Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

RoyBell · Joined: 07 Feb 2012 Posts: 45 Location: Leeds UK

Can anyone recommend a method of making a USB external hard drive bootable with Puppy.
I would ideally want it to automatically run in memory only (Puppy prefix=ram) and not ask to save anything at shutdown.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and replies.

chrome307 · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 713

If you use a live cd and use the inbuilt installer, you are given the option to install to an external usb hard drive. Once you have done that and booted successfully from your device you can use the application 'pupsave config' ( Shinobar ) , which gives you the option to save at the end of each session.

Sylvander · Posted: Sun 14 Oct 2012, 11:39 Post subject:

1. VIDEO:
How To Do A USB Install Of Puppy Linux Slacko 5.3.2.4 FAST!
The general principle of this method can probably be applied to any other Puppy version.
Then...

2.
(a) To prevent periodic [default is every 30 min] "saves" [actually a "copy"] back to a pupsave file on a [partition on a] Flash Drive.
And...

(b) To stop "SAVING TO FILE" at shutdown.
And...

(c) To prevent the spurious warning as a pupsave installation of Puppy boots, that the previous shut-down was improper.
And...

(d) To make "Don't Save..." the default in the shut-down dialog, rather than "Save...".

3. Having applied the above [as I have done]...
(a) A pupsave would be in use...
The contents of the pupsave would not be totally loaded into RAM...
Instead...
Anything needed from the pupsave would be auto-loaded into RAM as/when needed...
[e.g. by running a program that's held in the pupsave]
BUT...
There would be no auto-copying back from RAM to the pupsave when changes were made.
However...you can save manually at any moment of your choosing by clicking on the "Save" icon on the desktop.
Or NOT if you choose not to.

(b) At shutdown/reboot, you would be offered the option "to save or not to save", with "not save" as the default.
You just hit "Enter/return" to choose that.
I think it will automatically "not save" at the timeout if you do nothing.

Jasper · Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 1034 Location: England

@ RoyBell

You want to "take" data from a crashed computer, but not save it to a USB drive/stick as an intermediate or final step.

What is that you may want to do with the crashed computer and do want to do with the data?

@ Sylvander

I watched the "fast" video linked from your step 1. It was far too fast and failed to mention:

* It is not always possible to boot directly to a USB device
* An md5 check
* Any explanation of the Swap facility and size thereof
* Why ext4 or ext3 would not be the normal choice of format
* To consider USB read and write speeds and not remove if its light is flashing
* That the pen drive would be and was wiped of all existing material.

My regards