greetings all. i just installed puppy 1.0.7 with mozilla onto my usb memory stick with the hopes of having a bootable stick that i could insert into any machine with a usb port and the proper bios settings.
after much struggling with getting the stick to be the proper format, the install-usb.sh script was finally able to mount /dev/sda1 to /mnt/usbdrive or whatever and the script was finally able to run to conclusion without any untoward error messages.
now when i try to boot from the stick (yes, the bios settings are ok) i get a single small horizontal line (looks a bit like an obsolete cursor) blinking balefully over and over.
how can i troubleshoot this??? are there any logs getting spat out anywhere that might help me figure out what the hell is happening?
thanks in advance!
G
installing to USB device - install seemed ok but wont boot
-
grepnik
I know you're looking for help, not a 'me too'. But my current situation seems the same and I'm prpared to try to fix it and report back. Like you, Install goes fine, but the USB isn't recognized as bootable.
The reason I'm tagging along is that I ran fdisk and got:
This is with a new PNY Attache 512MB pendrive.
I would give up sooner, but I've had this drive booting up fine to the Win98 command line. I also tried a manual approach. copying over the files and running syslinux - same result.
The reason I'm tagging along is that I ran fdisk and got:
Code: Select all
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(61, 254, 63) logical=(62, 86, 24)
Partition 1: previous sectors 1001471 disagrees with total 996029
62 unallocated sectorsI would give up sooner, but I've had this drive booting up fine to the Win98 command line. I also tried a manual approach. copying over the files and running syslinux - same result.
-
Trip
found something...
Hi guys,
have a look here:
http://www.murga.org/~puppy/viewtopic.php?t=4958
I'm downloading from:
ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/os/Linux/distr/p ... ozilla.iso
I'll let U know something asap
have a look here:
http://www.murga.org/~puppy/viewtopic.php?t=4958
I'm downloading from:
ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/os/Linux/distr/p ... ozilla.iso
I'll let U know something asap
-
Trip
nothing to do?
Hi guys,
I've tried to download and install the 1.0.6 release but it seems not to work properly.
I've also tried to install the DSL (damn small linux) distro and....it works! so I had a look to the differences:
1) in DSL "Install to USB" there are two options: Install to USB HD and Install to USB Zip Drive. The right choice is USB Zip (but maybe only for PCs BIOS like mine). With DSL, my pc boots regularly from USB pen drive
2) In Puppy distro it seems that the USB pen drive should have only one FAT partition whilst in DSL the pen drive, after the installation, has two partition: the first one is a bootable primary 50Mb FAT16 type, the second is a primary WIN95 FAT32 partition.
3) So, I've tried to create two partitions of the same type on the USB drive , installed the puppy distro on sda1 and reboot but i've just got another blinking cursor on a black screen...
I don't want to give up so...keep trying...
I've tried to download and install the 1.0.6 release but it seems not to work properly.
I've also tried to install the DSL (damn small linux) distro and....it works! so I had a look to the differences:
1) in DSL "Install to USB" there are two options: Install to USB HD and Install to USB Zip Drive. The right choice is USB Zip (but maybe only for PCs BIOS like mine). With DSL, my pc boots regularly from USB pen drive
2) In Puppy distro it seems that the USB pen drive should have only one FAT partition whilst in DSL the pen drive, after the installation, has two partition: the first one is a bootable primary 50Mb FAT16 type, the second is a primary WIN95 FAT32 partition.
3) So, I've tried to create two partitions of the same type on the USB drive , installed the puppy distro on sda1 and reboot but i've just got another blinking cursor on a black screen...
I don't want to give up so...keep trying...
-
Guest
Thanks Trip. I too created a 1.0.6 multisession CD and used it to install to the USB - same problem.
My BIOS doesn't give you options for USB-ZIP or USB-HDD with a pen drive. I think it would recognise a real USB HDD as such, and once (by dd'ing a small bootable partition to the pen drive) it saw it as a HDD.
I don't know if the partition fault I quoted above is relevant. Now I look closer I see it's complaining about the end of the drive not the start.
Let me know if you find anything Trip. I'm going to have to learn more about MBRs etc I think, I find myself blundering about trying things and it would be quicker to start from a proper understanding.
My BIOS doesn't give you options for USB-ZIP or USB-HDD with a pen drive. I think it would recognise a real USB HDD as such, and once (by dd'ing a small bootable partition to the pen drive) it saw it as a HDD.
I don't know if the partition fault I quoted above is relevant. Now I look closer I see it's complaining about the end of the drive not the start.
Let me know if you find anything Trip. I'm going to have to learn more about MBRs etc I think, I find myself blundering about trying things and it would be quicker to start from a proper understanding.
-
grepnik
I'm coming to the conclusion that it's not worth trying to work out what the problem is. I think it might be the strange sector problem. cfdisk refuses to have anything to do with it. I have another identical drive and this reports the same error with different numerical values. Modern flash drives use wear levelling techniques which remap sectors, maybe it's this.
