How to save settings on Live USB?

[Cairn]

Hello , the live session in Ram from USB start-up stick goes very well .It connects easy to wifi etc.
But what is the step by step instruction to save my settings on this USB stick ( stick is 4GB ) ext4 format .
Do I need 2 sticks : 1 to startup and a second to install Puppy with my settings and savings ?

[dancytron]

The first time you reboot or shutdown, it will ask you to create and setup a save folder (or file). The next time you use it, there will be a button to save and it will save periodically unless you configure it not to.

[backi]

The next time you use it, there will be a button to save and it will save periodically unless you configure it not to.

Can be configured in >Menu>System>Puppy Event-Manager>Save Session>Save (interval 0=never)........

[Cairn]

Now running in Pupmode 5
I should be in 13? How to change that ?
Everything is grayed out in "save session"
I can not do anything in that window .
If I shutdown I can only save to HD ( sda1 or sda2 ) .
What do I have to do / change ?

[backi]

If I shutdown I can only save to HD ( sda1 or sda2 ) .

I have no Plan why it is so.

I am not in Puppy now (i am in Fossa Dog)....probably you first have to create a Save File or Save Folder first (after first Boot and configure your first Setup >Shut down ....you will be ask to make a Save File or Save folder.....and where to save(better make Save Folder).
Save to your Usb Stick.

After creating a Save File or Save Folder .....then reboot>now you will be able to set configuration in "Save Session".
So ....first you have to create a Save File or Save Folder .

Correct me anyone if i am wrong.

[Feek]

Before a save folder/file is created, the pupmode=5 is perfectly ok. After the save is created the pupmode will change to 13 or 12.

How did you installed puppy? What bootloader did you use?

In your usb should be something like menu.lst or syslinux.conf or grub.cfg, which is bootloader's config file. Open it as text and in the kernel line type the parameter "pmedia=usbflash" (or change it this way) and save it. After reboot try to create a save and it should offer you to save to usb with pupmode=13. You can also specify the partition where the save will be with the param psave. Example: "psave=sdb4" (also in the kernel line).

[goltrek]

Thanks to everyone for the tips, very important.

[bigpup]

Now running in Pupmode 5
I should be in 13? How to change that ?
Everything is grayed out in "save session"
I can not do anything in that window .
If I shutdown I can only save to HD ( sda1 or sda2 ) .
What do I have to do / change ?

You have to do a shutdown, make a save, and boot using the save, for options in Puppy Event-Manager>Save Session to be available.

If I shutdown I can only save to HD ( sda1 or sda2 )

This is caused by a command in the boot menu entry that is setup for a live CD, which can only save on internal drive.
So you need to change this command for installs to a USB.

On the USB will be the grub.cfg file.
In Rox file manager.
Navigate to showing the location of this file.
Click on grub.cfg file to open in text editor.
anywhere in the entries you see pmedia=cd
Change it to pmedia=usbflash
Save and exit the text editor.
Shutdown, but do not make a save this time.
Reboot now using this changed grub.cfg
Shutdown and now make a save.
It should now offer the USB as a location to put the save.

If you already made a save on the internal drive and are booting using it.
You can move the save to the USB.
But first you need to make the pmedia= change.
Now move the save to the USB.
Reboot and if asked, do not make another save.
As it now boots, it should find, and use the save, on the USB.

Example menu entry:

menuentry "fossapup64 9.5" {
linux /vmlinuz pfix=fsck pmedia=cd
initrd /initrd.gz

Change to this:

menuentry "fossapup64 9.5" {
linux /vmlinuz pfix=fsck pmedia=usbflash
initrd /initrd.gz

[stevie pup]

I've found this varies, I've also had a number of occasions when it's only given me the option to save to SDA. It depends on what software you used to create your bootable USB stick, and it also appears to vary from one Puppy to another. I'm running two Puppies in live mode from USB sticks, one was simple to save to the same USB, the other one took some messing around. So how did you create your USB and which Puppy are you running?

[Cairn]

Tried to do " pmedia=cd Change it to pmedia=usbflash "
Stick is read only .Can someone give me the code to change this in the console .
When I open de console I am in root#

How did you installed puppy? USB Image writer from MINT 20.2
What bootloader did you use? Efi / grub
fossapup64 9.5

[one]

[...]
How did you installed puppy? USB Image writer from MINT 20.2

The "USB Image Writer" uses the "dd" command to create a bootable stick, but that results in a read-only ISO 9660 file system - so you can't save anything on it (no persistence).

(That's the reason why it proposes sdax (your harddrive) as a writeable possibility for a savefile.)

Bigpup gave advice how to do that in this thread:

viewtopic.php?p=528#p528

Don't use BalenaEtcher ...

peace

[stevie pup]

I was using the latest version of BionicPup 32 (+28) and when I came to burn the USB, with Rufus, a message popped up which told me it was a "hybrid ISO", whatever that means, and gave me two options. One was to burn it as read only and the other would leave the rest of the USB writable, which is the choice I made.

I assume this is something to do with the way the ISO was created. Whether or not this facility is included with other Puppies I don't know, it certainly isn't with the other one I use, BusterPup, and I don't know if it's something that can be added to other Puppies, my knowledge doesn't go that far. So I'll leave that to the experts.

[shinobar]

@Cairn
Easiest way is to Install Puppy on another USB drive. Fossapup has 'StickPup' can be found in the 'Setup' menu.
1. Boot from your Live USB.
2. Stick in a new USB drive.
3. Run 'StickPup'.
4. Select the source type 'this'.
5. Select the new ISB drive, and go on.

