How to install Lucid Puppy by CD/DVD? (Solved)

[Abel]

Hi,

I have this computer:
https://www.cnet.com/products/fujitsu-l ... ies/specs/
All specs in the link,
(Fujitsu LifeBook s4546) 256mb RAM || 600MHz CPU || 40G Hard disk

It's OS is Xubuntu 9 dot something right now,
I wanted to install an easy to use and lightweight Puppy OS so I think Lucid Puppy is the appropriate one,

I have downloaded the iso of Lucid Puppy from its website (http://puppylinux.org/main/Long-Term-Su ... 0Puppy.htm)
and burned that ISO into a DVD, selected in the computer boot options to boot by CD/DVD

I get this messages:






Then Xubuntu just loads up

already tried to boot by pen drive but the computer doesn't even give me that option, I can give a full view of the bios if needed

this computer was given to me some time ago, I don't know how to work with Xubuntu, I'm used to windows only.

Please help, I really want to make this computer work without this slow Xubunto OS.

[rockedge]

Hello! It looks like it is going to the Grub2 boot manager already present on the Hard drive. You burned a CD or DVD? Does the machine read DVD?

can you select boot device at startup? so you can insure that the CD is being read?

[Abel]

Hi,

Yes, after I press enter in the boot menu (the menu that lets-me chose from where to boot) the computer loads Grub2 you spoke about.

Yes I can select to start by DVD, when I do I hear the disk spinning for a little, but it just loads Grub2 anyways.

I burned a DVD, it is possible that this computer only reads CD yes, I doubt I have a CD but I'll search.

[dancytron]

You could try a manual frugal install.

Basically, you create a folder on the same partition that already has linux installed. Then copy the contents of the DVD (or ISO file) to the folder, and then manually edit the configuration file to boot your lucid install. Some trial and error might be involved.

See http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Grub2 and the linked message board threads.

[Abel]

That sounds like a good Idea, I'll try a frugal install then

[Mike Walsh]

Hi, Abel. And 'Welcome' to the kennels!

Funnily enough, I've mentioned this exact same problem in several threads recently.....

GRUB2 is the 'preferred' bootloader on the big, 'mainstream' Linux distros. It's a bloated, over-complicated, misbegotten abortion of a thing which most Linux users, nevertheless, seem to think is the best thing since sliced bread....

(*shakes head in amazement*)

The problem we have here is the usual one; because of the unique way that Puppy is constructed, using SFS file packages, instead of a partition full of system folders, GRUB2 doesn't 'see' Puppy. GRUB2 is looking for a folder called /boot.....which is simply not part of the Puppy setup.

You could try a manual frugal install.

Unlikely, Dan; not with 256 MB of RAM it won't. And if in fact it's only got the 128MB RAM it would have came with in 'base' spec, it'll have even more trouble...

----------------------------------------------

With a machine like yours I would in fact stick to the 'full' install, which was developed as an option specially for low-spec, 'RAM-challenged' machines like that one. Even Lucid will struggle with a 'frugal' install, because there isn't sufficient room to fully load Puppy into RAM; not properly.

You need to run the LiveCD, which in turn will allow you to run Puppy's own Grub4DOS bootloader setup tool. This has been specially 'tweaked' to work with Pup, and is, in fact, no more than the old Grub bootloader from before it was 'overhauled', and became the monstrosity that it is today.

It will detect both Lucid & Xubuntu, and will allow you to select to boot either of them, or you can delete the Xubuntu entry altogether.....makes things easier that way, 'cos you can then see what you're doing...!

---------------------------------

It's entirely possible your Fujitsu only has a CD re-writer; my old Dell lappie, about the same age as yours, only came with one of those. The DVD/CD 'combo' re-writer it now sports came from FleaBay for around a fiver, a couple of years ago. It was an £80 'option' back in 2002!


Mike.

[Flash]

Unfortunately, computer DVD drives may be going the way of the dodo even though the DVD is still a very useful format.

[dancytron]

I didn't see the low ram. Mike is right about that.

[Abel]

Thanks Mike

So my only option is to install Puppy from a CD?
I'll see if I got one then.

I've tried as well to load Puppy from a pen drive
(following this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuYZ-9zcp4w)
but I guess it didn't work due to the low RAM as you said.

[mikeslr]

Hi Abel and All,

As I see it, this is a two-fold problem.

(a) Finding a Puppy which, with Abel's computer's limited resources --especially RAM-- makes sense to run.
(b) Figuring out how to get it to run from that computer.

I would recommend Wary 5.5 (LTS), click the folder from here, http://puppylinux.org/main/Long-Term-Su ... yPuppy.htm where it reads "this folder". Of course in its day, 2013, it included everything for common computer usage. And it did so for computers with 256 Mbs of RAM. But today, the great obstacle is satisfactory access to the Web. Watchdog's tweaked paiemoon, should suffice for now: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 443#933443. See, discussion here: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 337abfcaff. Maybe even Lucid 5.25 as noted on that page is possible.

The catch is, and as Abel asked, how to get it to run from that computer. And regardless of whether it would run better as a "Full Install" or is possible as a "Frugal Install" I would want to make sure it runs at all before 'wiping' Xubuntu 9 from the computer. I note that even though the Fujitsu LifeBook s4546 has two USB-ports, it apparently isn't set up to boot from them.

