Uni-usb-installer-readme

Universal USB Installer ©2009-2011 Lance http://www.pendrivelinux.com (offered under GNU GPL License) - see Uni-USB-Installer-Copying

Background of Universal USB Installer (UUI):

Universal USB Installer is an easy to use installer script I wrote using NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) to automate the creation of a bootable USB device containing the Live Linux Distribution of yourchoice.

How Universal USB Installer (UUI) WORKS:

This tool utilizes Syslinux to make the drive bootable, and in some cases chainloads to Grub4DOS and uses a corresponding menu.lst. A syslinux.cfg file or text.cfg file may also used in some cases.
7-zip is used to extract the files from the ISO or Zip to the USB device. The compressed filesystem of the Live Linux distribution being placed onthe device is not altered in any way.
DD for Windows (dd.exe) and Mke2fs are used to make a casper-rw persistent file for storing changes. The casper persistent feature was created by Ubuntu and can in theory be used on any Ubuntu based remix.
Formatting is done via the open source fat32format tool created by Tom Thornhill


Credits Resources and Tools used:

* Grub4DOS grldr©-2011, the Gna! people http://www.gnu.org/software/grub (unmodified binary used) : Specific Grub4DOS link: http://gna.org/projects/grub4dos/
* Syslinux ©1994-2011 H. Peter Anvin http://syslinux.zytor.com (unmodified binary used)
* DD for Windows dd.exe ©-2011 John Newbigin http://www.chrysocome.net/dd (unmodified binary used)
* mke2fs.exe ©-2011 Matt WU http://ext2fsd.sourceforge.net(unmodified binary used)
* 7-Zip is ©1991-2011 Igor Pavlovis http://7-zip.org (unmodified binaries were used)
* Fat32format.exe ©2011 Tom Thornhill Ridgecorp Consultants http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk (unmodified binary used)
* NSIS Installer ©1995-2011 Contributors http://nsis.sourceforge.net (used to compile the .nsi script)
NSIS is the easiest method I could find to automate thecreation process, aside from batch installers which we have moved away from.

To replace my tutorials and batch installer scripts, I initially created individual USB Installers that could be used to put a specific Live Linux Distro on USB.
The individual USB installers were originally based on Cedric Tissieres's Tazusb.exe for Slitaz (slitaz@objectif-securite.ch).
Cedrics Tazusb installer helpedme quickly understand how NSIS works and how it could be applied to this situation. Reminances of Tazusb may even still reside in the UUI script.

Many textbook and online resources were also used over the past several years to help me understand how to put everything together.

Changelog:

09/20/11 - Version 1.8.6.4: Updated to support Lucid Puppy 5.2.8, Debian 6.0.2, Porteus 1.0,and Linux Mint Debian 201109.
09/07/11 - Version 1.8.6.3: Updated to use newer syslinux for UBCD, Added Leenux, Uberstudent, and OpenSUSE 11.4 LXDE entries.
08/18/11 - Version 1.8.6.2: Updated to include persistence for Peppermint Two entry, added support for Wary Puppy 5.1.3, Linux Mint 11 LXDE, and doudoulinux gondwana.
08/10/11 - Version 1.8.6.1: Added support for Kubuntu andUbuntu 10.04.3, updated to support Blackbuntu 0.3, added support for Debian 64 bit ISOs.
08/05/11 - Version 1.8.6.0: Corrected Kubuntu 11.04 download link, Updated to support XBMC ISO.
08/01/11 - Version 1.8.5.9: Added Rescatux, and LPS. Append to warning that a Pendrive Label is to be created.
07/23/11 - Version 1.8.5.8: Added DRBL (Diskless Remote Boot in Linux). Added support forCentOS 6. Fixed Lucid Puppy config to allow saving.
07/05/11 - Version 1.8.5.7: Updated to support newest Sabayon Linux.
06/27/11 - Version 1.8.5.6: Updated to support newest Linux XP Like, and YLMF OS. Added Zorin OS, and Deft Linux.
06/16/11 - Version 1.8.5.5: Added SalineOS, Meego, and Peppermint Two entries.
06/13/11 - Version 1.8.5.4: Added Dreamlinux, and Porteus...