(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hey,
I'm new here.I liked linux puppy,it's so fast and i try to get used to it.
in the first time i created a save file without having any knowledge,but now i don't want to lose any settings or apps that i've already had,and i want to change the file system and the size of the save file,so how can i do it?
P.S:i'm running puppy on ram only,i like this feature

It surprises me that none has helped you. I am not the best to get you going.

hopefully someone with deeper knowledge see my clumsy attemt and give you a better answer.

So if I get it. You boot using a CD or DVD or USB? and you have the pupsavefile either on CD or DVD or USB but not on HDD?

Or do you have a frugal install on HDD doing dual booting with Windows?

Anyway. To be able to keep the save file you already have you ahve to make a kind of easy backup of it in a safe place.

I would hit "Space or P or something when the boot starts.

Usually one see some text telling about Puppy booting. Then you hit the right char and then you write this

puppy pfix=ram and then hit enter and that allow you to boot without mounting the pupsave file.

Then you use this pristine state to rename and move the pupsave file. Name it backup030711 or something that you remmber is the backup file.

Then after having done that backup you either add the files programs you need or you start anew and make another choice on what to download and install browser and such and you make a new pupsavefile. That one you can also save as a back up if you boot into pfix=ram because if you try to rename and move the savefile while it is mounted and in use then it either protest or can easily get corrupted and you lose the work.

Remember I am a Noob so I maybe miss some important aspect but this should get you started.

The important thing is that if you boot then the script starting the boot will search in every partition and attached drive so you really need to hide the older pupsave so it does not get booted when you want to start anew and try out another set up of software. Renaming it backup most likely accomplish this.

To change size, look in the menu 'Utility > Resize personal storage file'. Note that can only add space to the actual size.

Gustavo that is so true but it will not solve him wanting to make major other changes and still save the file he has now. My suggestion that he boot using pfix=ram and then rename the pupsave file to a backup name with time stamp in the name would allow him to have many such different backups and still be able to put together bigger savefiles for the new set ups he learn to prefer after trying out them.

He can chose the biggest savefile when he has learned what apps he prefer to have in that savefile. if he makes it big now then he has less space for the really big one when he has decided on what to use in it

I wish he could tell more about the install and what computer it is on and how much RAM and such and other useful info

You're right nooby, that's the easy way of test stuff...

I'm not sure if every puppy read pupsaves on the same way -which sounds logical-, but here are two commands to create a new EXT2 pupsave with 32MB: Fix the 'something' part and the path, use the right data. Also check the prefix (lupusave its for Lucid Pupies).
Use this if you want to make a new pupsave to test some thing as on 1º boot.

Place it on the Grub 'subdir' folder, next to the actual pupsave and Puppy will recognize that file -adding an option at bootup to choose which one to load-.

Hope it helps.

Ouh.. thanks any way. know i can make the second and the third pupsave

Also check the prefix (lupusave its for Lucid Pupies).

Is there any place where we can find out the proper prefix for different puppies? (one of my computers goes "blank" when leaving Xwin at shutdown, thereby making the savefile creation process difficult/impossible (I've got some workarounds, but this would be better)

sfeeley wrote:Is there any place where we can find out the proper prefix for different puppies? (one of my computers goes "blank" when leaving Xwin at shutdown, thereby making the savefile creation process difficult/impossible (I've got some workarounds, but this would be better)

Yes, here: /initrd/DISTRO_SPECS (open as text).
This is the line (posting from Lucid Puppy 520):

#Prefix for some filenames: exs: lupusave.2fs, lupu-520.sfs
DISTRO_FILE_PREFIX='lupu'

Regards.

If it is still of any interest:

There is a pretty simple way of changing a pupsave file; downsizing and changing the file system included. All you need is a Puppy LiveCD, preferably of the version that is frugally installed; or another Puppy also frugally installed.

The order of things then:

1. Boot your frugal Puppy and at the grub splash screen enter pfix=ram to the kernel line at the bottom of the screen.
2. Open the Puppy folder on /mnt/home and make a copy of the existing pupsave file to another partition, just in case.
3. Now shutdown this Puppy and create a new savefile with another name to distinguish it from the first pupsave file. Give it the size and the filesystem you want.
4. Now boot from the LiveCD or from another frugal Puppy.
5. Open /mnt/home and go to the folder with the 2 pupsave files. Open both. Delete the contents of pupsave-new and copy the contents of pupsave-old into pupsave-new (provided the used space inside pupsave-old is less than the available space in pupsave-new).
6. Delete pupsave-old from /mnt/home; not the saved copy mind you.
7. Reboot to the just modified frugal Puppy and you will have a smaller pupsave with another filesystem.

Tested on Lucid and working fine.

If anything goes wrong, you still have a copy of pupsave-old that can be restored.

As a total newbie with Slacko-Puppy 5.6, I found this topic very useful in order to downsize "personal storage file". Thanks to all!

pripadnik wrote:As a total newbie with Slacko-Puppy 5.6, I found this topic very useful in order to downsize "personal storage file". Thanks to all!

I do not know how it is in slacko
but in precise you can use just to create a new (downsized !) savefile
reboot with new savefile then delete the old one if you like.