A minimal Linux system contains the necessary USB drivers to continue the boot process. They may not recognize USB drives initially, and may require operating system drivers to accomplish this.Īn alternative for older machines is to let the BIOS start a minimal Linux system on a BIOS supported drive such as a floppy disk, CD, or HD, and then transfer control to the USB drive to continue booting the full operating system.They may lack a BIOS setting to allow booting from USB.A modern BIOS (written after 2002) usually contains USB drivers and a boot from USB option but older computers often don't have these features. PCs use a system called the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) to start the machine.
