convert USB into CD

[tianshiz]

is it possible to make my usb appear as a cd drive and have the BIOS recognize it as one? I want to install the isos loaded on the usb since I do not have a cd drive

 

[vacunita]

I think you are barking up the wrong solution.
If you have several iso images in the usb drive, it would be easier to download a virtual CD drive, and just load the iso's onto it. Heck you can create several virtual CD' drives and load several images onto them.


Try MagicIso

http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm

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Phil AKA Vacunita
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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[tianshiz]

sorry that i wasnt clear before, but i'm trying to install an os on a new computer. Unfortunately, virtual mounts won't work for me...

 

[vacunita]

Ohh, I see.
Assuming your PC supports it you can create a bootable USB drive, however the iso images will still have to be expanded to be of any use. So you would only ever have one installer available at a time.

http://www.blogsdna.com/2016/how-to-install-windows-7-from-usb-drive-without-windows-7-iso-dvd.htm

This may at least point you in the right direction.

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[tianshiz]

yea i did create one, it works fine when booting from my laptop. However, it fails on three desktops i have with the same bios...this is why i'm looking for someway for the bios to believe that the usb is actually a cd drive and not an usb

 

[vacunita]

Do the desktop's BIOSes support booting from USB? Are they set to boot form USB first?

I'm not sure you can actually fool the BIOS into thinking its CD.

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[flyboytim]

Try here:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/boot-multiple-iso-from-usb-multiboot-usb/

MultiBootISOs Works by utilizing a Syslinux Bootloader chainloaded to GRUB4DOS.

The grub menu entries are written for various bootable disk iso images. You supply the iso image, copy to the USB drive, boot and select the menu entry, and boot away.

 

[BadBigBen]

The Question is more like this:

HOW is the USB been formatted and made bootable, as HDD, Floppy, or as ZIP?

which OS are you trying to install?

suggestion:

have a read -

http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm

take a closer look at Method 2, it has two utilities by HP, one which supports creating a USB HDD...




Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[flyboytim]

Not all BIOS implementations support all USB drive booting possibilities. There are several different varieties of bootloaders, with locations in the MBR or on the file system, some of which are capable of reading zipped or image files, as well as expanded filesystems.

"Grub4DOS_readme.txt" mentions that BIOS Int13/AH=x limitations, especially on Dell Desktops make USB booting problematic.
Grub 1 and 2 are commonly found in Linux systems, and of course a variety of Microsoft offerings from MSDOS, NT, Vista and Windows 7.

Windows and some BIOS implementations recognise USB drives as removable storage, and fail to work properly with partitions on them. If these drives do have partitions on them (it is possible!) some BIOSes will then see them as USB hard disks, and treat them as such.

Jacopo Lazzari (Jaclaz) is somewhat of an expert hobbyist on USB booting has this to say:

Even if the motherboard supports USB booting, its implementation may be defective, results and direct observation lead to find that there are motherboards with one or more of the following “defects”:

1. motherboards that do not boot from USB when you switch the PC on, but do so after a warm boot (CTRL+ALT+DEL)
2. motherboards that do not boot from USB after a warm boot (CTRL+ALT+DEL), but do so when you switch the PC off then on (cold boot)
3. motherboards that sometime boot and sometime do not
4. motherboards that ONLY boot from USB media formatted as “Superfloppy” (a drive formatted as to have no MBR, but directly the BOOTSECTOR as Sector 0)
5. motherboards that ONLY boot from USB media formatted as “Hard Disk” (a drive that has a “normal” MBR and one or more partitions)
6. motherboards that only boot from a FAT 16 Primary partition (hex 06)
7. motherboards that only boot from a FAT 16 Primary partition (hex 06) or from a VFAT16 (or FAT 16 LBA mapped) Primary partition (hex 0e)
8. motherboards that can boot from Win 9x files but do not with NT/2K/XP/Server 2003 ones or FREEdos ones
9. motherboards that need a setting like "USB keyboard support from BIOS" enabled and some that need it disabled
10. motherboards that will only boot from the "special" ZIP disk like formatting
11. motherboards that will only boot from USB after having "Enabled" the "Reset Configuration Data" in the BIOS


A reasonable troubleshooting path is the following (if you are not lucky enough to get it at first try), I assume that you DID change the setting in BIOS as to boot from USB, didn't you?:

1. Jot down all current settings in the BIOS (so that you will later be able to restore them)
2. Load "Failsafe settings" in BIOS
3. Disable EVERYTHING you do not need for the test, such as Hard Disk(s), Floppy Disk(s), Audio, etc.
4. Try using a FAT16 (hex06) partition formatted USB key with a MBR (Hard Disk Simulation) and Windows 9x boot files
5. Try switching on and off the "USB keyboard support from BIOS" BIOS setting
6. Try with a Cold boot
7. Try with a Warm boot (CTRL+ALT+DEL)
8. Try after having "Enabled" the "Reset Configuration Data" in the BIOS
9. If you get as far as getting a message on the screen or the Windows 98 bootscreen, DO NOT give up, even if it hangs, as said there some "magic" factor involved, try a couple more times and most probably it will boot, it seems like there is some kind of "timing" problem
10. Loop to # e) after having formatted the key as "Superfloppy" (no MBR)
11. Loop to # e) after having formatted the key as "ZIP" (no MBR and special geometry)


Once you have established that the combination of USB key / motherboard works, you can try some other options, like formatting as VFAT 16 (hex 0e) or FAT/VFAT 32, respectively (hex 0B) or hex (0C), then as NTFS or whatever.

Useful forums on USB Booting can be found at:

http://www.911cd.net

http://retestrak.nl

http://www.usboot.org

http://www.boot-land.net

http://www.3eportal.com

(EEE's and other netbooks have no CD drive thus require USB/SD card for OS install.) Many PCs with USB bootable BIOSes will boot from a SD card in a USB card reader!

http://forum.eeeuser.com

and many others.