I have exactly the same problem as drunkjedi: savefiles are created but completely ignored on boot. Many suggestions were tossed back and forth in this thread, so I'm not clear what the precise solution is (if we have one).
I've tried adding boot parameters "psave=sda8:/tahr64save" with "pmedia=cd" just to make sure, but it makes no difference. The "pmedia=satacd" suggestion didn't work either. Every boot is a first boot.
If a solution is developed, could it be summarized in really clear language as (possibly) the final post in the thread.
The strange case of init script in initrd.gz
Here's my solution, YMMV:
I booted from the Live-CD tahrpup USB stick and then installed tahrpup to a second USB stick. The default boot parameters for such an install include pmedia=usbflash. In syslinux.cfg, I changed this to pmedia=satacd. When I booted from this new install, it actually searched the drives for savefiles. My savefile, which the Live-CD had always ignored, was loaded. Exactly what I wanted.
If there are multiple savefiles, a list is presented.
pmedia=usbflash permits savefiles only on the USB drive itself.
My problem, and perhaps drunkjedi's too, seems to lie in trying to use savefiles with the original "Live-CD". Few people burn CDs any more. They put the ISO onto a USB stick. It seems that what you need is a puppy installation on a USB stick. The two disks are indistinguishable by their contents. The Live-CD stick has an isofs file system, the installed tahrpup has a FAT filesystem.
I booted from the Live-CD tahrpup USB stick and then installed tahrpup to a second USB stick. The default boot parameters for such an install include pmedia=usbflash. In syslinux.cfg, I changed this to pmedia=satacd. When I booted from this new install, it actually searched the drives for savefiles. My savefile, which the Live-CD had always ignored, was loaded. Exactly what I wanted.
If there are multiple savefiles, a list is presented.
pmedia=usbflash permits savefiles only on the USB drive itself.
My problem, and perhaps drunkjedi's too, seems to lie in trying to use savefiles with the original "Live-CD". Few people burn CDs any more. They put the ISO onto a USB stick. It seems that what you need is a puppy installation on a USB stick. The two disks are indistinguishable by their contents. The Live-CD stick has an isofs file system, the installed tahrpup has a FAT filesystem.