How to navigate the LInux filesystem?

Booting, installing, newbie
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Hetejas
Posts: 90
Joined: Sun 28 Apr 2013, 18:34

How to navigate the LInux filesystem?

#1 Post by Hetejas »

and it has a lot to do with me not understanding how drives (devices)/files are used.

I am trying various other distr. by installing them to USB drives, then booting from the USB.
My problem is in finding files that I had created before in My Document, that reside on the hard drive, sda1.
Or other files that I had downloaded while the USB was the boss, particularily desktop background files.

Booting from sda1, the HDD, when I open up sdb1, the USB drive I am in /mnt/sdb1.
I can't figure out how to get to:
sdb1/usr/share/backgrounds. Poking the up arrow I think doesn't do it

Additionally when booting from sdb1, I don't know how to get to sda1/desktop/my documents.

Oh yeah, what does the tilde, ~~~~, signify ? Home ?
Very strange this Linux beast but beautiful none-the-less.

PaulR
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 18:45
Location: UK

#2 Post by PaulR »

Hello

Do you mean you used to boot of USB and saved some backgrounds and now boot off hard disk? If so you need to look in the save file created when you were booting from USB which might be on the stick itself or on the hard disk. The file you want will be named something like [puppy version]save_your-text-here.3fs (or 2fs) for example slackosave_mysavefile.2fs.

If you 'open' that file it will contains the directory structure you're looking for. You might have overwritten the save file though.

If these images were saved when you were using another distro there's no telling where they might be!

Paul

Hetejas
Posts: 90
Joined: Sun 28 Apr 2013, 18:34

#3 Post by Hetejas »

PaulR wrote:Hello

Do you mean you used to boot of USB and saved some backgrounds and now boot off hard disk? If so you need to look in the save file created when you were booting from USB which might be on the stick itself or on the hard disk. The file you want will be named something like [puppy version]save_your-text-here.3fs (or 2fs) for example slackosave_mysavefile.2fs.

If you 'open' that file it will contains the directory structure you're looking for. You might have overwritten the save file though.

If these images were saved when you were using another distro there's no telling where they might be!

Paul
Thanks Paul and hello.
You are correct in that while I was booted from the USB, I saved some background files that I now want to access when booted from the HDD.
Lately, I have only been trying Lazy Puppy and I think I follow when you tell me that the files that I am looking for will be in the save file.
Though for the life of me, I cannot find it. I looked all over the USB for these:
*.2fs
2fs
pupsfs
pup-save
*gwc* <----When I did the 1st save, it asked me for a name and I included my initials, gwc.
It cannot find it either.
I am using Pfind and searching all files.

Based upon what you might have seen before, do you know where the file might be saved ?

I guess I could always mail it to myself but that seems kinda silly. :D

thanks
============================
Found it !!!
When rebooting, it was kind enough to tell me where he was saving the save file.
sdb1/lupusave-gwc.2fs

Now let's see if I can figure out how to look inside it.
Oh yeah, I just learned not to left click on an unknown (to me) file type.
I was doing some reading and this was mentioned:
-----------
/etc/rc.d/rc.shutdown
------------------
Left clicking on it does exactly that,,,,shuts it down.
Last edited by Hetejas on Mon 27 May 2013, 19:59, edited 1 time in total.

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Flash
Official Dog Handler
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Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 16:04
Location: Arizona USA

#4 Post by Flash »

Windows can't see a 2fs or 3fs filesystem. Instead of saving the file in Puppy's filesystem, mount the Windows partition (sda1 on the hard disk drive, which will be a NTFS filesystem and Puppy can safely write to it) and copy the file to the topmost directory there. Then Windows will be able to see it.
If that seems too risky, you can copy the file to another USB flash drive that is formatted FAT32, and Windows will be able to see it.
What Windows calls folders, Linux calls directories. I guess the ~ means the Home directory. This is NOT the /, or topmost directory, in Puppy. To get to the topmost directory, in ROX, click the UP arrow. From there you can see the /usr directory.

PaulR
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 18:45
Location: UK

#5 Post by PaulR »

Hetejas

Glad you found it - now just left click it (it's ok!) and browse to /usr/share/backgrounds :)

Paul

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sunburnt
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Joined: Wed 08 Jun 2005, 23:11
Location: Arizona, U.S.A.

#6 Post by sunburnt »

Hi Hetejas; There is a driver for Windows allowing it to use Linux partitions.

Hint: For my kids I made desktop icons for Docs., Apps., Downloads, etc.
And also I made icons for C:, D:, E:, etc. so they could easily file browse.

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Flash
Official Dog Handler
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Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 16:04
Location: Arizona USA

#7 Post by Flash »

Hetejas, updating your posts with new information might seem like a good idea, but it makes the thread nearly useless and furthermore hard to follow for anyone who is trying to help you. Just make a new post. :)

Hetejas
Posts: 90
Joined: Sun 28 Apr 2013, 18:34

#8 Post by Hetejas »

Flash wrote:Hetejas, updating your posts with new information might seem like a good idea, but it makes the thread nearly useless and furthermore hard to follow for anyone who is trying to help you. Just make a new post. :)
Ok, will do.
That makes a lot more sense and would be obvious had I thought about it.

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