How to add grub & slimjet to the new iso of Bionic 32 I created?

[gilles]

Hello,
I built a Bionic 32 frugal install (for instance in sdb) , installed some packages (unetbootin, libre office, tas, gimp, gImageReader, easyMP3Gain, Audacious, and slimjet portable), modified Abiword to have .odt as default save format, and, in /etc/X11/xkb/symbols/fr, I modified several keys to be able to write (spanish) ñ, ṕ,ó,ú ¿,¡, with a french azerty keyboard. I added a french language pack and deleted palemoon witch doesn't work properly.

Then, I gone, with the menu, to configuration, build a new live CD, with (for instance) sdc as the new ISO destination.

With this new ISO, I built a new USB (for instance sdd) with Unetbootin. But sdd doesn't boot. I had to go back to the menu configuration to install grub (legacy) in sdd, and it works. So my question is : Is it possible to add grub directly in the new ISO (sdc) ?

Abiword still have, in sdd, .odt as default save format, but I had to modify keys again in the keyboard to be able to write in spanish. I dont understand why the new ISO did not keep the keys modifications, and how I can do to keep the modifications in the new ISO (sdc).

Slimjet portable doesn't work with sdd, It looks to be normal since it is a portable browser. I gone, to opt (where I installed it in sdc, and where I didn't delete the tar.gz). But I cannot install slimjet with the tar.gz (by unzipping it, and "launch". I had to put a fresh slimjet tar.gz to be able to install slimjet. Is there a way to get slimjet directly in the new ISO (sdb) ?

Thank you for your help

[wizard]

Take a look at the 9th & 10th reply in this:

viewtopic.php?t=3400

It may do what you want without making a iso.

wizard

[williams2]

Original title: build a snapshot of the running iso Bionic 32

Yes, you can remaster Puppy while it is running.

Remastering means to modify/add/delete files in the file systems in the sfs files.

I have never used the remaster script in Puppy, but I think it has not been updated for a long time,
and i think it is written to not save some of your personal configurations,

There are other remaster scripts on the forum, and also @amethyst NicOS Utility Suite.
i have not used them, and I don't have links to them under my fingertips.

I had to modify keys again in the keyboard to be able to write in spanish. I dont understand why the new ISO did not keep the keys modifications, and how I can do to keep the modifications in the new ISO

The remaster script did not replace the file /etc/X11/xkb/symbols/fr with your modifed file.
If you just need to replace 1 or 2 files, you could
1) mount the sfs file and copy all the files to a temporary dir somewhere
(in a running Puppy, the sfs file is already mounted - /initrd/pup_ro2/ )
(or use unsquashfs)
2) modify/add/delete whatever files you want
3) make a new sfs file using mksquashfs
4) Use isomaster to replace the sfs file that is in the iso file with your sfs file.
The boot loader in the iso file should work the same as the old iso file.

Did the remaster script allow you to stop and modify the files in the file system before it created the sfs?
If it does not, it should allow you to make changes before is makes the sfs.
I think some of the other remaster scripts do.

yes, it should be possible to do what you want to do.

[williams2]

I have not used Unetbootin. I think maybe there can be problems with Puppy.
Someone else with more experience with Unetbootin will probably comment.

I use isolinux to boot my usb flash drive.

And you should be able to get Slimjet to work.

[gilles]

Original title: build a snapshot of the running iso Bionic 32

The boot loader in the iso file should work the same as the old iso file.

Did the remaster script allow you to stop and modify the files in the file system before it created the sfs?
If it does not, it should allow you to make changes before is makes the sfs.
I think some of the other remaster scripts do.

yes, it should be possible to do what you want to do.

Hello
Thank you Williams 2 and Wizard for your help.

The problem is that the boot loader in the new iso file doesn't work the same as the old iso file. The new iso doesn't boot. I have to add grub after. I don't know how to do to have grub in the new iso file, instead of adding grub in the new usb.
May be the problem is the following : to build a snapshot of the running iso Bionic 32 running (sdb for instance), into another usb (sdc for instance) I need to install a pristine Bionic 32 in a DVD ! It looks it is impossible to do it directly from sdb to sdc. Strange thing !

Yes, before to create the new iso, just before the end, the system allows me to modify the files in the files system, but the instructions are very short (only several words), and I don't understand how I can do.

Thank you very much for your help.

