[solved] Re: Can't boot from pendrive

[Rodolfo Medina <rodolfo.medina@gmail.com>]

Rodolfo Medina <rodolfo.medina@gmail.com> writes:

> Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> writes:
>
>> 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.
>
>
> The command
>
>     dd if=debian-7.8.0-i386-netinst.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M; sync
>
> , if given as a normal user, gets the `permission denied', and, as superuser,
> the complain that there's `no space left' on the device.


Ok, it was `sdd', not `sdb'.  Now I can boot from the pendrive.  The mistake
was to do:

 dd if=debian-7.8.0-i386-netinst.iso of=/dev/sdd1 bs=4M; sync

whereas it must be:

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

Thanks to all.

But now, one more question: after using the pendrive for the installation, how
can I restore it as it was before, to use it to store files?

Thanks,

Rodolfo