How to Use SysLinux to Boot

SysLinux was originally designed to boot a Linux kernel from an MS-DOS floppy disk. Today, you can use it to boot a kernel from a USB stick and install a Linux distribution, which lets you install Linux on computers without a CD or DVD drive. To configure the USB stick, use a computer with a working GNU/Linux operating system.

Things You'll Need

• Linux distribution ISO

Instructions

1. Insert the USB stick into an open port on the GNU/Linux computer.

2. Open a terminal session. Type "dmesg" and press "Enter." You will see a list of connected devices, including the USB device. The device named "dev/sdX" is the USB stick. "X" can be any letter. Write this name down.

3. Install syslinux and mtools on your computer. The commands to do this are different in different distributions. On Debian-based systems, including Ubuntu and Linux Mint, type "sudo apt-get install syslinux mtools."

4. Type "syslinux /dev/sdX" and press "Enter" to install syslinux on the USB device. Replace the device name with your device's correct name.

5. Type "mount /dev/sdX /mnt" and press ""Enter" to mount the USB stick.

6. Double-click a previously downloaded Linux distributions ISO image to open it with Archive Manager. Click "Extract," choose a location to extract the contents to on your computer and click "Extract."

7. Open the folder where you extracted the ISO. Drag the "vmlinuz" and "initrd.gz" files to the USB stick mount image on your desktop to copy them.

8. Open gedit. Type the following in a new file:

   default vmlinuz
   append initrd=initrd.gz

   Save the file as "syslinux.cfg" and copy this file to the USB stick.

9. Copy the Linux distribution ISO image, unextracted, to the USB stick.

10. Type "umount /mnt" in the terminal. The USB stick is ready to use to have SysLinux boot a Linux kernel.

References

• Ubuntu Documentation: Preparing Files for USB Memory Stick Booting