Burn to CD to USB Drive

paxprobellum wrote:
I can't seem to get Disk Utility to burn a CD to my USB flash drive. I've tried using a disk image as well as the physical CD. I always get this error:

2009-12-02 19:48:02 -0600: Validating source...
2009-12-02 19:48:02 -0600: Could not detect format of volume on device /dev/disk2s0
2009-12-02 19:48:02 -0600: Could not validate source - error 254

Any ideas how to fix this? Things I've tried:
1) Converting .iso to .dmg with Disk Utility
2) Converting .iso to .dmg with DmgConverter
3) Every combination of mounted/unmounted
4) SuperDuper!

The idea of burning a CD to a flash drive sounds bizarre. Can you explain what you're really trying to do?

You cannot.

You can convert CD to an iso image and place iso on the flash drive, but to be of any use you will
have to use a utility that can mount the iso.

Flash Drives do not support the joliet file system.

Kj ♘

Joliet is the name of an extension to the ISO 9660 file system. It has been specified and endorsed by Microsoft and has been supported by all versions of its Windows OS since Windows 95 and Windows NT. Its primary focus is the relaxation of the filename restrictions inherent with full ISO 9660 compliance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joliet_(file_system)

You are probably wondering why it is not as easy to create a bootable flash drive from a windows
disk as it is from an OS X install disk.
The reason is, Apple uses basically the same file system (HFS) on their install DVD's as they use
on their Hard drives (HFS+).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HFS_Plus

Creating a bootable Apple OS X flash drive from an install DVD is as simple as formatting the USB
drive as HFS in Disk utility and then using CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) to create a clone of your
Install DVD and place it on the flash drive.

Creating a Windows installation flash drive is possible,
http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-28353-install-xp-os-from-pen-drive
http://maketecheasier.com/boot-and-install-windows-7-from-usb-flash-drive/2009/0 1/23
http://www.pctipsbox.com/installing-windows-xp-using-a-usb-flash-drive/
but is a bit more difficult and even if you did, it don't know if it will boot on a Mac through
the USB port.
The problem is Macs don't support Bios booting except through boot camp. Macs do support
CD booting (el torito), and that is why Macs can install windows from CD's.
You might could place windows on a boot camp partition (GUID) setup on your flash drive, and
if you can pull that trick off, I will certainly take my hat off to you.


Kj ♘

Hi paxprobellium;

After reading Kj's dissertation, I think fixing your optical drive is the much simpler way to go here.

Allan

I admire your persistence.

The biggest "fly in the ointment" is going to be getting the that little critter to boot. In other
words getting the boot sector functional. The challenge to that is getting windows to correctly
write the boot sector to a GPT (GUID) formatted drive. Only the latest windows (XP SP2 and later)
understand GPT, Dos based utilities don't have a clue, and will not write a boot sector that
is bootable.
Here is some more invaluable info:
http://refit.sourceforge.net/myths/

Macs do support booting from a straight MBR partition (Hard Disk). Try formatting your thumb
drive with fat32 first and make it bootable with dos or something. Hook it to your Mac and see
if it will boot from it. If it does, you are home free (maybe), if not you will have to use the GPT
route. There is one possible snag though, even if you can successfully boot an MBR only partition,
without the GPT interface the only drive Dos/Windows may be able to see is the drive you booted
from. I don't have an answer for you. I have booted from dos and was not able to see any drives.
The problem is the "A20" line, which Dos needs to manipulate the hard disk controller does not
exist on a Mac. I don't think Windows (XP SP2 and later) requires the "A20" line. Maybe one of the
"linux geeks" can jump in here and enlighten you further on the firmware/MBR/GPT interface
workings and relationships.
I might be wrong, but I believe you will need GPT to be able to access your Mac's hard disk
controller so that you can install windows on the boot camp partition. Even if you get your
thumb drive to boot without GPT, it would be useless if you could not access the hard disk
on your Mac.

Good Luck

Kj ♘