BusyBox - (initramfs) hang on boot from Live System

Ok. Some other details? Used system, Systemback, machine (with BIOS or UEFI), installation media (how, what, where)... The created .iso file is works in VirtualBox?
I just uploaded the latest stable version (1.2.0). Please try the Live creation again, and if the system does not booting, give me more information.

Sorry. Here is the info:

- Ubuntu 14.10 on an iMac (UEFI)
- I've tried the .iso installation using both USB and Virtualbox -- the result is the same either way
- I also tried the .sblive installation on USB -- same result

I will try the 1.2.0 and see if that changes anything.

iMac? And this Ubuntu is completely normal, basic installation? The normal Ubuntu 14.10 amd64 installer is booting fine with this machine in UEFI mode? Or you used the "64-bit Mac (AMD64) desktop image" (so amd64+mac) installer? This latter is unknown to me, I never used Macintosh.

I used Ubuntu Mac installation (amd64+mac). My understanding, from here (http://askubuntu.com/questions/37999/what-is-different-about-the-mac-iso-image), is that the amd64+mac CD images are exactly the same as the amd64 images except that they only support BIOS booting.

The problem appears to be solved, however, using the 1.2.0 version. I just finished creating the .iso and it works in VirtualBox. I will try on a USB stick and report back.

Unfortunately, the .iso exhibits s similar issue to the original problem when booted on the iMac from the USB that I created in Systemback. It gets to the Live Boot page, but after selecting the live install, it starts and returns this error:

BusyBox v1.22.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.22.0-8ubuntu1) built-in shell (ash)
(initramfs) Can not mount /dev/loop0 (/cdrom/casper/filesystem.squashfs) on //filesystem.squashfs

And you try to boot in UEFI mode, or use BIOS emulation? Systemback is compatible with both, but maybe only the second solution works.
This is the UEFI boot screen:
https://a.fsdn.com/con/app/proj/systemback/screenshots/systemback_live_uefi.png
and this is the BIOS:
https://a.fsdn.com/con/app/proj/systemback/screenshots/systemback_live_bios.png

If you cannot choose, just delete the EFI directory from pendrive and try again (just like official Ubuntu installer).

I don't know that I get a choice which mode to boot into. When I start the Mac and hold down the option key, I get a Mac selection window that gives me, among other choices, a USB drive with EFI under it. That is the only choice (I believe this is the same when booting with ReFIT). When I select it, it boots and I get the BIOS image you posted.

I will try deleting the EFI file and rebooting.

When I delete the EFI file, it changes my options. First, on the pure Mac startup, there is no longer a USB disk available -- so I can't boot from there. Next, whenI use ReFIT to boot, I can chose the Linux USB, but when I boot into it it goes to grub rescue mode:

error: file '/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found.
grub rescue>

i386-pc/normal.mod? This does not make sense...
I checked the amd64+mac image, and I found another differences.
The boot/grub contain only the loopback.cfg file, but the other items has been moved to isolinux/grub. I don't know why, or whether this is relevant, but please test it:
boot/grub/x86_64-efi -> isolinux/grub/x86_64-efi
boot/grub/efi.img -> isolinux/grub/efi.img
boot/grub/font.pf2 -> isolinux/grub/font.pf2
boot/grub/grub.cfg -> isolinux/grub/grub.cfg
boot/grub/splash.png -> isolinux/grub/splash.png
boot/grub/theme.cfg -> isolinux/grub/theme.cfg

The isolinux.bin files are different too, but again I don't know why.

I will test that now.

I wanted to report something that I found out in the interim. I tried saving the .iso created by Systemback to a different USB using MultiSystem. When I booted (on the iMac) into that MultiSystem USB, the Systemback .iso worked!!! Maybe this information can help isolate the issue?

Yeah, maybe. But I don't try this application, because the Debian installation package doesn't respect the standards. So please make a compressed file of the USB device items. Just exclude the big filesystem.squashfs file, so I don't get any personal information.

I checked this MultiSystem thing, but this solution is not compatible with Systemback (break Live detection). This use GRUB in all situation, Systemback (and Ubuntu) uses isolinux on BIOS systems and uses GRUB with UEFI (64-bit images). I don't want to use the MS (:D) solution, I'll stay in Ubuntu.
But if the stock Ubuntu installer is works fine on your machine, then the isolinux solution is also good.

I tried a 64-bit OS X-configured machine in VirtualBox, but the Systemback Live image is booted fine.

I sort of get what you are saying. As you note, the Systemback Live image boots in a 64-bit OS X-configured machine in VirtualBox (see post #4). You solved that issue on version1.2

So I think the only problem is booting the following on a UEFI Mac from USB: a Systemback .iso from a amd+mac build that was put on the USB using Systemback's write to USB function. But I guess that issue is mostly solved by putting it on the USB using Multisystem. I'm going to mark this solved. Sound good?

The MultiSystem solution is very bad. The Live system is probably booted up, but the Systemback functionality is gone.
I still don't know exactly what is causing the problem, or what is the right solution. I cannot reproduce this error, I cannot test anything. :-(

Would you like me to test something on the MulitSystem boot to see what functionality is gone?

Also, I'm happy to test out anythin on my Mac if it will help. Let me know and I'll email you off this post.

I'm still waiting for "I will test that now." result, so there is nothing new... :-)

Hah! That is true. So I just began the process. But I decided to use a different USB stick. And I started from scratch -- new Live system created. Then Systemback put it on the new USB directly from the sblive (no conversion to .iso). And it worked. I got the following options at boot via reFind/Fit:

1. Boot EFI\Boot\grubx64.efi from sblive
2. Boot Fallback boot loader from sblive
3. Boot Linux from sblive

I don't remember these options appearing before. In any event, I selected option 1, and all booted perfectly.

Is it possible that the USB stick has to be formatted a certain way to work? I reformatted the prevoius USB stick that didn't work using a "dd" copy of a USB stick that was working using the MultiSystem approach, and then it worked. So maybe the issue was the formatting of the USB stick before I reformatted it? Just a theory.

As always, I appreciate your help. If you need a follow up, please let me know.

The primary supported solution is the internal USB (and memory card) writer. So if it works, then it's okay. The "dd" is good for ISO, but everything else I cannot support it. For example if the Systemback-writed pendrive and the ISO in VirtualBox are works, but if the UNetbootin (compatriot Géza Kovács :-) ) is not, this is a UNetbootin bug.

But otherwise, if you use UEFI mode, then the FAT32-formatted pendrive and a file manager is good with a simple file copying. UEFI reads the EFI/BOOT/grubx64.efi file, so there is no need for other boot manager (like Syslinux).