YaPI (yet another Puppy Installer) install any Puppy iso

[bigpup]

FULL credit for this code goes to (Developer/coder L18L)
Well, I bugged him to do it.

Argolance has recently done some work on YaPI to improve ability to translate, improved message pop- ups, better understandable information statements, and overall look of YaPI. Along with some minor needed tweaking for how YaPI works.
Now has right click menu entry for iso's.
(right click on an iso, choose YaPI from the menu)

The problem with the Puppy Universal Installer.
It will only install the Puppy version you are running the installer in.
It will not do an install from any other Puppy version.iso file.

Puppy Linux needs a program, running in Puppy, that will do an install using any Puppy version.iso file.

YaPI solves this problem.

Note:
The boot loader that will be installed, will not boot a UEFI bios, without making some setting changes to the UEFI setup.
Secure boot disabled and or legacy boot (CSM) enabled, has to be selected in the UEFI bios settings.

Note:
This is for official Puppy iso's.
It is not for other Linux OS iso's.

The Puppy like OS (Fatdog, Debiandog, and others) may or may not install correctly.
However, you can try and see what happens.

Puppy derivatives, based on an official Puppy, should install OK.

This is what should be possible with YaPI

Which Puppy to install
3 options.
1.This actual running Puppy

1. Any other Puppy iso from all storage locations (choose from a list of iso's found on any storage devices attached to computer)
2. Navigate to an iso.
   Right click on iso and choose YaPI or "open with... or send to... YAPI"

Type of installs on different storage devices
USB flash drive
( Can have Fat 32 or NTFS Windows format or any Linux format).

1. Frugal install
   Installs Grub4dos bootloader on drive.

2. SuperFloppy install (Careful it uses all of the drive) Limited to 16GB or less drive size. Does not need a boot loader
   Read the help for SuperFloppy before using.

External USB hard drive
(Can have Fat 32 or NTFS Windows format or any Linux format).

1. Frugal install
2. Full install (partition must use a Linux format)
   Installs Grub4dos bootloader on drive.

Internal hard drive or any other type internal drive
(Can have Fat 32 or NTFS Windows format or any Linux format).

1. Frugal install
2. Full install (partition must use a Linux format)
   Installs Grub4dos bootloader on drive.

Note:
YAPI does use Grub4dos as the bootloader.
However, this does allow the install of several Puppies to the same location and a way to boot each one, separately.
Example:
You can have one or many Puppies on one USB flash drive.

YAPI seems to work OK when run on the newest Puppy versions, made with Woof-CE.
Other Puppy versions may not offer all options.
Frugal and full installs should work.

Made pet package in Precise 5.7.1
It seems to be able to install in any Puppy series 5 or newer.
So, should work in a lot of Puppy versions.

Some older Puppies will not offer SuperFloppy install option or have the refresh button in the iso list.
They have too old a xdialog and not the proper SuperFloppy support files.
Frugal and full installs should work.

The pet will put YAPI menu entry in Setup.
The menu entry may not work in very old Puppy series 5 versions. However, run yapi from the console should work.
yapi file is in /usr/sbin

Note about SuperFloppy installs:
SuperFloppy installs will put the USB flash drive in a non-normal partition/format condition.
If you wish to no longer use the USB flash drive this way.
To get the USB flash drive back to a normal partition/format condition do the following things.

To do this the USB flash drive can not be in use. Only accessed. Not booted from. Not being used to run Puppy.
In a console type this code and hit enter.
Important
(The code of=/dev/sdb sdb is the flash drive, yours could be sdc, sdd, etc.... adjust to match yours)

Code: Select all

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=1M count=1

This will remove all partitions, format, and data from USB flash drive.

Use Gparted to get back to normal setup.

1. Make a partition table:
   GParted > Device > Create Partition Table > MS-DOS default.
2. Partition and format as you like.

Note:
When YaPI is searching for iso's.
Partitions that have Windows on them, will take longer to search and yapi may seem to be stopped and not working.
Give it time to search........

