Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Basic starter help needed.
Its been 5 or 6 years since I last set up a new system on an old laptop.
I have downloaded a copy of Slacko64-8.3.1.iso onto a DVD, I have modified BIOS boot
order to boot from DVD. I have checked the content of the DVD and its seems to be
well recorded on my Xenial laptop. The laptop I'm trying to load Slacko onto is an
HP Pavilion which has Windows Vista on board. I'm sure things have moved on in the
last few years so I could use a short step by step course in how to load Puppy into its new home.
Thanks

@LeithR The Slacko DVD is booting up on the system okay? And you now want to install on the internal HDD?

In this case the system will need to be able to dual boot with Windows Vista.

There are different approaches to installing successfully. Will the HDD partitions remain in the NTFS format?

Because Vista is Vista and no one ever really seemed to know exactly how it worked.

If you do not have a recover disc or the original Vista install DVD.

Go to Microsoft support and follow their procedure to make a recovery disk.

I am not saying you should need it. (who really knows with Vista)
But if you do.
You will have it.

A lot of people have used Lick and it has worked OK for them.

If you are going to keep Vista installed and have it be able to give you an option to choose to boot Slacko or Vista.
Both are going to be on the internal hard drive.

There is an installer program specifically made to do duel installs of Puppy Linux and Windows.

Lick
https://github.com/noryb009/lick

Lick is a Windows exe program designed to run in Windows.

Download the latest version of the Lick exe file to a location you can find it..
https://github.com/noryb009/lick/releas ... -win32.exe
Left mouse click on the file to run Lick program.

Have the Slacko64-8.3.1.ISO downloaded, so you can tell Lick this is what Puppy to install and it can get the stuff from the ISO.

It will install Slacko to a folder on the Windows C drive (Everything Slacko is in this folder and it never mixes with Vista).
It places a entry to boot Slacko in the Windows boot menu.
When you boot the computer a menu pops up where you select the one to boot.

More detailed documentation of Lick here:
https://github.com/noryb009/lick/blob/m ... ainpage.md

Note:
Before you install Slacko.
Because Vista normal operations can fragment the ntfs file system.
Good idea to run Windows ckdisk and defrag programs on the drive to check and correct any fragmentation issues.

Sorry, Should have made it clear in my first post. I want to blitz Vista and set up a machine with Slacko on it exclusively.

Does Slacko64-8.3.1 burned to the DVD boot from your HP Pavilion? Until you have an OS which will boot wiping Vista may transform your computer into a large paper-weight.
If it boots, do essential applications --such as wifi if you need it-- run?
Does your HP Pavilion have a USB-Port and can it boot from it? Exploring candidates for an operating system is much easier and faster using a USB-Key than a CD/DVD. No need to burn a cd/dvd for each and with --say a 16 Gb-- Key, you can place 3 to 5 'frugal installs' on the Key all in one operation and serially boot from each.

LeithR wrote: Sun Jun 26, 2022 10:16 am

Sorry, Should have made it clear in my first post. I want to blitz Vista and set up a machine with Slacko on it exclusively.

Ok, that changes the process so Puppy is all that is on the internal drive.

You do need to have some Puppy version, on some type of device, you can boot the computer with it.

So, I assume the Slacko64 8.3.1 DVD, will boot OK, to a working operating system.

This is my suggestion and how I do installs.

I use the Frugalpup Installer program, running in a booted Puppy version.
Some Puppy versions have it installed or you can download and install it, into whatever Puppy version, you are running.
Get it here:
viewtopic.php?p=1588#p1588

This is the procedure to follow:
viewtopic.php?p=1887#p1887
This was written about a USB drive, but type of drive, does not matter. Same procedure applies, to any type drive, that only Puppy is going to be on.
I probably over explained it, but I wanted to cover any Confusion, someone could have, using the program.

Frugalpup Installer is a Puppy program, that does not hold your hand and do everything by default.
You do have to make choices.
The good thing is, it can make an install, that will boot on any computer, using legacy bios or UEFI bios.
You can also use it, to do multiple different Puppy versions frugal installs, on the same drive, and have a boot menu entry, to be able to choose, which one to boot.
I have an external Hard drive, with 16 different Puppy versions on it.
I can choose any one of them, to boot the computer.

Bigpup,
Thanks for your response, how do I burn a ,iso to a USB memory stick?

In the first post you say this.

I have downloaded a copy of Slacko64-8.3.1.iso onto a DVD, I have modified BIOS boot
order to boot from DVD

.
So did you burn the ISO image to the DVD so it will boot the computer or just copy the ISO onto it for storage?
If you used a CD/DVD burning program and selected burn iso image or image file to the DVD.
That will make the DVD a live install of Slacko64 8.3.1
You can boot the computer with it to a working Slacko64 8.3.1 running the computer.

Do everything running the computer this way.

If you want to use Slacko64 8.3.1 as a live install on a USB stick.
Can only boot the computer with some other operating system.
Do it using one of these programs:
viewtopic.php?t=157

If you are booted running some Puppy version.
Most have USB installer programs you can use to install any Puppy version to a USB.

LeithR wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:15 pm

Bigpup,
Thanks for your response, how do I burn a ,iso to a USB memory stick?

You shouldn't need to if Slacko64-8.3.1, now on your DVD, boots. Just install grub2config-2.0.1 from here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=3360 into your running Slacko64-8.3.1 and Restart-x (AKA Graphical Server) which you'll see when you click Menu>Exit. Your Puppy will re-catalog what applications make up its 'System in RAM'.

