Re: Can't boot from pendrive

[Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk>]

On Sat 24 Jan 2015 at 15:41:05 +0000, Rodolfo Medina wrote:

> Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> writes:
> 
> > On Sat 24 Jan 2015 at 15:18:28 +0000, Rodolfo Medina wrote:
> >
> >> Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> writes:
> >> 
> >> > On Sat 24 Jan 2015 at 12:26:02 +0000, Rodolfo Medina wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> From:
> >> >> 
> >> >>  http://www.us.debian.org/CD/netinst/
> >> >> 
> >> >> I downloaded the file debian-7.8.0-i386-netinst.iso and copied it onto a
> >> >> pendrive with:
> >> >> 
> >> >>  $ dd if=debian-7.8.0-i386-netinst.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=4M; sync
> >> 
> >> That was actually `sdb1', not `sdc', sorry.
> >
> > That's not an ok command if you want the stick to be bootable. Try
> > /dev/sdb.
> 
> How do I restore the pendrive?  Now there's no space left, or permissions are
> denied.

No restoring is needed.

   dd if=debian-7.8.0-i386-netinst.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M; sync

will obliterate the drive's contents.

Note it is /dev/sdX, not /dev/sdXN. Writing to partition number N will
not make the drive bootable.