Ubuntu/Debian Linux/Unix Howto Setup Install Syslinux Bootable USB with EFI and MBR from Command Line/CLI Terminal
There aren't too many simple guides that show you how to use commands to setup your USB or other drive as a normal bootable drive where you can easily boot custom kernels or whatever OS you would like.
1. Get the tools we need:
We install "syslinux" for MBR and "syslinux-efi" for EFI and "MBR" as we need a tool that embeds the actual MBR into our USB:
sudo apt install syslinux syslinux-efi mbr
2.) Format the Drive as VFAT/FAT:
This assumes your USB is partitioned and is partition 1 on drive sdj /dev/sdj1
mkfs.vat /dev/sdj1
#you may need to mark the partition as bootable in fdisk by hitting the "b" flag
3.) Install MBR onto the drive
Install the MBR on /dev/sdj
sudo install-mbr /dev/sdj
Now install syslinux to the partition
sudo syslinux -i /dev/sdj1
Download syslinux 6.04
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/Testing/6.04/syslinux-6.04-pre1.zip
Extract it.
Install the EFI syslinux:
Mount it first:
mount /dev/sdj1 /mnt/sdj1
cd /mnt/sdj1
mkdir -p EFI/BOOT
#copy the EFI32 and EFI64 binaries to EFI/BOOT directory on your USB
BOOTIA32.efi BOOTX64.efi ldlinux.e32 ldlinux.e64
#file locations from .zip file linked above
./efi64/com32/elflink/ldlinux/ldlinux.e64
./efi64/efi/syslinux.efi #rename this to BOOTX64.efi
4.) Create your syslinux.cfg:
add this to syslinux.cfg in the root:
DEFAULT realtechtalk
SAY Now booting the kernel from realtechtalk.com SYSLINUX...
LABEL realtechtalk
KERNEL kernelfs
APPEND initrd=initrd.img
#you can add extra kernel flags after initrd=initrd.img by adding a specify a flag. eg initrd=initrd.img ro quiet nosplash
More from Syslinux Documentation
Congrats you should now have an MBR and EFI compatible Bootable USB!
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