(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Really old Gateway laptop. Burned puppy to DVD+R with Brasero at 4x and left open for rewriting multissesions. Checked on my box & boots fine, the Gateway latop refuses to boot it. The drive says DVD R/RW, I'm going to get a DVD-R and try again. Also boots fine from CD-R and saved pup_save to USB ext2 but the laptop refuses to look at the USB for pup_save during reboot then boots into initial default live CD. I'll update after I try with a DVD-R disc.

hi skates,
check your burner's specs. I have a 5+ yr old machine, and couldn't burn a multi-session dvd. (I was using -R discs). Live DVD & multisession CD were both fine. Then found that my burner only supports multi-session with dvd+r, bought a spindle of DVD+R discs and haven't had a problem since.

OK, burned again but to a DVD-R rather than a +R and it booted up. However puppy refused to save the session to "CD" as it says. The screen just flickers when I click save to CD and no go. Rather it decides its time to migrate to a new blank disc. I really didn't want to touch the NTFS HDD on that laptop but it seems a pup_save on the HDD is my only choice now.

mcalex wrote:hi skates,
check your burner's specs. I have a 5+ yr old machine, and couldn't burn a multi-session dvd. (I was using -R discs). Live DVD & multisession CD were both fine. Then found that my burner only supports multi-session with dvd+r, bought a spindle of DVD+R discs and haven't had a problem since.

Thanks,
My first attempt was with a +R and the laptop refused to boot it though my box would boot it up fine (leading me to believe the laptop drive won't play nice with +R format. I guess I could try again with the +R but the documentation says multi-session should work on -R.
Maybe I should do the burn with the laptop's drive?

omskates wrote:OK, burned again but to a DVD-R rather than a +R ...

What program did you use to burn the multisession DVD-R? Try Puppy's Menu --> Multisession --> Burniso2cd. It has always worked for me, with all kinds of DVD and CD.

Alternatively, you can try using a usb flash drive to save your session, as well as other data to. That way you dont need to worry about taking up dvd space. Not to mention, if you use it between different computers, it will waste a lot of space alternately saving the settings for each computer. a better way would be to use a flash drive and (with a newer puppy) maintain a pup_save file for each machine you use it with. If you wish to have access to all your work with any computer, then just move your /root/my-documents folder from one pup_save file to the flash drives root directory and symlink it to the /root folder in each pup_save file

I can't boot multisession CD/DVD, of any kind, from my Acer Aspire laptop. Other have also reported this. As I understand it, there is a fundamental problem with laptop optical drives, though I don't know if that is only from one manufacturer.

PupGeek wrote:Alternatively, you can try using a usb flash drive to save your session, as well as other data......

Interestingly enough I had tried that and a pup_save file was created on the flash. However on reboot puppy did not see it so booted to initial default live session. I had formatted the flash ext2 or 3 (can't remember), maybe a different format is in order for this? Hmmm......(scratching head)

My old inspiron laptop with an old combo drive (no burner)
can boot a multisession cd.......But not if made with puppy 4.3
version.

omskates wrote:

PupGeek wrote:Alternatively, you can try using a usb flash drive to save your session, as well as other data......

Interestingly enough I had tried that and a pup_save file was created on the flash. However on reboot puppy did not see it so booted to initial default live session. I had formatted the flash ext2 or 3 (can't remember), maybe a different format is in order for this? Hmmm......(scratching head)

if you copy your pup_xxx.sfs file over to your flash drive and boot the cd with "puppy pmedia=usbflash" it should definitely notice it....... unless, of course, your flash drive is plugged into a hub