmlinuz

  |            |--- initrd.gz

  |            |--- logo.16

  |            ‘--- etc..…..

  |-- x:\slitaz>

  |           |--- vmlinuz-2.6.37-slitaz

  |           |--- bzImage

  |           |--- rootfs1.gz

  |           |--- rootfs2.gz

  |           |--- rootfs3.gz

  |           |--- rootfs4.gz

  |           ‘--- etc..………

  '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When all contents are complete just execute the file “syslinux-installer.bat”