Deleted files from main puppy.sfs now it won't start, x thing not working?

[Mike3]

So I did unsquashfs to the main puppy.sfs file then took away a bunch of files and resquashed it with the mksquashfs. And then I changed the old main puppy.sfs to this new one.

It works technically but it seems I took away some file that puppy needs to work.

It seems to start fine, loads the main puppy.sfs file and so on I type in the password no problem and then I get the message that it exited from x for some reason.

So now it won't start!

What is it that I have taken away that causes this? The x-keyboard files? Or maybe some java, flash or chrome, microsoft or msdos or msword files?

What files are needed to start the X thing, what is the function of x?

[taersh]

Better telling us what files have been removed.

[Mike3]

Ok

[taersh]

chrome
google
microsoft
msdos
msword
java
flash
palemoon
libreoffice
vivaldi
opera

Really?
All these files and/or programs are built into the base .sfs of Slacko Puppy?
Perhaps you should post your issues/problems in the Slacko section of the forum and tell them the exact version of your Slacko Puppy.

I recall perhaps there's e.g. only the menu entry plus a script to make you able to download and get LibreOffice available for use.
In such cases you could just remove the .desktop file in /usr/share/applications or even adding this line

Code: Select all

NoDisplay=true

to the .desktop file's contents.
It will make the entry disappear from the menu (after a menu refresh or reboot) and it won't destroy anything.

Removing scripts or small programs will not reduce the size of the base .sfs too much.

[mikewalsh]

@Mike3 :-

So.....you've removed most of the supplied software, yes? O-kayyy; and what was the object of "gutting" Puppy to this extent?

Mike.

[bigpup]

So basically most files with these names in it like all microsoft files, all java files (not javascript), all chrome files and so on.

So, you manually just started deleting stuff?

Good chance you did remove something needed for normal operation of the Slacko64 OS.

Should have the program Remove Builtin Packages in menu -> Setup

This will provide a list of everything, including stuff that will brake the OS, if removed.

Only remove stuff that has a specific menu entry.

A named program in the menu.

This does not actually remove stuff, but white lists it, so it is not seen by the operating file system.

If you remaster.
The remaster process will see these white listed items and not put them into the remaster.

Now, for your manual way of doing it.
After using Remove builtin packages.

Do a reboot so changes are now in the save so the data is stored.

Open Pfind program.
In search enter:
*.wh
Select all files as where to search.
Note:
all files will search all locations.
If you have other Puppy installs. It will search them, also.

It will provide a list of all items that have the .wh. in their name.

Those are the ones you need to manually delete.

Note:
Stuff is also kept in the other SFS's
adrv, zdrv, etc......

You could maybe get to the point of deleting 100MB of stuff.
Is it really worth all this work to do it.

[Mike3]

I got it working somehow, removed stuff not all at once but a bunch at a time and then tried to see if everything worked.

But now I wanna remove the pFind entry from the MENU -> FILESYSTEM, so I need to remove it from the .jwmrc file, but I can't find it due to having removed the main pFind files.

Where is the .jwmrc file located?

[williams2]

/root/.jwmrc

It's a hidden file
click the eye icon on the roxfiler window to see hidden files.
if you still have rox installed.

[amethyst]

I got it working somehow, removed stuff not all at once but a bunch at a time and then tried to see if everything worked.

But now I wanna remove the pFind entry from the MENU -> FILESYSTEM, so I need to remove it from the .jwmrc file, but I can't find it due to having removed the main pFind files.

Where is the .jwmrc file located?

Delete the desktop entry at /usr/share/applications > run fixmenus from terminal > restart jwm

[mikeslr]

@ Mike3, always tell us specifically which Puppy you are working with, even if you've done so before in an earlier thread.
From your screenshot which shows the kernel I think you are running Slacko-700, likely rc3. https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 72#p954672. That would explain why some of the applications you removed did not appear in package list either in /root/packages or /var/packages.
Slacko-700 was published with an adrv.sfs. Applications located in an adrv.sfs or a ydrv.sfs are not installed. They can not be removed from the 'base/core' SFS with Menu>Setup>Remove builtin packages or Puppy Package Manger>Uninstall. To find out what applications are located in such 'additional file systems' they can be Left-Clicked >View Contents, and their /opt and /usr/share/applications folders examined.
You can remove the applications they contain in ‘one fell swoop’ by deleting the a/ydrv.sfs or moving it so that it is no longer adjacent to the ‘core/base’.sfs.

To remove only some requires that the a/ydrv.sfs be rebuilt: removing applications from those file-systems and replacing the original with your rebuilt reversion(s). I recommend using either amethyst’s SFS-Editor, viewtopic.php?p=54846#p54846 or the Save2SFS component of his nicOS-Utilities-Suite, viewtopic.php?p=12983#p12983.

