Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

looseSCREWorTWO · Posted: Sat 27 Mar 2010, 22:28 Post subject:

If you have a spare Flash Drive, install these and see if they work:

Puppy 4.2.1

Puppy 4.2.1 Retro

I've got one or the other of these to work on many occasions, after 4.3.1 failed.

lotech · Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 271

I installed pup on a 2G HP flash drive as fat32 and tried both partitioned and super floppy method but none boots up, I installed so many before the 4.3.1 without too much of problem , and I find it is particulary hard to boot on Dell, usually super floppy method will fix that but not this time, may be I will try the ext2.

x15j · Joined: 27 Mar 2010 Posts: 21

rjbrewer · Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 4377 Location: merriam, kansas

Guess you were trying to put 4.3.1 on the flash. I mentioned
earlier it had problems.

I use 4.1.2 more than 90% of the time. Almost anything 4.3.1 has can be added to 4.1.2 in the form of easily added pet packages.

It installs easily to flash with fat16 or fat32.

looseSCREWorTWO · Posted: Sun 28 Mar 2010, 04:05 Post subject:

x15j,
you might not be doing anything wrong at all. Acer and Dell do some pretty weird things with their BIOS.

Try the USB Stick in another (non-Acer, non-Dell) PC and see if it works. A PC no more than 5 years old will usually Boot from USB without a problem, except if it's in an Internet Cafe (where they often disable USB Boots for security purposes)

Crash · Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 427 Location: Garland, TX

Puppy version 4.3.1 works fine on my USB drive, FAT32. It is a Sandisk Cruzer 4GB. I originally partitioned and formatted it using a Windows98 floppy boot disk. I have the Puppy files tucked away in a "\p431" subdirectory so as not to mix things up, otherwise it is pretty standard.

I've had the USB stick for over a year now, and it seems to behave OK no matter what version of Puppy Linux I boot to.

Boot code:

LINLD.COM image=C:\p431\vmlinuz initrd=C:\p431\initrd.gz "cl=root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=usbflash acpi=on"

nooby · Joined: 29 Jun 2008 Posts: 9479 Location: SwedenEurope

Could some older BIOS be more friendly to LINLD.COM boot loader maybe?

LINLD.COM image=C:\p431\vmlinuz initrd=C:\p431\initrd.gz "cl=root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=usbflash acpi=on"

Interesting that both LINLD.COM and PMEDIA needs to be big CAPITAL letters.

My usb problem seems more like some timing set up not allowing the boot time to settle for the usb. It goes instanly to boot up the hdd tracks and never look more than an instant at the usb. Even when I do F9 or F12 and tell it to boot the usb it instantly goes over to the hdd tracks.

So the solution for me was to include the vmlinuz and the initrd for the usb to be on the hdd and then it could load from the usb.

Wish I could find that linld.com thing somewhere. Yes I know the FreeDOS org something. Should look again there.

cthisbear · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 2980 Location: Sydney Australia

Different ports.

Had this on my wifes newer computer 6 months ago.
I was really surprised.

I've never had a failure Fat32.

Boot and LBA >>must be ticked in GParted.

/////

Check my post here. Strange USBs
" What I did notice on the Medion was that "

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=48350

/////////

puppy on a stick.

I use all the normal settings...but here is sneeky on Youtube.

I only click Enter...no fancy footwork needed.

I check GParted after install..not before...as stated tick
LBA and Boot.

And do not save settings...> on exit.

Bios bios bios >> some you have to nominate which
hard drive to boot first + your USB.

Some you just hit F12 >>select first boot. >>USB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nYaw9eYdbc&feature=related

Booting 5 different USBs with different pups
and 3 USB hard drives.
Chris.

Crash · Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 427 Location: Garland, TX

"LINLD.COM" and "PMEDIA" can be upper or lower case.

LINLD.COM is on the Wakepup2 floppy, but here is a copy of it anyway:

lotech · Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 271

It is always that new 'improved' version not necessary work better, I wish the next release will take care of the usb flash boot problem without too much of user intervention.

x15j · Joined: 27 Mar 2010 Posts: 21

I'm in over my head starting about half-way down this page.[/img]

lotech · Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 271

I finally install pup usb on a Dell machine and it boots up unexpectedly !! no more question case closed Confused