How to boot Puppy on USB flash from NTFS partition

Message

mcewanw · #16 Post by **mcewanw** » Mon 19 Nov 2007, 22:36

tempestuous wrote:At http://www.murga.org/~puppy/viewtopic.php?t=1058 drj explained how to boot Puppy Type 1 HD install from an NTFS partition using Grub4DOS/Grub4NTLDR.

I hadn't come across that earlier post on the topic before. The new forum address for it is:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=1058

carolus · #17 Post by **carolus** » Wed 07 May 2008, 19:40

Do these methods work with Windows XP and Vista? On XP, I can't find any file C:\boot.ini, hidden or not.

I don't have the BIOS capability to boot from USB, and don't want to touch my MBR nor in any way modify my vendor-installed Windows XP. Nor do I want to write anything to my NTFS hard drive from Puppy. (Copying files to it with Windows is OK, and minor editing of configuration files using a Windows editor is OK)

Currently I'm booting Puppy 2.16.1 from CD, but if that could be avoided it would be more convenient.

rcrsn51 · #18 Post by **rcrsn51** » Wed 07 May 2008, 19:56

Read here for a discussion of how to make a custom boot CD that will launch Puppy off a USB drive.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=16950

carolus · #19 Post by **carolus** » Wed 07 May 2008, 22:11

rcrsn51 wrote:Read here for a discussion of how to make a custom boot CD that will launch Puppy off a USB drive.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=16950

That's what I'm doing now. If I understand this thread correctly, it describes a method of interrupting the Windows boot sequence by simply adding a line of text to a DOS/Windows configuration file called "boot.ini" rather than meddling with the MBR. If I save a copy of the original configuration file, this is something I feel confident I can undo. But I have no "boot.ini" that I can find on my Windows XP, so I am guessing that the initiator of the current thread (tempestuous, in 2005) was using an earlier version of Windows.

Apologies - boot.ini is there today. I must have been hallucinating.

Thommo1971 · #20 Post by **Thommo1971** » Tue 08 Jul 2008, 09:28

Will this method work with Windows 98SE on a FAT partition? If not, is there an equivalent method?

I have an Acer travelmate laptop that has no built in drives and wont boot from USB.

muggins · #21 Post by **muggins** » Tue 08 Jul 2008, 10:47

Have you seen this tutorial? It tells you how to install puppy to a windows partition & boot without touching your computer's mbr.

Thommo1971 · #22 Post by **Thommo1971** » Tue 08 Jul 2008, 12:30

Thanks, muggins. I hadn't seen that before and it is really helpful. It seems to be exactly the solution I am looking for and is pitched at Linux Newbie level! So, a big thank you!

I'll let you know how I get on

markofkane · #23 Post by **markofkane** » Tue 08 Jul 2008, 20:40

Edit:

Even though I got it to work this morning, I removed everything because it gave me errors after that, or would not uncompress the linux file.

I did it all over again, and got stops like

pup_400.sfs file not found

And Can't access TTY job, Job control turned off.

And all the files were in lower case, because I checked the md5 file, and it was ok, and I extracted the files with ISO buster.

I guess I am better off just booting from CD (if that still works) and use my config that I already have saved.

ICPUG · #24 Post by **ICPUG** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 12:24

markofkane,

I would have helped try to solve your problem if you had provided some details before removing the frugal Puppy.

I have had very few problem reports that have been due to Lin'N'Win. It is user error or Windows idiosyncrasies usually! I have had many success reports.

I guess one problem I did have was that it would not work on NTFS compressed directories and I did not know that. Once I knew I changed the instructions to accomodate the problem.

I guess in this case I will have to just wonder.

If a problem occurs it is nice to know some machine details; which Windows version is used; what the error message was and what the menu.lst says.

ICPUG

markofkane · #25 Post by **markofkane** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 12:46

I can try it again,

I'll tell you what I know right now:

I have:

A Dell Dimension 4400, 1.6 GHz P4 processor, 1 GB of RAM, Windows XP Home, A creative LIVE soundcard, and Nvidia G-Force 5500 PCI card.

