Add USBuntu to Longhorn loader

S

sammydadams

Member
Hi...here's the deal,
i have a bootable USB key with ubuntu loaded but i also have a USB external hard drive. Is there any way that i can add my usb key to the lonhorn bootloader rather than have my BIOS check for bootable content on my external any time it is plugged in?...it takes FOREVER to check the external and i'd love to just select a USB selection on the bootloader to tell it to check the usb key.
 
Hello Sammy,

Unfortunately, most system BIOS out there do not allow you to specifcally state which of multiple usb devices you want to boot from. You can only have one bootable USB device usually plugged in and powered on during the boot proccess. Otherwise, it'll hang or give you symptons as you described. You will need to have your external powered off any time you want to boot from your USB drive.
 
thanks for the quick reply, but i was wondering more if i could add it to the bootloader. That way i could start my computer which would present the bootloader menu and i could select the USB there. I'm pretty sure it can be done with grub, but since i'd be running Ubuntu off the memory stick, i wouldnt have a linux partition that would support grub. (of course barring something like grub4dos or something along those lines)

Here's the link on how they say it can be done under linux...ie adding a usb grub entry. I was trying to accomplish the same task by adding a longhorn entry supporting USB boot.


[all variants] add usb flash drive to bootloader - Ubuntu Forums
 
I'm not sure EasyBCD allows for this, but give it a try, paticulary with the latest beta build of 2.0 for additional support for stuff like this over the current finished version. You should have only your usb drive plugged in when you add this new entry/usb external drive should be powered off.

If this works than great, but if not not much more that can be done. I had Ubuntu setup in a similar fashion and it was nice because the BIOS always considered it the same device in its order whenever I had it powered on, but we've also had users here that were unsuccessful because though they had added entries, thier BIOS would always consider its devices differently, so that the same entry could not be used from one boot to the other.
 
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