Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Paul Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,alt.comp.os.windows-10 Subject: Re: Before Dimdows 10 Goes EOL, I'm Testing Linux To Save My Laptop From The Landfill Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2025 13:56:39 -0400 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 81 Message-ID: <103paco$10a7p$1@dont-email.me> References: <103i58h$3340l$1@dont-email.me> <103i9mo$3045t$1@dont-email.me> <103m67b$619i$1@dont-email.me> <103n7dr$dqtr$2@dont-email.me> <103o7lh$bdq8$6@dont-email.me> <103ogt6$qek8$1@dont-email.me> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2025 19:56:40 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="f829d60cbf3ed707eaa7f24763395877"; logging-data="1059065"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/g4ea4F5VjQn989eEhceEzbtWfDRgcs9E=" User-Agent: Ratcatcher/2.0.0.25 (Windows/20130802) Cancel-Lock: sha1:/LJcIZpGrNoZ9Lt3PK1X0fmv7gA= Content-Language: en-US In-Reply-To: <103ogt6$qek8$1@dont-email.me> On Sat, 6/28/2025 6:41 AM, Daniel70 wrote: > On 28/06/2025 6:04 pm, T wrote: >> On 6/27/25 3:53 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote: >>> On Fri, 27 Jun 2025 09:27:06 -0400, Paul wrote: >>> >>>> The topic of a Linux USB preparation will come up, someone will say >>>> "Oh, just use XYZ", but the thing is, they haven't tested XYZ >>>> themselves, and there is a bit of disappointment waiting for you. >>> >>> I use dd. Yes, I have tested it for myself -- used it in production, in >>> fact -- many times. Yes, it takes care in use; it’s not nicknamed the >>> “data destroyer” for nothing ... >> >> >> I have even used dd to zero out flash drive that >> Windows coughs on. >> >> if=/dev/zero > > UMMM! (Trying to learn ...) 'if=' is (usually) the input file which is (usually) to be copied somewhere (of=) .... so wouldn't 'if=/dev/zero' (potentially) ZERO the Hard Drive rather than the USB Drive?? dd.exe --list NT Block Device Objects \\?\Device\Harddisk0\Partition0 Harddisk0 (Windows) is the same as /dev/sda (Linux), Partition0 == wholedisk link to \\?\Device\Harddisk0\DR0 Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512 size is 4000787030016 bytes .... \\?\Device\Harddisk0\Partition7 Using this identifier, allows overwrite of /dev/sda7 (Linux) AKA S: (Windows) link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume7 Fixed hard disk media. Block size = 512 size is 732331769856 bytes Virtual input devices The Windows port ("dd.exe") has these virtual devices /dev/zero (null data) /dev/random (pseudo-random data) Administrator Terminal dd.exe if=/dev/zero of=\\?\Device\Harddisk0\Partition0 That just erased your hard drive (well, partially erased, before it crashed). ******* OK, I just inserted a USB stick. Then I reran the custom Windows option supporting ident. \\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition0 <=== Transfer my hybrid ISO to this [USB stick] namespace link to \\?\Device\Harddisk1\DR1 Removable media other than floppy. Block size = 512 <=== "Removable media" size is 8019509248 bytes \\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1 <=== This is my "STUFF" NTFS volume 8GB in size link to \\?\Device\HarddiskVolume8 Removable media other than floppy. Block size = 512 size is 8017412096 bytes dd.exe if=some-linux.iso of=\\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition0 # Transferring hybrid ISo to USB stick. Because of a bug in the chrysocome version of dd, we use "factor" to prepare a block size. http://www.chrysocome.net/downloads/dd-0.6beta3.zip We can use this ISO from the collection, for a worked example 6343219200 ubuntu-24.04.2-desktop-amd64.iso $ factor 6343219200 6343219200: 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 5 5 61 677 153600 * 41297 $ exit $ wsl --shutdown dd.exe if=ubuntu-24.04.2-desktop-amd64.iso of=\\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition0 bs=153600 count=41297 \---------- source ISO -----------/ \----------- USB stick ----------/ Paul