ISO on HDD

[DandaCze]

hello guys,

do you know how to make bootable ISO on HDD, i've spend last hour of my life looking on google and didn't find anything

any idea?

[Kilrah]

https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

 

You'll have to erase the whole drive the first time you install it though, afterwards you can store multiple ISOs and other things.

 

Otherwise you could use Rufus, that'll also erase the whole drive and nothing else can be on it.

[LAwLz]

What exactly do you want to do and why?

[Issac Zachary]

What kind of bootable drive?

 

Windows OS:

1. Download the Windows Media Creation Tool on a Windows computer.
2. Get an 8GB or bigger USB thumb drive that doesn't have anything you want to keep on it and plug it in.
3. Install the Windows installer (Windows 10 or 11, Pro or Home) to the thumb drive.
4. Connect the HDD to a computer and disconnect any other SSD's or HDD's.
5. Plug in the USB drive to that computer, start up it up, and boot into the USB (you might need to go to the BIOS and change it to boot to the USB drive).
6. Let it install Windows.

Linux OS:

1. Download the ISO file of the Linux distribution you want onto another computer.
2. Also download and install the program Balena Etcher.
3. Get a USB drive of appropriate size and plug it in.
4. Use Balena Etcher to install the ISO onto the thumb drive.
5. Connect the HDD to a computer and disconnect any other SSD's or HDD's.
6. Plug in the USB drive, start up the computer, and boot into the USB (you might need to go to the BIOS and change it to boot to the USB drive).
7. Choose "install Linux" either before or after trying out Linux on the USB drive.

MacOS:

 

I was able to install MacOS once back onto an HDD in a MacBook once. It wasn't easy, even following Apple's instruccions. Basically you need another Mac that at one time was able to run the version of MacOS that you want to install onto your other computer.

[DandaCze]

11 hours ago, Issac Zachary said:

What kind of bootable drive?

 

Windows OS:

1. Download the Windows Media Creation Tool on a Windows computer.
2. Get an 8GB or bigger USB thumb drive that doesn't have anything you want to keep on it and plug it in.
3. Install the Windows installer (Windows 10 or 11, Pro or Home) to the thumb drive.
4. Connect the HDD to a computer and disconnect any other SSD's or HDD's.
5. Plug in the USB drive to that computer, start up it up, and boot into the USB (you might need to go to the BIOS and change it to boot to the USB drive).
6. Let it install Windows.

Linux OS:

1. Download the ISO file of the Linux distribution you want onto another computer.
2. Also download and install the program Balena Etcher.
3. Get a USB drive of appropriate size and plug it in.
4. Use Balena Etcher to install the ISO onto the thumb drive.
5. Connect the HDD to a computer and disconnect any other SSD's or HDD's.
6. Plug in the USB drive, start up the computer, and boot into the USB (you might need to go to the BIOS and change it to boot to the USB drive).
7. Choose "install Linux" either before or after trying out Linux on the USB drive.

MacOS:

 

I was able to install MacOS once back onto an HDD in a MacBook once. It wasn't easy, even following Apple's instruccions. Basically you need another Mac that at one time was able to run the version of MacOS that you want to install onto your other computer.

Thanks for response but

 

1) i don't want to install Windows, to be exact i want to install clover boot manager (on HDD)

2) in your point 3. you say ".... to the thumb drive" and i want to install that iso on HDD not USB

 

[DandaCze]

12 hours ago, LAwLz said:

What exactly do you want to do and why?

I want to install clover boot manager (on HDD), i have this one PC which have problem with USBs in BIOS (i tried bunch of them) so i want to install it to my second HDD so i can boot from M.2

[DandaCze]

15 hours ago, Kilrah said:

https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

 

You'll have to erase the whole drive the first time you install it though, afterwards you can store multiple ISOs and other things.

 

Otherwise you could use Rufus, that'll also erase the whole drive and nothing else can be on it.

Thanks for the reply
Ventoy created a new partition, is that what it's supposed to do or did I do something wrong
Yeah but Rufus only allows you to create a bootable ISO on USB I need it on HDD

[LAwLz]

9 minutes ago, DandaCze said:

I want to install clover boot manager (on HDD), i have this one PC which have problem with USBs in BIOS (i tried bunch of them) so i want to install it to my second HDD so i can boot from M.2

But why do you want to do that? 

