Install to internal eMMC won't boot - can't find puppy main sfs file

[Mike69]

Hello,

Trying to install on Lenovo Miix 310 hard drive, followed tutorial, but wont boot.

Errors:

Finding puppy main sfs file ...failed
Partition data not found

Can someone pleas lead me to a install tutorial for hard drive that works?

Thanks

[bigpup]

What specific version of Puppy are you trying to install?
What is the specific name of the Puppy version iso?

What tutorial did you follow?

Is Puppy going to be the only operating system(OS) on the computer?
No other OS but Puppy?

What operating system is running to use to do the install with?
Are you trying to do the install by booting with Puppy on a USB or CD/DVD?
Being able to use the installer programs in Puppy?

[Mike69]

Hi bigpup,

I use fossapup64 9.5 iso to usb.

Followed official tutorial from forum.

Yes, just puppy on the machine.

I boot puppy from usb stick, and follow installer instructions for frugal install. Full install does not work.

Except no sound everything seems to work when loaded from usb stick.

Maybe a formating or partition table error i made, seems there are no mounted devices, cannot save debug info with debugsave.

How to completely wipe and set the harddisk (eMMC)?

Thanks in advance!

[Flash]

Is the hd where you're trying to install Puppy an external USB, or internal hd?

[Clarity]

Forgive my confusion from the title vs opening post.

If I understand, maybe incorrectly, the OP is asking "WHY" his USB is not booting vs installing from something running onto his main system HDD; IS THAT CORRECT?

If so, is he seeking help to boot the USB or moving a PUP as a full install on his HDD?

If it can become a little clearer of what the goal is, it may become easier to guide.

[Mike69]

Puppy boots from USB, that works.

I want to install on internal HDD, which is eMMC type, it is shown as SD-Card Symbol in GUI. Maybe thats a problem?

[mikeslr]

(a) If you were trying to do a 'Full' Install, don't. See the many posts explaining that a 'Frugal' install is not a cut-down version of a 'Full', but only a different way to deploy puppys so that they don't require a 'Full partition', hence 'frugally' using your hard-drives; that a 'Full' install' was developed to provide a slight speed advantage when having more than 256 Mbs of RAM was rare; and that a 'Full install' lacks many of the abilities one has when using a Frugal install.

(b) With an eMMC you will have to follow bigpup's link from here, http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 57#1042157; that is use Frugalpup installer. http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 85#1005485

I'm not currently running Fossapup. But I believe that it's builtin. However, the component you will need to use --diskpup-- may not be on the menu. Open a terminal and just type 'diskpup'. But before doing that file-browse to your eMMC drive, Right-Click an empty space, Select New>directory and give it a name, e.g. fossa.

Actually, it's just occurred to me that if the eMMC drive is the only drive on your computer, I think you may have to partition it in order to create a small 'boot' partition; with your fossa folder being on the other. I've got to break to eat something. But after breakfast will return and provide additional instructions. Except, as noted, I'm not certain two partitions are required and ALSO not certain that gparted can partition eMMC drives. If it can, it would be recommended that you take the opportunity to format the rest of the partition as Linux Ext 3 or 4.
Bigpup or anyone following, please chime in.
Well, I'm back and no one has yet chimed in. In the meantime, it's occurred to me that as Fossa is to be your only operating system you can probably treat it as if it were a USB-Key and just use the Main frugalpup-installer option, Menu>Setup>Frugalpup, then click the Puppy Button. Follow its instructions, except that it makes life easier if --before starting Frugalpup-- you first create a folder on the drive named, for example, fossa. If you don't do that, during the installation the GUI will ask you to create such folder; then after creating it you have to select it and press Enter and mistakes can happen. If the folder already exists, you just select it.

For general information about frugalpup-installer, see these posts and their threads: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=360&p=1735&hilit=Frugalpup#p1735 and viewtopic.php?p=1588#p1588

[bigpup]

I hate to tell you this, but booting from an install on an internal emmc drive, is a little hit and miss.
Some computers , no problems. Other computers, it will not find the puppy files.
It has to do with how the drive is identified and found by the boot process.

This is trying to be fixed by changing the code in the init.

This is a test version of eSlacko with the code changes being used to test ideas.
viewtopic.php?f=118&t=1109
This is not a fully functioning Puppy version.
It is only for testing new codding of the init.

All I can tell you is try doing the install using the Frugalpup Installer.
First use Gparted to make two partitions on the internal emmc drive.
First one a small 300MB, formatted fat32, flagged boot.
Rest of drive a partition formatted ext 3 or 4.

Install Fossapup frugal install on the second partition (Ext 3 or 4 format)
Install the boot loader to the first partition.

Try boot and see what happens.

Just to make sure, do not have any usb drives plugged in, when you try booting from the internal emmc.