So I'd start with Wary Frugally installed, and customize Grub2. After you've downloaded the ISO, see if you can mount it. Let us know if you are successful. Instructions and hopefully not needed additional helpful application --it may no longer be available-- discussed here: https://askubuntu.com/questions/164227/ ... n-iso-file. If you can mount the ISO, you'll see in the window which opens thee files Wary will need: initrd.gz, puppy_wary_5.5.sfs and vmlinuz. Leaving that window open, browse to the top of the drive/partition on which Xubuntu is located and create a folder named 'wary' without the quotes. Then copy each of those files into the folder. You will probably have to open Xubuntu's file manager with administrative privileges --giving your password-- to create the folder and do the copying. IIRC, you'll have to do the same to customize Grub2's menu.

See here about customizing Grub2's menu to list a frugal Wary: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 070#975070

Your menu might look something like this -- I've deleted lines which are not necessary except to keep you informed as to what was taking place:

menuentry 'Wary Puppy (frugal) HD 0, partition 3' {
set root='(hd0,3)'
linux /wary/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=wary
initrd /wary/initrd.gz
}

In the above example, as Grub starts counting at 0 (zero) the wary folder was actually on the 4th partition of the first drive, see: https://superuser.com/questions/92780/w ... ion-number

Suggest you seek info on an Ubuntu webpage regarding how to customize and update Grub2. Like 'the other Mike', I so detest Grub2 that I've been unable to memorize how to work it. Maybe someone else, here, can provide instructions.

Once you can boot some puppy we'll be in a better position to advice regarding what to do next.


mikesLr

[bigpup]

You need to burn a CD.

From the computers specs.

Optical Storage

Type
CD-ROM

Well, it could be a CD/DVD drive.
One computer version has that.

When you do the burn make sure you are selecting burn iso image.
When done correctly there should be a bunch of files on the CD.
If all you see is a iso file, you did not burn it correctly.

selected in the computer boot options to boot by CD/DVD

If you are doing it correctly and the CD/DVD was burned correctly. You should see a Puppy boot screen.

[Abel]

Hi,

First, thanks everyone for your help,
I haven't got a CD to burn Puppy's iso yet.

About the iso, I don't have any program to mount it in Xubuntu but I can open the iso to view/copy its files using the file manager

I am trying to do what Mikeslr said but I can't access the file manager (Named Thunar) as root/superuser.

Bigpup, I've burned the DVD I had as you said but it didn't work, I guess only a CD will do.

[Abel]

In this image:
https://imgur.com/6bOPI8A
Platinium 8 is my pen drive,
"utilizador" is the user folder,
"Sistema de ficheiros" is the disk I believe but it doesn't seem to be possible to create any folder here, its because I didn't open Thunar (the file manager) as superuser.

In the terminal, I am trying to open Thunar as superuser but Thunder just doesn't open

The Xubuntu version is 9.04

[Abel]

Update:

I managed to open Thunar as root user,

did copy the files from the iso to wary folder but @mikeslr I can't figure how to custom Grub2 from the link you gave, in which file should I write that code?

here are some images:

boot/
https://imgur.com/rJnuTnk

boot/grub/
https://imgur.com/bxBLyU4

wary/
https://imgur.com/KFHLLYV

(disk)/
https://imgur.com/LmzSKU2

[Abel]

Update:

I got a CD and the computer does try to boot Wary Puppy now, see the image:

https://imgur.com/TC4q2XT

The problem is the boot fails every single time, I've noticed there are some options when I press F2 or F3

F2 key:
https://imgur.com/2mBAqm6

F3 key:
https://imgur.com/bgF8wy7

what should I do next?

[davids45]

G'day Abel,

While we on the Forum can copy and paste your links into our browsers to see each image, to make it easy for us to just click your image references to see them, when you type them in your posts, just start each link with (ignore quotes when doing it):
""
and finish the link's text with ""

E.g. should look this this if you Preview your post:
https://imgur.com/TC4q2XT
and
https://imgur.com/bgF8wy7

Re your low RAM, if you install a Full Pup in its own partition, while making a partition for Puppy (format as ext2 or ext3, size ~5GB?), you could also make a linux swap partition (~500MB, about double your RAM), if there's not already one on your hard-drive from your Ubuntu set-up.

Have fun,

David S.

[bigpup]

That error message usually has to do with having a bad burn of the iso image on the CD.

You have an old disk drive and it probably cannot read very fast.

Best results if you burn the iso image at a slow speed.
4X should work.

Condition of the CD is important.
Clean.
No scratches or very minor ones.

Disk drive clean inside.
Read lens clean.

CD disk drives do not work forever.
Hopefully your drive is still working OK.

[Abel]

Uptade:

I will order a new CD from the internet since the CD I had was way too fast.

I think I'll also see if the computer has both RAM slots full, maybe I could increase the RAM of my computer, who knows?

[Abel]

The answer above got duplicated, so I'm editing this copy.

Anyways, thanks to everyone for the help!

[bigpup]

I will order a new CD from the internet since the CD I had was way too fast.

Not so fast!

Who are you getting the CD from?

You have no way of burning your own from a downloaded Puppy iso?