Session not being resumed in slacko64

[Randyth]

I'm new to puppylinux, but sofar I'm quite impressed (by the lightness, completeness and speed).

One thing I cannot seem to get working is the session resuming.

My system is a laptop with Windows 10 and I'm booting Slack64 (6.3.2) from a USB stick (created with Win32 Disk Imager). My hard drives layout can be seen in hd_overview2.png .

Now when I change some settings and shutdown the system I'm being prompted to save my session. I'm saving the session on sda4 (my NTFS drive with the windows 10 installation).
I can see the save files being created in the root (see saves_overview.png).

But when I start slacko64 again from the usb drive then the session is not being resumed (none of my altered settings are present). I get presented with the first boot setup window. And when shutting down I get asked again to save a session. When i save the session, then a new session file is being stored again. But at a new startup of Slacko64, the session file is not being used and instead I am in a completely new session.

I must be doing something wrong. But what?

[mjmikulcik]

Welcome to the forum! I believe the problem your facing is with the grub config files and not with how you saved it.

You should see something like this in your grub.cfg file or lickgrub.cfg if you used lick to install

Code: Select all

menuentry 'Slacko64 6.3.2' {
set root=(hd0,4)
linux /slacko64-6.3.2-uefi/vmlinuz pfix=fsck pmedia=ataflash psubdir=(hd0,4)
initrd /slacko64-6.3.2-uefi/initrd.gz
}

The important part is having it point correctly to the vmlinuz and initrd (which it already does), and the psubdir needs to be set to where the savefile is

And since you have multiple savefiles you can add this to the line that starts with "linux"

Code: Select all

savefile=slacko64save.2fs

The "pmedia=ataflash" part makes the puppy run in ram which I always use so that if I mess something up the changes aren't permanent.

Edit: I just saw that you were booting from a USB. I've never done that but the problem is similar. Your savefile isn't on the USB stick, and you need to point the usb config files to recognize the savefile. I suggest moving the savefile to the usb unless you want a clean install everytime you put it in a new computer

Edit2: I've attempted to install to usb as you did, how did you select the destination for the savefile on shutdown

[Randyth]

Thank you for your reply.

I included a screenshot (choose_partition.png) of the partition selection step during the session wizard of slack64 (6.3.2). On this screen I can select the destination for the savefile on shutdown.
On this screen i choose sda4 with success (I can see the created save file on the selected partition. See screenshot in post #1). I just cannot make slacko64 use the save file to resume the session (yet).

I tried editing the grub.cfg file on the USB boot drive to add the root path, but it seems to be on a read-only file-system (see screenshot edit_grub1.png and edit_grub2.png). Therefor I have not yet succeeded in editing the file (see the error message below on screenshot edit_grub2.png).

Any other tips on how I can resume the session in slacko64?

[mfb]

Hi,

Try this:

Download SAVEMARK.gz
Rename it deleting the final 3 ".gz" characters
Move it to sda1
reboot

Cheers

[mikeslr]

I'm not sure it matters --I never used grub-- but:

on the attached edit_grub2.png shows that there is no blank line between your "set timeout=10" and menuentry="Start Slacko64" {

Perhaps it's needed in order for your "RAM Only" listing NOT to be the first choice on bootup.

mikesLr

[Randyth]

Hi,

Try this:

Download SAVEMARK.gz
Rename it deleting the final 3 ".gz" characters
Move it to sda1
reboot

Cheers

Interesting. I will try this (even though I actually only wanted to use sda4 for storing the save file). Will report back later on result.

@mikeslr, I can't edit the file as it seems to be on a read-only filesystem (see the message in nano below of edit_grub2.png)

[rcrsn51]

When you boot, which of the Slacko menu entries are you using?

[bigpup]

Make sure you are booting from the normal menu entry. First one.

NOT THE ONE THAT SAYS RAM ONLY
That boots not using the save.

Puppy always runs and loads into RAM.

Slacko is probably a live install on the USB flash drive.
It is using the boot loader that is part of the live install.
It is not using Grub4dos boot loader.

Booting from a USB flash drive install of Puppy.
The boot process is looking to find the save on the USB flash drive.
Yours is probably sdb

Move the save to the USB flash drive, where Slacko is installed.
Place it just on the top of the partition, not inside any folder (directory- Linux term for folder).

Windows 10 does not like to see anything done to the hard drive by any other OS.
I suggest, anything Slacko, go only on the USB flash drive Slacko is on.

[Randyth]

Thank you all for the help and patience with me.

I'm always booting the first option (Start Slacko64), with the other options being: 'Start Slacko64 - RAM Only', 'Start Slacko64 No X', 'Start Slacko64 check filesystem' , 'Shutdown' and 'Reboot'.

I also tried adding the save file to the usb drive, but I only have read only access (see screenshot: usb_read_only2.png in this post).


Also during the session savefile wizard I don't have the usb drive as option (see screenshot choose_partition.png in the post above: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... &id=117862 ).

What else can I try to resume my saved session?

I feel like I might have chosen a 'strange bird in the bite' with slacko64.
But the distribution 'Ubuntu Xenial 64' was giving me problems with the ATI drivers. Maybe I should give Ubuntu Tahr 64 a try.

All I did was download http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pu ... 2-uefi.iso and use Win32 Disk Imager to prepare my 16gb usb drive.

[bigpup]

How about posting, an image of what Gparted shows, for the setup, of partitions, on the USB flash drive.

That image you posted of what Pmount shows for sdb.
sdb1 has a totally wrong file system.
It shows it as iso9660 file system. (read only file system)
Normally Puppy is installed to a standard read/write file system like fat32, ntfs, ext 3 or 4, etc.....

I think using Win32 Disk Imager may be the big problem.

