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Creating the Fedora SoC bootable USB Stick

jerrylchong edited this page Nov 21, 2020 · 15 revisions

This page will explain how you can install Fedora-SoC on a bootable USB Stick.

The use of Virtual Machines (VMs) are strictly prohibited. You will not be able to boot using a VM.

Fedora-SoC is bootable from a USB stick. That is, all you need to do to run Fedora-SoC, is to plug in the stick into your computer, boot into that USB, and you're done!

Creating a bootable Fedora-SoC USB stick from Microsoft Windows, Apple's MacOS or any distribution of Linux is very simple. All you need are:

  • A USB stick with a minimum capacity of 4GB
  • A machine running Windows/MacOS/Linux
  • An internet connection
  • The Fedora-SoC ISO image

Before you begin, create a backup of the files in your USB stick, as your USB stick will be wiped.

Refer to the following sections below based on your operating system.

NOTE: There are existing problems with MacOS, it is recommended to use a Windows PC if you have one.

Windows

Refer to the following steps to create a Fedora-SoC USB stick from Windows 7 or later.

Installing Fedora Media Writer

Fedora Media Writer is "...an easy way to make bootable USB media to install Fedora" (source: Fedora official documentation)

Open the setup file (that was included in the .zip file you downloaded) and install Fedora Media Writer.

Open Fedora Media Writer.

Selecting Options

To select the Fedora-SoC ISO file you downloaded previously, click "Custom image".

Make sure you download the PC version of the ISO

fmw_win_custom

Locate and select the appropriate ISO file and click "Open" in the bottom right corner of the window.

fmw_win_select

Initiating the Write Process

Insert your USB stick into your machine and select that USB stick in the dropdown menu.

All data on your selected USB stick is about to be destroyed. This is a good moment to double check you’ve selected the correct device.

When you’re confident you have selected to correct device, click on the red "Write to Disk" button.

fmw_win_ready

The ISO will now be written to your USB stick, and the progress bar in Fedora Media Writer will give you some indication of where you are in the process.

fmw_win_writing

When Fedora Media Writer has finished writing the USB stick, the Status bar will be red filled and the word "Finished!" will appear in the center. Select CLOSE to complete the write process. Your USB stick is ready.

fmw_win_finished

Now, you will need to boot into the Fedora-SoC ISO using the bootable USB stick you just created.

MacOS

Refer to the following steps to create a Fedora-SoC USB stick from MacOS.

Installing Fedora Media Writer

Fedora Media Writer is "...an easy way to make bootable USB media to install Fedora" (source: Fedora official documentation)

Open the FedoraMediaWriter-osx-latest.dmg file (that was included in the .zip file you downloaded) and copy the Fedora Media Writer file into your applications folder.

fmw_application

Right-click the Fedora Media Writer application and click "Open".

If you get an error saying "Fedora Media Writer can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.", just proceed to click "Open".

NOTE: If you double-click on Fedora Media Writer, the "Open" button will not appear.

Selecting Options

To select the Fedora-SoC ISO file you downloaded previously, click "Custom image".

Make sure you download the Mac version of the ISO

fmw_first

Locate and select the appropriate ISO file and click "Open" in the top right corner of the window.

fmw_select_iso

Initiating the Write Process

Insert your USB stick into your machine and select that USB stick in the dropdown menu.

All data on your selected USB stick is about to be destroyed. This is a good moment to double check you’ve selected the correct device.

When you’re confident you have selected to correct device, click on the red "Write to Disk" button.

fmw_ready

The ISO will now be written to your USB stick, and the progress bar in Fedora Media Writer will give you some indication of where you are in the process.

fmw_writing

When Fedora Media Writer has finished writing the USB stick, the Status bar will be red filled and the word "Finished!" will appear in the center. Select CLOSE to complete the write process. Your USB stick is ready.

fmw_finished

Now, you will need to boot into the Fedora-SoC ISO using the bootable USB stick you just created.

Linux

Refer to the following steps to create a Fedora-SoC USB stick from a Linux distribution.

Installing Flatpak

Setup Flatpak on your Linux system Flatpak documentation page.

Open your terminal and run the command sudo mediawriter

// Insert screenshot of running mediawriter

Selecting Options

To select the Fedora-SoC ISO file you downloaded previously, click "Custom image".

fmw_first

Locate and select the appropriate ISO file and click "Open".

// insert linux select ISO

Initiating the Write Process

Insert your USB stick into your machine and select that USB stick in the dropdown menu.

All data on your selected USB stick is about to be destroyed. This is a good moment to double check you’ve selected the correct device.

When you’re confident you have selected to correct device, click on the red "Write to Disk" button.

fmw_ready

The ISO will now be written to your USB stick, and the progress bar in Fedora Media Writer will give you some indication of where you are in the process.

fmw_writing

When Fedora Media Writer has finished writing the USB stick, the Status bar will be red filled and the word "Finished!" will appear in the center. Select CLOSE to complete the write process. Your USB stick is ready.

fmw_finished

Now, you will need to boot into the Fedora-SoC ISO using the bootable USB stick you just created.

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