[Cairn]

Hi , StickPup did'nt work (lost its sdb ; no connection; not mounted )

So reinstalled with UNbootin on another USB , but now it it does'nt mount when pressing the key to choose between OSes .
Apparantly it wrote the install disk with BIOS and this is not recognised on my computer .
Can I change this somewhere ? I really miss basic knowledge , so if you post something , please step by step and don't assume
that I know how to do it myself ,especially not in terminal cmd's .

[shinobar]

Hi , StickPup did'nt work (lost its sdb ; no connection; not mounted )

Did you stick out your Live USB when running FrudalPup?
Keep your Live USB stick in and new USB in parallel.

[Cairn]

Both USB sticks were in the laptop .Down in left corner I could see the sda sdb en sdc .
During the install process there was the message that the sdc was not mounted.
And I got the instruction to pull it out and back in to mount it again .No result .

[shinobar]

Both USB sticks were in the laptop .Down in left corner I could see the sda sdb en sdc .
During the install process there was the message that the sdc was not mounted.
And I got the instruction to pull it out and back in to mount it again .No result .

You can ask @gyrog at viewtopic.php?f=105&t=337

Another option - try BootFlash on the FossaPup. You need to format the 2nd USB drive with 'fat32' formatted and 'boot' flagged using GParted.

[Jafadmin]

Hi , StickPup did'nt work (lost its sdb ; no connection; not mounted )

Did you stick out your Live USB when running FrudalPup?
Keep your Live USB stick in and new USB in parallel.

@shinobar, what happens if you install G2C on a thumbdrive but don't specify any disks that contain OS's? Will it go ahead and create a bootable blank grub.cfg?

On G4D it would create a virgin boot thumb with a basically empty menu.lst. Then we could just use geany to create entries, manually.

This was very useful behavior, and gave me the ability to do some very tricky booting solutions

[shinobar]

@shinobar, what happens if you install G2C on a thumbdrive but don't specify any disks that contain OS's? Will it go ahead and create a bootable blank grub.cfg?

Please try by yourself.

[bigpup]

Both USB sticks were in the laptop .Down in left corner I could see the sda sdb en sdc .
During the install process there was the message that the sdc was not mounted.
And I got the instruction to pull it out and back in to mount it again .No result .

That is general mounting on a OS that auto mounts.
Puppy does not auto mount drives.
In Puppy Linux.
To mount, left click on the desktop drive icon (sdc)
I assume sdc is the USB you want to mount to install on.

[Jafadmin]

@shinobar, what happens if you install G2C on a thumbdrive but don't specify any disks that contain OS's? Will it go ahead and create a bootable blank grub.cfg?

Please try by yourself.

Right. About that .. G2C won't install on any of my puppies (Fossapup, Bionicpup64, etc ..)

I guess I would have to DL and install Xenial64 to check it out, right?

Oops! .. I had a bad download. Never mind ..

Installed ok on Bionic64

[Cairn]

Keep on fiddling ! Now I burnt a CD and got de CD-Rom working . I can start Puppy in the RAM .
Then tried to install from CD to USB but in the process it always looses its USB it even disappears from the desktop .
I did put the .iso on the sda to install from there . What next ? Or does someone knows the terminal codes to make the install .

[backi]

Why not just extract the Iso (hope you know how to do it) from a running Puppy? and put its Content ( all those x.sfs Files--- initrd.gz---- vmlinuz) to the Usb Stick......then run Grub4dos.(hope you know how to do it)> to a (ext4 or ext3) formatted Usb Stick......and (re) boot it (Usb-Stick) ....
>configure >shut down >choose where to save to save Save File/Folder....it will be (probably) your Usb-Stick.

This is called a "frugal" Installation.....the most common and efficient applied Method .
After this is done you can choose to configure your "Save Settings" somewhere in Puppy Menu>Event Manager.

The next time you use it, there will be a button to save and it will save periodically unless you configure it not to.

Can be configured in >Menu>System>Puppy Event-Manager>Save Session>Save (interval 0=never)........

I am a Fossa-Dog User........ so correct me someone if i am wrong.

[Cairn]

No don't know how to extract from a running Puppy session in RAM .
I have a CD and USB stick as CD-Rom , so I can not change or write to it .

Why run Grub4dos (I am on a old Macbook 4.1 running Mint or Puppy in RAM )

[Cairn]

It is in the frugal installation I loose my USB stick while installation is going on and then it looses contact .
So I am trying frugal installation from running RAM puppy to USB stick formatted as fat32 I also tried with the stick formated as ext4 .
There is the problem .

[backi]

Did you make/flag your Usb-Stick as "bootable" with Gparted?

[bigpup]

It is in the frugal installation I loose my USB stick while installation is going on and then it looses contact .

First are you doing this before trying to run the installer program in some Puppy version?

I assume the USB stick is seen as sdc1 (or some other sd identifier) as a desktop drive icon.
Plugging in the USB you want to install on.
Mount it before running the installer program.
In Puppy Linux.
To mount, left click on the desktop drive icon (sdc1)

Now try using the installer program.
Do not worry if the drive icon disappears from the desktop, as the installer program is working.

If the USB is physically loosing connection with the computer.
That is the USB stick or the USB port issue.

[Cairn]

Thanks for all of your help everybody !
What went wrong : I did the frugal install but forgot the boot install .
So could not boot from USB .
On the USB I only had :
adrv_fossapup64_9.5.sfs 239,2MB Squashfsfilesystem image
fdrv_fossapup64_9.5.sfs 42,2 MB Squashfsfilesystem image
initrd.gz 1,4 MB Archive
puppy_fossapup64_9.5.sfs 101,2 MB Squashfsfilesystem image
vmlinuz 6,6 MB Program
zdrv_fossapup64_9.5.sfs 28,8 MB Squashfsfilesystem image

and no boot folder
Now everything works perfect .Really worth the effort , love Puppy !