Can't get 12.04 64bit stick to boot

Question

I'm an experienced Linux user, but now I've got a problem.

For usual I install my OS via USB sticks, like that I've handled it with 10.04, 10.10, 11.04, 11.10 and 12.04 (32 bit), and it always worked fine for me.

But after creating a stick with the 64-bit version of Precise, it won't appear in the BIOS or the alternative boot-manager the mainboard provides.

I currently don't have an optical drive, so a CD/DVD is no alternative.

What could be the problem, what could I do?

Hardware info:

• CPU: AMD Phenom(TM) II X4 980
• MB: GA-990FXA-UD5
• RAM: 16 GB
• GRA: Radeon HD6870 2GB

Answer 1

Starting with precise, the ubuntu images are now also usb images. Use the 'dd' tool to easily transfer this image to usb rather than a usb creator or unebootin which are intended to convert cd images to usb images.

sudo dd if=/path/to/image.iso of=/dev/sdX

Note replace the /dev/sdX with the usb drive (not partition! eg, /dev/sda, not /dev/sda1)

WARNING, dd is a powerful tool, and should be used with caution.