Numbered boot choices have gone away [SOLVED]

[Governor]

BookwormPup64 10.0.6 (x86_64)
The choice on boot of which save or backup to use went away. There used to be a numbered list.
How do I get it back? And how can I see which 'installation' I have actually booted from?

Contents of grub.cfg

Code: Select all

#
set default=0
set timeout=5

set menu_color_normal='yellow/blue'
set menu_color_highlight='black/cyan'

if [ $grub_platform = 'efi' ]; then
  loadfont /boot/grub/fonts/DejaVuSansMono18.pf2
  set gfxmode=auto
  terminal_output gfxterm
fi

menuentry "Puppy dpupbw64 10.0.6" {
  insmod ext2
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root b6df4928-58c8-41a3-bd78-2163b5f687d0
  echo "Loading vmlinuz"
  linux /pups/BookwormPup64/vmlinuz net.ifnames=0 pmedia=usbflash pdrv=lin69bb0f74 psubdir=/pups/BookwormPup64 pfix=fsck,fsckp TZ=XXX1
  if [ -e /pups/BookwormPup64/local-initrd.gz ]; then
    set local_rd=/pups/BookwormPup64/local-initrd.gz
  else
    set local_rd=
  fi
  if [ -e /pups/BookwormPup64/ucode.cpio ]; then
    set ucode_rd=/pups/BookwormPup64/ucode.cpio
    echo "Loading ucode.cpio and initrd.gz"
  else
    set ucode_rd=
    echo "Loading initrd.gz"
  fi
  initrd $ucode_rd /pups/BookwormPup64/initrd.gz $local_rd
}
if [ $grub_platform = 'efi' ]; then
  menuentry "System BIOS setup" {
    fwsetup
  }
fi
menuentry "Shutdown computer" {
  halt
}
menuentry "Reboot computer" {
  reboot
}

[williwaw]

what disk are you booting from?
what did you change before the choices went away?
disable your nmve as a boot device in the bios setup, and remove all USBs at bootime except for the one you are booting from.

[Governor]

what disk are you booting from?
what did you change before the choices went away?
disable your nmve as a boot device in the bios setup, and remove all USBs at bootime except for the one you are booting from.

I did attempt to do a frugal install on the nvme drive, but that failed. I saw that there were a few artifacts left over on the nvme drive, so I deleted those.
I cannot remove the nvme device from the BIOS boot menu, I can only change the boot order. I disconnected the external USBs.
No change. Still no choices on the boot screen.

I am booting from a USB stick, the same one I booted successfully many times now. And the grub.cfg file is the same as before. I compared the blkid of the boot USB drive with the partition reported on the boot screen, and they match.
My backup is compressed. How can I load it on boot?
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42.tar.gz

[geo_c]

I am booting from a USB stick, the same one I booted successfully many times now. And the grub.cfg file is the same as before. I compared the blkid of the boot USB drive with the partition reported on the boot screen, and they match.
My backup is compressed. How can I load it on boot?
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42.tar.gz

1) you'd have to unzip that backup to load it.
2) are there any save folders in the /bookworm directory of your USB?
3) do you understand they should be arranged like this?

Code: Select all

USB
  |__[bookworm_folder]
               |__[bookworm system files sfs, vmlinuz, initrd, etc...]
               |__[bookworm save folder 1]
               |__[bookworm save folder 2]
               |__[bookworm pupsaveBKP folders]

[williwaw]

I cannot remove the nvme device from the BIOS boot menu, I can only change the boot order.

not "remove from the menu" but toggle the enabled/disabled in the nvme line.

BIOS boot menu with Grub2.JPG (36.75 KiB) Viewed 1235 times

post a fullscreen pic of the above Bios setup boot order menu with the nvme entry selected

did you try to arrow down in the Bios setup boot order screen and see if more entries are scrolled out of sight?

I am booting from a USB stick,

if you have not changed the bookworm USB stick, then you only think you are booting from the USB

the grub.cfg file is the same as before.

why would it change?