I got it to run from USB by booting from WAKEPUP on a floppy, but if I'm to use two media I might as well boot from a CD and either write back to it using the multisession version, or save the settings data to the flash drive.
Thanks for your help, I'll look out for any ideas on this one.
I got it to run from USB by booting from WAKEPUP on a floppy, but if I'm to use two media I might as well boot from a CD and either write back to it using the multisession version, or save the settings data to the flash drive.
Thanks for your help, I'll look out for any ideas on this one.
-
grepnik
I'll check out Puppy2, it does seem to be the way to go.
But in the meantime, I have a solution to the booting problem.
I read somewhere that DSL's USB install needs you to mess with USB drive geometry and that didn't seem the Puppy way of doing things. However as I said these drives boot DOS or Win98 command line quite happily, so I tried a few DOS bootloaders. Couldn't get GRUB to work but I found someone's post on ldlin.com and that works fine.
This should work for USB drives that fail to boot using a Linux bootloader like syslinux, but which can be nade to boot to DOS.
The steps were
1. Make the USB drive bootable with a FAT partition. I used the (Windows) HP USB boot utility.
2. Either as part of step 1 (specifying the file location), or by booting to DOS from floppy and running sys, copy the DOS files to the USB
3. Copy the 3 Puppy files over
4. Copy LDLIN.COM and a config file for it over
5. Create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file which invokes Ldlin.
Now I realise there are many ways to do this. You could make a WAKEPUP floppy and change it so that it does the steps above, or create an image file which just needs to be burned to USB
Longer term, if these Linux-unbootable drives get commoner, I guess newer versions of the Linux bootloaders will deal with them. Or a new version of Puppy could have an install-to-USB setup option that uses LDLIN, as well as the existing syslinux one. Or even instead of the syslinux one if it works on all the other USB drives.
A drawback, it's very slow to boot, as slow as. oh..., Debian or XP are from HDD. No doubt Puppy2 will help.
My autoexec.bat consists of the single line
and the Ldlin config file puppy.lin contains
root=/dev/ram0
PFILE=pup001-none-262144
PSLEEP=25
PHOME=sda1
(You can remove the PHOME line and Puppy will try sda1 and sda2 by default)
Config.sys contains
possibly none of which is needed on a modern machine.
I'd be happy to help with a Wakepup-based method, can someone suggest which forum I should post to to suggest this? At the very least I'll turn this into practical working notes that can be followed by anyone without specific knowledge.
But in the meantime, I have a solution to the booting problem.
I read somewhere that DSL's USB install needs you to mess with USB drive geometry and that didn't seem the Puppy way of doing things. However as I said these drives boot DOS or Win98 command line quite happily, so I tried a few DOS bootloaders. Couldn't get GRUB to work but I found someone's post on ldlin.com and that works fine.
This should work for USB drives that fail to boot using a Linux bootloader like syslinux, but which can be nade to boot to DOS.
The steps were
1. Make the USB drive bootable with a FAT partition. I used the (Windows) HP USB boot utility.
2. Either as part of step 1 (specifying the file location), or by booting to DOS from floppy and running sys, copy the DOS files to the USB
3. Copy the 3 Puppy files over
4. Copy LDLIN.COM and a config file for it over
5. Create an AUTOEXEC.BAT file which invokes Ldlin.
Now I realise there are many ways to do this. You could make a WAKEPUP floppy and change it so that it does the steps above, or create an image file which just needs to be burned to USB
Longer term, if these Linux-unbootable drives get commoner, I guess newer versions of the Linux bootloaders will deal with them. Or a new version of Puppy could have an install-to-USB setup option that uses LDLIN, as well as the existing syslinux one. Or even instead of the syslinux one if it works on all the other USB drives.
A drawback, it's very slow to boot, as slow as. oh..., Debian or XP are from HDD. No doubt Puppy2 will help.
My autoexec.bat consists of the single line
Code: Select all
linld.com image=a:\vmlinuz initrd=a:\image.gz cl=@puppy.linroot=/dev/ram0
PFILE=pup001-none-262144
PSLEEP=25
PHOME=sda1
(You can remove the PHOME line and Puppy will try sda1 and sda2 by default)
Config.sys contains
Code: Select all
files=10
buffers=10
stacks=9,256
lastdrive=zI'd be happy to help with a Wakepup-based method, can someone suggest which forum I should post to to suggest this? At the very least I'll turn this into practical working notes that can be followed by anyone without specific knowledge.
IT WORKS!
Hi guys,
according to grepnik words I've tried to do the same and it definitely works!
I've just made some changes so I'll try to explain:
What U need (under windows):
1)HP USB boot utility
2)loadlin.exe
3) any iso for WIN booting files (I've used a Windows 98 one downloaded from http://www.bootdisk.com/
How to proceed (or, in other words, what I've done...)