By now, however, you may have a mess, or at best an operating system you can’t always depend on. I suggest you start from scratch:
[If you have a current SaveFile/Folder open Menu>Setup>PuppyPackageManager and take a screenshot of what ‘Uninstall’ displays so you’ll know what you want to install].
If you don’t have a pristine ISO, download it again, extract it and replace your current files & file-systems, deleting any SaveFile/Folder.
Download any pets and SFSes you’ll want before you eliminate your ability to obtain those not available thru PPM. Place the downloaded files in a folder on your hard-drive.
Examine the adrv.sfs. You don’t have to have a SaveFile/Folder to use either the above mentioned tools. Just install and restart-x. [If applicable, substitute the new adrv.sfs after] deleting the old adrv.sfs and reboot].
As you don’t have a SaveFile/Folder use of Puppy Package Manager> Uninstall isn’t necessary.
Use Menu>Setup>Remove Builtins. It will warn you if removal may break something. Don’t remove anything you’re not certain will NOT damage your system. Read my thread “The Futility of Stripping”, viewtopic.php?t=692.
Install any applications you now want but don’t already have in your system.
Use the Remaster component of nicOS-Utility-Suite to Remaster [it’s easier and less user-error-prone than the builtin*] or use the aforementioned Save2SFS to create a ydrv.sfs.
[On boot-up our Puppy will automatically use either or both an adrv.sfs or a ydrv.sfs if located next to the ‘base/core’ SFS. The difference is that the applications in an adrv.sfs will have priority. My preference is to place applications I don’t expect to change in a ydrv.sfs and those which are updated often [such as web-browser] in an adrv.sfs.
-=-=-=-
* Don’t remove the builtin Remaster. AFAIK, that will remove components required by any of its alternative. However, you can SAFELY do either of the following: File-browse to /usr/share/applications and delete Remaster-Puppy-Live-CD.desktop or open that file in a text editor and add the following line:
NoDisplay=true
Either will remove it from your Menu.
If your Puppy uses radky’s jwmdesk-manager, its Menu-Editor component can be used to ‘toggle’ the display off.

p.s. Removing pfind is probably a mistake. It's one of the essential tools to discover what has gone wrong. Of course, if you don't live in a Universe dominated by Murphy's Law you'll never need it.

[Mike3]

@mikeslr: I got it working now and removed what I wanted removed with the unsquashfs & mksquashfs command.

Is there any reason to use dir2sfs if mksquashfs works fine is dir2sfs better in any way? Is the result different.

I dunno I just removed the stuff I wanna get rid of from the squashfs-root file and the resquash it with the mksquashfs command seems to be working great. The files are now nowhere to be found and the apps can't be started.

I suppose the reason there is still a pfind entry in the meny is that it may be in the adrv.sfs, zdrv.sfs or fdrv.sfs file but now I cant search for it due to having deleted pfind from the main puppy.sfs so now it won't start.

Is there another alternative find app as an alternative to pFind?

The OS is not a mess at all it works great.

Where are the apps one installs with the PPM saved / installed? Are they saved in the main puppy.sfs or adrv.sfs or outside of the sfs files somehow when one does a save at for example shutdown?

Is there a way to move the apps installed with the PPM to a preferred sfs file like the adrv.sfs?

[mikeslr]

AFAIK, using mksquashfs and dir2sfs result in identical SFSes. dir2sfs is IMHO more convenient: just Right-Click the folder and select it. No need to open a terminal and have memorized a bash command, arguments and diction.

Glad your Puppy is working. As you're one of us crazy people who likes to take things apart and rebuild them 'our way', I suggest careful study of viewtopic.php?t=5818: How Puppy's Work. I don't think the first half --that is up to the section named Things that provide input to init and change the things it does: is any more advanced than telling someone "This is a brake. Put pressure on it to slow a car down".

There is a good reason to use remove-builtins or PPM>Uninstall. If you open one of the files in /root/.packages or /var/.packages in a text editor, you'll see a list of files. As an example, this is the list for pfind:

/root/.config/rox.sourceforge.net/OpenWith/.inode_directory/Search with pFind
/usr/local/apps/pFind/.DirIcon
/usr/local/apps/pFind/AppInfo.xml
/usr/local/apps/pFind/AppRun
/usr/local/bin/pfind
/usr/local/pfind/box_input
/usr/local/pfind/box_ok
/usr/local/pfind/box_splash
/usr/local/pfind/box_yesno
/usr/local/pfind/func
/usr/local/pfind/pfind
/usr/local/pfind/pfindMIMErc
/usr/local/pfind/pfindhlp
/usr/local/pfind/pfindrc
/usr/share/applications/pfind.desktop

Other applications might have files in /etc, /sbin or folders which you might not intuitively figure. As long as its a built-in or an installed application, remove-builtins and PPM>Uninstall will read the application's file in 'packages' and serially uninstall each of the files on that application's package list.

But as I wrote, applications in an adrv.sfs or ydrv.sfs can't be handled that way. If you don't use amethyst's applications, and really want to remove all the files employed by an application in them, the best thing to do is download a comparable pet or deb (probably doesn't have to be the same version), extract it and see what files would be installed. Puppys write to 'packages'; debs include a 'control' file. [Not sure what other package types record]. This is where pfind comes in handy. After deleting any obvious folder only relevant to your unwanted application, you can open pfind at the top of a folder: Right-Click>Window>Shell Command>pfind. Then set "Where to search" as "Current Directory": search will still be recursive, reading 'child folders'. Using the names listed in a package or the control file as your search argument pfind will display such files. You can select each file in pfind's GUI, Right-Click and delete.

[williams2]

Is there another alternative find app as an alternative to pFind?

Search for files in /root/ that have file names or paths that have the text readme in the filename.

find /root/ | grep -i readme
or
find /root/ -iname '*readme*"

Search for files that contain the text startup in the current directory:

grep -R --color startup

For help find --help and grep --help and you can read the manpages.

[williams2]

f mksquashfs works fine is dir2sfs better in any way?

The compression method can make a difference. I use:
mksquashfs a1 out.sfs -comp gzip
mainly because gzip seems to be a good compromise between size and speed.
The default mksquashfs a1 out.sfs is a bit smaller and a little slower.

This is smaller: mksquashfs a1 out.sfs -noappend -b 1M -comp xz -Xbcj x86 -Xdict-size 100%