I compared the blkid of the boot USB drive with the partition reported on the boot screen, and they match

post a fullscreen pic of

the partition reported on the boot screen

the "match" you are looking at may not be conclusive.

[bigpup]

Are the backup saves or any of the saves on the same USB drive you are booting from?

They all need to be to correctly be seen.

We do not need to read no sticking help
We all suffer from this!

From Pupsave Backup program ->Help
.

Screenshot.jpg (65.84 KiB) Viewed 1223 times

.
You need to do this before doing what it says in the help.

/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42.tar.gz

1) you'd have to unzip that backup to load it.

Because it is compressed and first needs UN-compressed.
.
However, using a backup to boot with kind of defeats the purpose of it.
If it is being used as the working save, it is going to get changed.

It should be used to replace the working save, if something goes wrong with it.
Deleting the not working save and replacing it, by coping the backup save to where the bad save was located.
Copy still keeps the backup to use again, if needed.

[Governor]

Are the backup saves or any of the saves on the same USB drive you are booting from?

They all need to be to correctly be seen.

We do not need to read no sticking help
We all suffer from this!

From Pupsave Backup program ->Help
.
Screenshot.jpg
.
You need to do this before doing what it says in the help.

/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42.tar.gz

1) you'd have to unzip that backup to load it.

Because it is compressed and first needs UN-compressed.
.

I unpacked the compressed backup file. When I made the backup file, unless I missed it, there was no message telling me that I would not be able to boot with the compressed backup file!! Important information is supposed to be relayed to the user, guys! Developers, please don't neglect to inform the user, and then use RTFM as a fallback. BTW, nothing personal, I appreciate all the help! Thanks!!

These are from the same USB boot stick:
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42/dpupbw64save

Do I need to rename the backup file? I was offered a choice to use the backup file before without renaming it. What does it mean, frugal install, is my boot USB stick a frugal install?
Previously I had been offered a choice of which save to use on the boot screen (one save and one backup). That has stopped. I will try again tomorrow (Sunday).

[bigpup]

Sorry, people in Linux tend to think people understand, that a compressed file or folder, is not usable, until it is UN-compressed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I tried UN-Compressing one of my saves that was a backup compressed file.

I used pExtract program.

I selected to make a sub directory to put the extracted file in.
This keeps the original compressed backup save.
So you have both the original backup and the UN-compressed one of it.

Looking in this sub directory it made.

It named the save the same as the original save and removed all the BKP-xxx.xx.xx-xx.xx from the name.

So not to good now to use on boot up save selection.

Because there would be two saves with the exact same name.

The UN-Compressed backup one would need to have a name change to make it slightly different name.

Example of yours:
dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42.tar.gz ->compressed.
After UN-compressing ->dpupbw64save
To make it a different save from original ->dpupbw64save-xxxxxxxx (some added name)

Really the backups are to be used to replace a not working save.
Not to also try to boot using them.

[TerryH]

These are from the same USB boot stick:
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42/dpupbw64save

The second path you show here, indicates that dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42 is a directory containing dpupbw64save, which may be a save folder. The dpupbw64save you have in that directory won't be seen by the boot process. The boot process does not look in lower level directories(folders) for save files/folders, it only searches the top level directories. This is a good way of 'hiding' saves from being detected by the boot process and not being used in a working system.

Also using save folder with BKP in the name will more than likely get you into more of a mess.

[geo_c]

In the future, instead of compressing a backup, nothing wrong with that, but you see that you have the backup folder in the compressed file named EXACTLY plain ol' vanilla 'dpupbw64save.' Which tells you nothing. Since you compressed using the timestamped backup routine, at least you know when it was backed up.

Just use this method from a previous post of mine, and you will always have a history to roll back to, an organized live set of working changes that you can boot into at will. Live free and easy, roll with the changes. It's just the way I do it of course. But it works.

