CD RW wont boot after saving first setup on CD.

[Flash]

I could be completely wrong. I'm the furthest thing from an expert. I think that the sessions of a multisession CD should all be on track #1. You show that each session is on a separate track. I haven't used a CD for so long that I can't remember if that should be right. For general info, the CD specification allows CDs a maximum of 99 tracks. DVDs have no such limit.

It's really strange that cd-info says your Sony DRU-840A can write to a DVD-RAM but no other kind of rewritable DVD. Sony's website says a DRU-840A can write to anything.

Is there any chance that you could try burning Puppy to a DVD-R using Burniso2cd?

The only other thing I can think of is to suggest you try to update the firmware of the Sony. If that's even possible, you'd have to do it from Windows.

[tallboy]

Hi all!
I write this in my dpup-484beta4, running from a live-CD, burnt multisession on my ancient, builtin Sony CD-RW CRX140E, rev. 1n, burn speed 4. I have experimented with burning multisessions and modifying sfs's, and - as discussed in another thread, adding applications to folders stored on the multisession CD/DVD, for easy retrieval and installation of massive programs from the CD/DVD, whitout the need for a net connection, and without compromising boot speed.
I think some interesting text came out of Lookinglass360's cd-info, namely the line:
' Can read multiple sessions (e.g. PhotoCD) : Yes '
Please correct me if I am wrong, but that is a function introduced with the Kodak photo CD, and was invented some time before last stoneage! (try bringing an old Kodak photo cd into a photo-lab and ask them if they can make prints; if they have only Windoze-based software, they'll just scream and run!) You can also read lower down, in the 'CD Analysis Report', the dates in the description of the program used, indicating that multisession is not exactly a recently added function.
I made several multisession CD's that would not boot, because I used the commandline to burn, and obviously did not do it right. In the end, one mistake turned out to be a simple typing error that I repeatedly pasted into the command, but that is another story...

There is a file named /usr/sbin/remasterpup2, that contains the command used when remastering a cd, which looks like this:

Code: Select all

mkisofs -D -R -o dpup-485.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table puppylivecdbuild

Apart from the file names, you have to use all that code!

The sfs's were made from folders in a folder in /tmp named 'puppylivecdbuild' (as original), with the command:

Code: Select all

mksquashfs puppylivecdbuild/ dpup-485.iso -keep-as-directory

The files were burnt multisession with burniso2cd, located in /usr/sbin/burniso2cd.

There is given an option to verify the burn, have you tried that?

I always took great care to keep any out any modifications made to the original files from the downloaded original .iso, unless they were intended, and made all the mods and burns on a machine not connected to the net. I have several old linux-boxes, and I still got some CD's that will not boot on all, a reason may be because not all graphic drivers are present. It is also very difficult to keep out all of the necessary mods you make to the session you are copying, I don't know if there are any hard links that may screw up some attempts to remove all the modifications
There definitely are some flaws in the puppy scripts for making a remastered CD/DV. I have tried to make my own recipe to remember all steps, but I always end up with new icons not looking as they should, prefs that I wanted included have gone missing and so on, I have never succeded in making a single remastered CD/DVD exactly as I intended it to be! But, the day will come!

Edit: I also remembered another issue, linked to this problem: If you try to use the boot command 'puppy pfix=1' as described in a post earlier, while only having one save on the CD, it will go halfway into the boot process, and end abruptly with: 'kernel panic: attempting to kill init', forcing a physical removal of the power cord to stop the machine! Mmm, great fun every time!

tallboy

[Mitchellray]

I haven't found the solution in any of the threads I could find.

While the Multi-session CD-R would not reboot after first save,
it Does boot with the use of a usb bootflash stick.
The usb bootflash stick has had its syslinux.cfg altered to pmedia=cd.
When the boot takes place using the usb bootflash stick,
with the cd inserted as well,
the OS boots and the saved file is loaded.
Also, the process never looks for my other save files on the hard drive.
The usb bootflash stick does otherwise boot and then discover my other save files, when that cd is not used.
I am doing this with racy-5.5.
The CD-R was burned on an usb disc burner. But, this Laptop (I read it) won't boot from the external player.

I am now hoping that this little bit of information about the usb bootflash stick being able to boot the previously saved session on the CD-R will lead to a resolution.
M

[Flash]

How exactly did you make the USB bootflash stick?

[Mitchellray]

Hi Flash,
It was created a while ago, but I just happened to try this after reading the threads on this subject.
To my recollection, I made it as I have for a few of the puppy(s). I used the Bootflash Install Puppy to USB. I most likely used the default choice which is USB-HDD.
Then, I go into the syslinux.cfg and change pmedia=usbflash(?)(I would have to make a new one to confirm that was the original text), to pmedia=cd.
I usually use that usb flash stick to boot and discover my save files on the hard disk. I guess that is common. Sometimes I use a cd to boot when I want to run in ram without mounting anything. (more info than you asked for)

Also, earlier I created an .iso from that usb flash stick, and then burned that to a cd-r. It was a try my luck attempt at getting a cd-r with save file to boot on it's own.
The disc would not boot at all.

And, my system will say that it is unable to locate the OS when I try to boot a cd-r with a session saved. But it will work with the usb bootflash stick accompanying it. (not that last one that I made from the files on the usb bootflash stick, only ones made from the official racy-5.5.iso)
M

[Flash]

Thank you.

[Mitchellray]

Flash,
It looks like that works then.

Do you think someone might be able to use that bit of information to figure out how to adjust the scripts, so as to make the originally intended utility of being able to use those cd(s) on any machine while also maintaining an ongoing update to saved sessions a reality?
M

[Flash]

I don't know enough to say. Let's hope that someone who does know will read this thread.

[Mitchellray]

I was trying to burn to a racy-5.5 cd with saved sessions, the same files that existed on the cd-r prior to first save. I tried to introduce the first four (boot.cat, boot.msg, help2.msg, help.msg), but pburn did not place duplicates onto the disc. It indicated that the burn was successful, but no duplicates are there upon inspection.

Then, I did something that I would think has been done before. I put a racy-5.5 cd with no save file in my laptop drive and powered on. Then I F2(ed) to options screen. Then I ejected the disc and replaced it with one that was unbootable due having had sessions saved to it. Then I typed "puppy" at the prompt and the boot went through. The save sessions were recognized and loaded.
M

[Flash]

Mitchellray, the duplicates probably were burned on the disk. If I remember right, Puppy (or maybe it's Rox) shows what's on the disk by combining everything and showing only the latest version if there are two files or directories with the same name. Look at the date the file or directory was created on the disk.

Thanks for the tip about starting the boot with a pristine Puppy CD, then switching. As far as I can remember, nobody has done that before.