This sounds like an XY problem post so I want you to explain:

 

1) What is your actual problem you're trying to solve? You want to install Clover for a reason, right? So tell is why you want to install it. Installing Clover might not be the solution to your problem. 

 

2) Which steps have you already attempted and what were the results? 

 

 

You have not actually explained what your issue is, so we can't help you. You first need to give us some background to why you want to do the thing you want to do, and what problems have appeared when you tried doing it. 

[Issac Zachary]

2 hours ago, DandaCze said:

2) in your point 3. you say ".... to the thumb drive" and i want to install that iso on HDD not USB

To be clear, I was metioning a step to get what is basically an ISO onto an HDD.

 

You need to get it onto your HDD one way or another. At some point it needs to be on another storage device or devices before you can get it onto your targeted HDD, unless you have a way and the time to machine code the entire HDD manually.

[DandaCze]

On 12/3/2023 at 11:22 AM, LAwLz said:

But why do you want to do that? 

This sounds like an XY problem post so I want you to explain:

 

1) What is your actual problem you're trying to solve? You want to install Clover for a reason, right? So tell is why you want to install it. Installing Clover might not be the solution to your problem. 

 

2) Which steps have you already attempted and what were the results? 

 

 

You have not actually explained what your issue is, so we can't help you. You first need to give us some background to why you want to do the thing you want to do, and what problems have appeared when you tried doing it. 

Ok i have this 1U HP server, it's weird, is doesnt want to boot from USB flash drive (no bootable media....) neither from (onboard) SD card, same error, in fact the only way how i could get any OS there was SATA, more precisely DVD drive and then i was able to boot into OS, but i want to have OS on the faster m.2. Since it's a old server (from 2012) it dosen't support m.2 so i need extenal boot manager on the SATA HDD.

 

Thanks for wasting time with my problems

[LAwLz]

3 hours ago, DandaCze said:

Ok i have this 1U HP server, it's weird, is doesnt want to boot from USB flash drive (no bootable media....) neither from (onboard) SD card, same error, in fact the only way how i could get any OS there was SATA, more precisely DVD drive and then i was able to boot into OS, but i want to have OS on the faster m.2. Since it's a old server (from 2012) it dosen't support m.2 so i need extenal boot manager on the SATA HDD.

 

Thanks for wasting time with my problems

Chances are the issue is either a UEFI setting (booting from USB is disabled) or it's an issue with how the USB memory stick is formatted.

I would recommend you try and solve the issue of not being able to boot from USB rather than try and work around it by installing Clover Boot Manager.

 

If it's Windows you want to install, then have you tried using HP's USB Key Utility? It's meant for creating bootable USB memory sticks from Windows.

[DandaCze]

13 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Chances are the issue is either a UEFI setting (booting from USB is disabled) or it's an issue with how the USB memory stick is formatted.

I would recommend you try and solve the issue of not being able to boot from USB rather than try and work around it by installing Clover Boot Manager.

 

If it's Windows you want to install, then have you tried using HP's USB Key Utility? It's meant for creating bootable USB memory sticks from Windows.

Ohh yeah i tried... as it turn out HP is piece of .... USB key utilility does work only on Windows 7... yeah... and for me building and instaling new pc is just not wort it and there is still (releativly high) chance, that there will be some other problem.

About the BIOS yeah there could but,i have look through whole BIOS and i have fully up to date versions and as it turned up HP is again piece of ... and you cannot download any version of BIOS for my motherboard so this is another dead end.

My USB is fine it's new i have install something from it many times, yes i tried many formats FAT32, NTTS, exFAT nothing

 

So this is why im looking for a way to boot ISO from HDD, like you can boot from ISO on USB even on sata DVD so why not on HDD

[LAwLz]

8 hours ago, DandaCze said:

Ohh yeah i tried... as it turn out HP is piece of .... USB key utilility does work only on Windows 7... yeah... and for me building and instaling new pc is just not wort it and there is still (releativly high) chance, that there will be some other problem.