So here's the example sequence again:

1) Fresh boot no save
2) Configure firewall, network connections, etc
3) Shutdown and make a save named: fossapup64save-00-USB1-clean
4) Reboot into the newly created save
5) Immediately make a pupsave backup of the newly created save which is now booted into and running
...which will be named: fossapup64save-00-USB1-clean.BKP-2024.06.13-13.33
6) Use a filemanager, rename the backup to fossapup64save-01-USB1-basicAPPS
7) Shutdown and reboot
8) at boot the choice is:
fossapup64save-00-USB1-clean
fossapup64save-01-USB1-basicAPPS
9) choose fossapup64save-01-USB1-basicAPPS
10) Install some basic APPS, test them, make whatever changes you want, use the save icon to save them.
11) Make a pupsave backup of fossapup64save-01-USB1-basicAPPS which is now booted into and running
...which will be named: fossapup64save-01-USB1-basicAPPS.BKP-2024.06.13-15.02
12) Use a filemanager, rename the backup to fossapup64save-02-USB1-hugeAPPS Shutdown and reboot
13) at boot the choice is:
fossapup64save-00-USB1-clean
fossapup64save-01-USB1-basicAPPS
fossapup64save-02-USB1-hugeAPPS
14) Repeat the loop from step 10 with hugeAPPS for a couple of years until you have a totally personalized, portable, reproducible system.

maybe having a final choice of
fossapup64save-16-USB1-MASSIVE-BLOATED-POWERHOUSE

edit: Notice my save folder names tell me what boot I was running from, in other words, from what what drive it was located. Then what stage of the sequence I added things to it, and a description. That description can be anything meaningful to you that distinguishes one set of changes from another. Your last backup after installing stuff could have been dpupbw64save-05-USB1-buggyAPPSuninstalled. That way you know maybe that set of changes has issues.

[bigpup]

These are from the same USB boot stick:
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save
/mnt/home/pups/BookwormPup64/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.21-13.42/dpupbw64save

OK I tried to copy exactly what you have here in my install of BookwormPup64 10.0.6

Made a compressed backup using Pupsave Backup program.
It placed it in the same location of the original save.
Inside the frugal install folder(directory).

Tried a reboot and no options show for selecting what save to use.

I took the compressed backup save and UN-compressed it using pExtract program.
It placed the UN-compressed backup save in a directory named the same as the backup originally was.
But inside this directory is the save named the same as the original.

So my setup is like this:
/mnt/home/bookwormpup641006/dpupbw64save (the original save)
/mnt/home/bookwormpup641006/dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.22-16.45/dpupbw64save (the UN-compressed backup)

Now when I boot I do get offered which one to use.

1 dpupbw64save

2 dpupbw64save.BKP-2024.06.22-16.45

So the fix was the compressed backup has to be UN-compressed before it will be offered.
Located in a place it will be seen.

Because pExtract put the UN-compressed backup in a directory named as the original name of the backup.

It shows as two completely different saves on boot up to select.

Note:
Have not tried it yet.
But if you make a save backup and not compress it.
Place it in the same location as the original save.
I think this too would make it offer a choice of which one to use.

But this is not the best way to use a backup save.
If you selected to boot with it.
It now is being used as the working save and will get changed inside.

If you keep it as a backup and only copy it to replace a bad save.
You still have the good unchanged backup to use again if needed.

[bigpup]

how can I see which 'installation' I have actually booted from?

Pup-Sysinfo ->Sys-Files ->PupState

This should tell you what save is used.

[Governor]

how can I see which 'installation' I have actually booted from?

Pup-Sysinfo ->Sys-Files ->PupState

This should tell you what save is used.

Audacity stopped working in bookworm. I work with Audacity up to 20 hours every week, so it is a requirement for me.
And now, I can no longer access the internet with bookworm. I don't know why, but I am guessing the new packages I installed may be involved.

I installed the new packages here:
viewtopic.php?p=2241#p2241

I have a bookworm backup, but it is bare with no saved settings, and the odd thing is Audacity doesn't work in that either. The exact same Audacity runs fine in fossapup.
Is there a way to restore system files from the Bookworm .iso without disrupting my basic configuration settings?
I am using my fossapup USB boot stick now.

Thanks!