1) Format FAT16 and make the USB key bootable with the HP utility
U should have 3 files on now: command.com, io.sys, msdos.sys
2) Copy the Puppy files to USB key (I've used the version 2.0 initrd.gz, pup_003.sfs, vmlinuz)
3) Create 2 new text files, autoexec.bat and puppy.lin
autoexec.bat
puppy.lin
That's all, folks!
- reboot (set your BIOS to boot from USB, of course)
- enjoy
It has worked to me, thanks all for your efforts, I'm migrating from winzozz so I'm very excited for using such a beautiful OS...!
bye
according to grepnik words I've tried to do the same and it definitely works!
I've just made some changes so I'll try to explain:
What U need (under windows):
1)HP USB boot utility
2)loadlin.exe
3) any iso for WIN booting files (I've used a Windows 98 one downloaded from http://www.bootdisk.com/
How to proceed (or, in other words, what I've done...)
1) Format FAT16 and make the USB key bootable with the HP utility
U should have 3 files on now: command.com, io.sys, msdos.sys
2) Copy the Puppy files to USB key (I've used the version 2.0 initrd.gz, pup_003.sfs, vmlinuz)
3) Create 2 new text files, autoexec.bat and puppy.lin
autoexec.bat
Code: Select all
loadlin.exe @puppy.linCode: Select all
vmlinuz
root=/dev/ram0
initrd=initrd.gz
ro
PFILE=pup001-none-262144
PSLEEP=25
PMEDIA=usbflash
- reboot (set your BIOS to boot from USB, of course)
- enjoy
It has worked to me, thanks all for your efforts, I'm migrating from winzozz so I'm very excited for using such a beautiful OS...!
bye
-
Guest
I followed Trip's instructions to the letter and am still recieving an error on my Geek Squad 256 MB flash drive.
It starts DOS and then commes up with a black screen that says:
Uncompressing Linux.....
invalid compressed format (err=1)
--System Halted
and then the whole computer is locked up and I have to reset the system.
any ideas
It starts DOS and then commes up with a black screen that says:
Uncompressing Linux.....
invalid compressed format (err=1)
--System Halted
and then the whole computer is locked up and I have to reset the system.
any ideas
-
grepnik
It looks like it boots to DOS and starts the Linux load.
How did you get and copy the 3 Linux files? If you can boot any Puppy Linux eg from CD, use the Drives (mutt) utility to mount the CD and the flash drive. Do md5sum initrd.gz on the versions on the Puppy source and the flash drive, the result string should be the same. If not, copy it over again in Linux. And the other 2 Linux files for good measure. Then try to boot it again.
I'm not an expert but it says a file is corrupt, this will show if they are the same or not.
How did you get and copy the 3 Linux files? If you can boot any Puppy Linux eg from CD, use the Drives (mutt) utility to mount the CD and the flash drive. Do md5sum initrd.gz on the versions on the Puppy source and the flash drive, the result string should be the same. If not, copy it over again in Linux. And the other 2 Linux files for good measure. Then try to boot it again.
I'm not an expert but it says a file is corrupt, this will show if they are the same or not.
Hi guys,
I've tried again a couple of times the flow-chart I've posted last time and it works with my JOGR 512 Flash USB Pen Drive
There are major problems with saving session in Puppy.
with Puppy 2.0 ver. I get an error on the second boot if I try to save my settings just before the shutdown. It doesn't boot anymore until I delete the file .sfs just created, as large in size as the amount of RAM U've used on the Puppy session
with Puppy 1.0.7 there are some troubles with pup001 file. I deleted the file and it works again, so I keep trying.
Some changes in puppy.lin file:
Using ver 1.0.7:
Using ver. 2.0
Using WinXp U should be able to do everything without problems
To copy linux files on the Flash drive I ran WinImage and extracted image.gz (initrd.gz), vmlinuz, usr_cram.fs
Let me know, I'll let U
I've tried again a couple of times the flow-chart I've posted last time and it works with my JOGR 512 Flash USB Pen Drive
There are major problems with saving session in Puppy.
with Puppy 2.0 ver. I get an error on the second boot if I try to save my settings just before the shutdown. It doesn't boot anymore until I delete the file .sfs just created, as large in size as the amount of RAM U've used on the Puppy session
with Puppy 1.0.7 there are some troubles with pup001 file. I deleted the file and it works again, so I keep trying.
Some changes in puppy.lin file:
Using ver 1.0.7:
Code: Select all
vmlinuz
root=/dev/ram0
[b]initrd=image.gz[/b]
ro
PFILE=pup001-none-262144
PSLEEP=25
PMEDIA=usbflash
Code: Select all
vmlinuz
root=/dev/ram0
[b]initrd=initrd.gz[/b]
ro
PFILE=pup001-none-262144
PSLEEP=25
PMEDIA=usbflash
To copy linux files on the Flash drive I ran WinImage and extracted image.gz (initrd.gz), vmlinuz, usr_cram.fs
Let me know, I'll let U