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  1. Member ahhaa's Avatar
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    (The right title word for extracting out an .img file just didn't get to the front of my brain today.. )

    I'm having great fun with the Raspberry Pi 2B, but as it uses a micro-SD card as it's main memory, I'm into some unusual issues.

    Right now it is the overly complicated process of downloading a zipped file, that when extracted becomes a .img disk image.
    This in turn needs to be installed, not on an optical disc, but that SD card.
    I wouldn't mind a little trial & error, except that this particular image* includes a hacked kernel and will modify the onboard firmware to install a tiny touchscreen.
    (This is to complete a time-lapse camera.)

    The OS download is over a gig, and when extracted from the zip gets up into the 3 gig range. The software supplier* has an ambivalent relationship with Windows, and recommends using first, SDFormatter to prep the card, and then a cranky old freeware called Win32DiskImager to install the .img file onto the SD card. Several things concerned me, not least that only 30 some megabytes of data seemed be be on the card- way less than the standard OS.

    So looking around, I discovered that Windows 7 & 8 both have ISO/IMG capability built-in, called Windows Disc Image Burner & found under 'Open With'; altho I don't know yet if this will accept an SD card and mount the file properly. Here's a couple descriptions:
    http://www.7tutorials.com/burning-iso-or-img-disk-images-windows-7
    http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/548-burn-disc-image-iso-img-file.html

    Neither of these discuss re-installing the image in any detail. I also looked at imgburn, but they seem to have gone cookie-crazy.

    SO... long description, short question: If you had to reliably install an .img onto an SD card, what free software would you choose?

    * Adafruit in the US supplies a lot of maker DIY stuff, including several tiny monitors & LCD touchscreens.
    They've been around a while & are known good: https://learn.adafruit.com/category/raspberry-pi
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  2. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Mount with WinCDEmu or VirtualCloneDrive. Copy all contents to root of SD card. If it isn't the full amount of the image file, you probably have some hidden partition(s). In that case, check with Isobuster.

    Scott
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  3. Another option is to get 7-ZIP 9.20 and once installed, right click on the IMG or ISO file, click the 7-ZIP context menu and select "extract to" the SD card.

    To install 7-ZIP you have to right click the setup file and "Run as Administrator". When finished, find the 7-ZIP file manager (desktop or start menu) right click it and "Run as Admin", go to options -> file type and select all file types.

    I should add that you may have to prepare the card with SDformatter and Win32DiskImager+a good image file. This is to get the card bootable. Once you have a bootable card you can delete/overwrite the contents as many times as you like, just don't format it.
    Last edited by nic2k4; 19th Jun 2015 at 12:30.
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  4. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Yeah that's a good suggestion too.

    Scott
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  5. Originally Posted by nic2k4 View Post
    To install 7-ZIP you have to right click the setup file and "Run as Administrator".
    Or install the portable version of 7-Zip without admin rights.
    http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/7-zip_portable
    They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.
    --Benjamin Franklin
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  6. Member ahhaa's Avatar
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    Thanks guys, thunderstorming here; more asap
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  7. Member ahhaa's Avatar
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    Sorry, got sidetracked by events...

    A new factor in this project is the TFT screen I am trying to install on the Pi has a little wrinkle that has me generally re-thinking it.

    The screen is Pi-sized and just sockets onto a set of IO pins- in the Pi world, they call'em hats.
    Problem is, that the instructions (that get you deep in the above business) are a little unusual in that they rock back & forth between the resistive and capacitive touch screen models- you aren't always sure just which you are reading about.
    Well, my model is the capacitive, but while reading the resistive FAQ I find that the display's software is a hack of the main linux kernel.

    Almost every software install for the Pi begins with the recommendation "Run apt-get update, then run apt-get upgrade."
    This will wipe out the display hack in the kernel; which will have to be manually re-installed each time; given the software volatility since the Pi 2B came out, prob'ly several times each month for a while.

    I don't see how to clone my way out to the simple system I'd envisioned.


    btw, on the good side,

    I've run some experiments off-gridding the Pi 2B using the PNY 10400 LiPo Batterypack.
    A 6 hour continuous run used about a quarter of the pack's capacity; and it fully recharged in 2 hours.
    Not bad for a $30 gizmo from Malwarts that'll charge up phones & tablets too!:]
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