[geo_c]

Is there a way to restore system files from the Bookworm .iso without disrupting my basic configuration settings?
I am using my fossapup USB boot stick now.
Thanks!

The way you stated this reveals that you don't fully understand how a frugal install works.

As it stands, your bookworm install still has the pristine system files sitting right there in the install.

The way it works is by using layered filesystems, as filesystem "stack"

Whatever is on top of the stack overwrites what's beneath it.

Your savefile or savefolder sits on top of the stack, therefore all you need to do run Bookworm as it first booted from the iso, is don't load the save. The system files are all still there like the day you installed them.

Unfortunately, if your savefile is buggy from a bad application install (very common thing btw), your best approach is to now chalk this up as a learning experience.

And hopefully what you're learning here, is that what I and others have repeatedly told you to do should be your first priority, that is make incremental saves with specific and organized names, so that you'll never have to deal with this again.

Had you simply made a backup before installing more applications, and then renamed it to the next increment, and rebooted back into the next experimental application save folder, like I suggested to you when you first installed Bookworm, then you wouldn't have much of any issue whatsoever at the moment. You simply could have booted into to the previous version and deleted the newer corrupted savefolder.

Then you could have backed up the older one again, renamed the backup to the next increment, pupsaveNEWapps, and rebooted. Take a second try, or try some other apps and see how they work without affecting any of the working system that you created up until this point.

That's the power of the frugal install. That's why we like it so much.

First you have to understand how a save works, where it goes, how to back it up and rename. Once you get that skill, these issues won't be a very big deal cutting into your valuable workflow.

edit: and to answer what I think you're really asking, can you grab files from the iso sfs's and copy them into your save. Yes, that's possible, but not really. You'd have to know absolutely everything that was changed and needed to be changed back, and your package manager in Bookworrm would be borked, because it wouldn't know you went back to previous versions of executables and configs. So no, it's not really something to even attempt, unless it were a very few standalone binaries, like a terminal app or something.

[Governor]

Is there a way to restore system files from the Bookworm .iso without disrupting my basic configuration settings?
I am using my fossapup USB boot stick now.
Thanks!

The way you stated this reveals that you don't fully understand how a frugal install works.

As it stands, your bookworm install still has the pristine system files sitting right there in the install.

The way it works is by using layered filesystems, as filesystem "stack"

Whatever is on top of the stack overwrites what's beneath it.

Your savefile or savefolder sits on top of the stack, therefore all you need to do run Bookworm as it first booted from the iso, is don't load the save. The system files are all still there like the day you installed them.

Unfortunately, if your savefile is buggy from a bad application install (very common thing btw), your best approach is to now chalk this up as a learning experience.

And hopefully what you're learning here, is that what I and others have repeatedly told you to do should be your first priority, that is make incremental saves with specific and organized names, so that you'll never have to deal with this again.

Had you simply made a backup before installing more applications, and then renamed it to the next increment, and rebooted back into the next experimental application save folder, like I suggested to you when you first installed Bookworm, then you wouldn't have much of any issue whatsoever at the moment. You simply could have booted into to the previous version and deleted the newer corrupted savefolder.

Yes, but doesn't that mean I would have to do a save after every single package install, reboot, and then check every program and make sure they all work properly before doing a save? That does not sound feasible to me. The worst part is not knowing what went wrong, so I could avoid the same issue in the future.

...........

[Governor]

Is there a way to restore system files from the Bookworm .iso without disrupting my basic configuration settings?
I am using my fossapup USB boot stick now.
Thanks!

..............
edit: and to answer what I think you're really asking, can you grab files from the iso sfs's and copy them into your save. Yes, that's possible, but not really. You'd have to know absolutely everything that was changed and needed to be changed back, and your package manager in Bookworrm would be borked, because it wouldn't know you went back to previous versions of executables and configs. So no, it's not really something to even attempt, unless it were a very few standalone binaries, like a terminal app or something.

I tried booting and chose 0 (zero), so no save, and Audacity still won't start, even though Audacity runs fine in fossapup.
How can that be?

