[lubuntu-users] Boot from SD card? Why not?

[Nio Wiklund]

Hi again Basil,

A professional class laptop, that I bought 'second-hand' for my son, an 
HP Elitebook 8560p, can also boot directly from an SD card in the card 
slot (after pressing F9 and selecting 'SD card'). I don't know about 
other HP laptops, probably some of them can also boot from the card 
slot. I just booted Lubuntu live :-)

Best regards

Den 2016-06-07 kl. 06:14, skrev Nio Wiklund:
> Hi Basil,
>
> This is a good summary :-)
>
> Best regards
> Nio
>
> Den 2016-06-07 kl. 00:26, skrev Basil Fernie:
>> Hi Nio,
>>
>> Yes, thank you for your earlier reply with pix which arrived too late
>> for me to acknowledge in my latest e-mail to you.
>>
>> To summarise my current understanding:
>>
>>     There is nothing inherent in the design of SDHC cards and adapters
>>     to make them unfit as boot devices for laptops etc. Certain laptops
>>     (e.g. some Asus eee's) are known to boot direct from the card-reader
>>     slot. Some other machines will boot from a card if it is fitted via
>>     a card-to-USB adapter.
>>
>>     The adapter is needed to provide a target for the boot system to
>>     know it must look amongst listed USB devices (of a "stick" type) for
>>     the boot device. Thus the adapter allows the machine's USB system to
>>     drive the card in all respects as if it were a USB stick.
>>
>>     Therefore there is no need for a machine to have a special SD reader
>>     system if it already has USB, it could have been designed for the
>>     reader slot to appear internally as just another USB device listed
>>     in the boot options menu.
>>
>>     No amount of unetbootln, mkusb or Startup Disk Creator activity on
>>     the SD card itself will enable your laptop to boot from it if the
>>     card reader slot is not accessible via the boot device menu,
>>     possibly via a USB proxy.
>>
>>     It may or may not be possible to coerce your laptop's boot menu to
>>     include a card reader, but at present I do not feel confident about
>>     imposing thus successfully on the firmware.
>>
>> However with the information on the links you have provided, I may be
>> able to report a more favourable status quite soon. Here's hoping, and
>> thanks again!
>>
>> Best regards
>> Basil Fernie
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 06/06/2016 07:31 PM, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>>> Hi Basil,
>>>
>>> You get the acknowledgement, that I have read you message like this: a
>>> reply :-)
>>>
>>> At least older Asus eeePCs boot from the card reader slot. See this link
>>>
>>> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1981199
>>>
>>> At that time I recommended the naked dd command. Now that I have made
>>> mkusb, I recommend to use it in order to wrap a safety belt around dd.
>>>
>>> I don't know about 'full size' Asus laptops.
>>>
>>> There are work-arounds for computers that will not boot directly from
>>> an SD slot, 'chainloading'. See these links
>>>
>>> http://www.barryhubbard.com/linux/booting-acer-aspire-one-from-sd-card/
>>>
>>> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Chainloading
>>>
>>> I think there are many methods to use chainloading, some easier, some
>>> more complicated. This method for Acer Aspire looks complicated to me,
>>> but gives you an idea of what people do to achieve similar things to
>>> what you want.
>>>
>>> -o-
>>>
>>> Notice that you sent this mail only to me (at least no other visible
>>> receiver). If you want replies from other people, please send to the
>>> mailing lists. The reason why I sent the mail 'only to you' is that
>>> the mailing lists do not accept big mails, and the attached pictures
>>> make them exceed that limit (if I remember correctly 40 kB).
>>>
>>> Best regards
>>> Nio
>>>
>>> Den 2016-06-06 kl. 18:47, skrev Basil Fernie:
>>>>   Hi Nio, Nice collection!
>>>>
>>>> Now I am thinking of your 2nd-pic, bottom-RH corner, pretty-well
>>>> universal SD-SDHC adaptor which, when pushed into the slot at the side
>>>> of the Samsung, projects all of 3 or 4mm. The one I use more or less
>>>> permanently on my Lenovo projects all of 1mm, virtually invisible and
>>>> virtually undamageable, not at all intrusive. Might as well be
>>>> installed
>>>> internally - except that I can take it out very easily when I wish, and
>>>> I can put in another when I wish. Unlike an internal HDD.
>>>>
>>>> Why would I want to insert that into a rather clumsy USB adapter when
>>>> the USB-adapting could be done internally?
>>>>
>>>> I have quite a collection of USB sticks, also HDDs going all the way
>>>> back to Seagate 20MB units(!), and a handful of SDHC cards which I have
>>>> slowly been realising I have not been using to their full potential. Or
>>>> at least to their full /potential/ potential, which is being made
>>>> inaccessible by unimaginative system designers who prevent routine
>>>> booting from SDHCs.
>>>>
>>>> Rant over, thank you for listening and contributing. Anyone who
>>>> knows of
>>>> laptop brands or models that routinely enable booting from SD/SDHC
>>>> cards, please alert me.
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>>
>>>> Basil Fernie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 6/2016 07:34 AM, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>>>>> Den 2016-06-05 kl. 23:31, skrev Basil Fernie:
>>>>>> I'm not looking for more USB slots, but for fewer sticking-out or
>>>>>> cabley
>>>>>> things.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi Basil,
>>>>>
>>>>> Sticking out, yes, cabley, no :-)
>>>>>
>>>>> My smallest adapter is very small but not very rugged. The bigger ones
>>>>> seem more able to take some mechanical abuse.
>>>>>
>>>>> Best regards
>>>>> Nio
>