dual-boot can't boot from USB?

[Paul Unger]

I dual-boot XP and Ubuntu on my T61. I'm trying to repartition my XP partition (C: ) using a linux app by the name of 'parted magic' on a USB stick. I have USB FDD as the first item in the BIOS boot order. However, when I press F12 at the startup screen ("preparing list of boot devices") USB FDD does not appear; just CD drive, HD, and PCI something or other . . . Now for the questions: Have I messed up the ability to boot from a USB device by going with a dual boot system (I think GRUB is on the MBR)? Could I boot from the internal SD card reader slot (and what device would that be in the BIOS)? Any other solutions?

[j-dawg]

As far as I know, you cannot boot from the SD slot. I also don't think that a dual-boot setup on your hard drive will change anything in your BIOS' boot sequence: the BIOS needs to decide to boot the drive before the drive decides which OS to boot.

I think, though I'm not sure, that you will need to enter the BIOS setup and change the default boot order in order to make the USB stick show up on the boot menu. I don't think that menu displays all the available boot options by default, though I could be wrong.

Second, how did you prepare the USB drive? it needs to have a boot sector of its own, so the computer knows it's bootable. Is there a program for installing Parted Magic to the drive?

[Paul Unger]

Thanks, j-dawg. In BIOS I have:

Config > USB > USB BIOS Support: Enabled
Startup > Boot > Boot Priority Order: 1. -USB HDD; 2. USB CD; 3. USB FDD; 4. ATAPI CD0; 5. ATA HDD0; 6. PCI LAN; 7. ATA HDD1

I put all the USB devices at the top of the list for testing purposes. I still see nothing USB related when I F12 at startup . . . I've tried the USB device in all three USB ports. In fact, my USB device's LED doesn't light up until I select an OS from the GRUB list. I can use the same USB device on my T42s and Parted Magic works a treat. The mystery of it all . . .