[williwaw]

How can that be?

no one can anwser that until you follow up on the suggestion made by big pup and post the output from

Pup-Sysinfo ->Sys-Files ->PupState

choose a save from the menu of course when you boot

[geo_c]

Had you simply made a backup before installing more applications, and then renamed it to the next increment, and rebooted back into the next experimental application save folder, like I suggested to you when you first installed Bookworm, then you wouldn't have much of any issue whatsoever at the moment. You simply could have booted into to the previous version and deleted the newer corrupted savefolder.

Yes, but doesn't that mean I would have to do a save after every single package install, reboot, and then check every program and make sure they all work properly before doing a save? That does not sound feasible to me. The worst part is not knowing what went wrong, so I could avoid the same issue in the future.

...........

Why isn't this feasible? If you save uncompressed it takes literally 10-30 seconds to make a pupsave backup, (maybe a bit longer on USB). My F96 pupsaves are like 1.8GB currently and they back up in under 30 seconds on an ssd drive.

Say you're running in pupsave3, it's working well, you want to make significant changes, you backup pupsave3, rename pupsave3bkp to pupsave4, reboot and choose pupsave4.

It takes a whopping total of 5 minutes, tops.

You can break pupsave4 all day long until all it displays is chewed up bits of screen. Just reboot and go back to pupsave3. Delete the chewed up pupsave4, Do another backup of pupsave3 and try it again. If your second or third attempt at pupsave4 works well for the rest of the day, and you think it's solid, back it up at the end of the day, rename pupsave4bkp to pupsave5, and tomorrow morning bootup pupsave5.

so it's completely feasible, so feasible I wouldn't even think of operating any other way. "My pupsave" is never broken because I have the freedom to break it.

Now I'm suggesting doing it "backwards," right? Backup a save to use as your "next" pupsave. I'm thinking ahead.

You can always backup the conventional way, that is make a backup, keep running your pupsave3 everday, and only backup pupsave3, and have a bunch of backups. But using that approach, best to name them smart, like pupsavebkp30, pupsavebkp31, puspavebkp32, pupsavebkp33, pupsavebkp34... .... pupsave39bkp. But then really, what is the last working one? Well you better tack some kind of identify info on the ends of those filenames.

Everyone has different methods for organizing any kind of file management. You don't have to use mine, you have to use one that works.

But you should get in the habit of making one backup per day, and managing the files properly.

You don't have to keep them forever. You only have to keep the ones you know work, and really want.

In reality, I only have pupsave15, pupsave16, pupsave17 on disk. If I've been running pupsave17 for three months, and it's smooth as glass, I'm pretty sure that I won't need pupsave15 anymore, and I delete 15. I start pupsave18 in motion. Now I have pupsave16-18 on disk.

[bigpup]

I tried booting and chose 0 (zero), so no save, and Audacity still won't start, even though Audacity runs fine in fossapup.
How can that be?

This is booting with no save and no additional software installed.

audacity is not in BookwormPup64.

So how are you installing it???????

Best to use apt package manager.

run it in a terminal

Code: Select all

apt update

This updates info about what is in the repositories of software packages.

Then run

Code: Select all

apt install audacity

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You could boot using the old save.

enter in a terminal audacity.

See what errors show up.
That may indicate what is keeping it from running.

Post what the errors are.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you think something could be messed up with the original files that makeup the frugal install of BookwormPup64 10.0.6

Then boot with some other Puppy version.

Use Rox file manager.

Open two Rox windows.

One showing contents of the BookwormPup64 10.0.6 ISO
Click on the BookwormPup64 10.0.6 ISO to display what is in it.

One showing contents of the BookwormPup64 10.0.6 frugal install.
Click on the bookwormPup64 frugal install folder to show its contents.

Now replace the stuff in the frugal folder with what is in the ISO.
Drag and drop from the two open Rox windows will work for this.
Just select replace when asked.

[geo_c]

Just to be clear though, go ahead and replace the contents of the install, just in case one of the install files got corrupted. Which is unlikely, but you never know.

