How to install on usb?

[danielson]

I'm giving up on dual booting with Windows 10 (too many issues) and would like to try Antix on usb persistent mode on usb.
Do i burn .iso to CD first and then install to usb?

[skidoo]

danielson, detailed instructions are provided in MX User Manual "section 2.2 Creating a bootable medium"

=============

related note:

The expected content in the following wiki pages is missing/blank when I viewed the pages today:
https://mxlinux.org/create-live-usb
https://mxlinux.org/videos/live-usb-with-persistence
https://mxlinux.org/create-mx-live-usb- ... apshot-iso

These pages should be removed, or revised to indicate that antix2usb app is "deprecated"?
https://mxlinux.org/wiki/help-files/mx- ... -antix2usb
https://mxlinux.org/wiki/help-files/hel ... -antix2usb

[danielson]

Fine.
I think root persistence should be good.
Problem is, the 1st video doesn't say whether to install iso on CD/DVD or on USB.
So, i tried with burning iso with Etcher on a USB 3.0 device and it's not loading via usual F9

[manyroads]

Did you verify that your BIOS will allow USB boot?

[danielson]

Did burn the .iso to a DVD-RW and installed / and grub to it on usb, but no booting from Win 10.
Have installed many distros via usb before, but some reason, as of late, i'm in the gutter with anything MX related.

Didn't try to install Antix via DVD-RW but i don't want it on hard disk.

Guess i'll just have to review those videos skidoo sent to see where i missed out.

[manyroads]

You might try using dd to builsd your USB if you are able (on Linux)... here are some examples:
The following command needs to be run in terminal mode, be sure to 'fix' the [distro-name]

dd if=manjaro-xfce.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=16M && sync

dd if=arch-anywhere.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=4M && sync

dd bs=4M if=manjaro-xfce.iso of=/dev/sdb && sync

dd bs=4M if=MX-17_x64.iso of=/dev/sdb && sync

[danielson]

Not sure what you mean.
Antix iso burned to DVD-RW reads:
ESD-USB

The .iso per se is on the Windows side.

[manyroads]

If you are using Linux to burn a USB, the most predictable way to get a usable USB from which to boot is by using dd (not a user friendly tool). If you are burning the LiveUSB in Windows, you might try using etcher or rufus (I hear they provide good predictable results). When you boot using the USB, it is done before an OS is loaded... not on either the Windows or Linux side.

[skidoo]

Fine.
[...]
Guess i'll just have to review those videos skidoo sent to see where i missed out.

Hi, I wasn't giving you the brushoff. I posted what I did after trying, and failing, to locate definitive documentation.

From within a Windows session (works for Win7, idunno about Win10) I would:
1) download the "Rufus" live usbmaker utility from https://rufus.akeo.ie/
2) feed the .iso file to Rufus to create a bootable pendrive (a USB pendrive, not a CD, not a DVD).
3) shutdown Windows; powerdown the machine.
4) With usb pendrive attached, boot the machine...
Rufus has worked flawlessly for me under Win7. I'm curious to know/hear whether it also works under Win10. (I've never used Etcher)

If the machine does not automatically/seamlessly "boot to linux":
Power down and, upon restarting, press F2 (or F9 or whatever) to visit your machine's "BIOS setup".
Verify (or specify) "boot from usb" is enabled, and you may need to tweak the "boot device order" (might be labeled differently) to specify higher priority is given to bootable usb device

If your "BIOS setup" offers a Legacy (non-UEFI) option, and you choose that, and the boot device is a USB pendrive...
...persistence setup can be easily initiated by choosing a option displayed (F4? F5? selectbox) right on the boot screen.
To be clear: You're not forced to setup persistence during the first boot session ~~ you can defer and choose to do so during a later session.

If booting from read-only media (CD or DVD), persistence can be manually setup (pointing to a writable storage device) but doing so is awkward.
If booting "in UEFI mode", the persistence setup will require wading through some additional screens and/or specifying additional "boot cheat codes" (I have zero UEFI machines ~~ someone else, or hopefully docs/video can coach "persistence setup howto" for that scenario.)

[danielson]

@skidoo - i have absolutely no gripes against anyone here.
In fact, people have always been very polite and the only one who was a twit at times, was me.

My recent experiences with MX have been frustrating and i'm sure it has nothing to do with the distro per se.
Have installed it at least half a dozen times in the past on hard disk without issues (but i have the defect of being a distro hopper).

Long story short.
Video tutorials are a bit outdated.
Still, just now, booting from usb with MX set to persistence via F5 at bottom of screen, set it to "save" etc. then enter.
Was not sure of how to do otherwise than to hit enter to save choices.
It booted into what looked as usual, without requesting username or password which should have been done at some point, so i guess i missed a step somewhere...

Have tried half a dozen times to install directly to hard disk (as i've done so many times before) but installer just does not want to work.
Rufus now has option to do do 3 step security check.
Did MD5 with notepad but not sure on how to open the last two.

Anyhow, i do not have issues installing other distros so, for whatever reason, my Windows 10 no longer likes MX.
In fact, just to be sure there might have been some malware, did a complete fresh install of Win 10.
Now, i now have to connect to ethernet via a special usb connector (regular port is out of order), but that doesn't stop other distros from installing.

I don't want to knock MX for any of this and just want to consider it case closed for now.

Will continue to install MX 32 or 64 on other PCs whenever opportunity comes around.

So, thank you for reading through this post if you have and do appreciate all the help that is generously given here.