Bionicpup64 in a 16 GB thumbdrive save or not save

[protozoa]

I have installed Bionicpup on a thumbdrive to use in my T460s Thinkpad.[UEFI] This is totally on RAM.
This works fine except when shutting down. It saves changes every time. There is no choice to save on the desktop or at the end of shutdown [ unlike Bionic on DVD ].
This produces some possible virus danger but I doont use Bionic that often.
I could just press the Thinkpad power button and remove the thumbdrive when the laptop is dead [powered down].
Any ideas?

[ThruHammer]

I'm in Fossa at the moment but in the Puppy Event Manager under "System," you should be able to control your choice whether to save or not.

[williams2]

If you mean you run the OS in ram, no save file, no save folder, not a full install
then every time it shuts down it will ask if you want to create a save file.
You can choose No or wait 60 seconds to shut down without saving.

That is how I run Puppy. I edited /usr/sbin/shutdownconfig
and added this: TIMELIMIT=5 like this:

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[ "$TIMELIMIT" ] || TIMELIMIT=60
TIMELIMIT=5

so that when Puppy shuts down, it waits 5 seconds then shuts down without creating a save file.
Then I remastered Puppy to save the change to /usr/sbin/shutdownconfig.

If you have a save file or save folder on the usb drive,
you should have the kernel boot parameter pmedia=usbflash
which should put a save icon on the desktop
and you can configure the Puppy Event Manager to ask if you want to save when Puppy shuts down.
When it asks, just say No.

If you want, you could disable saving by editing /usr/sbin/snapmergepuppy like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
exit

Or you could disable snapmergepuppy unless a file named snap is in /tmp/, like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
test -f /tmp/snap || exit

Then changes will not be saved to the save file unless /tmp/snap exists.
Then, if you wanted. you could create a script to save changes to the save file like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
touch /tmp/snap
exec snapmergepuppy

Then you could type snap to save changes to the save file or folder,
and you could drag the snap script to the desktop, if you want.

[bigpup]

I assume you are booting the USB with the first menu entry (normal boot)
You have done a shutdown and made a save file/folder.
When you boot the save is loading.

menu->System->Puppy Event Manager->Save Session

You should be running in pupmode 13

Set save interval to 0.

Check ask at shutdown to save.

Only time it will save is if you click the desktop save icon.
You select save when asked at shutdown.

[mikeslr]

Just a follow-up to bigpup's post. Yes, you do have to check the "Ask at shut-down" box. It's counter-intuitive. If you don't Puppys will always initiate a Save.
But, if you do Puppys are then configured NOT TO SAVE at shut-down, but only to ASK. So configured, at shutdown even though the GUI shows the "Save" button as selected --convenient if you want to Save-- the shut-down module's default routine is 'Don't Save'. You can walk away and it won't Save. But you can also, literally, pull the plug. If you do the terminal will display a lot of complaints, but they're not being Saved to the USB-Stick which is no longer plugged in.

[protozoa]

Followed Bigpup and found out I am running pupmode 12. so everything is greyed out. But Bionicpup is not using any space on my NVMe drive [as far as I can tell]

[bigpup]

pupmode 12 is not the normal mode of operation for a thumb drive install.

So, now we need to know, specifically, how you did the install?
Specific details.
If you used some installer program, what?

An image of what Bionicpup files are one the thumb drive, will tell us a lot.
Attach the file manager image to a post.
Menu->Graphics->Take a Shot can make an image.

There is something, we can tell you to do, to get it running in pupmode 13.
But first, need to find out why, it is in pupmode 12.

[amethyst]

You are not saying how you installed Puppy so now we are guessing it's a frugal install with grub4dos as bootloader. It seems you have created either a savefile or savefolder on your first run and now your system saves changes during a session and at reboot/shutdown. However, you should actually be running in pupmode 13 if you are using a usb stick and have a savefile/folder (that is if you want a savefile/folder to save changes at some time). So, first thing to do is to check your boot parameters. If you are using grub4dos, check the menu.lst file and change the pmedia parameter to pmedia=usbflash. Your Puppy should then boot in pupmode 13 and you will find a save icon on your desktop. With pupmode 13 you have the option when to save your session (automatically or manually) but also an option not to save automatically. This you can set in Pup Event Manager (under System in the menu). You can set the timeinterval for automatic savings but if you set it to zero no automatic saves will occur during a session (which is probably what you want). If you do not want automatic savings to take place at reboot/shutdown you must also tick the box at the bottom so that the system will ask whether you want to save or not. Note that you can at anytime during a session click the save icon on the desktop to save your changes.

[protozoa]

If I found a boot loader on Bionic drive, I would format the drive.
I tried three times to install it by clicking the UEFI flash box. no result just blank.
Then I tried the box with the iso mentioned in it. This method took me all the way to "where is the iso?"
I couldnt find any iso's so I left the laptop on the "search for iso" page with an OK box and a QUIT box on the desktop. [left running- plugged in]
I came back a day later and the laptop had booted into bionicpup64.

I'll send an image if you show me how.

As I said I have no linux boot loader installed. All the saves are going to the 16GB flash drive not my NVMe drive.

I'm not unhappy with bionicpup at pupmode 12. As long as Bionicpup stays away from Windows 10 completely.
Also I want to thank the members of this forum for the helpful responses.

[bigpup]

I'll send an image if you show me how.

Menu->Graphic->Take A Shot
This can take a picture of what is on the screen.
Fullscreen setting takes image of complete screen.
Window setting lets you take image of just a running programs window.
(mouse cursor changes to + symbol, place on window you want image of, left click mouse takes image)

Open Rox file manager showing contents of the USB drive.
Take an image of that rox window.

To attach image to forum post.
In post input screen.
Select attachment.
Add files.
find and select image file to add.
Now you see image file listed.
In post writing area, place input point.
In Image listing select place inline.
Example:

Screenshot(1).png (33.24 KiB) Viewed 1075 times

[protozoa]

Bionicpup on the laptop freezes with palemoon started.
Take a shot is in the middle of my desktop with default settings.
Open Rox filer by clicking on the file icon [upper left] no usb
home,intrd,lib,lib32,lib64,lost+found,mnt,opt,proc,root,run,sbin,sys,system,tmp,usr,and var. shown.

[bigpup]

T460s Thinkpad (UEFI)

Bionicpup64 8.0 is not the best Puppy to try and use.
For the specs of this computer.
You need to be using the newest Puppy.
Fossapup64 9.5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pu ... 64-9.5.iso

You do need to use the iso to do any installs on any drive.
Make sure you download it to someplace you can find it.

I am starting to think you just have a bad install of Bionicpup on the USB.

If I found a boot loader on Bionic drive, I would format the drive.
I tried three times to install it by clicking the UEFI flash box. no result just blank.
Then I tried the box with the iso mentioned in it. This method took me all the way to "where is the iso?"
I couldnt find any iso's so I left the laptop on the "search for iso" page with an OK box and a QUIT box on the desktop. [left running- plugged in]
I came back a day later and the laptop had booted into bionicpup64.

Try doing the USB install using one of these programs.
viewtopic.php?f=156&t=157

If you tried to do the install by booting with Bionicpup running from a CD/DVD.
I am still not sure what installer in Bionicpup you used. but your info does indicate you did it wrong.
If you used the Bootflash program.
That is not a very good program and is hard to follow.
The Puppy installer should offer better options.

[protozoa]

I'll take your advice and try fossa. It was just a bad install. Thank you for your help.