Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I've been a long-time user of Puppy, but I'm relatively new to DebianDog. In Puppy, I can manually perform a frugal installation by copying initrd, vmlinuz, and a few sfs files to a directory and adding an entry to my existing boot manager (grub2). However, with the DebianDog ISO, I find a collection of files, and the installer insists on installing a boot loader right away. I am hesitant to overwrite my current bootloader, so I'm not sure how to proceed. My current test involves using the busterDog ISO. I also attempted using the bullseye builder appimage, but I'm unsure how to handle the numerous files it creates. Additionally, the builder generated a concerning number of errors while it was running. Can anyone offer guidance on the best way to proceed in this situation? Thank you for your help.

@WillieJordan Hello!
You can just add a boot stanza for DebianDog to your existing grub2 set up. You do not need to install a boot loader. You should be able to add in DebianDog in the same manner as a frugally installed Puppy Linux that you are already familiar with.

Here are the save on exit like pupmode 13 grub2 entries that I use. They were originally generated by the deblive multi installer, but don't worry about that. viewtopic.php?p=3615#p3615

Use blkid in terminal to get id UUID number.

menuentry "First on sda6" {
  echo "Booting First on sda6 ..."
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 2618304c-b5be-4cdc-bccxxx
  linux /First/live/vmlinuz1 edd=off noauto from=UUID:2618304c-b5be-4cdc-bcc4-5exx/First changes=EXIT:UUID:2618304c-b5be-4cdc-bcckkkkkkk5x/First
  initrd /First/live/initrd1.xz
}

menuentry "First on sda6 copy2ram" {
  echo "Booting First on sda6 copy2ram..."
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 2618304c-b5be-4xx
  linux /First/live/vmlinuz1 edd=off noauto copy2ram from=UUID:2618304c-bxx/First changes=EXIT:UUID:2618304c-b5be-4cdc-bcc4-xx/First
  initrd /First/live/initrd1.xz
}

I always copy the whole iso when I do a frugal install so I have all the stuff to rebuild it. Size wise it's not much more anyway edit: there are a few files you do need besides the 3 you mentioned.

edit: And the subfolder being named "live" is mandatory.

it is not really the question: you only start so the iso from grub.

Williejordan will proceed differently (perhaps he has no iso any more or other reason):

he will copy the 3 or more files needing by grub to start each Linux (linux itself, initrd, and the external files used in initrd to directly start from then without to have to unpack the iso

on the PC from my dad did all stay as it was as he did dead. I did have a own part of it, and I did never change it. The first DebianDog out 2013..2014 unchanged was and is yet installed. It was my lovely OS, the best of all the time and I continue to use it frequently as the PC of my sport room (one reason is to remember to my dad, of course. but also because of the better old version of some software as we can install today in the new linux'es all (video player where you can change easily the speed of view and/or sound , where you can see and find with max. precision the point where a sport movement begins and look with max. details! I don't know if it's continue to be possible in the new video player versions - the names are the same, but the performances are killed .

I will upload a view on that old DebianDog, that best Linux on my numerous PC's, showing the menu (especially the Debian Menu within the general Menu: in new version, no application (or only a few one) is correctly connected any more (poor modern Linux!)... And you can see the grub text part for that first DebianDog (text probably build a that time by Deepin, the first one if I right remember of the new Deepin generation and the last Deepin 32 bit). Deepin cames later on the PC as my father was already dead and did (re)install the already present DebianDog installation perfectly after I did erase Windows from PC (I did renounce to have Windows more than 10 y. along; but I did one today again because of Linux itself: no all drivers can really work easily in modern Linux, for ex. my Printer HP Color Laser 150a, a best color laser, very cheap and makes beauty full outprints of color photos. In Windows, you have nothing to install: it works immediately as it is recognized by Windows and, at the other side, in Linux the installation of this printer is terror pure!

I find it was a fine frugal installation (and the old grub installer used by Deepin 32 was able to manage the installation itself! I have not made myself this complicated installations text!!!

Why did I abandone the use of DebianDog, that perfect Linux out 2013..2014?

Because of the Debian use of, obligatorish, one unique name, «live» for the installations directory. It did force me to often erase the content of that directory and replace it with an other one to continue to play with new versions as old Puppy users are accoustumed to do, with lose of software if somewhat was wrong, or to reinstall / actualize grub (enter in a Linux that you need at that time absolutely no use, as above Deepin 32 bit, only to actualize grub, because DebianDog was not able to do that himself...). I did not support any more those restrictions...

oui wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 8:39 pm

Why did I abandone the use of DebianDog, that perfect Linux out 2013..2014?

Because of the Debian use of, obligatorish, one unique name, «live» for the installations directory. It did force me to often erase the content of that directory and replace it with an other one to continue to play with new versions as old Puppy users are accoustumed to do, with lose of software if somewhat was wrong, or to reinstall / actualize grub (enter in a Linux that you need at that time absolutely no use, as above Deepin 32 bit, only to actualize grub, because DebianDog was not able to do that himself...). I did not support any more those restrictions...

But the main directory for each debiandog can be entirely different. It is only the internal subdir that is fixed name 'live'

wiak wrote: Sat Oct 21, 2023 2:25 am

oui wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2023 8:39 pm

Why did I abandone the use of DebianDog, that perfect Linux out 2013..2014?

Because of the Debian use of, obligatorish, one unique name, «live» for the installations directory. It did force me to often erase the content of that directory and replace it with an other one to continue to play with new versions as old Puppy users are accoustumed to do, with lose of software if somewhat was wrong, or to reinstall / actualize grub (enter in a Linux that you need at that time absolutely no use, as above Deepin 32 bit, only to actualize grub, because DebianDog was not able to do that himself...). I did not support any more those restrictions...

But the main directory for each debiandog can be entirely different. It is only the internal subdir that is fixed name 'live'

Yes, right, btw looking at the screenshot of grub.cfg from @oui above, I see that's done that way (folder "live' in 0deb64 folder), so you can easily create another DD frugal install by making e.g. 1deb64/live .

Yes, I agree. But in the first times with DebianDog, we did not know that... I am not certain but I suppose, now, that the own tools of DebianDog, that DebianDog did have a wide spectrum of good tools, did not do that (I have not the iso any more of that (deep remastered by me) version... so I will not risk to bring it to refuse to start any more if I would play with it after years of freedom as I continue to find to need it!)

This change of messages gave to examine and search with pleasure DebianDog and I found an remaster app in /usr/share/applications. Now it has made 2 XZM. 1 remaster.xzm and 1 remastered.xzm.

I open a new thread for the rest as it is for a very old DebianDog and not an actual one!