Pendrive boot disk works only once

[Traumflug]

Binary package hint: usb-creator

Steps to reproduce:

1) In Gnome-Ubuntu, choose Menu -> System -> Adminstration -> Create a USB startup disk.

2) Set up one using a downloaded jaunty alpha 2 ISO.

3) Set the disk's extra space to 128 MB.

4) Write the thing to a 2 GB pendrive.

5) Boot from it.

What I would expect:

- Additional boots work the same way as the first one.

What actually happens:

- The first boot is fine, successive boots or reboots fail.

Diagnosis:

- For all operations, the pen drive stays in it's USB port.

- In one case there was a kernel panic, in another one X didn't come up. Typing "startx" gave an empty desktop, only.

- I tarred the stick before the first boot and after a failed, second attempt. Then:

  mah@piccard:~$ tar -tvjf jumpST*orig* >orig.txt
  mah@piccard:~$ tar -tvjf jumpST*nach* >nach.txt
  mah@piccard:~$ diff -u orig.txt nach.txt
  --- orig.txt 2008-12-30 22:44:55.000000000 +0100
  +++ nach.txt 2008-12-30 22:48:00.000000000 +0100
  @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
  -drwx------ mah/root 0 2008-12-30 17:57 JUMPSTICK/
  +drwx------ mah/root 0 1970-01-01 01:00 JUMPSTICK/

This is the only difference. Obviously, the volume's modification date got lost.

I'm not exactly convinced such a minor difference makes a drive unbootable, but experience tells a different story so far.

Additions:

mah@piccard:~$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 8.10
Release: 8.10
mah@piccard:~$ apt-cache policy usb-creator
usb-creator:
  Installiert: 0.1.10
  Kandidat: 0.1.10
  Versions-Tabelle:
 *** 0.1.10 0
        500 http://ubuntu.intergenia.de intrepid/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[komputes (komputes)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. However, according to this report, you are not using the most recent version of this package for your Ubuntu release. Please upgrade to the most recent version and let us know if you are still having this issue. Please also used the officially released Jaunty ISO.Thanks in advance.

[Traumflug (mah-jump-ing)]

Well, it was the most recent version when I reported the bug. As I no longer have the equipment to test for this bug, please close it.

[Vish (vish)]

Thanks for following up. Closing the bug report as per reporter's last comment

[lljccoael (lljccoael-deactivatedaccount)]

I know this is closed, but since 10.10, I have experienced the same problem. Subsequent boots (after the first successful boot) off the USB fail everytime. There are no special steps to reproduce this bug. I have to reinstall the ISO every time I want to boot off the USB.

[lljccoael (lljccoael-deactivatedaccount)]

But I suppose it's irrelevant now...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OTU3NA