Booting Linux from an iPod

blue4paper · 11-16-2007, 08:41 PM

If you change or wipe the ipod's system file and replace it with that of a linux distro can you boot the whole OS via USB to another computer?

CalcProgrammer1 · 11-18-2007, 01:35 AM

Well, I don't think the iPod hardware is automatically recognized as a generic USB Mass Storage Device (what USB Flash Drives and most card readers are), so I doubt that a PC's BIOS would be able to detect it as a drive. I think iPods have special drivers that enable direct drive access.

Needless to say, I don't own an iPod, only setup my friend's iPod when he was having issues with it, so it might well work, but I don't think it will.

bugabooz · 11-18-2007, 12:55 PM

I have an ipod video, and when i was installing windows xp, I had my ipod plugged in, and it showed in bios as one of the drives to install windows too. So your ipod will show in bios.

Drizzt · 11-18-2007, 01:15 PM

im putting linux on mine eventually... because i wat to turn my nano into a video

blue4paper · 11-18-2007, 04:32 PM

good to know, thanks

kpmwrestler · 11-20-2007, 12:40 AM

My friend and i put iPodLinux on his iPod nano. It's a first gen nano 4g, which required a special installer. It was something about the 4gig and only the 4 gig, but instead of getting the installer off the main site: iPod Linux - Linux for your iPod

i searched for about three hours to find the one to work with the 4g.
here it is: iPod Linux Installation Guide

Once it is installed you unplug it and restart it by flipping the Hold switch on then off, then hold the center button + the menu button and it will restart. as soon as the apple logo comes up, hold the left (or rewind) button and it should boot linux.

It plays videos, GAMES! (including doom and some even better FPS) and a ton of awesome programs.

He has to use a program to convert the videos to 15 frames per second and to fit the nano's resolution, but he has a program that does it all for him.
If you don't have a 1st gen 4 gig, you should probably use the installer on the official ipodlinux site.

blue4paper · 11-20-2007, 03:05 PM

Actually we were takling about using the iPod to boot linux instead of a live cd.

But yeah i've tried installing linux on my 4 gig nano, i ALMOST got it but then something went wrong and it didn' load properly. anyways i think videos are kinda useless on a 5 cm screen lol.

Nitestick · 11-22-2007, 09:55 AM

last i checked (things may have changed), setting most linux distros to boot from a usb device involves modifying the initrd image to load usb support. that's about all the trickiness to it.

blue4paper · 11-22-2007, 07:52 PM

Well i've got an iPod nano, as soon as i get my ipod video i'm gonna try and remove the system file for the ipod and replace with the extracted .iso on the iPod.

Er, i jsut thought of something. To get the proper files onto the ipod would you just put the linux(distro).iso or would you say....extract the iso onto your desktop then copy/move all the files to the ipod?

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