Stuck on v5x64 Xfce persistence

Technical issues/questions of an intermediate or advanced nature.
sean
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Stuck on v5x64 Xfce persistence

Post#1 by sean » 21 Mar 2023, 17:31

INTENT:

Bootable Porteus-v5 64-bit Xfce Desktop USB Flash-Drive suitable for maintenance & rescue of New Linux Distros & any Windows systems using EFI boot
(all of my systems are "used &/or refurbished" boxes with Xubuntu OS") No dual-booting, Linux only. I do, however, have many Porteus USB Flash-Drives from version 1 to 5 ;-)

UNDERSTANDING:

I'm certainly old school. However, my present understanding is that newer computers are dropping Legacy BIOS in favor of EFI booting.

I admit I do not know the best way, as a Linux user (not a GURU), to deal with this as I have only recently obtained 64 bit machines. Any advice will be appreciated !

DILEMMA:

Porteus v5 Persistence

Using: Porteus v-5 64 bit XFCE on a Sandisk 16GB USB flash-drive, from my HP Notebook
3 Partitions:
sdb1, Fat32, 2500MB, Label: PORT-5-64 (all porteus.iso files copied here)
sdb2, Fat32, 1000MB, Label: SET (contains: /changes/psave.dat)(porteus v5.0-x86_64.cfg shows: changes=/mnt/sdb2/changes/psave.dat)
sdb3, Ext4, 11+GB, Label: Store (to be used for storage, etc., any downloads, special notes, books, movies, URL's)
Legacy BIOS "disabled", EFI enabled
(another newer DELL desktop box doesn't even offer Legacy BIOS)

Saved changed seems to be working only partially. The psave.dat file "settings" in /Porteus/porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg appear to be retained from boot to boot. However, any changes to the XFCE Desktop configuration are lost (add an item to the panel does not appear on next boot. A test folder created on the Desktop also disappears on any new or re-boot.)

A movie copied and saved to sdb3 (Store) is saved and usable on next/reboot. Good, that works.

Also at boot I get the same warning about using FAT or NTFS filesystem and needing to establish a .dat file. Well, I have followed those instructions. But the boot screen tells me I'll be in the "Always Fresh" mode for the session.

BOTTOM LINE: I need persistence help for the Xfce Desktop within Porteus v5.

It has been a long time friends, maybe I'm missing something stupidly simiple ;-)

Porteus is fantastic!!! Thanks for any interest in this long piece,

Sean

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Stuck on v5x64 Xfce persistence

Post#2 by babam » 21 Mar 2023, 18:10

Sorry, my English is bad.

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Post#3 by Ed_P » 21 Mar 2023, 23:25

What I would do sean is have a USB drive with one FAT32 partition, I would put all folders and files in your Porteus-v5 64-bit Xfce ISO onto the USB drive then run the appropriate porteus-installer. The drive will then boot on BIOS and UEFI systems no problem.

To save changes create a porteussave.dat file, mine is 512MB, using the Porteus Savefile Manager app in the menu, on the USB create a /changes folder and put the save.dat in it. Lastly pull up the /porteus/porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg file and add a line that says: changes=/sdb1/changes/porteussave.dat
The file doesn't have to be named porteussave.dat, it could be named xfce50save.dat or seanssave.dat if those appeal to you.

A further thought for the USB's changes file is to have the cheatcode coded as: changes=EXIT:/sdb1/changes/porteussave.dat This means changes aren't written to the USB drive until Porteus is being shutdown. This is handy for two reasons; 1. processing is faster when the OS is not waiting for the USB and 2. if you make changes you don't like you can skip saving them when shutting down. It's an option I always use.

When saving files, especially large ones, I don't save them in my /home/guest/Downloads or Pictures folders, I save them to the USB drive, outside the porteus folders. My changes that go to the save.dat file are my file manager bookmarks, my browser bookmarks, my bash scripts, my DE settings and etc.

One last tweak. You refer to your USB drive as sdb1, on newer hardware that address can change to sda1. My laptop's drive is nvme0n1p1. To prevent that problem you could use the drive's UUID.

Anyways, my thoughts on the matter. :play_ball:

BTW Once booted running a Portues Update might be a good idea. :)
Ed

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Stuck on v5x64 Xfce persistence

Post#4 by sean » 22 Mar 2023, 00:13

Ed,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Currently, the only remaining failure is in persistence of the Xfce Desktop settings. They seem to be the only settings/changes not saved.

Your changes=EXIT:***.dat suggestion sounds perfect and I will incorporate it right away, thanks.

Sean

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Stuck on v5x64 Xfce persistence

Post#5 by beny » 22 Mar 2023, 00:42

hi sean you can tweak your system and make a module of the changes /mnt/live/memory/changes
make a module of this directory after you have done maybe can work try it

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Post#6 by Ed_P » 22 Mar 2023, 03:29

That could work but the module will be about 140MB, a lot for saving a date/time setting. :D
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Post#7 by beny » 22 Mar 2023, 08:36

hi Ed_P you think is only this, when i make a module of the mail service i have,without changes all the setting on mail account and i can run software without trouble,also in xfce4 i can add icon on taskbar and make a module,at reboot i have all the changes in,maybe but the save.dat can interfere with changes modules,ok we have to look if sean do it or not.

