32-Bit Can't Boot When Boot Dirs Aren't on Root Level
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#136 32-Bit Can't Boot When Boot Dirs Aren't on Root Level
Download the zip containing Clonezilla from clonezilla.org like normal. Go to the root level of a hard disk (thumb drives count). Create a folder on the root level of the hard disk to put Clonezilla into. I name the folder the exact same name as the zip (minus the ".zip" part).
Extract the "live" folder from the zip and into the folder created on the root level of the hard disk. Do the same with the home folder.
Now boot Clonezilla off that hard disk (First install a multiboot-compliant bootloader somewhere if there isn't already a drive with one on it. I recommend Grub 2. Then, using isolinux.cfg as a guide (isolinux.cfg located in the zip in the isolinux directory within the zip), create boot entries in the bootloader's config file. Or you could attempt to manually enter the boot commands at the bootloader's commandline, but use of the config file is recommended).
In the 64-bit versions of Clonezilla (amd64), this works. In the 32-bit versions of Clonezilla (i486 and i686), this does not work.
However, if the 32-bit version's live folder and home folder are instead put right on the root level of the hard disk, it boots without a problem. Simply putting 32-bit Clonezilla into it's own folder to contain it throws it off.
This is very annoying when trying to make a flash drive (a.k.a thumb drive, jump drive, etc.) bootable into many utilities including all three architectures of Clonezilla. As of now, in order to humor the 32-bit versions of Clonezilla, one must make separate partitions for them so that they can be on their own root levels. Or boot them out of the iso, which, in my opinion, is not elegant in the slightest, less efficient, and is a dirty workaround to a problem that shouldn't be there in the first place (though I am grateful the Linux kernel has the feature to boot out of an iso, because sometimes it is desirable given the circumstances or is the only option or to get another option would require a significant amount of work).
It would be much nicer and easier to set up if one could make a folder on the root level of the the thumb drive for each thing one wants the thumb drive to be bootable into, and each such folder contain one bootable utility, rather than having to make a partition for each utility. Obviously for some things you'd want them to have their own partition (such as an actual installation of Linux (as opposed to a live installer environment)), but for a lot of things it'd be nice to be able to have them on one partition, especially if you've already partitioned your thumb drive and have stuff on each partition how you like it and want to add something in later. It would be a bummer if that something demands its own partition.
This bug exists in both the stable 32-bit versions of Clonezilla and the development versions.
Could you please show us your grub2 config file?
It's easier for us to debug.
Thanks.
Steven.
This one is for trying to boot Clonezilla 32-bit (i686, to be specific) with its boot dirs in a folder (doesn't work). The previous is a working one that boots Clonezilla 32-bit with its boot dirs on the root level. Forgot to comment the last one, sorry.
Thanks for the in-hardware response and assignment to yourself, Mr. Shiau. Boy, that was fast!
I just uploaded the grub.cfg files I used. There are two versions of it.
One booting Clonezilla 32-bit with its boot dirs on the root level (works) and one with its boot dirs in a folder (doesn't work).
Tip: The configfile command is your friend.
If I am making a multi-bootable thumb drive, what I do is have 3 main grub configuration files. One is for BIOS Grub, one for 64-bit EFI Grub, and one for 32-bit EFI Grub. One entry in each main grub configuration file (each main grub configuration file is named "grub.cfg") is:
configfile [insert path to clonezilla32.cfg or clonezilla64.cfg here]
I just convert the isolinux.cfg provided by the zip Clonezilla comes in into a grub configuration file, name it clonezilla64.cfg or clonezilla32.cfg, and if I select "Clonezilla 32-Bit Menu" from my first Grub menu, that loads clonezilla32.cfg, which puts me at another menu with all the Clonezilla choices, just as if I booted off the Clonezilla CD.
Of course I add stuff above the entries that sets the background, root partition, etc. etc.
Now that I have read the difference between i486 and i686, I plan on having both, so I'll change my boot menu entry titles to:
Clonezilla 64-Bit Menu
Clonezilla i686 Menu (32-Bit for using more than one processor core, possibly even more than one processor)
Clonezilla i486 Menu (32-Bit for using only one processor core)
I'll also replace clonezilla32.cfg with clonezillai468.cfg and clonezillai686.cfg.
This is an example of having a lot of boot entries in a grub.cfg, and having some number of those entries load another configuration file (bringing you to a new menu) which has Clonezilla boot options.
Example of a Grub configuration file that you can load via the configfile command from another Grub menu, bringing you to a menu of Clonezilla boot options. Notice this file isn't named "grub.cfg". "grub.cfg" gets loaded first, then from there...