About the BIOS yeah there could but,i have look through whole BIOS i have look thouth whole BIOS and i have fully up to date versions and as it turned up HP is again piece of ... and you cannot download any version of BIOS for my motherboard so this is another dead end.

My USB is fine it's new i have install something from it many times, yes i tried many formats FAT32, NTTS, exFAT nothing

 

So this is why im looking for a way to boot ISO from HDD, like you can boot from ISO on USB even on sata DVD so why not on HDD

Which partitioning type did you use when formatting the USB memory stick? 

If you used MBR, try GTP and vice versa. 

[DandaCze]

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Which partitioning type did you use when formatting the USB memory stick? 

If you used MBR, try GTP and vice versa. 

both

[Lordmage]

2012 server mobo sounds like you need to find a way to use either UEFI usb enabled boot drive possible with Secure boot off or a Key added to your db file or a CSM enabled secure boot off 4gb or smaller Thumb drive formatted fat32.

the big take aways i can suggest are CSM mode and use MBR boot on a smaller thumb drive or UEFI GTP and Secure Boot off or add the key to your db file.

[DandaCze]

2 hours ago, Lordmage said:

2012 server mobo sounds like you need to find a way to use either UEFI usb enabled boot drive possible with Secure boot off or a Key added to your db file or a CSM enabled secure boot off 4gb or smaller Thumb drive formatted fat32.

the big take aways i can suggest are CSM mode and use MBR boot on a smaller thumb drive or UEFI GTP and Secure Boot off or add the key to your db file.

no no...  my usb is fully fine im using it to boot on other devices

[Lordmage]

22 hours ago, DandaCze said:

no no...  my usb is fully fine im using it to boot on other devices

the usb may be fine for other devices but the target device is what matters.

if target is older or a different chipset , CPU generation there could be issues with newer techniques.

 

if you can adjust the target to support it then i would.

ensure you do so maybe target has a firmware update or some other setting that is preventing it to boot from it.

 

the point being you cant compare a target device to other devices unless those devices are exactly the same. then you could Diff the hardware such as the receiver ports, maybe a fault pin out, or even the cable or the traces on the mobo bent pin on the cpu or mobo and bios settings. im sure you tested and check for the basic's but there could be an issue on a much finer scale. 

 

the others work so what is different and there is your answer.

i would use a separate older smaller thumb drive as a test setup using a similar era system. separate out the mbr and the gpt Boot sectors as well as the partition and others eliminate as many variables' as you can. then test each one. rightnow you have to many variables'

 

1. target system vs others.

 

2. target boot method is blocked why (bios setting, jump setting on mobo- yes a jumper could change many things) lastly have you RTFM the manual of the target mobo and bios for settings that could block or harm your needs.  

 

Does any USB boot on that system what makes the special if so.

it did boot from spinning media so it could even be a remint of a master slave jumper on a drive or mobo pin as a suggested earlier. 

 

* i would still try a smaller drive setup using an older technique maybe a rescue live usb if that boots it could be a bootloader issue with the main OS or an older OS maybe even a shadow Partition or Ramdisk you never know 

 

Good luck not much more i can say to help in the matter other then rule out the simple stuff first youd be surprised how many times something was not plugged in right. 

 

 

[DandaCze]

On 12/4/2023 at 10:58 PM, DandaCze said:

Ohh yeah i tried... as it turn out HP is piece of .... USB key utilility does work only on Windows 7... yeah... and for me building and instaling new pc is just not wort it and there is still (releativly high) chance, that there will be some other problem.

About the BIOS yeah there could but,i have look through whole BIOS and i have fully up to date versions and as it turned up HP is again piece of ... and you cannot download any version of BIOS for my motherboard so this is another dead end.

My USB is fine it's new i have install something from it many times, yes i tried many formats FAT32, NTTS, exFAT nothing

 

So this is why im looking for a way to boot ISO from HDD, like you can boot from ISO on USB even on sata DVD so why not on HDD

 

[DandaCze]

If some see this topic, i still didn't solve the problem feel free to comment your idea