If you have another USB flash drive.
Try using the programs in Slacko to do the install.

I have had good luck using Unetbootin in Windows to do installs of Puppy to USB flash drives.
Unetbootin.
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

Note:
A trick when using an installer program not written specifically for Puppy and how it works.
After the install of Puppy.
Look on the drive for a boot loader file that is the boot menu.
Could be grub.cfg, isolinux.cfg, syslinux.cfg.
(may see all 3. Grub.cfg is probably what is used)
Open this file in a text editor.
Anyplace you see

Code: Select all

pmendia=

Change it to

Code: Select all

pmedia=usbflash

That tells Puppy boot process to setup for running from a USB flash. There are some special ways it will make Puppy run.

[rcrsn51]

Your save file is on an NTFS partition. The "read-only" message indicates that Puppy sees the partition as "dirty" and refuses to mount the save file.

[Edit] I looked at that screen shot again, and I may have misinterpreted it.

Is sdb1 a read-only ISO9660 partition because of how you made your flash drive - possibly by using dd?

[foxpup]

In your grub.cfg:

Isn't sda4=(hd0,3)?
The underscore also looks suspicious to me. Leave it out. [edit: underscore is just the cursor, isn't it? ]
So this line should be:

Code: Select all

set root=(hd0,3)

I am not even sure you need this line. Puppy should go and look everywhere for a proper pupsavefile.

[rcrsn51]

Isn't sda4=(hd0,3)?

It depends on your version of GRUB.

[Randyth]

How about posting, an image of what Gparted shows, for the setup, of partitions, on the USB flash drive.

That image you posted of what Pmount shows for sdb.
sdb1 has a totally wrong file system.
It shows it as iso9660 file system. (read only file system)
Normally Puppy is installed to a standard read/write file system like fat32, ntfs, ext 3 or 4, etc.....

I think using Win32 Disk Imager may be the big problem.

If you have another USB flash drive.
Try using the programs in Slacko to do the install.

I have had good luck using Unetbootin in Windows to do installs of Puppy to USB flash drives.
Unetbootin.
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

Note:
A trick when using an installer program not written specifically for Puppy and how it works.
After the install of Puppy.
Look on the drive for a boot loader file that is the boot menu.
Could be grub.cfg, isolinux.cfg, syslinux.cfg.
(may see all 3. Grub.cfg is probably what is used)
Open this file in a text editor.
Anyplace you see

Code: Select all

pmendia=

Change it to

Code: Select all

pmedia=usbflash

That tells Puppy boot process to setup for running from a USB flash. There are some special ways it will make Puppy run.

Your suspicion on Win32 Disk Imager makes sense. I've rewritten the ISO with dd (from within slacko).

See screenshot dd_write.png.
My first impression is that the filesystems and readonly permissions are the same (see screenshot df-t.png).

I'm quite confused. Can someone maybe check if they get a different result with the iso flile: slacko64-6.3.2-uefi.iso file

[bigpup]

How about posting, an image of what Gparted shows, for the setup, of partitions, on the USB flash drive.

I think you need to get the USB flash drive partitioned and formatted correctly.

sdb1 is formatted iso9660 and that is just wrong.
Or dd is just writing the iso of Slacko to sdb1 and unpacking it, still in a iso9660 format.

Using dd is just asking for problems. No mistakes, and it is simple to make a wrong command.

Us Gparted to partition and format.
Do you need help using Gparted?

All the partitions need to be formatted in a standard format. Fat32, ext3 or 4 etc........

Make the first partition some size.
Say 5GB.
Format it fat32
Flag it boot.
The rest of the drive you can partition and format how you like.

I still suggest using an installer program that is in Slacko.

Do all Slacko installs to this first partition.

In Windows use Unetbootin
The first partition does need to be formatted fat32 and flagged boot.
Unetbootin will install Slacko to that partition.

About that save writing to the USB flash drive.
The way the flash drive is formatted.
There is no real place to write it.
Partitions are wrong format or have no room.
Doing the above should get this corrected.

[Randyth]

I just wanted to report that I found a working solution to the above situation.

I just booted slacko64 from the flashed usb drive (with the iso9660 formatted partition that couldn't be edited), then formatted the usb drive to fat32 with fdisk and used this guide to create a new bootable USB drive with slacko64 files on the writable fat32 partition.
Then booted this version of slack64 and stored the session on the fat32 usb drive.
This session file can be found upon new bootups and so the sessions are now restored properly.

Two things I learned:
- slacko64 cannot find sessions on the NTFS sda4 partition on bootup without any edits (but can find it on the FAT32 sdb1 partition).
- the slacko64 iso files provided by puppy linux site is explicitly for CD's. You can write the ISO file to an USB drive,..but you will end up with a bootable yet non-writable iso9660 formatted partition. For bootable USB drives, the mentioned guide is the preferred method.


I'm now enjoying the full puppy experience and I must say I love it. It's very light yet complete. I removed the outdated Firefox ESR version and replaced it with the latest Firefox (after a needed GTK3 install) and the speed increase is very noticeable (for example youtube video playback was lagging with the older ESR version, but is smooth in the latest version).
This makes me wonder: why do people like to use ESR FF so much? is it just because the auto-update feature is disabled by default in ESR? Or is it because the ESR versions don't require GTK3?

[bigpup]

- the slacko64 iso files provided by puppy linux site is explicitly for CD's. You can write the ISO file to an USB drive,..but you will end up with a bootable yet non-writable iso9660 formatted partition.

No, they are good for any device install.
If you use the correct installer, to do the install to a USB flash drive.
The installers in Puppy or a installer in Windows, (Unetbootin) designed for doing live installs on a USB flash drive.