MS puppy won't boot after first time? Solution!

Discuss anything specific to using Puppy on a multi-session disk
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nduanetesh
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MS puppy won't boot after first time? Solution!

#1 Post by nduanetesh »

OK, if you've read this thread, you know that I've got a laptop which refuses to boot a multisession CD after the first time. Actually, it won't boot any bootable CD if the cd has more than one track on it. (This is definately an issue with my CD drive, not with puppy. Experimentation has confirmed this.) You are also aware that I've been playing with bootloaders burned to the CD to try to get things fired up that way. Well, I've figured out how to boot my "unbootable" CD, and I did it using a USB key.

Basically what happens is that the first third of the boot process takes place from the USB key, and then it gets passed off to the CD. The CD knows it's multisession, and when you shut down the info is written back just like everything should be. It's super-dooper!

Here's a little howto:

1. Prep your USB key. You'll need to run syslinux on your key and make it bootable. In windows, this means downloading syslinux, opening a command prompt in the win32 directory, and typing:

syslinux x:
(where "x" is your usb key drive letter)
This can of course be done with other OSes, but I did it with windows, so those are my instructions.

2. Create a file called syslinux.cfg on the key, open it and add the following text:

default puppy
label puppy
kernel vmlinuz
append root=/dev/ram0 initrd=image.gz PFILE=cd
timeout 30

(I am no expert on syslinux, so the file might not be elegant, but it works. It seems to me that the "timeout" command is not necessary, but I haven't tried removing it yet.)

3. copy to your USB key the files vmlinuz and image.gz from a working puppy CD (or even from your non-booting multisession CD, if it booted correctly the first time). your key is now prepped and you are ready to go.

4. insert key and multisession CD and make sure your computer is set to boot from the key. power on!

If all goes well, syslinux (on the key) will fire up vmlinuz and image.gz (also on the key) which will go through the early part of the boot process. They will then pass off the boot process to the CD, the cd will boot as multisession, your settings will be restored, and you can bask in the glow of Barry's genius.

Good luck.

ND

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BarryK
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#2 Post by BarryK »

Hey, that's quite clever!
You're a genius too, nduanetesh :wink:

nduanetesh
Ultra Super-stud
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri 06 May 2005, 02:36

#3 Post by nduanetesh »

Aw, shucks. :oops:

doc

usb key

#4 Post by doc »

was reading about multisession boot problem. i have this too. i am new to linux and computers. what is a usb key?

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Flash
Official Dog Handler
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#5 Post by Flash »

A USB key is a little flash memory gizmo you can carry around on a keychain (hence the name). It plugs into the USB port on a computer and the computer can read from and write to it, at speeds comparable to a CD. Flash memory comes in multiples of 64 MB. The biggest Flash memory I have seen so far is 8GB, but they get bigger every year, as per Moore's law.

Guest

Imagine

#6 Post by Guest »

A USB key is a little flash memory gizmo you can carry around on a keychain (hence the name). It plugs into the USB port on a computer and the computer can read from and write to it, at speeds comparable to a CD. Flash memory comes in multiples of 64 MB. The biggest Flash memory I have seen so far is 8GB, but they get bigger every year, as per Moore's law.
:X Now imagine if the world was like that.:I

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rarsa
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#7 Post by rarsa »

A USB key is a little flash memory gizmo you can carry around on a keychain (hence the name)
I think that it is called a key because it was originally used as a security mechanism where the 'access key' was in the device. I heard of them for the first time early 90's and it is still used that way.

That was popular before there were high capacity devices. http://www.aladdin.com/products/default.asp

Guest

Next step

#8 Post by Guest »

I think that it is called a key because it was originally used as a security mechanism where the 'access key' was in the device. I heard of them for the first time early 90's and it is still used that way.
So whats the next step, remember, take baby steps before you try to walk ;-).

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Ted Dog
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KEY computer terms

#9 Post by Ted Dog »

From the dawn of time 1980's -TURNKEY = did not have to swap out the 8 inch floppies boot disks to make operational start of computer. It was made possible with our thousand dollar 20M winchester harddrive. Compile my C code twice a day just before lunch, and when I left for the day, pray the line printer would have enough paper for the debug messages . :oops:

Guest

#10 Post by Guest »

I have exactly the same problem with my laptop, but it can only boot from the hard drive, CD/DVD drive, non-existant floppy or a network. I've been searching for this solution for ages, and now I've found it, it can't help me. :cry:

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