How to probe hardware at each boot ?

[lvds]

Hi,

I have been asked to build a special pendrive with some specific softwares inside. The pendrive is intended to be used on many various computers, more or less broken so we can repare them. Because the computers are all different, I need puppy to probe the hardware at each boot, just like if it was first boot, so we can set the right video settings (other settings are not needed I think, because they can be launched afterwhile manually if needed).

Can someone point me where I can modify puppy to have this behaviour ?
Many thanks in advance

[Flash]

If the computers are all different, are you sure they all can boot from USB and are all set up to do so? What I'm getting at is, it may be better for your purpose to do this from a live CD than a pen drive.

But to attempt to answer your question: you can remaster a Puppy. Done right, I think this would result in a Puppy with the additional software you want added, that boots every time like it was the first time. I've never remastered, so I can't tell you much more about it. I run Puppy from a multisession DVD, which might also work for you and is much easier to do than remastering.

[Burn_IT]

I use "pfix=ram" to force it to think it is a fresh version.

[rcrsn51]

with some specific softwares inside.

It sounds like you will have a savefile on the pendrive that contains those programs. If you boot using the "pfix=ram" option, the savefile is ignored and you will lose access to those programs.

Do the programs exist as PETs? You could copy the PETs onto the pendrive and install them after the initial hardware setup is completed.

Or maybe you could do a remaster that contains the programs but still runs the initial setup dialog, as Flash suggested above.

[lvds]

FLASH:

If the computers are all different, are you sure they all can boot from USB and are all set up to do so? What I'm getting at is, it may be better for your purpose to do this from a live CD than a pen drive.

But to attempt to answer your question: you can remaster a Puppy. Done right, I think this would result in a Puppy with the additional software you want added, that boots every time like it was the first time. I've never remastered, so I can't tell you much more about it. I run Puppy from a multisession DVD, which might also work for you and is much easier to do than remastering.

Yes they all can boot on usb, no problem. Yes, I will install all the needed software and remaster. But That's not enough.

Burn_IT:

I use "pfix=ram" to force it to think it is a fresh version.

If I do this, the IT guys won't be able able to save their config files for later use because this parameter ignores the save file.

rcrsn51:

It sounds like you will have a savefile on the pendrive that contains those programs. If you boot using the "pfix=ram" option, the savefile is ignored and you will lose access to those programs.

Do the programs exist as PETs? You could copy the PETs onto the pendrive and install them after the initial hardware setup is completed.

Or maybe you could do a remaster that contains the programs but still runs the initial setup dialog, as Flash suggested above.

I will install programs and build a remaster, then place the build to a pendrive. Then IT guys will use the pendrive to repare some computers at will and eventually save 1 or 2 things like a config setup file when needed. They need to be able to set the video from the video wizard at each boot on the pendrive.

[rcrsn51]

If you use Grub4Dos as the bootloader, you can have a menu with two entries - one with "pfix=ram" for clean setups and one without that would use a savefile.

[lvds]

If you use Grub4Dos as the bootloader, you can have a menu with two entries - one with "pfix=ram" for clean setups and one without that would use a savefile.

no good... I'm reading the scripts again to find where is it launched at first time boot...

[Flash]

...I will install programs and build a remaster, then place the build to a pendrive. Then IT guys will use the pendrive to repair some computers at will and eventually save 1 or 2 things like a config setup file when needed. They need to be able to set the video from the video wizard at each boot on the pendrive.

If the computers have hard disk drives, the IT guys can simply tell Puppy to put the Save file for that computer on the hard disk drive in the computer. This will also save the video setup for that computer, so no need to run the video wizard each time unless the display is different. Your remastered Puppy will look for a Save file when it boots, and if the only one it finds is on the hard disk drive, that's the one it will use. I think.