usb key boot

[simcana]

Hi, i'm trying os selector to boot some systems.
I have a usb key with syslinux to start slackware, which is installed in my pc hd: when i boot the pc, with the key beeing inserted, it starts the key immediatly, thereis before the acronis loader, and it's the right thing for me, cause in the bios settings i configured in this way the boot process:
floppy
usb key
cdrom
hd0

But if i insert another key, which contains slax linux, it doesn't boot immediatly; i have to wait for acronis boot loader to start and select the key as the system to boot: why?

Another thing: once i booted from the key whith linux slax installed, the default operating system is changed from what i previously selected (win xp), to the os in the key (slax): moreover, when i remove the usb key, it remains the link to that os in the acronis boot selection window, marked with a red X, so that, in order to make things right, i have to delete the shourtcut pointing to that os and make windows the default os once again.
Is this a normal behavior or is it there something i did wrong?

Thanks, and sorry if my english isn't so good...i'm italian :P

[MudCrab]

It is normal behavior for OSS, but it's not very "nice" behavior.

If you're not careful, OSS will take over your slackware usb key too. It's the thing I hate most about OSS.

ANY USB BOOTABLE DEVICE you plug in will get taken over by OSS if OSS sees it AT ALL. If you've managed to actually boot your slackware flashdrive several times then you've been lucky.

Once OSS "sees" the bootable device, it adds it to the menu (like it did with you slax key). You then have to select it from the OSS menu to boot it. Once OSS has done this, the flashdrive will NO LONGER BOOT without OSS. If you try, you just get an Acronis loader error message. To fix it you have to repair GRUB (syslinux, or whatever loader you were using) on the device so it will boot normally again. Basically OSS installs its own MBR onto the device that tells it to go ahead and load OSS from the computer's hard drive and from there you can boot the USB device.

OSS makes the last newly detected OS the default and, yes, it does keep OS menu entries even if they are not currently availaible to boot. You'd have to delete them if you don't want them in the menu.

If I need to boot my USB device on my OSS computer, I ususally deactivate OSS first so it doesn't corrupt the USB device. If you have a flashdrive with a "write-protect" switch on it, then you could probably stop this from happening, but I haven't tried one.

[simcana]

thanks for the reply, all clear now...maybe i'll clean away oss

[simcana]

hey, you were right...slax doesn't work anymore after removing OSS; i'v just uninstalled Disk Director and i'm going to recreating my usb key with slax

that's a pity for a usefull software like OSS (at least usefull till i found out this thing!)

Luckly my key with syslinux for slackware wasn't dameged!!

Thanks again...

[MudCrab]

I agree. OSS should have an option of whether or not you want to add USB devices to the boot menu. It should also warn you that the device will no longer boot if it adds it to the menu and you then try to boot it on another computer.

It should treat them like CDs and just add them to the menu if they're plugged in, but NOT CHANGE THE MBR of the device.

I've considered purchasing a flashdrive with a "write-protect" switch and seeing if that stops OSS from corrupting it, but since I often need to write back to the device I don't know if you can change the switch after it's booted and have it work. Also, this wouldn't work with USB hard drives.