[SOLVED] Write bootable software to USB drive partition without erasing whole external disk

[Scar Mountain]

I intend to create a bootable USB HDD to clone a raw copy of a different system onto a partition on that USB HDD, so that I can work on it with data recovery software.

I would like to start with OSFClone on the bootable medium, but OSFC will only recognize a whole disk to write to in creating itself, not any partition, and writing it to the disk would clear all data from the target drive according to the instructions (which is the whole point of the partition).

An alternative would be Hiren's Boot, and whatever relevant packaged software it might contain - its ISO2USB bootable tool appears to be willing to write to partitions - but OSFClone is exactly what I need; is there no way to just get it onto a single partition? What's the damn sense in making the user clear out an entire hard drive for a 2GB tool?

And in case my phrasing wasn't clear:

1. I partitioned an external HDD
2. I want to write a bootable disk cloning tool to one partition, so it won't format everything
3. OSFClone, which matches my intended use case well, won't install itself to a partition, only to the whole disk

Do I just have to use an alternative? It would also be possible to burn this thing onto a writeable 4.7GB DVD, but I'm not sure I have any of those around anymore.

 

[TerryLaze]

You can try tools that boot isos as files from usb if they can't be "installed" to the usb, like these two.

Universal USB Installer ▷ Bootable Pendrive Software (UUI)

Universal USB Installer (UUI): Bootable Pendrive Software. Easily boot from USB Windows, Live Linux ISO files, setup installers, system repair tools

www.pendrivelinux.com

Rufus - The Official Website (Download, New Releases)

Rufus is a small application that creates bootable USB drives, which can then be used to install or run Microsoft Windows, Linux or DOS. In just a few minutes, and with very few clicks, Rufus can help you run a new Operating System on your computer...

rufus.ie

But reading the description this is just a script for dd and you can use dd to take an exact copy from any linux distribution, there are plenty of articles on which exact command to use for forensic use.