Please update http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-ubuntu

[sudodus]

The documentation on the following web page needs updating for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, and version 0.3.2 of the Startup Disk Creator.

Please update http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-ubuntu

The old version in the previous and still current versions 14.04 LTS and 15.10 will probably be around at the same time, which can make the information confusing unless it is explained that there are different versions.

-o-

The Startup Disk Creator (alias usb-creator-gtk) is revamped into a cloning device. It makes it reliable, which is a great improvement :-)

But it means some drawbacks too.

1. It can no longer create persistent live drives. This means that you should update the illustration (screenshot).

This should be pointed out, and alternative tools should be suggested.

2. It is not straightforward to reuse a pendrive, that is made into a USB boot drive with the new version of the Startup Disk Creator. It needs a new partition table and a new file system.

This is not a problem for experienced users. We have gparted, and if it is not enough we have dd, or wrapped up with a safety belt, mkusb.

But Doug McMahon suggests that it should be explained where also beginners can find it - at the link maintained by you,

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-ubuntu

(and even better, directly in the Startup Disk Creator itself, but that might be too late for 16.04, should be possible for 16.04.1 LTS).

See the following links

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2314875

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/usb-creator/+bug/1549603

Best regards
Nio

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

There needs to be *one* preferred/official method of creating USB images of Ubuntu and its various flavours.

I'm currently seeing both Disks and Startup Disk Creator as being the preferred applications:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2314875&p=13456696&viewfull=1#post13456696

[Peter Mahnke (peterm-ubuntu)]

Peter from the Canonical webteam here... I have read both the forum and other bug here... but am still unsure which is the recommended method... am I missing something?

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

*Make a USB boot drive*

I think the recommended method (when doing it from Ubuntu) should be the dedicated tool, the Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator. Starting with 16.04 LTS, I think everybody will be happy with it.

But the Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator has been buggy for years. People like me, who help less experienced users at the Ubuntu Forums, have been suggesting and even made other tools to create USB boot drives. I cannot tell which tool should be the official one, but I can suggest 'Disks' alias gnome-disks in versions where it is included in the default system. An alternative is a list of tools, or a link to a community wiki page, for example

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS will be supported for several years, so it is important to tell people which tool works from this version to any other current version of Ubuntu.

*Restore a pendrive to a file storage device*

When people use the tools Startup Disk Creator version 0.3.2, and 'Disks', the pendrive will get a read-only ISO 9660 file system, so it is important to suggest a method to restore the pendrive to a file storage device. This can be done with for example mkusb and gparted. Maybe you can write a brief 'how-to' for that task.

Otherwise less experienced users might think that their pendrives are a dead-end street, cannot be restored.

[Peter Mahnke (peterm-ubuntu)]

We updated the http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-ubuntu page for 16.04.

We are also looking at expanding it for more cases.

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

Have you tested that it really works from Ubuntu 14.04.x LTS to 16.04 LTS?

I will test now ...

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

I booted with the listed iso files and checked if it works to create a working USB boot drive with Ubuntu 16.04 amd64 LTS using the usb-creator-gtk alias the 'Startup Disk Creator'.

From a system with a Trusty kernel:

ubuntu-14.04-desktop-i386.iso: does not work, 'gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image'

ubuntu-14.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso: does not work, 'gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image'

From a system with a Wily kernel:

lubuntu-14.04.4-desktop-amd64.iso: does not work: 'gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image'

Do you need more evidence, that it does not work? I think you should suggest a method that works ;-)

[Peter Mahnke (peterm-ubuntu)]

sudodus

I did test it when I created the document -- from 14.04 to 16.04 and it worked; however, I spoke to the release team and they are going to give me another set of instructions with another tool in the next week or so.

thanks for testing.

Peter

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

Hi Peter,

I tested in an up to date (updated/upgraded) Lubuntu 14.04.1 LTS installed system with a Trusty kernel,

uname -a
Linux xw8400 3.13.0-79-generic #123-Ubuntu SMP Fri Feb 19 14:27:58 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

This would be a common system for users, who want stable systems and skip the short-lived versions.

In this system I created USB boot drive from an amd64 and an i386 xenial final iso file (alias 16.04 LTS), and I had the same error.

There is no error output while creating the USB boot drive. The bug appears when I try to boot from it. (There are other bugs, that show up while creating the USB boot drive.)

I'm glad that you are talking to the release team about this issue, and I think that you will get an improved set of instructions :-)

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

I *think* I know why we had different test results: You have tested in UEFI mode, and I have tested in BIOS mode.

Several of the bugs of the Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator appear in BIOS mode, while 'its pendrives' work in UEFI mode. The problem has been to keep it up to date with changes in Syslinux and the boot mechanisms in BIOS mode.

The 32-bit Ubuntu systems are made exclusively for BIOS mode, and there are many users who run their computers in BIOS mode, also with 64-bit Ubuntu systems. So I think that we should recommend a reliable method to make USB boot drives that works in both UEFI and BIOS mode also from older Ubuntu versions (12.04 LTS (for one year), 14.04 LTS (for three years) and 15.10 (for three months)).

In comment #3 I suggested 'Disks' alias 'gnome-disks', which uses the cloning method. I hope that the release team also suggests a cloning tool.

[Peter Mahnke (peterm-ubuntu)]

sudodus

just to follow up.

I am still waiting on the release team, but you are correct. I tested from two different laptops, but both are UEFI.

Peter

[Peter Mahnke (peterm-ubuntu)]

Will can you help?

[sudodus (nio-wiklund)]

I am willing to help by giving feedback from a user's perspective - from a user, who might have various versions of Ubuntu, and who wants to re-use the USB stick after the installation.

The version of the Startup Disk Creator in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and newer versions is different (and much better) compared to the version in previous versions.

[Adolfo Jayme Barrientos (fitojb)]

This page has long been removed from ubuntu.com and migrated to the tutorials site.

If a change is still needed, please file it at https://github.com/ubuntudesign/tutorials.ubuntu.com/issues