Create bootable USB install image from command line?

Posted by j-g-faustus on Ask Ubuntu See other posts from Ask Ubuntu or by j-g-faustus
Published on 2011-01-13T01:30:25Z Indexed on 2011/01/13 1:58 UTC
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Filed under:

installation

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ubuntu-server

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command-line

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boot

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usb

I'm trying to create a bootable USB image to install Ubuntu on a new computer.

I have done this before following the "create USB drive" instructions for Ubuntu desktop, but I don't have an Ubuntu desktop available.

How can I do the same using only the command line?

Things I've tried:

Create bootable USB on Mac OS X following the ubuntu.com "create USB drive" instructions for Mac: Doesn't boot.
usb-creator: According to apt-cache search usb-creator and Wikipedia usb-creator only exists as a graphical tool.
"Create manually" instructions at help.ubuntu.com: None of the files and directories described (e.g. casper, filesystem.manifest, menu.lst) exist in the ISO image, and I don't know what has replaced them.

(At my disposal is Mac OS X and Ubuntu server; I have neither Ubuntu desktop nor Windows.)

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