How to make a tweaked Puppy optical banking disk? (Solved)

Discuss anything specific to using Puppy on a multi-session disk
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partsman
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Joined: Wed 06 Jun 2012, 19:00
Location: OHIO,USA

#31 Post by partsman »

Yes m/s puppy will find swap and look for main sfs on the hard drive like
jasper said I reduces the boot time :wink: But in Sylvander's case he has remasterd so he needs to copy the main sfs from his newly remasterd m/s dvd to the hard drive Not the original sfs :wink:
If he wouldn't have remasterd then the original would work fine but after tweeking and remastering he must now use his sfs from his remasterd puppy :wink: I am sure he will love m/s puppy it really is great way to use puppy :D
[color=red]Anyone can build a fast processor. The trick is to build a fast system. (Seymour Cray)[/color] :wink:

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Ted Dog
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Location: Heart of Texas

#32 Post by Ted Dog »

Flash wrote:Sylvander, try it. Boot one of your multisession Puppies, put a file or folder in /archive, then shut down, saving the session. When next you boot, look in /archive to see what's there. There shouldn't be anything but a readme file. What you put in /archive is in the last session saved on the multisession disk. You can see it by mounting the disk, then looking in the session you saved after you put that special file in /archive.

This means you have to search through every saved session on the disk to find that certain special file you put in /archive. There is a better way. Make a folder called Archive and put your special file in it, then use Pburn to burn only that Archive folder to your multisession Puppy disk (as a session.) Keep doing the same thing with an Archive folder when you want to save something on the disk but not load it into RAM when Puppy boots, such as .pets for large programs you don't use very often. Multisession Puppy will ignore the Archive folders on the disk when it boots. When you mount the multisession disk, you will see like magic one Archive folder or session no matter how many of them Pburn put on the disk, and inside it will be all the stuff from all the Archive folders you burned on the disk.

You can also do this from the command line. Years ago I detailed how to do that somewhere in the forum, either the How-to section or the Multisession section, I forget.
Awesome, way of doing his the 'right' way. Will work on a active Archive folder you drop a file into this and it will burn to archive folder as a multisession. :wink:

Sylvander
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Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK

#33 Post by Sylvander »

@Jasper
1. "You don't have your engineer's hat on this week and it seems very few of my comments have been either well understood or useful to you."
Old age doesn't come alone you know.
My mental faculties are not what they once were.
I now have difficulty recalling rapidly from memory, the names of things.
You know...those thingumy-bob whatsits, that attach to the em, em, whatevers.
Plus my eyesight and hearing are both deteriorating.
Am I downhearted? NO WAY! :D
Things could be MUCH worse.

2. "I assume your banking-only-DVD takes less than four minutes to load"
Not sure, may have been more than 4 min.
A normal Puppy only takes 40 to 50 seconds to boot, and 10 seconds to close down.

@tallboy
3. That's a lot of interesting stuff you say there, but too much for me to digest as one meal.
I'll nibble at it over the coming days.

@partsman
4. "in Sylvander's case he has remasterd so he needs to copy the main sfs from his newly remasterd m/s dvd to the hard drive Not the original sfs"
Aha! I must try that.
When did I remaster?
What constitutes a remaster?

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Flash
Official Dog Handler
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#34 Post by Flash »

Thanks, Ted. I'm glad you liked it. :D

Did you see the link to the post that details how to do it from the command line using growisofs?

Jasper

#35 Post by Jasper »

Hi Sylvander,

I also have an abundance of your defects in memory, eyesight and earsight.

I believe you should be able to boot your banking-only-multi-session-DVD+RW in less than 75 seconds, perhaps less than one minute, if you are willing to provide some simple information and try one or two experiments.

Start a new banking DVD with your Wine and other tweaks then:
(1) Move your /root/.wine file to your archive directory and then copy it back with an absolute link.
(2) Move your /usr/lib/wine file to your archive directory and then copy it back with an absolute link.
(3) Reboot using the Save option.

Now, hopefully, you will notice a huge reduction in boot time and if so, after you have booted, roughly how much longer does it take to access your password .exe file (perhaps after mounting the DVD)?

If that doesn't work well, or at all, then start again and put a Wine sfs file in your archive directory and copy/put your .exe file to /root.

How many partitions do you have on your internal hard drive and ideally what are they used for and how are they formatted?
--------------------------------------

Update some 12 hours later

Upon reflection: you don't have to leave the house, let alone make even a short journey, to get an up-to-date view or conduct some financial transfers - so what's a few extra minutes boot/coffee time.

Sylvander
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Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK

#36 Post by Sylvander »

1. Decided to try a suggestion given by gcmartin in the Lighthouse thread, as follows:
a. Made a multi-session DVD+RW of "Lighthouse64-6.02-B2_Mariner.iso".
Very big for an optical disk to [it may or may not] be used for banking.
This includes various SFS files [including WINE], and there's the opportunity during boot to choose which of those to load.
I only chose 3, so it didn't take too long to load.

b. Tried running "Acerose Password Vault" using:
b1. winefile command in a terminal, then navigate to the exe file. [worked OK]
And...
b2. Used ROX to navigate to the exe file, then uses "Open with..." and chose wine. [worked OK]
So all's well.

