Vanilla Dpup 10.0.45 Doesn't Offer to Encrypt Save on First Shutdown (SOLVED)

[Doggie Saver]

Hello, I'm new here but not to Puppy Linux, having had and given away several pups to people over the years, and having set up their backup computers with them.

After following this guide to install Vanilla Dpup 10.0.45 ("How to make fully-usable USB-Puppy?" https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 54#p106354 ) When I shut down the new install for the first time, it saves automatically but doesn't offer the option to encrypt, so the save folder that gets created remains unencrypted.
I was able to get the Vanilla Dpup 10.0.44 install to ask for an encryption password, but don't remember anymore what I did to achieve that, as I usually work late into the nights. Probably I followed this guide ("VDpup 9.2x: How to encrypt the pupsave file on a frugal install?" https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=7718 ) but trying it yesterday didn't work, and I can't keep experimenting anymore.

Would someone please give me a definitive and simple guide on how to get the save folder/file encrypted on first shut down please? Also, I assumed it would be a standard feature on Vanila Dpup - if it could be made into one, that would be great!
Thank you. I'm happy to post error logs, etc. later today if required.

[dimkr]

Puppy doesn't support encrypted save folders, only encrypted save files.

[Doggie Saver]

Okay. I just checked the 10.0.44 flash drive version, and it has created an encrypted save file, but I still don't remember what I did to get there. You mean if this guide is followed ("Installing to a Bootable USB Drive with Save File" viewtopic.php?t=5313 ) then it will work?

[dimkr]

I don't know, I don't use Frugalpup and don't know if it works. But encryption of save files has nothing to do with the installer: save files are created on first shutdown after you boot the newly installed Puppy, not during installation.

(In general, no matter which installer you use - I strongly recommend you not to use FAT32)

[Doggie Saver]

save files are created on first shutdown after you boot the newly installed Puppy, not during installation.

I know that, I've been sharing Fossapup64 and F96-CE with people since they were released and despite the occasional problem getting the save file encrypted, by following advice on the forum it got there in the end.

I followed this advice below from bigpup exactly, but Vanilla Dpup refused to pop up the window which allowed to encrypt the save file on the first shutdown, it simply shut down and saved an unencrypted save folder:
(The only thing I did differently to the below advice was make the ext4 partition only about 12GB, and use the remaining space on the flash drive for storage purposes. However, this did not prevent my 10.0.44 flash drive version from creating an encrypted save file inside the ext4 partition, after I had tinkered with it - I had to tinker for quite a while to get the window asking to encrypt the save file to pop up, but then it worked. If only I could remember what I did to get it working! )
Please ask me to post certain logs etc. if it'll help, or point me to another guide/post on the forum. I've searched and can't find the advice I need. Thank you.

(From bigpup:) First, you need to do a live install of a Puppy version on a USB stick, to boot a computer with, and use programs in it, to do the setup of your final USB stick.
Rufus or Unetbootin installer programs can do the install to the USB.

Use programs in Puppy to do the install of what you want and setup this desired setup on a USB.

This is how I do it:

Use Gparted program.
Setup the USB stick with 2 partitions.
First one, small 300MB, fat32 format, flagged boot. (location for boot loader files, boot partition)
Rest of drive, whatever other partition(s), but one ext3 or 4 format. (location to put frugal installs)
(this is UEFI standard requirement, and some computers, look for a fat32 partition, for boot loader files)

Run Frugalpup Installer main program.
On the main window are selection buttons.
Select the Puppy button, to do the install.
Go through install process, selecting to install to the ext formatted partition.
Note:
When selecting the partition to install to.
A window pops up, giving option to make a directory, to put the frugal install in.
I make this directory and usually name it, the name of the Puppy version.
Carefully read that windows info.
Press enter, makes the directory, not the OK button.
complete the install.

When it gets back to the main Frugalpup window.
Select the boot button.
Select the location of the frugal install, on the USB stick.
Select the small 300MB partition on the USB stick, as location to install the boot loader. (may need to scroll the selection window)
Select the boot loader type.
UEFI
mbr ->legacy bios boot
both

You can install the UEFI for UEFI computers, mbr for legacy bios computers, or both, to boot anything.

The UEFI will also install the needed files, to support secure boot enabled in UEFI.

There's another problem - when I'm at the "Select the boot loader type." section, there's only the option to install UEFI now (on an external 1TB SSD drive), but that may be something or nothing and a matter for another thread.

[dimkr]

Do you have a file named AUTOSAVE in the partition it's saving to?

[Doggie Saver]

Yes, there is the AUTOSAVE file and a "vanilladpupsave" folder. I remember deleting them and trying again, then doing something and then it worked.

[sonny]

Yes, there is the AUTOSAVE file and a "vanilladpupsave" folder. I remember deleting them and trying again, then doing something and then it worked.

Doggie Saver!

[Doggie Saver]

Well, who would have thought. I once again deleted the AUTOSAVE file and the "vanilladpupsave" folder (while booted on another pup), then I booted up the newest pup with the freshly deleted file/folder, then I scratched my butt (the important part I had forgotten about), and then shut down and it worked - I now have a LUKS encrypted pupsave file.
It's running in PUPMODE=12, just how I like it.
Thank you for the attention.

So, I can feel in my bones you guys are hoping/expecting me to know this, and I remember tweaking the grub.cfg file on the other puppy versions, but how about someone help me out and for future reference post the exact procedure to get the window asking to encrypt the save file, at the first shutdown. I'm sure there's an ideal and authoritative way, that doesn't involve scratching my butt.
(The grub.cfg file on both my Vanilla Dpup flash/usb drives contains "pmedia=usbhd".)
(Thanks for the welcome )

[Doggie Saver]

1. Follow this guide: ("How to make fully-usable USB-Puppy?" https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 54#p106354 )
2. Boot up new Puppy
3. Open install partition (in ROX file manager) by clicking on its icon bottom left of screen
4. Simply delete the AUTOSAVE file
5. Shut down OS normally, it'll then ask to save to a file and offer to encrypt it.
   

[dimkr]

The installer included in Vanilla Dpup, Bootflash, doesn't create AUTOSAVE. The problem is specific to the third party installer you used.

[Doggie Saver]

The installer included in Vanilla Dpup, Bootflash, doesn't create AUTOSAVE. The problem is specific to the third party installer you used.

Okay, but the Bootflash installer doesn't allow installs on external (1TB) SSD or NVMe drives, so had to use FrugalPup - my impression was that it isn't "third party".

I'll have to investigate further on how to get puppy.cer working with Vanilla Dpup, since booting with "Secure" Boot switched on will be a requirement on some machines. Having used Rufus, with the persistent partition enabled and resizing it later in Gparted caused its own problems too.
Basically, I need Vanilla Dpup to get reliably installed on either (external) flash or SSD/NVMe drives, boot with Secure Boot on, encrypt the save file (on the approx 12GB or so ext3/4 "persistence" partition) and have the rest of the space on the flash/hard drive formatted as an NTFS storage partition that can show up on Windows. Will investigate further and report back - maybe a subject for another thread somewhere.