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Partition 3 works... sometimes - Printable Version

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Partition 3 works... sometimes - AcklenX - 10-01-2021

I've noticed that when I reserve space, and then later partition it and save files to it, that partition is not always detected or accessible.  I haven't figured out the pattern yet, but I haven't been very rigorous with my effort.  And Ventoy is so awesome any way I just keep using it.

My situation is that I I help out high school computer club and I am trying to create USB drives that we can boot on the kids laptops, or the schools desktops.  The kids computers are almost always windows (with the occasional mac).  The school computers are desktops and a mix of Windows 7-10 and Linux (Ubuntu and Mint).  We would like to be able to boot to whatever we have loaded on the first partition - and this always works great!  Not a problem at all.  But we also sometimes want to use the USB drive to copy files from machine to machine AND read the file when we use Ventoy to boot.  But some of the machines can't see partition 3 that was created when we reserved space installing Ventoy.  We did also partition that reserved space, labeled it "storage" and added files.  Some windows machines can see it, some can't.  All the linux machines (I think) can see storage just fine.  We created the Ventoy USB drives on both Windows and Linux machines.  I think we used the same options for all (we were supposed to).  But we get inconsistent results.

This is particularly problematic because often we'll have files and information on a Windows machine that we want to then boot into linux, and use that info/file.  But we can't copy it to storage, because Windows doesn't see it.  So we copy it to the first partition "Ventoy".  But then when we boot into via Ventoy into one of the ISOs, the first partition isn't readable, so we can't see our file.

The other problem that I run into, is that I often want to copy the iso files around, but they're on the first partition which isn't useful... there may be 5 or 10 ISOs (I love Ventoy!) but I can't read any of them... I'm not sure how/why it's mounted like that - I assume it's just part of the way that grub2/linux works.  But that points to my holy grail, to be able to read from the first partition while booted into the first partition.  Right now my work around is I copy most things to both partition 1 and partition 3.  But for ISO files that eats up disk space quite quickly.  And I have to commit early on as to how much space I'll reserve. 

Is there a way to verify the current state of the disk from Ventoy's perspective - like what the equivalent command line was?  I expected the -l switch to do this, but it doesn't give enough info that I can tell.  Is there a verbose listing? ;D. I typically create the disks with Ventoy2Disk.sh -i -s -r XXXX /dev/sdX

Am I missing something obvious?  Is this just a linux limitation with booting and reading? I definitely blame Windows Wink  My work around is to carry extra USBs but that just seams antithetical to what Ventoy is and makes possible.  Ventoy is awesome, it's the best/easiest multiboot I've found.  Sorry for sounding greedy and for wanting more.  


RE: Partition 3 works... sometimes - Steve2926 - 10-02-2021

From XP to early Windows 10 OS, only ONE PRIMARY partition of a Removable type USB flash drive or SD card is given a drive letter.
Since Win 10 1703, it can 'see' multiple partitions on a Removable USb flash drive.

As for the other issue of 'The other problem that I run into, is that I often want to copy the iso files around, but they're on the first partition which isn't useful... there may be 5 or 10 ISOs (I love Ventoy!) but I can't read any of them' - what do you mean exactly? Describe step-by-step how someone can reproduce this.


RE: Partition 3 works... sometimes - AcklenX - 10-12-2021

(10-02-2021, 08:09 AM)Steve2926 Wrote: As for the other issue of 'The other problem that I run into, is that I often want to copy the iso files around, but they're on the first partition which isn't useful... there may be 5 or 10 ISOs (I love Ventoy!) but I can't read any of them'  - what do you mean exactly? Describe step-by-step how someone can reproduce this.

  1. Create a Ventoy USB Drive (any settings - it doesn't matter)
  2. Copy two ISO files onto the first partition as normal (let's say Ubuntu 18.04 and 20.04). 
  3. Also create text file named HelpGettingStartedWithUbuntu.txt and copy that the first partition as well.
  4. Boot Ubuntu 18 from the Vendoy USB drive you just created.
  5. Attempt to read or see any of the files on that same Ventoy USB Partition
    • I cannot read (or see) the HelpGettingStartedWithUbuntu.txt file (this probably makes the most sense)
    • I cannot copy it to the Ubuntu 18 Desktop that I just booted into
    • I cannot read or copy Ubuntu 20.04 (Like if I I wanted to copy to another USB drive
  6. Create a notes.txt file on the Desktop
  7. Save the notes.txt file to the USB drive (first partition) for future reference (we would have a place for this if we reserved space and formatted the third partition)
    • I cannot save to the first partition ?because it's running?
Basically I want to read and write to the first partition the way that I can with the reserved space in the third partition... without the need for the third partition.  That would solve the previous problem with some versions of windows not seeing more than one partition.  I could copy notes to and from the first partition in windows and linux, even if I was currently botted from the first partition.  Maybe there is some magic mount command that does this? Big Grin If I could do that I wouldn't need to reserve space (and guess how much) for another partition (ok with the possible exception of the use case of encryption).

Does that make sense?  I don't think it's possible - just wishful thinking.   I love Ventoy.


RE: Partition 3 works... sometimes - Steve2926 - 10-13-2021

Ventoy prevents access to USB first partition (when live booting to Linux ISO) - see https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/issues/79
Even using toram in kernel parameters does not help.
Other solutions such as Easy2Boot and grubfm work OK.


RE: Partition 3 works... sometimes - Orochi - 10-13-2021

Quote:Ventoy prevents access to USB first partition - see https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/issues/79


Well, this is pretty disappointing news.  Undecided