Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[lilleguard-liste]

I boot puppy linux from a usb-stick. I have saved my personal settings in a pup_save-myname.2fs file. Sometimes I have wanted to do a fresh boot (ignoring my pup_save-file). With a live-CD I can do that by writing pfix=ram before the installation begins, but with the usb-install this isn't possible.

My solution to this has been to make an exstra .2fs file: pup_save-EMPTYFILE.2fs. Placing this in the same folder as my pup_save-myname.2fs file halts the usual boot process and gives me the option of choosing three options:
0) Boot without any personal file (fresh)
1) Boot pup_save-myname.2fs
2) Boot pup_save-EMPTYFILE.2fs

Option 0 initiates a fresh puppy install!
Perhaps anyone knows a smarter way of doing this (a secret key combination during booting which forces pfix=ram)?

[Evil20071]

Not sure if this will work... try installing grub, and add an entry to the menu.lst for normal startup, and one with the boot option you want? Not sure if it'll work though. Only thing I can think up on the spot though.

[rcrsn51]

@lilleguard-liste :

There is no secret key combination. Your technique is a clever alternative.

The Puppy Universal Installer sets up flash drives with the syslinux bootloader. It is possible to create a menu in its syslinux.cfg file. Once you figure out the syntax, you could add an entry that has "pfix=ram" on the "append" line.

[DanYHKim]

If your USB install includes GRUB, then you can set some short delay time for the menu.lst entries to be displayed. During this time, you can use the up/down arrows to highlight an entry that you want to boot with.

If you press "E", you can edit the lines of this instruction, so if GRUB normally boots Puppy and loads your puppyxx.2fs file or whatever, you can append the command "pfix=ram" in the command. Press ESC (I think) and then "B" to proceed with the boot.

Puppy will now follow the instruction you added, and load with the pfix=ram parameter. This is not a permanent change to menu.lst! Instead, it will work for this session only.

I have found this useful when I want to create a new *.2fs file and ignore the old one.

[zandarian]

Yesterday I first tried my "pendrive Puppy" in different computers from usual. I noticed that they shouldn't have loaded my computer's configuration from xxxxx.2fs: the desktop showed a mixed collection of drives; the same back in my computer. And the mouse of the other computers didn't work ....

So I did like lilleguard-liste told. But I didn't find it nice because back to my computer I had to select 1 or 2 all the time ... making the bootup slower and less comfortable.

I also tried to add pfix=ram without success.

But today I've found the solution:

(Comment: I installed Puppy Linux with UNetbootin, that makes the USB memory or pendrive to boot with SYSLINUX)

In the beginning of the booting, in the UNetbootin menu, I choose Default or puppy and press tab. I delete pmedia=cd and replace it with pfix=ram . Enter and ... it's done!! When I finish and shutdown I tell the computer not to save anything. (Not to have to remember pfix=ram I've writen it on the pendrive external surface, physically, with a waterproof marker)

To make it easier (and not to have too many things written on my pendrive case) I've done this:

I've opened /mnt/home/syslinux.cfg, copied the last paragraph, pasted and edited both of them. So now these are the last 2 paragraphs:

[scabz]

This might be a dumb ? but have to tried "puppy pfix=ram"

with gurb it is just pfix=ram but when booting from cd or usb, when it asks you boot options type

[technosaurus]

To add to this topic if you still want to load an sfs file without a save file you can simply rename it to what your zdrv sfs would be named for that puppy version. I do this with the devx so that I can ensure dependencies are minimized and tracked. (there is a pet that will let you do it dynamically now though so its not as useful as it once was)

[scabz]

[r__hughes]

The zip file contains a boot_changes folder with the following
new files.

boot.msg
extlinux.conf
help.msg
logo.16

Drag & drop these onto the USB to replace the originals
You can edit the boot.msg to show the appropriate pup version (it
has 4.30 at present)

The usb now boots up with the same logo & messages as the Live CD

[DemostiX]

Thank you so much r_hughes. I'd asked for this in other, and maybe the wrong way, because it was obvious that if the splash screen and options were right for OS loading from CD, then they should be immediately available from the USB flash drive, without complications of a boot loader etc.

(I could digress to explain to non-virgins here, that there are probably lots of us who went through the trauma of faulty early Ubuntu installers of grub which lied to us about how our hdds would be treated. We'll evermore be tentative about it. )

Hope the Universal Installer will evermore restore this capability, and that puplet developers will also.

[zandarian]

I've installed the last Puppy, 4.3.1, in a pendrive of mine, this time without UNetbootin. This is how I've put syslinux.cfg to be able to choose between using saved session(s) or booting fresh:

[fyujj]

**Updating**
Quirky 1.2 has a simple one-line syslinux.cfg