[Software] how to add a partition to thumb drive?

[StevenFriedrich]

I downloaded debian-live-12.5.0-amd64-kde.iso and wrote it to a 16GB PNY thumb drive using Disk Image Writer (it's standard with debian12 install, I think it comes from GNOME)
There is 12 GB free space on this thumb drive but I can't create a partition. The error message from gnome-disk-utility 43.0 is:

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Error creating partition on /dev/sda: Failed add partition to device '/dev/sda' (Too many primary partitions.) (udisks-error-quark, 0)

It doesn't matter if I choose Extended Partition checkbox, or just select ext4 or XFS filesystem.

Can someone fix this or would it be a security concern? I want to put many OS config files on the thumb drive.

[arzgi]

The answer is in you error: Too many primary partitions.

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arto@dell:~$ lsblk
NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
sda      8:0    0 223,6G  0 disk 
├─sda1   8:1    0   524M  0 part /boot/efi
├─sda2   8:2    0     1K  0 part 
├─sda5   8:5    0 178,9G  0 part /home
├─sda6   8:6    0   7,4G  0 part [SWAP]
└─sda7   8:7    0  36,7G  0 part /
arto@dell:~$ 

There can be only one primary per disk. Or in your case the thumb stick.

[StevenFriedrich]

Apparently, someone creates debian ISO images with a MAC partitioning scheme, instead of MBR or GPT.
There were two partitions on the thumb drive; part 1 was an ISO image 3.5 GB
and part 2 was a 5 MB 12-bit FAT
I used Disks to save both of those, deleted the partitions from the thumb drive, made it GPT, created a part 1 of 3.5GB size, restored the image, did the same for part 2 (size 5 MB),
then I was able to create part 3 as an XFS filesystem and put my config files on it.

Why is debian creating MAC boot images?

[Aki]

Hello,

Apparently, someone creates debian ISO images with a MAC partitioning scheme, instead of MBR or GPT.

What do you mean by a "MAC partitioning scheme" ?

Debian ISOs are "ISO-Hybrid" images and their partitions cannot be modified in place (i.e. with gparted), as far I know.

It could be useful to modify the subject of the first topic, i.e.:

How to add a partition to thumb drive flashed with a ISO-hybrid image ?

[pbear]

I wonder whether persistence is better suited to your objectives. If so, see also. Notice you unpack the ISO archive and copy at file level.