Is core2usb not supposed to work in Windows 10 ?

[johan_se]

I think the possibility of running different Linux in Live-sessions, booting from a USB-stick, is great since it gives you a chance to try out an OS without need to change anything on the harddrive.
I recently tried "Puppy Linux". I created a Live-USB with Rufus in Windows. And I found out, even on a small laptop with only 2 Gb RAM, I could start a live Session with Puppy from the USB-stick and use the function or parameter "copy to ram", so i did apreciate the small size of Puppy.

I am now courious about Tiny core Linux, and I would like to try Tiny Core Plus, which I have read, might could work even with wifi. I downloaded the iso-file called CorePlus-current
( I did try to create a Live-USB with "TC Plus" using Rufus but it didn't work)
I read under the web-page tinycorelinux.net that there was a tool called core2usb.
--- this is how i got the file--->
I choose the category "Frequently asked question" ( under tinycorelinux.net),
and i read through the part of text under,
"How to use pendrives and other removable devices with Tiny core". In this piece of text there was a shortcut ( or link) to download the file "core2usb"  from Sourceforge. I used this link to download core2usb in Windows 10. It turned out to be a zip-file, and when i did unzip the file, the result was one file called core2usb-16 and in windows it was described as a "Python file".
Is this file core2usb-16 supposed to work under "Windows 10"?

When I run the file in Windows I got an error message.
SyntaxError: Invalid Syntax.
I did my best to download the latest support for python script to Windows 10 ( using microsoft store). You can see what version of python I have in the Printscreen (or fraction of Printscreen). Is there anything more i need to prepare? Did i get the right core2usb (or is it meant to run in a Linux OS?)

I should confess, English is not my primary language, (however I have worked many years with software for music production that was only available in English, You can say I am more used to read English instructions than to describe situations myself). I apologize for possible spelling misstakes.

[NewUser]

In the core2usb page in SourceForge, click the Files Tab. There, you will find core2usb-1.6.exe . That's what you're looking for. I have used it for years. Your Anti-Virus program may block part of the installation, so pause it our use Defender.

[johan_se]

Thanks for you advice "NewUser", with your instructions I succeeded to download an exe-fil that could be run in Windows 10 without any error-message from Windows. However it was confusing in another way. I did put a 16 Gigabyte USB-memory-stick in the USB-port (the one I would like to use as a Live-USB), and i observed that it was Given the name D: in Windows.  The program core2usb-1.6  could find the iso-file (wich i actually have on an SD-card), but I was never allowed to write to the USB-stick. It showed the information "Selected drive is not empty" with red coloured text. Then i did format the "whole" USB-stick in Windows 10, so that I am sure no file is on the USB-stick. But even after that, core2usb show the same message again, "Selected drive is not empty". When i did format the USB-stick I was however brave enough to give it a name (title), I choose the title "till_tiny_c"  "till" is a swedish word that means "for". Is it neccesary that the USB-stick have a certain name???  or is it wrong to format the stick with FAT32 filesystem like i did?

[Rich]

Hi johan_se
Welcome to the forum.

Read from from this post to the end of the thread:
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,24558.msg155967.html#msg155967

[Rich]

Hi johan_se
Sorry, I forgot to answer a couple of questions:

...  Is it neccesary that the USB-stick have a certain name??? ...

No.

... is it wrong to format the stick with FAT32 filesystem like i did?

No.

[NewUser]

Johan, if your thumb drive appears empty in Windows, open a cmd prompt with Administrator privelidges, the run this command:

rd /s /q "System Volume Information"

After that core2usb will work.

[johan_se]

Thankyou NewUser for your advice.
I did try the command.
I did navigate to the drive that i want to "write over",  ( It took me some time to recall that MS-DOS command  how to change drive  ,  but an exercise is always good ).
When i succeded to change drive, the Windows prompt looked like,
D:\>
Then I tried to run the command,
rd /s /q
The command-window returned a message,
"The syntax of the command is incorrect",
so I did quess that it is necessary to also tell the name of the drive ( although I was already in the root-directory of my D: ).

