i just created a new unraid system im trying to install on new flash drive i had 4.5.4 i believe now trying to install 4.5.6 in my comp the flash drive is letter h i copied the syslinux file in my c directory i typed in c:\syslinux.exe -ma h: and when i do it says not a removable drive (use -f to override)..can someone please help? thanks

I guess that the answer is already given to you!  If you are sure that your flash drive is h:, then just repeat the syslinux with the -f switch added.

i am 100% positive its h where do i put -f in the command prompt? im new to this sorry! and thanks for response!

i tried c:\syslinux.exe -ma h:-f  and i get usage: syslinux.exe [-sfmar][-d directory] <drive>: [bootsecfile] but theres nothing in the usb im showing all hidden and system files and still nothing..??

can i just copy the ldlinux.sys from my other flash drive that has 4.5.4 to this one im trying to install 4.5.6???

can i just copy the ldlinux.sys from my other flash drive that has 4.5.4 to this one im trying to install 4.5.6???

no.  The syslinux command also writes a boot loader into the master boot record of the flash drive.

i tried c:\syslinux.exe -ma h:-f  and i get usage: syslinux.exe [-sfmar][-d directory] <drive>: [bootsecfile] but theres nothing in the usb im showing all hidden and system files and still nothing..??

 

This is the hint, showing how to use the command

usage: syslinux.exe [-sfmar][-d directory] <drive>: [bootsecfile]

 

In unix, the switch options normally come right after the command name.  Hence you can use any of s,f,m,a,r as switch options.  A further option is d, which is followed by the directory name.

 

So, what you need to type is:

syslinux.exe -maf h:

i typed syslinux.exe -maf h: and i got syslinux.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file...?

i typed syslinux.exe -maf h: and i got syslinux.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file...?

Then you did not change directory to where you downloaded and unzipped it.

 

i have the syslinux.exe in the c: directory i also put it on my desktop the reason i put it on my desktop also is because in the command prompt i C:\Users\Desktop> i tried changing that to just the c: directory but it does not let me i dont get an error it just basically ignores my command

so it just dawned on me that my comp is named desktop lol but still nothing is working i even copied syslinux.exe file in my desktop user account..

maybe im doing this wrong "Step 2 Extract the syslinux.exe executable and copy to a simple directory, for example, c:\.  Then run it by clicking on Start/Run; in the dialog box enter:" do they mean run a command prompt ?

I believe they do mean start/run.

 

What is your desktop OS?  If Windows 7 you may need to start command using the Admin account.

im using win 7...i cant remember having so many problems with i installed 4.5.4 on other flash drive..i tried opening run and entering c:\syslinux.exe -ma h: a box pops up and instantly goes away i open the flash drive and their is no hidden file there still

I believe you have to try start - programs - Accessories - command prompt and run as administrator (path maybe wrong)  but I am positive you need to run as admin even though your admin on the machine.

i do that and says same thing not a removable drive (use -f to override)

just noticed something...the flash drive is coming up as a "hard disk device" with of course my normal hard drives and not as a "devices with removable storage" with my optical drives and usually my flash drives...what would cause this and is there any way around it to make it see it as a flash drive not a hard drive? thanks

just noticed something...the flash drive is coming up as a "hard disk device" with of course my normal hard drives and not as a "devices with removable storage" with my optical drives and usually my flash drives...what would cause this and is there any way around it to make it see it as a flash drive not a hard drive? thanks

It is up to the flash drive to identify itself. Nothing you can do to change it.

  It might be the flash drive you are attempting to use will not work as a "removable drive"

 

 

damn so if thats the case then i cannot use it for unraid correct?

It might also be a BIOS setting. What settings do you have configured on the USB sections? Maybe you have USB HD Emulation enabled or something that shouldn't be.

ive never seen anything like that in the bios...ive tried this on 2 different win 7 comps and 1 older win xp. i dont know if the bios setting would be causing problem on all 3 comps but ill look. do you know why windows sees certain drives as hard drives and not flash?

damn so if thats the case then i cannot use it for unraid correct?

You can boot unRAID from ANY device that is bootable.  Normally, it is a USB flash drive.  Others have used anything from a floppy disk to a boot CD to a hard disk.   None of those are "standard" but they are all possible.

 

On one of my servers I boot from a Compact-Flash card in an IDE converter. (That MB only has USB 1.0, and its BIOS was not designed to boot from a USB drive at all)

 

Today USB flash drives are so inexpensive it does not pay to try to mess with one if it proves to be troublesome.   Get a different one.  Don't make it too big, because many BIOS will not be able to deal with it.  (The larger sizes did not exist when the BIOS was written) If your drive has U3 software loaded on it, it must be removed.

 

Joe L.

ok perhaps ill try a different usb drive. mine appears to have no software in it nothing like u3 anyways unless theres something written to mbr but i dunno if they do that with flash drives? well thanks for your help anyways ill probably keep messing with this one until new drive comes in

You right click on the command prompt (instead of the normal left click) to get the menu and in the menu is the option to run as administrator.

 

Peter

 

ive tried that lionel but thanks