YaPI is a 32bit program.
It will run OK in a 64bit Puppy version.
if any problems. The Puppy versions 32bit compatibility libs sfs package may need loaded/installed.
.
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yapi-180921.pet

(27.2 KiB) Downloaded 321 times

.
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Also, read next post about installing problems

[bigpup]

If Yapi seems to complete, but does not actually do the install.

This sometimes happens with some hardware.

Things that will help.

1. Have the iso on a different device from the one you are installing to.
Yapi can directly read from one device and directly write to the other device. Nothing has to go into RAM.

If iso and install location is the same device.
This seems to be a problem on some USB flash drives or if computer has low amount of RAM.
It has to read and copy into RAM before it can write to the USB flash drive. Cannot read and write exactly at the same time.

2. Have both locations mounted before you run Yapi.
Access both locations with Rox file manager, just to make sure they are fully mounted.
Even the drive that has been partially mounted, by booting from it.
Open Rox windows will not bother Yapi.

[mow9902]

Thanks for this app bigpup. I decided to give it a try, but unfortunately I had some problems - likely my fault - but I'd like to understand where I went wrong, and also a suggestion.

I am running bionic64 USB frugal on an old DELL latitude laptop. I use 3 partitions on my 64G USB stick:
1. the boot partition (formatted ext2 - 30G containing my bionic files, my save folder, and another folder containing all of my personal programs)
2. a smaller partition (formatted ext2 - 7G which I use as a temporary storage area for various things)
3. a third partition (formatted FAT32 - 20G which I use for windows programs executed with wine)

The system is fully functional and works fine. I decided to use your app to install a copy of fossapup64 on a spare USB stick. This is my experience:
(a) I downloaded and installed your app (.pet) no problem
(b) I placed a copy of the fossapup64 .iso file into partition 2 (ext2)
(c) I inserted a new blank USB stick
(d) I fired up your app with the intention of installing fossapup from partition 2 to the new USB stick
(e) your app starting searching all attached disks/partitions for a .iso file to install. I could see it temporarily mounting each partition and searching. Eventually it identified the .iso on partition 2
(f) your app then started "searching for a location to install fossapup64". I waited 5 minutes, I waited 10 minutes, I waited 20 minutes ....but it never finished.

Not sure what I did wrong, but eventually I killed the Yapi processes which were running and gave up.

Suggestion:
1. It would be much easier, and quicker if your app allowed the user to actually select the source partition (where the .iso is stored) and the target USB stick (where you want to write the new system).
This avoids a very long search process for those who already know the source/target locations.
2. Would it be possible to include some additional 'check points' giving additional progress info to the user so they can see what is happening instead of just staring at the screen and wondering if it is doing anything
3. Write a log file containing the steps worked through and the outcome (success or otherwise)

Thanks

[bigpup]

Sometimes it just has problems.
Computer hardware and amount of RAM, location of iso and where install is going to be.
Usually a second time trying it will work.

Did you have the USB stick plugged in and mounted?
Having it mounted should make sure it is found as a device to install on.
Also have the partition the iso is on mounted.

In Rox file manager.
If you navigate to the Puppy version iso you want to install.
Right click on the iso.
In the right click menu.
YaPI should be listed to select.
When you select YaPI, this should make YaPI start at the point of selecting type install and where to install.

Would it be possible to include some additional 'check points' giving additional progress info to the user so they can see what is happening instead of just staring at the screen and wondering if it is doing anything

This is a Puppy Linux program.
We need no stinking progress indicators!
good suggestion, but not going to do anymore work on this program.

To be honest, this program is getting a little old and really does not work that well for computers using UEFI firmware for the bios. Boot loader is no good for normal UEFI booting.
Not really interested in updating it for UEFI.
Still good for older legacy bios computers.

If this does not work for you.
Suggest you use Frugalpup Installer.
http://www.fishprogs.software/puppy/fru ... index.html