The other thing here, is I believe you're running Audacity portable (correct me if I'm wrong) and just because it worked in fossapup doesn't mean it's going to work in Bookworm. It's an older version of Audacity.

Did you update the appimage like @mikewalsh suggested?

[Governor]

Just to be clear though, go ahead and replace the contents of the install, just in case one of the install files got corrupted. Which is unlikely, but you never know.

The other thing here, is I believe you're running Audacity portable (correct me if I'm wrong) and just because it worked in fossapup doesn't mean it's going to work in Bookworm. It's an older version of Audacity.

Did you update the appimage like @mikewalsh suggested?

I copied all the .sfs files from the .iso over to the USB boot drive, overwriting the files there.
Bookworm is working ok now after booting from my save folder. The Audacity problem appears to be a version issue.
I downloaded Audacity_3.1.2 (portable), and it works.

[Governor]

I tried booting and chose 0 (zero), so no save, and Audacity still won't start, even though Audacity runs fine in fossapup.
How can that be?

This is booting with no save and no additional software installed.

audacity is not in BookwormPup64.

So how are you installing it???????

Best to use apt package manager.

run it in a terminal

Code: Select all

apt update

This updates info about what is in the repositories of software packages.

Then run

Code: Select all

apt install audacity

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You could boot using the old save.

enter in a terminal audacity.

See what errors show up.
That may indicate what is keeping it from running.

Post what the errors are.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you think something could be messed up with the original files that makeup the frugal install of BookwormPup64 10.0.6

Then boot with some other Puppy version.

Use Rox file manager.

Open two Rox windows.

One showing contents of the BookwormPup64 10.0.6 ISO
Click on the BookwormPup64 10.0.6 ISO to display what is in it.

One showing contents of the BookwormPup64 10.0.6 frugal install.
Click on the bookwormPup64 frugal install folder to show its contents.

Now replace the stuff in the frugal folder with what is in the ISO.
Drag and drop from the two open Rox windows will work for this.
Just select replace when asked.

I copied all the .sfs files from the .iso over to the USB boot drive, overwriting the files there.
Bookworm is working ok now after booting from my save folder. I have the numbered boot options once again.
The Audacity problem appears to be a version issue. I downloaded Audacity_3.1.2 (portable), and it works with Bookworm.
So essentially both issues are solved.
Thanks.

[Governor]

How can that be?

no one can anwser that until you follow up on the suggestion made by big pup and post the output from

Pup-Sysinfo ->Sys-Files ->PupState

choose a save from the menu of course when you boot

I copied all the .sfs files from the .iso over to the USB boot stick, overwriting the files there.
1) Bookworm is working ok now after booting from my save folder.
2) The Audacity problem appears to be a version issue. I downloaded Audacity_3.1.2 (portable), and it works.
Thanks.

[geo_c]

1) Bookworm is working ok now after booting from my save folder.
2) The Audacity problem appears to be a version issue. I downloaded Audacity_3.1.2 (portable), and it works.
Thanks.

Do you have numbered boot choices again?

If so mark this topic [SOLVED]

[bigpup]

I do not believe it!

We actually solved a Governor issue

[Governor]

I do not believe it!

We actually solved a Governor issue

Yes, great!! I am happy about it.
Actually, not the first, there have been a couple of issues solved along the way.
Thanks!

[geo_c]

I do not believe it!

We actually solved a Governor issue

Yes, great!! I am happy about it.
Actually, not the first, there have been a couple of issues solved along the way.
Thanks!

Yes! my sentinments also.

I hope you're thinking about managing those save folders so you can keep building in the forward direction. Once a system like that is solidly in place, you might be able to take a really good look at the nvme and begin to try running from it again.

[williwaw]

I do not believe it!

We actually solved a Governor issue :thumbup: :o :shock: :thumbup:

Yes, great!! I am happy about it.
Actually, not the first, there have been a couple of issues solved along the way.
Thanks!

Yes! my sentinments also.