[Mike69]

Thanks for the answers, i will try the new eSlacko, but need some time, for now Ubuntu 20.10 is running fine. Older Ubuntus did not boot from USB, but the new does fine and installs and runs. Maybe you can use the Ubuntu boot for Puppy.

I inserted micro SD card in my Miix as 2nd HDD, just for info in case that maybe causes install troubled.

I followed tutorials, used gparted to wipe, make msdostable, make partitions and set flag on first fat23 and make frugal install on ext4 partition2 folder puppyOS, then bootloader on fat23 first (boot flag) partition. Tried all 3 bootloader options.
Also tried with gpt table, tried all fat23, ext4 and ntfs for boot/puppy, ....

Use puppy just from USB would be nice, but i have only 2 ports, need them both for machine control.

As soon i have more time, ill try and report.

Thanks guys!

[foxpup]

Maybe you can use the Ubuntu boot for Puppy.

I am not sure what you are doing or what you want, but this may help:
How to add Puppy to grub2 with Windows 10 and Manjaro?
Manjaro is Ubuntu in your case.
And it doesn't matter if windows is there or not.

[mikeslr]

Hi again, Mike69,

Removing the USB-Stick you booted from:

Just wanted to call to your attention the nicOS-Utility Suite, viewtopic.php?p=12983#p12983. As the graphic there shows, one of its modules (#4) is nicOS-Save2SFS. To preserve your settings and changes, you can download, install and run it even if you haven't executed a Save. After installing just Menu>Exit>Restart-x (AKA Graphic Server) which causes Puppys to re-catalog their systems including those components only in RAM.
When you run the Utility Suite and select the Save2SFS module you'll be given a choice of whether to create a ydrv or an adrv. Fossa already has an adrv; so choose ydrv, which it will create. Move it adjacent to the other system files. You can now delete your SaveFile/Folder --but renaming is safer: e.g. Just change fossapup64save to fossapup64Xave.
On the next boot-up Fossa will automatically copy the contents of an ydrv into RAM, just like it does included adrv and zdrv. You will no longer need your SaveFile/Folder; booting will not automatically mount the USB-Stick and you can safely remove it.
Theoretically, a Puppy on boot-up will copy the entire contents of system files --including, for example, puppy_fossapup64_9.5.sfs-- into RAM. But if you discover that it hasn't there's a boot argument --copy-- which supposedly 'compels' it to.
Most boot-loaders have a 'kernel' line you can edit with a text-editor. The menu.lst for fossapup created by grub4dos would have something like "kernel /fossapup/vmlinuz... pfix=fsck". Grub/Grub2 would have created a grub.cfg reading something like "linux /fossapup/vmlinuz...pfix=fsck". These can be edited to include the copy argument as follows, respectively:
kernel /fossapup/vmlinuz... pfix=fsck,copy
linux /fossapup/vmlinuz... pfix=fsck,copy

Mu's post shows how to add the copy argument to isolinux.cfg, http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 91a#240011

Have you ever solved your 'no sound' issue? If not, you should start a new thread to discuss it. The "Improving sound" Section on this page may help: https://github.com/vovan47/miix310. Note, the operating system being discussed there is Ubuntu 18. It's Puppy 'equivalent' would be Bionicpup64, viewtopic.php?p=252#p252. There's a link to a specific driver you just have to install under Ubuntu 18. But drivers are kernel specific.. Fossapup64 may be the newest, using a newer kernel than Bionicpup; but it may not be the best version for your computer. I'd give Bionicpup64 a spin. Or swap Bionicpup's kernel into Fossapup. It's easy. Don't hesitate to ask how.

[mikewalsh]

<snip>....use puppy just from USB would be nice, but i have only 2 ports, need them both for machine control.....</snip>

Do what I do on the rare occasions I use my ancient, 18-yr old Dell laptop. It's only got two USB ports.

If I want to try another Pup - I have two Puppies, frugally installed on a small internal SSD - I'll plug a USB Puppy into one port, and the other runs a USB hub. So long as nothing plugged-in to this is a flash drive (mouse/keyboard dongles, USB sound cards, wi-fi dongles, etc, are fine) then the BIOS will see the USB Puppy and boot it. It only gets confused when there is more than one storage device plugged-in to the USB ports.

Just wanted to throw that out there.

Mike.

[bigpup]

I inserted micro SD card in my Miix as 2nd HDD

You may have better luck getting it to boot if you install Fossapup64 9.5 on the micro SD card and boot from it.

I have a laptop that will not boot a install of Fossapup on the internal emmc drive.
It boots Fossapup, installed on a micro SD card, with no problems.
The card hardly sticks out of the side of the laptop.
I use the internal emmc drive for storage.

Until they get this problem with the init code and how the different drives are found in the Puppy boot process.
This micro SD card work around is OK for me.

[bigpup]

i will try the new eSlacko

that version of Slacko is just for testing code changes to the init file.
It is not a fully working version of Puppy Linux.