Run Menu>Setup>System>gparted to restructure your hard-drive, deleting Windows Vista, creating a small (200 Mb <) 1st partition formatted Fat32, and the rest of your hard-drive however you want but with a Linux Ext3 or Linux Ext4 partition on which you will locate (copy) you Slacko's system files from your DVD. System files consist of initrd.gz, vmlinuz, puppy_slacko_8.3.1.sfs, and all other 'sfses' such as zdrv_slacko64_8.3.1.sfs and fdrv_slacko64_8.3.1.sfs. Best to place them in a named folder (e.g., Slacko648) to keep track of what's going on. [Also makes it easy to try-out other Puppys or upgrade Slacko64-9 if and when there is one. All a Puppy needs is its own folder].
Then follow the instructions for using grub2config. It will create a bootloader and a 'menu' named grub.cfg. grub2config will find your 'frugal' Slacko and place it on that menu.
As your computer predates UEFI, you can probably skip installing grub2config and get by with grub4dos if it's on Slacko's menu: Menu>Setup>grub4dos. The instructions for formatting the drive and locating the system files in a folder remain the same.

But if you still need or want to burn a ISO to a USB-Key, then I recommend that before you wipe Vista from the hard-drive you follow the instructions here: https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 522#p40522

Or you can use grub2config in the same way to 'burn' any* Puppy to a USB-Key. If you hadn't already 'unpacked' the ISO by burning it to a DVD, the only difference would that that in order to obtain your system files you would have to [download an ISO and] mount it by Left-Clicking it.

Or you could use FrugalPup's StickPup module. It will also create a grub2 bootloader with a grub.cfg file on your USB-Key.

Whether you use grub4dos or grub2config as your boot-loader, you may want to consider making the following changes to a hard-drive 'install'. By default, when Puppys boot from a hard-drive they use PupMode 12. Changes will automatically be written to your SaveFile/Folder. When they boot from a USB-Key, the use PupMode13: Changes are only written to a SaveFile/Folder manually (by clicking the Save icon on the desktop) or by Clicking the "Save" option which will appear when you Shutdown/Reboot. You can "trick" Puppys on a Hard-drive into behaving as if they were on a USB-Key by making these changes:
If using grub4dos as boot-loader, Edit Menu.lst to include or read the pmedia argument to be pmedia=ataflash. E.g:
kernel /Slacko648/vmlinuz psubdir=/Slacko648 pmedia=ataflash pfix=fsck

If using grub2config, edit its grub.cfg to read:
linux /Slacko648/vmlinuz psubdir=/Slacko648 pmedia=ataflash pfix=fsck

Reboot and open Menu>System>Puppy Event Manager, click the Save Sessions Tab and set the Save Interval to 0/zero. Put a check in the 'Ask at shutdown' box. [Otherwise it doesn't ask: just saves]. With those changes, at shutdown you'll be asked if you want to Save. The Save button will be highlighted, making that choice easy. But the default routine is 'No Save'. You can walk away and your computer will shutdown or reboot in 60 seconds without Saving.

* Any Puppy: EasyOS and Puli are not really Puppys. And this forum supports other small OSes which also aren't Puppys.

As you can see there is more than one way to do it.

For obvious reasons, I hate the phrase "There's more than one way to skin a cat".

Bigpup,
Thanks for your response, how do I burn an ,iso to a USB memory stick?

You say.

I have downloaded a copy of Slacko64-8.3.1.iso onto a DVD, I have modified BIOS boot
order to boot from DVD.

Using a CD/DVD burning program and selecting burn iso image or image burn.
This will put the Slacko ISO image, on the DVD, making a live install,
You should be able to boot and run the computer, with it.

Run the Frugalpup Installer with this running Slacko.

If you want to do a live install of Slacko, to a USB stick.
You can use one of these programs, running in a operating system, other than a Puppy Linux OS.
https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=157
Carefully read the note in this post.

Any Puppy Linux OS has programs, in it, to do installs of Puppy, to a USB stick.

Again, the info for using Frugalpup Install, was written for installing to a USB drive.
But the same procedure is how to do it, for any type drive. USB hard drive, internal hard drive, SD card, SSD drive.

Wouldn't it be VERY simple to, just, burn the ISO file directly to the system drive? The ISO is a hybrid and burning to the drive is just as easy as trying to burn a USB then try to do all the fancy stuff.

Why the "round about" way?

Or, just get the SG2D ISO file (from here) that already has Slacko64. And run it exclusively or burn the enclosed ISO file(s) directly to a system drive. In fact, using the SG2D approach he can test and burn any PUP/DOG he wants in a very simple way...merely download and boot & run any PUP/DOG ISO directly without doing ANY file/disk manipulations. Correct?

Oh, and the use of Ventoy will allow the same ability to boot, use or manipulate a PUP ISO file for the same purpose explained in the prior paragraph.

This is how i handle iso.
I extracted the downloaded iso and then open the extracted file.I would then partition and format the USB and give the partition the boot flag and then copy the entire extracted files over to the partition.

Never failed me yet.

@xenial Have you tried either of the 2 mentioned manner of booting ISO files directly? If so, did you find any drawbacks?

If so, please publish your finding on those threads I mention, please. Love to hear/see your feedback on their productivity to booting PUPs/DOGs with no effort beyond downloading its ISO. They boot a frugal environment with NO efforts.

No i have never used those methods and don't have an iso to try at the moment.