So in my second attempt i did write,
rd /s /q d:
This time a new prompt reappeared again ( D:\> ) and without any error message. So I assume Windows accepted every part of this command and following parameters ( like d: ).
So then I tried again to run core2usb-1.6
The program will run and Windows ask me if I want to give the program permissions to change things on my computer, and I answer yes. The program core2usb accepts to open an iso-file I have downloaded,  But still core2usb refuses to let me write anything to the USB-stick ( still drive D: )
The button "Install", (which is included in the program core2usb), is still shown with a very "pale grey" text. The button "BROWSE"  is shown in a lot sharper Black colour.

I did then look in the Help-menu in core2usb-1.6  and i choose to read under Help/about
and the small "second-window" that opens show the information,
"Tiny Core Linux USB intaller  v1.6
Markus September 5, 2012"
I assume this means the program was written year 2012 ?
"NewUser" is this the same version of core2usb that you use succesfully this year?

[johan_se]

By the way, in My first attempt to download core2usb, it turned out to be a file of the kind "python-script".  Does anyone know what is the purpose of the python-version  of core2usb?

Is it meant to be used in Linux-systems?
I do have a Live-USB with Xubuntu 21.04 that works well  ( as long as I dont try parameter "toram" ). Or are there any other Live-USB-creation-tools  for Ubuntu that has better chance to deal with "Tiny Core Linux" ?

[Rich]

Hi johan_se

----- Snip -----
To make hidden files visible in Windows Explorer so you cam delete them ...
Windows 8 and 10:
Click the "View" tab on File Explorers ribbon and click the "Hidden items" checkbox in the Show/hide section.
 ----- Snip -----

Once you've done that, delete all files on the USB thumb drive.

[johan_se]

Thankyou Rich for the advice.   I have already checked that the settings for the file-explorer is to also show hidden files,  and there is nothing on the USB-drive ( D:). 
If I use Windows explorer to format a USB-drive just to be a storage drive ( no parameters), should I expect that Windows will add any file or directory to that USB-drive?  I mean I have never told the Windows-Explorer to make a bootable-device, but simple to format the drive.

[johan_se]

Since you are suspicous there might be something hidden on My USB-stick I have actually booted a Live-session With Xubuntu 21:04    and then I mounted the USB-flash drive that I would like to use to make a LiveUSB-with "Tiny Core Linux". I do set the File manager ( in Xubuntu) to "show hidden files" and there was nothing on the USB-stick ( no directories and no files).  I did Even navigate to this USB-stick  in the Terminal under Xubuntu. And used the command "ls" and nothing was found on the drive. I guess the Terminal is more "straight forward" like it should show even system-files or stuff like that  ( I try to attach printscreens from Xubuntu ). Sorry I happened to write the swedish word for day ( wich is "dag") when i named my printsceen.

[johan_se]