I'll be back after I attempt it again (but I do think it's a C:\ drive problem, because a lot of times, the pup_save file becomes corrupted on the C:\ drive, but not my second Hard drive)

Thanks!!

menu.lst

######################################################
# GvR Sept 30th 2004
color black/cyan yellow/cyan
timeout=5
default=0

title Default Boot on HD 0
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
boot

title Puppy Linux 4.00
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz PMEDIA=idehd PDEV1=hda1 psubdir=puppy400
initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz
boot

######################################################

markofkane · #26 Post by **markofkane** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 13:00

I just thought of something!! I am using instructions for Windows XP service pack 2!!!! I have SP3!!!!

So, that's that problem, right?

markofkane · #27 Post by **markofkane** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 13:14

Alright, it worked!!(I'll have to reboot to see if it works again) But I am starting new. Can I use my old Puppy_save file?? I would like to keep my configs.

Now I got another problem: I had it save my pup_save file to my second HD, and when I reboot, it does not acknowledge it. (It starts over a s a fresh install, having to set my keyboard
and stuff over again at each boot)

what can I do? Thanks!!

nooby · #28 Post by **nooby** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 14:06

I had same problem as you had.

But after power off from puppy several times and after shutting down from
windows again then no more such problem.

Re :" But I am starting new. Can I use my old Puppy_save file?? I would like to keep my configs. "

I got the problem that the links in the local bookmakrs was for the cd(dvd
so it had a /mnt/sda1/ where it should have been /mnt/home/

so apart from that it works.

that it didnt found it now I hope others could explain.

I managed to get it to work but I am still in sp2.

markofkane · #29 Post by **markofkane** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 14:54

I have to start over again, I should have left well enough alone.

I could not get the boot from CD to work anymore, it would not load the pup_save files anymore without errors.

something about superblocks.

nooby · #30 Post by **nooby** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 15:21

Sounds a lot what did happen to me but I shut down completely serveral times
both from puppy and after logging in to windows
and IIRC I also did a new install after changing the name of the safe file
so it would not be written over. Then I changed it back.
I guess that did create what I described above but it cured all the
trouble you describe too. And then after some tweaking the links worked too.

So don't give up.

markofkane · #31 Post by **markofkane** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 15:22

I figured it out

title Puppy Linux 4.00
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz PMEDIA=idehd PDEV1=hda1 psubdir=puppy400
initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz
boot

Change hda1 to hdb1

And placed the puppy400 folder in my second drive. Wow, that was simple. I wish I would have known in the first place.

nooby · #32 Post by **nooby** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 20:48

It is a good feeling when one get how to do it.

I am not on your level but as a noob had same
experience. I have also planned to have in a
memory stick but have been caught up with
installing on DVD and frugal install on the HDD
but a thumbdrive would be cool.

I am in solaris now but that one is too big for my
machine. Fun to test things out.

markofkane · #33 Post by **markofkane** » Wed 09 Jul 2008, 22:13

aw, thanks,

but I am not that smart. Sometimes an idea comes and it helps. I am still having a few problems. Like Windows wanting to run chkdsk when I boot into windows if I save a file into a NTFS partition while running Puppy.

markofkane · #34 Post by **markofkane** » Thu 10 Jul 2008, 00:36

I've decided to abandon the frugal install. There's a bug where even though the pup-save file is in the same place, Puppy will not load it after so long.

I am tired of starting all over again.

nooby · #35 Post by **nooby** » Thu 10 Jul 2008, 04:56

But if you tell more then Barry can fix it?
I mean he can fix it for me and all the others
who still want to use frugal install.

Give me a hint on how to find out if this happen to me too?
How did you came upon it. What to look for to know it does
happen at my place too?

Would be much appreciated.

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

How to boot Puppy on USB flash from NTFS partition

Re: How to boot Puppy on USB flash from NTFS partition