1 Topic by MrWilsonUSCG

  • MrWilsonUSCG
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Topic: syslinux: Sector Read Error

I apologise if this has been asked before, I looked but could not find a similar topic.

I am trying to partition one USB drive with FAT32 and Ext2 partitions. Unfortunately I do not have a free tool that would handle this. A friend reccomended GParted. Since I am working on a military workstation and the only other computer I have available is my Mac laptop, I opted to download the live USB version of GParted.

I have tried to get it setup with no luck at all. I have put all of the files onto a USB and have put syslinux onto an open windows box. The USB has been formatted in FAT16 with the volume label BOOT. It registers as F: on this system. I type 

syslinux F:

and recieve first a popup stating "the application has tried to directly access the hard disk, which cannot be supported" then, after clicking ignore, I get the message "syslinux: Sector Read Error".

Can anyone help me with this? I believe I'm going to need syslinux a good fewtimes over the course of my project. My eventual goal is a live USB with Ubuntu or another distro.

Thanks, Jas

2 Reply by plors

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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

hmmz, i think this one belongs in livemedia

3 Reply by MrWilsonUSCG

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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

Thanks, sorry 'bout tha.

4 Reply by Patrick Verner

  • Patrick Verner
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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

"the application has tried to directly access the hard disk, which cannot be supported"

Are you aministrator or superuser when you try syslinux?

Doesn't the usb drive have to be unmounted before syslinux will work? It's that way on linux.

Patrick Verner's Website

5 Reply by LarryT

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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

Patrick Verner wrote:

Doesn't the usb drive have to be unmounted before syslinux will work? It's that way on linux.

No Patrick, not with win$$$ : you have to type the driveletter of the device to enable syslinux, just what he did (for the syntax).

Larry
GParted-project Admin
Former GParted-LiveCD maintainer (2007)

6 Reply by MrWilsonUSCG

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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

I actually elevated the privleges to system and tried ti that way with the same results.

For now I'm using the live CD version of gParted, but I know I will have to do this in the future with Ubuntu and such. So any help with creating live USB's would be appreciated.

7 Reply by Patrick Verner

  • Patrick Verner
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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

syslinux will be on the next release of the livecd anyway for just this reason. I can email you the binary, if it is ok. You can run it off a mounted partition, usbstick, or floppy FROM OUR the livecd. That way you can make the liveusb like the instuctions on the webpage. I just successfully made a liveusb from Windows XP on my machine, so I'm really not sure what the problem is. I don't know too much about windows to answer any questions.

Patrick Verner's Website

8 Reply by MrWilsonUSCG (edited by MrWilsonUSCG 2006-09-18 18:32:56)

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Re: syslinux: Sector Read Error

That'd be great thanks.

Also, to slip in a quick question about live media. Is there a way, without any aditional hardware configuration or software to boot a liveCD or USB without rebooting?

I'm guessing no at the moment but anyone got any idea on how to make it happen?