[wizard]

This was tested and should work:

Assume you are using @mikewalsh Slimjet-portable32

-move your Slimjet-portable32 directory to /home/
-create your menu entry and desktop icon if desired

-menu>setup>Remaster Puppy live-CD
-at the message telling you that /tmp/root has been created, STOP, then run 80x32fix.sh (using rox), wait for message
-you will get a message that /root copied to tmp/root, click OK to continue the remaster
-at the message telling you that /tmp/etc has been created, STOP, then run 80x32fix.sh (using rox), wait for message
-you will get a message that /tmp/etc has been modified , click OK to continue the remaster
-at the message telling you Almost ready to create the new ISO file!, STOP, copy Slimjet-portable32 directory
to the /initrd/mnt/dev_save/puppylivecdbuild directory
-click OK to continue the remaster

When the remaster is complete, you will have a custom-puppy-uefi.iso

-insert target usb in computer, do not mount
-menu>setup>Bootflash install Puppy to USB>Write ISO file to USB drive
-select the custom-puppy-uefi.iso

80x32fix.sh.gz

remove fake .gz and set permissions to executable before use

(808 Bytes) Downloaded 41 times

wizard

[gilles]

Hello Wizard,
Thank you.
I shall try this.
I go on to look for the grub problem in the new iso.

[wizard]

The above method creates a usb that boots to the grub menu and includes slimjet that runs.

wizard

[gilles]

Hello Wizard,
This is a wonderful method !
I get a Bionic 32 iso which is the exact copy of my system. It keeps exactly everything I had in my usual Bionic 32 : all packages installed, but also the modifications I made in the fr French keyboard to be able to write (spanish) ñ ¿¡ í ó ú, every personal file I have in "home", the wi fi connection, abiword with .odt as save default format, etc...everything, everything, everything...
I had only to confirm the type of keyboard I want and...nothing else !
The new iso runs, too, using unetbootin.

This method is very useful for more than one reason :
-I can send to a friend, living very far away, an iso ready to use, in french (he doesn't speak a word of english). He knows nothing about puppy linux and his very old computer (32 bits), works very badly.
- frugal install : when the pupsave can no more be increased (4 Go), this way, it is possible to make a new iso, and, with this new iso, to do a new frugal install with a new empty pupsave, because everything is already built in.
-full install : it is possible to save everything this way, and, if a problem occurs , it is easy to do a new full install without loosing something.

So, thank you very much.

I have only one question : a new Bionic 32 frugal install, made with this new iso Bionic 32 bits, boots with the computer I use at home (Acer aspire 7715Z, witch is a 64 bits computer) but doesn't boots with the little netbook 32 bits I use when I am traveling . So, my question is : the new iso made with your method, works only with 64 bits computers ? Or there is another reason ?
Thank you once more

[wizard]

Keep in mind my usb was created with: Bootflash install Puppy to USB. i have booted it on both 64bit and 32bit computers including an Acer Aspire One netbook which has an atom n270 32bit cpu. Do you get any error messages when trying to boot?

wizard

[gilles]

Hello Wizard ,

I did it once with Bootflash intall puppy to USB and another time with unetbootin.
May be I did something wrong. I am going to do it again and I shall tell you.
I hope it will work too with unetbootin because it is the onlu tool my friend living very far away will be able to use.
But anyway, your method is fantastic
Thank you for your help

[mikeslr]

Hello Wizard ,

I did it once with Bootflash intall puppy to USB and another time with unetbootin.
May be I did something wrong. I am going to do it again and I shall tell you.
I hope it will work too with unetbootin because it is the onlu tool my friend living very far away will be able to use. Emphasis supplied.
But anyway, your method is fantastic
Thank you for your help

Ah, that explains why you want to remaster.

I take it your friend is running a Linux system. Regarding Unetbootin, your friend should be made aware of these threads: viewtopic.php?t=1005
viewtopic.php?p=1595#p1595
If installing slimjet is the only reason for remastering, I suggest not remastering. And if there are other reasons for remastering I suggest that you don't include slimjet in the remaster.
Once slimjet becomes a part of the puppy_upupbb_19.03.sfs file it will always be there, unless your friend remasters. When a new version of slimjet is available, your friend will have two: the slimjet you built in and the new version.
It more efficient just to provide instructions to your friend how to obtain and deploy slimjet.
Mike Walsh built it as a portable, packaging it in a tar.gz. Your friend can either (a) using the current Linux download it and store it some place; or (b) wait until bionicpup32 is up and running and use firefox-light (it's the only thing in adrv_upupbb_19.03.sfs) to download it. The puppy will be able to access where ever the tar.gz was stored and has UExtract built in for decompressing the tar.gz. The slimjet folder can then be moved to where ever you friend wants.
Once slimjet is functional and set as default browser the adrv.sfs can be deleted or moved so that it won't be used, conserving RAM --but not much. In fact, the only reason I see to remove it would be to 'free-up' the use of an adrv.sfs. A puppy can only use one adrv.sfs. An adrv.sfs can contain anything and its contents will always become a part of the Puppy's 'merge-in-RAM' operating system. There are better uses for it. See the discussion of "Save2SFS" on this thread, https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 118382&i=1. The latest version of nicOS-utilities Suite can be found here, viewtopic.php?t=1694

[wizard]

I created a usb with unetbootin 506 and it would not boot on my netbook. Created again with unetbootin 702 and it does boot. Give that a try.

wizard

[gilles]

Hello
Wizard : Thank you. I am going to try this. And I shall tell you in a few days (I am very busy now)
Mikeslr : Thank you too. But slimjet isn't the only reason. My friend doesn't speak a word of english...,knows nothing about linux, and so, needs something very simple to do, with all packages he needs already installed. Speaking about slimjet : it is not in the PPM and I was unable to install it from the slimjet website. They say, in this website, the .deb package doesn't works properly, and...it's rigth !

