[syslinux] USB boot problems on Gigabyte GA-M55Plus-S3G

[Thomas Schmitt]

Hi,

(mixing statements from various mails)

Ronald F. Guilmette wrote:
> To repeat, I already do know exactly how to set or unset the bootable
> flag.

Sorry for not getting this right on the first reading.

I currently understand that a set active/bootable flag prevents the
USB stick from showing up in BIOS, and that without that flag it
begins to boot but fails with files not found.


> After that, if anyone wants to produce a test image that I can simply
> download and directly dd to a USB stick,
> [other mail]
> Well, I now have a _minimal_ install of ArchLinux

If you installed Archlinux from an ISO image, then this is probably
a test candidate for USB stick. 

E.g. archlinux-2013.11.01-dual.iso contains an isohybrid MBR
which makes it suitable for dd'ing on the whole device (not
into a partition or slice of the device).
On my olde FreeBSD 8, the whole stick appears as /dev/da0.

After copying to stick, /sbin/fdisk shows 2 MBR partitions:
Number 1 has the active/bootable flag set. So you will have
to unset it on the stick.
Partition number 2 is for EFI booting and embedded inside
partition 1. Some people frown on that layout. If there is
suspicion that your mainboard hates it, then you may delete
the second partition. It marks the content of a single file
in the image (/EFI/archiso/efiboot.img) which you will not
need with PC-BIOS.

Another candidate image would be
  http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/i386/iso-cd/debian-7.3.0-i386-netinst.iso
which would have the advantage of not containing EFI/GPT stuff,
that might introduce more confusion. (I could not figure out
whether your mad board claims to be capable of EFI.)


> I, as an ordinary end-luser, shouldn't
> have to employ specializsed install tools,

>From the user point of view you would indeed be best off if you
returned the board to the seller and demand a different one.
Its firmware is ill. No doubt. Its reaction on the active/boot
flag clearly indicates it.

But we bystanders are interested in learning how to succeed
even with this miserable hardware. One never knows when one
of our users steps into the same puddle.
So we use you as probe, as long as you are willing to boldly
go where no human has gone before.


Have a nice day :)

Thomas