How to do a Frugal install of Slacko 8.2.1 in an HP G56 laptop?

[LeithR]

I'm trying to install Slacko64-8.2.1.iso onto a HP G56 laptop. I have reformatted the Hard Drive with a primary partition of 4.9G and a 1.98G Linux-Swap partition.

Its been so long since I have done a frugal install I need some guidance on how to carry out a Frugal install before switching off my machine.

Any pointers would be appreciated. I currently have the "Welcome. This is the first time you are running Slacko64" message showing on screen. I booted from a DVD copy of Slacko64-8.2.1 and all seems to be ok to this point.

Thanks in anticipation.

[hundido]

I just made a new Puppy USB.

I've tried this on Slacko-8.2.1, but something in GParted is broken in Slack-8.2.1, if I remember correctly (it might have been that you can't set the boot flag, but I don't feel like booting into it just to check that), so I do this from Fossapup64 or another Puppy.

The same steps will work to install a Puppy to an internal drive, but I'm doing this to make a new S15Pup USB and writing the steps as I go.

Instructions:

Preparing the Drive:

1. Insert USB, or don't if installing to an internal drive
2. Menu>System>Gparted
3. Select the drive. (for me, this is "sdc USB Flash drive -- SanDisk USB Flash Drive"
4. *warning: this step will wipe the drive and erase all data*** In Gparted, Device>Create Partition Table... "msdos" should already be selected. Click "Apply"
5. Create the boot partition. I make mine 512 MiB, I think you could get away with less. Under "New size (MiB) type 512. Under "File system:" select "fat32". Optional but helpful: Under "Label:" type BOOT. Click "Add"
5. Decide if you want a "storage" partition, where you can put files for easy access without having to go through the Puppy file system, if you have enough space on your drive.
6. Create the partition to hold your Puppy(ies). Partition>New If you want a storage partition, "Fill out New size (MiB):". If not, you can optionally type "PUPPIES" under "Label:", you can leave the File system ext4, and then click "Add".
7. If making a storage partition, repeat step 6 with the remaining space on your drive, optionally labeling it "STORAGE".
8. I think some people make a swap partition, I don't.
9. If you're happy with the way the partitions look, click the green check to Apply All Operations
7. Right click boot partition, Manage Flags, click boot to put a check mark next to it. Drive is ready! Close Gparted.

Make sure FrugalPup is updated: viewtopic.php?t=337

Installing the Puppy(ies):
1. Setup>FrugalPup - flexible frugal installer
2. Follow the directions in Frugal Installer, but I'll write what I'm doing, which is multiple Puppies on a USB stick.
a. Click Puppy button
b. iso is selected. Click "OK"
c. select the 1st iso, S15Pup64... Click OK.
d. Select the ext4 "PUPPIES" partition, sdc2 in my case
e. Because I'm making multiple frugal installs, I'll make 2 levels of Folders. Click, "Create Folder" type Puppies, Click the enter key on keyboard.
f. Click "Create folder" again. Type the name of the first puppy, in this case "S15Pup64". Click the enter key.
g. I'm making my other folders to hold the other pups now. Click Puppies, in the file path mnt/sdc2/Puppies. Click Create Folder. Type S15Pup32. Click Enter. Click Puppies. See the two folders I just made. Click, "Create Folder". Type, "Slacko64-8.2.1". Click Enter. Click Puppies. See the 3 folders. Click Create Folder. Type UPupBB32. Click enter key. Click Puppies. See 4 folders with puppy version names. Click Create Folder. Type FossaPup64. Hit Enter key.
h. That's all the puppies I want on this stick, so I'm going to leave the FossaPup64 selected, and click the "OK" button.
i. Under pfix boot paramenters, I like to check fsck and fsckp. Press OK. Read the dialog, realized I left the wrong file selected for iso. Pressed cancel.
j. Click "Puppy" button, iso, OK, select the iso, select the PUPPIES partition (sdc2), Click OK, select the folder with the name of the iso I selected this time, reselect fsck and fsckp, Click OK, check the folder name and iso name match, partition is correct, select OK. Repeat this step until I've copied all my chosen .iso files to the folders I made.
k. Click the "Boot" button.
l. Select the partition that holds the puppies, "sdc2 PUPPIES", and then make sure the pathway stops at mnt/sdc2/Puppies, so the boot will be pointed at all five Puppy iso subfolders.. Click "OK".
m. Select "sdc1 BOOT". Click OK.
n. "both" should be selected. Unless you want something else, click OK. If everything in the sanity check dialog looks good, click OK again.
3.Yay! You're done! Reboot your computer to test your new frugal install.