By the way, since this software core2usb  is  very hard to use, i think it is very sensible to find out. Is this version 1.6, (made year 2012), the latest that is available? ? ?   I actually do recall that i did raise my eyebrows for a couple of seconds when i was directed to sourceforge  by the link on this webpage under "frequently asked questions"  (here under tinycorelinux.net),   because  when looking for the exe-file  you could also se that Sourceforge showed the information "last modified" and there was a date sometime during year=2012 ( i do not remember exactly what month). I mean first of all it seems very user-unfriendly, and for the second,  I do download a newer version of Rufus,  at least once a year. and I have used it ,(with success), to make live-USBs with at least 4 different Linux-distros every year ( Puppy,  Bodhi,  Xubuntu  and Lubuntu ). For example I had a Live-USB with "Puppy Linux " on my USB the day when I read there was a new version of Bodhi, and I felt "this week I would like to try Bodhi Linux instead of Puppy", so I Plug in the USB-stick with Puppy and tell Rufus to write Bodhi to that USB-stick. I do see the information "everything that is saved on the USB-stick will be erased, do you want to continue?", In that moment I do ask myself "am I sure that the only USB-device connected by now is the one i want to overwrite with a new distro?"   I have never by accident installed a new distro to any of my USB-sticks, and as I said, I try more than 4 different distros every year (since the release of Xubuntu 18.04 ), and since Xubuntu and sisters are released twice a year I actually use Rufus more than 6 times a year. If I should by accident overwrite a USB-flash and loose files i wanted to keep, I would never blame Rufus because they give me the info "Everything on the stick you have selected will be erased". If you are smart enough to download an iso-file and an md5-checksum, there is litte probability that you connect a USB-flash stick with important documents, and then ask a program to "overwrite" that particular USB-stick with some linux-distro. So I have to say (using Rufus more than 20 times to make Live-USB:s) this program core2usb  assume that every person who wants to use it must be a total idiot.

[Rich]

Hi johan_se

... should I expect that Windows will add any file or directory to that USB-drive? ...

I don't interact with Windows very often these days, but one thing I don't do is assume what Windows will or won't
do by default. This is the memory card for my camera:

Code: [Select]

tc@E310:~$ ls -la /mnt/sdf1
total 96
drwxrwxrwx  3 root root  16384 Jan  1  1970 ./
drwxrwxr-x  9 root staff   180 Aug 16 19:50 ../
drwxrwxrwx 13 root root  32768 Jun 24  2020 DCIM/
-rwxrwxrwx  1 root root     76 Jul  1 17:41 nmdsdcid
tc@E310:~$ cat /mnt/sdf1/nmdsdcid
{9A44C32B-C2AD-44FC-8680-AAD326E4F0D2}The  nmdsdcid  file was not put there by my camera, Linux, or myself. It showed up when I plugged the card in a
Windows 7 computer. Windows assumes it's OK to mark its territory when you plug in a removable device.

... used the command "ls" and nothing was found on the drive. ...

The command  ls  won't find hidden files. Try the command  ls -la  , that will display all files and directories.

... I do see the information "everything that is saved on the USB-stick will be erased, do you want to continue?", In that moment I do ask myself "am I sure that the only USB-device connected by now is the one i want to overwrite with a new distro?"   I have never by accident installed a new distro to any of my USB-sticks, ...

Not everybody is as experienced as you are. Insisting that the device has no files on it is to prevent accidents.

[NewUser]

Johan, once you have cd'd to your D: drive type this entire command:

rd /s /q "System Volume Information"

System Volume Information is a System directory, as well as being hidden. The double quotes around System Volume... are required due to the spaces.

[johan_se]

NewUser!  I have already tried to "clean" the memory-stick using,
rd /s /q d:  under Windows, and I did it with administrator privilegies, and Windows executed the command without any error-message.
But still the program core2usb do not let me use the button "INSTALL".
 After that I have also tried to start a live-session with Xubuntu and then I used Gparted to format This small (16 Gb) USB-stick to FAT32 ( Xubuntu is the flavour of Ubuntu that have the Xfce Desktop environmet). Then I rebooted to Windows and found out that core2usb still refuses to write to that USB-stick.
NewUser, what computer did you use when core2usb worked for you? How old is the computer that you could use core2usb on? According to Sorceforge the file "core2usb-1.6.exe" has not been modified since year 2012 ( and you can also confirm this by open Help/About when running core2usb). That means the program is 9 years old. So one idea I have is , could it be trouble if a computer have USB 3.0-port? The computer I use when I create Live-USB:s is an HP-Laptop bought in november last year (2020). It is actually my fathers computer but I know for sure the age, beause I helped him to choose the model, and to order the computer on internet. My own computer is an Asus with the tiniest harddrive ( 30 Gigabyte), and I can no longer run Windows on it because It will show the message I have to download updates, but the harddrive have no more space.