2.
a. Will 1st try the "Save..." icon on the desktop, and report back.
This 2nd save worked OK.
Will now reboot, and see if the 2nd save folder is reported at startup.
Problem: Failure to boot.
Took a long time seeking main file & session file...
The reported "Kernel panic" and ended with a flashing cursor.

b. After reboot next session will try making some changes, then try saving at shutdown/reboot, and report back.

@Jasper
3. Do think it's still worth trying your suggestions in this "Mariner" version?
I guess the principle still holds, and could be tried with any SFS other than those included in Mariner.
I wonder where the SFS files are held in Mariner?
And will I be offered the full list at next boot.
I've chosen/configured to be offered the choice.
Last edited by Sylvander on Wed 14 Aug 2013, 12:38, edited 1 time in total.

Jasper

#37 Post by Jasper »

Hi Sylvander,

Elsewhere, I think you said Slacko 5.6 is your new No 1.

As Precise 5.6.1 works for your banking needs. keep it - and experiment with whatever takes your fancy, but my own view is "if it ain't broke there is nothing to fix".

Sylvander
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Joined: Mon 15 Dec 2008, 11:06
Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK

#38 Post by Sylvander »

@Jasper
1. "Elsewhere, I think you said Slacko 5.6 is your new No 1."
True.

2. "As Precise 5.6.1 works for your banking needs. keep it..."
a. The problem with this is...
Precise-5.6.1 WAS my number-1...
Then Slacko-5.5.91 became my new number-1, with Precise-5.6.1 as my number-2.
Precise-5.7.1 could overtake Slacko-5.5.91.
Ideally I'd rather not use either of these as my banking multi-session DVD+RW.
That's why I'm experimenting with Lighthouse.
When the next version of Lighthouse is released, I'd rather not use Lighthouse for a banking multi-session DVD+RW.
I'd rather use something further down my ranking list.
But what?

b. The reason I don't want to use my favourites for banking:
Because it seems the DVD+RW's interfere with the pupsave files.
If that's not true, then I don't need to be concerned, and can use BOTH the ordinary "live" CD-RW, and the multi-session DVD+RW for various given Puppy versions.

Jasper

#39 Post by Jasper »

Hi Sylvander,

If you still have another Precise iso (5.4 or 5.5 or 5.6 or 5.7[.0]) they should work just as well as 5.6.1.

Sylvander
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Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK

#40 Post by Sylvander »

1. I have LOTS of disks! :)
e.g. Precise:
CD-RW's:
a. 5.7.1-ataflash
b. 5.6.1-ataflash [works well]

DVD+RW multi-session:
c. 5.6.1 [no pmedia=ataflash setting in the isolinux.cfg file in the ISO]
This disk is working well I believe, so long as it sees no precisesave.

2. Problem is:
a. If I hold the pupsave [for a CD-RW] on the internal HDD...
Will the Puppy of a particular type on a DVD+RW...
Ignore the pupsave of the same Puppy type run from a CD-RW?
e.g.
b. If the Puppy type was Precise.
Will the Precise run from a DVD+RW ignore the Precisesave of the Precise [perhaps a different version] normally run from a CD-RW?
Even if it can see the precisesave file?

Jasper

#41 Post by Jasper »

Hi,

Your multi-session-banking-DVD+RW uses its dated save files and never any other save file.

Whether you use a CD-R, DVD-RW or DVD+RW it does not affect what boots from where - it's the multi-session that makes the difference.

I don't believe I would have a problem with 5.6.1 or 5.7.1, but I specifically asked if you have a Precise iso of 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 or 5.7 then you shouldn't either and you could (not should) copy the sfs to your hard drive for a faster boot.
Also your Wine installation is huge just to support the minimal banking data needed from your .exe file. You could (not should) investigate an alternative and tiny Linux solution.

Just test - it's quick and easy to make banking DVDs and rename folders and files on your hard drive to see what then happens when you reboot.

Sylvander
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Joined: Mon 15 Dec 2008, 11:06
Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK

#42 Post by Sylvander »

1.
Jasper wrote:Your multi-session-banking-DVD+RW uses its dated save files and never any other save file.
By jings your right! :D
I put the precisesave+SFS files back in their folder on the internal HDD...
The "Precise-5.6.1-ataflash" on the CD-RW used the files...
And the "Precise-5.6.1" on the multi-session DVD+RW ignored the files.
Well, er, it may have used the SFS file, 'cause it loaded rather fast.
That's GREAT!
Now I can use both disks. :D

2. I'm reluctant to change away from "Acerose Password Vault".
If I tried it, how would it be done?
How should I move all of the contents from the APV to some other smaller Linux password vault?
And which one?
Know any good ones?

Jasper

#43 Post by Jasper »

Hi Sylvander,

You only need your bank passwords on your banking-only-DVD. So just investigate or start a new thread - and forget moving and instead re-enter only your needed data.

Look in your menu for remastering and read the opening note.

Your banking-DVD works. So this is my final post here.

Sylvander
Posts: 4416
Joined: Mon 15 Dec 2008, 11:06
Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK

#44 Post by Sylvander »

1.
Jasper wrote:You only need your bank passwords on your banking-only-DVD....forget moving and instead re-enter only your needed data.
What a great idea. :D
Thanks for that.

2. By-the-way...
Having tried number-1 in my previous post...
My treasured Slacko "Slacko-5.5.91-ataflash" CD-RW failed to boot.
"Machine Check Error". :(
I'll have another go at getting it to boot.
Thank goodness Precise-5.6.1-ataflash has booted to bring me here.

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