[LeithR]

Sorry, I'm not ignoring you, Puppy has changed almost out of all recognition since I last loaded Slacko 5.7. I'm working my way through what you have written and learning much that is new. Thanks.

[LeithR]

What I'm trying to achieve is to load puppy 8.2.1 onto a partition on the hard drive. The laptop will be dedicated to running Puppy and will not have any windoze on it. I have set up the following partitions on sda- Boot 500M, Data 46G and Swap 500M.

[bigpup]

What format did you make the first two partitions?

That is the first thing you need to get correct.

If Windows was on the drive.

I would make a new partition table msdos type on the drive.
Then partition and format it.
That for sure will get everything Windows OS off of it.

[LeithR]

Hi there Bigpup, I have set up the following partitions:
Partition 1 - 515Mb - FAT32
Partition 2 - 463.28Gb - Ext4
Partition 3 - 1.9Gb - Linux Swap. Its not clear to me if this partition is still needed.
Thanks for any guidance.

[LeithR]

Should have said that Partition 1 was flagged as Boot.

[bigpup]

Your partitioning looks OK.

If this computer has UEFI bios.
That 1st partition may also need flagged boot, esp

Needing a swap partition depends on how much RAM the computer has.
With Puppy Linux, if there is 4GB or more RAM the swap will probably not get used.
But it is good to have if it is ever needed.

Do you have some version of Puppy installed on a USB stick or a CD that you can boot the computer with?
If no.
You need to do that and boot the computer to this running the computer.
Run the installer programs in it.
Have the Slacko 8.2.1 ISO file so you can use it for the source the installer program will use.

Frugalpup Installer program will be able to do the install to the internal drive.

Maybe this info for using Frugalpup Installer will help you.

Drive labels are going to depend on number of drives on the computer.
So, you do need to be careful to select the correct drive label, when offered to select.

This is what I do.

Use Gparted program.
Setup the drive with 2 partitions.
First one, small 300MB, fat32 format, flagged boot. (location for boot loader files, boot partition)
Rest of drive, whatever other partition(s), but one ext3 or 4 format. (location to put frugal installs)
(this is UEFI standard requirement, and some computers, look for a fat32 partition, for boot loader files)

Run Frugalpup Installer main program.
On the main window are selection buttons.
Select the Puppy button, to do the install.
Go through install process, selecting to install to the ext formatted partition.
Note:
When selecting the partition to install to.
A window pops up, giving option to make a directory, to put the frugal install in.
I make this directory and usually name it, the name of the Puppy version.
Carefully read that windows info.
Press enter, makes the directory, not the OK button.
complete the install.

When it gets back to the main Frugalpup window.
Select the boot button.
Select the location of the frugal install, on the drive.
Select the small 300MB 1st partition as location to install the boot loader. (may need to scroll the selection window)
Select the boot loader type.
UEFI
mbr ->legacy bios boot
both

You can install the UEFI for UEFI computers, mbr for legacy bios computers, or both, to boot anything.

The UEFI will also install the needed files, to support secure boot enabled in UEFI.

When you first boot the drive, on a UEFI computer, with secure boot enabled.
A process will start, to allow you to install the Puppy security key, to the computer.
It will add this Puppy key, to the other ones, loaded on the computer.

To put more frugal installs on the same drive.
Do the complete process again, for the new Puppy version.
When you run the boot loader install.
It will make entries, for all installs it finds, on the drive.

[bigpup]

if you need the Frugalpup Installer program.

hundido's post gives you the link to where you can get it and install.

[LeithR]

Thanks bp, while installing the system came up with 11 errors so I think it looks like my .iso is corrupt. I'll try again. Thanks for all your efforts.