I hope you're thinking about managing those save folders so you can keep building in the forward direction. Once a system like that is solidly in place, you might be able to take a really good look at the nvme and begin to try running from it again.

a little postmortem might be in order if problems are to be avoided in the future

why did remaking the frugal on the USB fix everything? this is like having the dealership sell you a new engine, when alls you really needed was a new fuel filter.
were there any other action taken that could have been the actual fix?
were any configurations changed in the bios or grub.cfg?
was there some reason the initial USB frugal install could have been damaged?
were there additional remnants of the aborted frugal install on the nvme found and removed?
was the old audacity located on the nvme?

[Governor]

Yes, great!! I am happy about it.
Actually, not the first, there have been a couple of issues solved along the way.
Thanks!

Yes! my sentinments also.

I hope you're thinking about managing those save folders so you can keep building in the forward direction. Once a system like that is solidly in place, you might be able to take a really good look at the nvme and begin to try running from it again.

a little postmortem might be in order if problems are to be avoided in the future

why did remaking the frugal on the USB fix everything? this is like having the dealership sell you a new engine, when alls you really needed was a new fuel filter.
were there any other action taken that could have been the actual fix?
were any configurations changed in the bios or grub.cfg?
was there some reason the initial USB frugal install could have been damaged?
were there additional remnants of the aborted frugal install on the nvme found and removed?
was the old audacity located on the nvme?

So far, I have this, and all three folders show up in the boot menu:

2 file folder saves & backup.png (115.08 KiB) Viewed 727 times

The backup folder has a normal folder icon and the save folders have a diskette icon, but all show up in the boot menu. What is the difference between booting from a saved folder or a backup folder? Does the desktop save always overwrite the current pupsave?
If I boot from the backup and do a save from the desktop, will the save overwrite the backup or will the newest save folder be overwritten?

I have an older USB stick with ań LED indicator light (thank you to old school), and there seems to be activity at unexpected times. How can I tell when it is safe to remove the USB boot stick. If the OS is copied into RAM, why the activity, and how can I avoid access to the boot stick once bookworm is running?

The BIOS setup is the same as always. Since I cannot remove or disable the nvme drive or USB drives listed, the only thing that might change is the boot order.

Grub.cfg original:pfix=fsck,fsckp
Grub.cfg now:pfix=RAM,fsckp
All portable apps are on the nvme drive, none are on the USB stick. It annoying and rather inconvenient that Audacity 2.12 won't start, but (3.12, the newer version which I don't like) works.
I removed all remnants of the aborted frugal install on the nvme drive. I don't recall what the error message was when the frugal install on the nvme drive failed. The first 3 partitions of the nvme drive are empty, FAT32, ext3, ext3, respectively.
Thanks!

[geo_c]

What is the difference between booting from a saved folder or a backup folder? Does the desktop save always overwrite the current pupsave?

The save folders are marked with an icon to identify a puppy save file, and the backup is considered not an active puppy system file, even though just removiing the 'bkp' info from the folder name will allow you to use it if it's not squashed or compressed.

If I boot from the backup and do a save from the desktop, will the save overwrite the backup or will the newest save folder be overwritten?

It writes directly to the save you're running from. So it would write to the backup, not the original one you didn't boot into.

I have an older USB stick with ań LED indicator light (thank you to old school), and there seems to be activity at unexpected times. How can I tell when it is safe to remove the USB boot stick. If the OS is copied into RAM, why the activity, and how can I avoid access to the boot stick once bookworm is running?

There is a difference between running from ram with no save, in other words running in pristine first boot state, and loading puppy sfs files to ram and loading a save.

If you load and run from a save, you can NOT remove the drive that your save is running from. That might bork your save, and perhaps it could bork the puppy sfs system files if you did not load them into ram and removed the drive while booted.

[Grub.cfg original:pfix=fsck,fsckp
Grub.cfg now:pfix=RAM,fsckp

This parameter only refers to the puppy.sfs sytem files and not the save folder, as explained above. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that. I don't think I am, because you don't want to load a save into ram usually. It simply gets too big to be practical. I'm hitting the road in an hour, so I'll be going dark for awhile.