Problem creating the bootable USB stick with Etcher

[rAIner-linux]

Hello all,

I am trying to make my first Linux installation, but when trying to create a bootable USB stick with Etcher, Etcher keeps complaining that it cannot open the iso file. I did try it with the Ubunto iso and the Mint iso. The Mint iso, I even made an integrity check with and authenticated it. Can anyone help?

Rainer (German)

p.s.: I am working on a Windows 10 laptop, about 10 years old with only about 50 GB SSD memory left.

 

[GatorsFan]

A couple of things might cause this - A bad USB stick or one that is failing - try a different stick
A bad ISO file might need to re-download it

 

[rAIner-linux]

In the meantime, I succeeded by using Rufus instead of Etcher.

 

[MikeWalsh]

@rAIner-linux :-

Welcome to the Forum.

You're not the only who hasn't had any luck with Etcher. Despite it being the number one recommended installer utility in the Linux world, it won't work for us in the Puppy Linux community.

Etcher doesn't understand about decompressing read-only SFS files from a sub-directory within a partition, copying the contents of those SFS files into a virtual file-system in RAM, and finally writing a boot entry to Grub4DOS's 'menu.lst' file.

Etcher only understands the standard paradigm of copying a full file-system layout into a partition, then adding a boot-loader entry to GRUB2 pointing TO that partition. Because that's how 95% of Linux distros function.....so that's the way Etcher has been written to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

When all's said & done, Etcher is just a fancy GUI wrapper around the 'dd' utility.....and every Linux distro ever created has that built-in somewhere. But most folks like it, because it's user-friendly.......and that's a 'must-have' concept in today's increasingly technical world.


Mike.

 

[bob466]

Have you tried Ventoy...this is the windoze version which I've haven't used...
https://woshub.com/multi-iso-boot-usb-flash-ventoy/

I use the Linux version...once Ventoy is installed on your Flash Drive...download the Mint ISO...open Ventoy and drag or copy and paste the ISO in.

It will look like this...

You can install the Mint Distro from Ventoy...easy.

 

[dos2unix]

for us in the Puppy Linux community

A friend of mine just installed EasyOS, which says it's based on Puppy. It's an interesting distro to say the least.
I wonder if you've had any experience with it.

His twelve-year-old son make the comment. "If this is the easy version, I would hate to see the hard version".

 

[Terminal Velocity]

I just came to tell you try Rufus but you figured it out yourself, that one I used when I moved to Linux

 

[rAIner-linux]

@rAIner-linux :-

Welcome to the Forum.

You're not the only who hasn't had any luck with Etcher. Despite it being the number one recommended installer utility in the Linux world, it won't work for us in the Puppy Linux community.

Etcher doesn't understand about decompressing read-only SFS files from a sub-directory within a partition, copying the contents of those SFS files into a virtual file-system in RAM, and finally writing a boot entry to Grub4DOS's 'menu.lst' file.

Etcher only understands the standard paradigm of copying a full file-system layout into a partition, then adding a boot-loader entry to GRUB2 pointing TO that partition. Because that's how 95% of Linux distros function.....so that's the way Etcher has been written to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

When all's said & done, Etcher is just a fancy GUI wrapper around the 'dd' utility.....and every Linux distro ever created has that built-in somewhere. But most folks like it, because it's user-friendly.......and that's a 'must-have' concept in today's increasingly technical world.


Mike.

I hear: yes, using Rufus is always the better choice, if you decide technically and Etcher may be the better choice for those preferring the better GUI. Correct summary?

 

[hacktheworld]

It happened to me that Etcher doesn't worked with the App Image, but when I installed the with Deb has worked properly. https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/releases/

 

[bob466]

I've never had problems with Etcher...I can also use the Mint USB Image Writer too...Rufus won't work in Linux.

 

[wizardfromoz]

It happened to me that Etcher doesn't worked with the App Image,...

Did you check that the AppImage had the executable bit set? If it is in Downloads

ls -l ~/Downloads/version_number_of.AppImage

and if no x is there for users, then

sudo chmod +x ~/Downloads/version_number_of.AppImage

Wiz

 

[hacktheworld]

Did you check that the AppImage had the executable bit set? If it is in Downloads

ls -l ~/Downloads/version_number_of.AppImage

and if no x is there for users, then

sudo chmod +x ~/Downloads/version_number_of.AppImage

Wiz

Thank you

 

[kc1di]

I'm with @bob466 Never had a problem with Etcher except on one Distro (Kubuntu 24.04 ) which would not run it.
But glad you found what works for you. Hope you enjoy Linux

 

[bob466]

When you download the AppImage...you need to give it permission to run...place tick as shown...

 

[bob466]

I forgot to say...when you download the AppImage...right click and choose Properties then Permissions.