Saving settings on live usb...

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thom_A
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Saving settings on live usb...

Post#1 by thom_A » 09 Mar 2015, 16:44

Thanks for the privilege to post on your respectable forum.

I'm still using Porteus live on a USB flash drive. I fix old pc's of relatives ocasionally and I found that there's a need for a bootable media for the purpose of transfering files from broken windows drive to backup media. And linux distros can be useful for those instances using their file managers. Obviously, I'm a Windows user for years and currently using Win 7, but still a huge fan of XP because of its simplicity and speed. So those are my criteria when choosing a distro.

Is it possible to change system fonts and icons as well as their sizes? Is it also possible to save settings on a live Porteus on USB? Also things like settings on a browser, default home page, bookmarks, etc.

What I like about Porteus (KDE desktop) so far is that it can boot straight to usability without having to click any option. I've tried about a dozen distros and almost all of them present options and won't let you go straight to the OS unless you click options like, "try Lubuntu," "try Linux Mint," "install Linux Mint," and so on...

Porteus Dolphin file manager is very descent. Not the best, but the Windows-like auto docking is there, which I was looking for in file managers. I use Aquasnap when I use XP...

I'm posting this on a live Porteus using Firefox. When I click the address bar it doesn't hightlight automatically like when in Windows. You have to select everything in it. So far Tahrpup is the only one that can do this.

So I'm still getting familiar with what Porteus can do before adding it to my system permanently.

thom_A
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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#2 by thom_A » 09 Mar 2015, 19:32

I found the answer to my question about saving settings. Sorry about that. (I normally use search engines first before asking anything.)

I guess one of my main points was that Linux devs should also focus heavily on enhancing portable distros *without* the user being obligated to install it permanently. The advantages are very promising, ie, portability, meaning you can run it in your neighbor's pc, friends, etc., without having to disturb their main system.

Been installing, uninstalling linux distros for years every now and then, what I've been noticing is that USB lives are very usable. I don't even notice the speed lag when net browsing; haven't been spending time with the other programs like graphics, word processing, etc., but I think the speed is decent. It's fantastic.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#3 by Ed_P » 09 Mar 2015, 20:00

thom_A wrote:I guess one of my main points was that Linux devs should also focus heavily on enhancing portable distros *without* the user being obligated to install it permanently. The advantages are very promising, ie, portability, meaning you can run it in your neighbor's pc, friends, etc., without having to disturb their main system.
:unknown: But if you install it on a USB drive it is portable and doesn't disturb a main system. Or run it as a ISO on a USB drive. See this for details: http://www.rmprepusb.com/tutorials/porteus
Ed

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#4 by thom_A » 09 Mar 2015, 20:14

Been seeing this "persistence" option and I might as well try it. I guess this is what I need. Thanks man!

I'm not planning on installing any distro permanently on my system. Live USB's are just fine. It's amazing.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#5 by francois » 10 Mar 2015, 15:36

Saving settings.
I hope that you will enjoy the changes= cheatcode. It is quite handy. But there are other interesting ways to keep up changes with porteus. Brokenman and others have interesting commentaries on the topic.

Porteus on hdd and windows.
Paradoxically as porteus is as it best on usb keys, hdd install provides a very performing system, which in terms of speed has nothing to envy to any other os.

I used to have a porteus system on hdd with a virtual box install of windows. The problem with xp is that it is not maintained anymore and without Service Packs, amongst other updates, you will not be able to have access more recent versions of the different webbrowsers. What can you do then?
Prendre son temps, profiter de celui qui passe.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#6 by thom_A » 10 Mar 2015, 16:54

Update: I followed Ed_P's link and finally got what I wanted. I'm able to see previous settings restored in Firefox browser as well as File manager when reopening Porteus. That's all I wanted for now. I'm still experimenting on updating the entire distro just as if it's installed in the main system, or part of a multi-boot. It appears that it's not easy.

My take is that there's still a lot to be desired on distros running on USB drives. They should behave as if they're installed on the main system. Installation should be easy.

