Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[smokey01]

I'm not quite sure what you really want.

If you want to be able to boot from a USB drive with various verison of , say, Puppy, then you can use GRUB to do this.

For example: I have GRUB installed on a 4G flash drive. This allows me to have a number of different versions of puppy on the same flash drive.

First you need to format the flash drive to the Linux format, I use ext3.
Now install GRUB to the flash drive. Use the universal installer in Puppy for ease. You could partition the flash drive with Gparted if you wish. I usually do frugal installs so I just place the different versions of Puppy in a different directory.

You need to edit the GRUB menu.lst file which should be in /boot/grub.

This is what my menu.lst file looks like:

# Start GRUB global section
timeout 10
default 0
color light-gray/blue black/light-gray
# End GRUB global section
title Puppy Linux 4.1.2 Retro
root (hd0,0)
kernel /puppy412/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=usbflash
initrd /puppy412/initrd.gz
#
title Puppy Linux 4.1.2 Normal
root (hd0,0)
kernel /puppy412n/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=usbflash
initrd /puppy412n/initrd.gz
#
title Puppy Linux 4.2 Alpha (Normal kernel)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /puppy420/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=usbflash
initrd /puppy420/initrd.gz
#

Now if you have your boot sequence setup as stated in the previous email, it should boot up, give you the GRUB menu to select which version to run.

Regards

[bignono1]

Thank you CatDude for the excellent topic.
I printed your first post and did the install accordingly,
it worked just fine with
some minor dif. but it payed alot and i said goodby for ever to window$.
Now i get this on the boot screen:
Linux (on /dev/sda1)
LInux (on /dev/sda2)
I missed with the partition part so i got to choose sda2 to boot and that is more than great for me.
No more windowz .
Thanks again mate u r great.

[bignono1]

sorry for the error and the bad English

[Kenny-M]

I am a bit confused. I am trying to load Puppy on a partition of an external USB hard drive. Not a USB stick.

I gparted partition 1 of the external USB hard drive as ext3 marked it as bootable then used the universal installer. During the universal installer I was never asked for frugal or Full?

Your steps confuse me. You reference "root (HD0,0)". Wouldn't that be my internal sata drive?

Would "root (HD1,0)" be my first external USB hard drive?

Then you go on to say in Grub "kernel /puppy412/......". I get no choice using universal installer to specify that level. Only hdb1?

When booting the USB drive lights for a rew seconds then flashes a few times then posts an error message F1 to retry or F2 for settings. Aparently there is something wrong booting from the USB drive.

Dosen't puppy create directories like /bin /usr /etc on the USB drive?

Please advise.

[smokey01]

From what you have told me your first physical drive holds your Windows operating system. I assume it is on the first partition of that drive if you have more than one partition.

For GRUB purposed this partition is known as (hd0,0). If you had a second partition on the same HDD it would be called (hd0,1). On your second physical HDD, the USB, the first partition is (hd1,0) and the second partition is (hd1,1).

Apparently GRUB can be installed on any drive or partition but I have only been successful in getting it to work from drive (hd0,0) and this is where your windows OS is I believe. To install GRUB in this location you will probably break windows.

I started with a clean HDD so did not have to deal with this problem.

[bignono1]

I edited the boot list timeout 30 to timeout 0 but still i have to hit enter for the machine to start, please help.

[ICPUG]

bignono1

does your boot list contain a line like

default 0


to tell it what to boot when the timeout runs out?

[CatDude]

Hi

@ smokey01
Thanks for trying to help Kenny-M with his problem,
i could not offer any help myself, as i do not have any experience with USB installs.

@ bignono1
As ICPUG has already suggested, look in your menu.lst file
and look for a line like:

[bignono1]

Thank you all.
Keep up the good spirit.

[Kenny-M]

CatDude, smokey01,

Thanks for trying to help me. I have tried everything I know and suggestions you have made to no avail.

I can see what appear to be the same files on the ISO image being put onto the USB drive. I would have expected to see a "tree" structure of some sort like /bin /use /etc or am I simply making the USB Drive a clone of the CD?

I have tried large partitions, small partitions, Grub pointing to /dev/hdb1 and MBR.

The one thing that appears to work is now when booting from the CD puppy is using the 'swap' partition I created on the USB drive. So Puppy can see the drive.

There is just something wrong with the startup process. Booting the P.C. and selecting a USB drive causes the USB drive to light for a few seconds then blink a few times finally returning an error that it couldn't find something or other.

I like Puppy and SeaMonkey and the desktop (Xorg & Vesa options).

Also, Puppy does not seem able to print to my HP PSC-1310 multifunction printer. It's connected via a USB cable. Printer setup sees the printer but apparently there is no driver close enough to work. I have tried several.

So, as of this writing and days and hours spent trying to make it work I am going to have to shelve Puppy and move on and try someone elses distribution.

Thanks.

[bignono1]

Kenny-M : If you want it to work , it must and will work but if you give up,
NOTHING will work.

[bignono1]

CatDude

The line :default 0 will not boot the first entry , it will just select it.

[daton]

My Proublem
Grub write

Minimal bash-like line editing is supported. For the firtst word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists the possible completions of a device/filename.

pleas what shell I do ?

thank you Daton

[daton]

I forgot throw in. Instalation now full puppy 4.2. I act upon manual but grub reporting error message:

Minimal bash-like line editing is supported. For the firtst word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists the possible completions of a device/filename.

Pleas what shell I do (?)

I am sorry my English is horrible. I am from Czek.

I thank you for your advice

[CatDude]

Hi