[mikeslr]

MikeWalsh's slimjet is available here, viewtopic.php?p=33582#p33582. Choice are:
(1) Just provide instructions.
(2) Include it either as a tar.gz or decompress it yourself and include the decompressed folder in the ISO you are transmitting. If you include the folder, after installing Bionicpup your friend can mount the ISO (Left-Click) and copy it to where it's wanted. If you don't decompress it, the ISO will have to be mounted, the tar.gz copied, then decompressed.
Depending on which remaster application you are using you may be asked before the ISO is finally created if you want to add anything to the ISO. If not you can do the following:
Create a folder, e.g. bionicpup32-8.0. Left-Click your bionicpup32.iso and copy ALL its files into that folder. Copy the tar.gz or the slimjet-portable folder into the 'bionicpup32-8.0" folder. Right-Click that folder and select Packit from the popup menu. Select mkisofs in the left-pane. Click "Pack it!" on the bottom. A new ISO will be created including among its contents whatever you've included in the folder.
I'd recommend the 2nd method even if your remaster application offers the alternative. Less likely to screw things up.

[gilles]

Hello Wizard,
May be I have an explanation to my problems.
I installed unetbootin 702 as you advised me (Unetbootin/702/unetbootin-source-702.zip) there https://sourceforge.net/projects/unetbootin/
I remastered again my bionic 32, but, this time, without slimjet, because with the portable slimjet, the system needs much time.
Again, the new USB (perfect) boots with my computer 64 bits, but doesn't boot with my computer 32 bits.
I need to install grub (with the menu, set up /grub) in the new USB to get it running with my 32 bits computer.

Then I did a try ; I did a new frugal install with unetbootin installed in Bionic 32, but, this time, installing xenial 32 to the target USB.. The new USB boots in the 32 bits computer as well as in the 64 bits computer.

So, I think the problem comes from the Bionic iso. Any idea ?

Hello Mikeslr
Thank you for your help. I like slimjet, but I think that I am going to do it with Firefox 91-2 oesr 32 bits which works fine https://www.mozilla.org/fr/firefox/all/ ... esktop-esr because the ligth browser built in Bionic doesn't work properly

[gilles]

Hello,
Finaly, I did what I wanted to do : a new iso 32 bits pae which boots with very old computers.
I used the Peebee Focal Fossa 32 bits iso. Thank you peebee for this excellent work !
I added the latest Firefox ESR whitch works very well, even in youtube.
And I modified Abiword to have .odt as Default Save Format.
Only one problem : cups doesn't work from the menu. But, it's not a problem; In firefox, writing : http:localhost:631, it works...

I gave a link to this iso in the french part of this forum.

And I did another iso for my friend living very far away, with several others packages he needs. He never used linux till now...

[wizard]

@gilles

Sorry for the late reply, I missed your message on the 26th. I'm not sure what happened with bionic32 since the usb I made with unetbootin 702 booted on my 32 bit netbook. The file I downloaded from sourceforge was: unetbootin-linux-702.bin. Anyway, it looks like you accomplished your goal and it's good that you could help your friend and I hope it runs on his old computer.

wizard

[gilles]

Hello Wizard,
I downloaded the same unetbootin. May be it depends if it is a pae or no pae...
Anyway, thank you very much for your help.
I keep your method 80x32fix.sh for my own use. Very useful !

[wizard]

@gilles
A couple of things to keep in mind about old computers. Some of them are not able to boot from USB and some may only have USB v1.1 which means they will boot really sloooooow.

wizard

[gilles]

Hello,
Something like 20 or 25 years ago, I had a computer unable to boot from a USB. But I remember I found a way to do it !
Best regards

[wizard]

You are correct it can be done, one of my 32bit computers does not support usb booting in bios, so I use PLOP boot manager to add that.

wizard

[gilles]

Hi Wizard,
A new question : With a new frugal install made with the new iso created with your fantastic method 80x32fix.sh, my computer doen't see any more sda3 (where I have personal files).
Can I do something ?
Or, is there something more I must do when I am making the new iso ?
Thank you for your help

[wizard]

Assume you are using fossa32 and that sda3 is third partition on a hd. If sda3 is formatted it should display a partition icon on the desktop. Try running menu>system>gparted to find out how sda3 is formatted.

wizard