The future is clear for long-time Windows users who don't plan on giving up the conveniences their OS offered for years, and that is to run it on a USB drive. Been trying to run XP on USB and make it portable, but it's complicated. XP got the most simplified OS, in my opinion. The File Manager is excellent. Icons are small (never understood why linux's are so large where you scroll all day if you use your laptop)...

Not only that. You can't be loyal to any one distro. There are about 20 flavors of them. Every time one announces a new version, the temptation to get it is overpowering.

Bottom line is, portable linux is gaining popularity. Development in this area should be focused.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#7 by Ed_P » 10 Mar 2015, 17:21

thom_A wrote:Been trying to run XP on USB and make it portable, but it's complicated.
Check out this link: wintousb However, being portable doesn't make it secure, MS dropped support for it a yr ago so using it online is inviting trouble.
Ed

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#8 by thom_A » 10 Mar 2015, 18:05

Ed_P wrote:Check out this link: wintousb However, being portable doesn't make it secure, MS dropped support for it a yr ago so using it online is inviting trouble.
My aim was not for extended use. It's for emergency purposes like fixing dead PC's; the familiar interface, the easy-to-navigate File manager, where drives are identified with their volume names, not sd1, sd2, etc., size of the Icons preceding the name are just right, and not huge. Nevertheless, I'm not going to pursue this portable XP mainly due to the legalities.

I've recently just discovered ReactOS, tried it, but it's not booting properly. I'll switch to that OS at the drop of a hat as soon as it functions properly.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#9 by francois » 11 Mar 2015, 02:34

I'm still experimenting on updating the entire distro just as if it's installed in the main system, or part of a multi-boot. It appears that it's not easy.

Porteus on hdd is a frugal install, it stays in its compressed form. Otherwise you get the full install which is finally a slackware install. To get to know porteus os you have to play with it maybe a little more. :wink:
If you don't you will really miss something. :twisted:

Update is done in two ways in porteus.
1.0 panel menu > system > porteus setting center > porteus updater
2.0 usm packager

I'll switch to that OS at the drop of a hat as soon as it functions properly.

You are free to do whatever you want. We really have no control on that. That will not make us very much sad. We are not really paid to be pleasant with people. 8)
Prendre son temps, profiter de celui qui passe.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#10 by thom_A » 11 Mar 2015, 17:27

francois wrote:To get to know porteus os you have to play with it maybe a little more. :wink:
If you don't you will really miss something. :twisted:

You are right about that.
You are free to do whatever you want. We really have no control on that. That will not make us very much sad. We are not really paid to be pleasant with people. 8)
I'm posting from a noob perspective and as a Windows user. :wink: Porteus is the only one left in my USB key now. I've discarded the rest, eleven of them in total, Linux mint, Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Puppy, etc. Like I've mentioned, Porteus is the only live distro that you can boot, leave it for a while and come back seeing it ready to be used, surf the net, navigate the files, etc.

I think the file manager is the heart of any OS. When I think of XP, for example, I think of its file manager. It's where you most spend time with. Porteus' file manager, like I've mentioned, is decent. But I don't get why new users are presented immediately with unfamiliar file directories like bin, dev, etc, home, lib, etc. What are you supposed to do with them? It's like being given a novel to read, instead of a newspaper where you get the headline first, then the details... :wink: In my years of using Windows, I've never ever spent time browsing what is in the Windows directory, or any of the system folders.... Hmm... I don't know where this is going now...

EDIT:
Whoops... I found the solution to my noobish rant ;) in the File manager View>Panels> Folder toggle. Sorry about that. ;) wow...my idea of a file manager is solved. ;-)

Fantastic distro on a USB stick, as far as what I need in one for now.

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Re: Saving settings on live usb...

Post#11 by francois » 17 Mar 2015, 14:36

But I don't get why new users are presented immediately with unfamiliar file directories like bin, dev, etc, home, lib, etc. What are you supposed to do with them?

You get with time to be interested about what is under the hood. This way your curiosity being stimulated, you want to know more about it. And finally, you end most of your time under the hood. You could compare that to the interest some guys have about the motor of their car. Finally, you get spending more time on fixing the motor and the car than being on the road with it. :roll:
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