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Stuck on v5x64 Xfce persistence

Post#8 by sean » 23 Mar 2023, 00:09

Thanks for the kind replies gentlemen. Beny I think I'll try Ed's suggestions first and hold your's in reserve. No disrespect intended!

Ed the Porteus Flash-drive appears to be working correctly except for saving Xfce Desktop configuration. Any downloads from Porteus mirrors seem to be holding as they should. I've added Firefox and it works fine. I've done the Porteus updates and that worked fine. I've made the suggested changes to the Porteus.cfg file and those changes are retained from boot to boot. I also followed your advice and used the Porteus Updater.

However if I change the configuration of the Panel by adding some widgets the changes are lost from boot to boot. Wifi login is lost from boot to boot.

Even though I've followed the boot screen instructions to create a "save.dat" file, along with your suggestions, the boot screen continues to tell me "Fat or NTFS" has been detected and I'm
told to create a "save.dat" file everytime.

Each boot screen tells me because of the detected Fat system no changes can be made before creating the save.dat. Catch 22 over n over.

Each boot screen tells me that because of all of the above the boot will proceed in "Always Fresh" mode. Again, catch 22. If I continually put in Always Fresh mode, it stands to reason no changes would or should be saved.

If it's not a silly question, could you tell me how one is to execute either of these install files while using a Linux system? :
Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com
Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe

Each install I have done, I've double-clicked on the Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com file with no visible activity.

Thanks for your assistance and taking the time to read all this ;-)

Sean

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Post#9 by Ed_P » 23 Mar 2023, 00:30

sean wrote:
23 Mar 2023, 00:09
If it's not a silly question, could you tell me how one is to execute either of these install files while using a Linux system? :
Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com
Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe
When in Linux you go to the drive that has the Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com on it and dbl click it. That's it. No screens, no balloons, no fireworks, it just does it's thing and ends. Same steps if in Windows, same results.
sean wrote:
23 Mar 2023, 00:09
Each boot screen tells me because of the detected Fat system no changes can be made before creating the save.dat. Catch 22 over n over.
So, what have you done to create a save.dat file? Did you click on the Porteus menu's, not the boot menu, and go to the Admin section and click on the Porteus SaveFile Manager app? Did you reply with the root password? Did you select the top option to Create a save.dat file? What did you enter for the Location?
Ed

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Post#10 by sean » 23 Mar 2023, 01:11

Yes Ed, I followed your instructions "almost exactly". The only exception is I made 2 partitions, one Fat32 and the other ext4.

I extracted the ISO and copied all the files into the first partition which is the Fat32 partition. The ext4 partition hasn't been touched, I'm saving it for storage.

The flash-drive booted into Porteus easily. On the first boot I followed your instructions to the letter I hope. In the Fat32 partition with the boot, EFI and porteus folders, I created a changes folder. Then I opened the Porteus SaveFile Manager and created a save.dat file which I placed inside the changes folder. Porteus instructs you to verify the changes path in the Porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg file, which I did. At that point I followed your suggestion of using the UUID of sdb1 and EXIT: here's the final edit:

changes=EXIT:/mnt/956B-5E04/changes/save.dat

I'm aware of the root password and used it when it was called for.

I would think the FAT, NTFS, save.dat and Always Fresh warning on the boot screen would change once the request for a save.dat was satisfied. Is that a correct assumption?

Thanks for your efforts,

Sean

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Post#11 by Ed_P » 23 Mar 2023, 03:06

sean wrote:
23 Mar 2023, 01:11
changes=EXIT:/mnt/956B-5E04/changes/save.dat
/boot/docs/cheatcodes.txt wrote:changes=UUID:STrING-0F-ChARACtERS/path/file.dat

changes=EXIT:UUID:STrING-0F-ChARACtERS/path/file.dat
No "/mnt". And the .dat file should be on the FAT32 partition.

I believe you can also use: changes=EXIT;UUID:STrING-0F-ChARACtERS/changes/evanssave.dat ;)
sean wrote:
23 Mar 2023, 01:11
I would think the FAT, NTFS, save.dat and Always Fresh warning on the boot screen would change once the request for a save.dat was satisfied. Is that a correct assumption?
Yes.
Ed

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Post#12 by sean » 23 Mar 2023, 11:47

Thank you Ed, and you stayed up very late too!
Thanks for taking this case Ed, this is just a super distro, too bad it's kind of a secret, scores of other computer users should be appreciating it.

And I do appreciate the response, time & effort you have given me on this project. I am personaly embarrassed that I did not recall the cheatcode.doc which I had read some years previously (a couple of times). Great that you offer so much assistance to others with problems ;-)

Until next time, thank you kindly,

sean

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Post#13 by Ed_P » 23 Mar 2023, 15:42

sean wrote:
23 Mar 2023, 11:47
Great that you offer so much assistance to others with problems ;-)
Happy to hear you got the problem fixed. :good:

Help is what I got when I came to Porteus, as a new Linux user, and still get with my problems. Just playing it forward. :)
Ed

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Post#14 by sean » 24 Mar 2023, 00:33

*Here's what I found:

There are actually 2 Porteus configuration files. One is in the porteus folder /sdb1/porteus/porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg, the other is in /sdb1/boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg.

I have 2 flash-drives now, the troublesome one made a few day ago by copying the extracted .iso files to the flash-drive. It will not hold persistence.

The other I made today booting a Porteus DVD and using the installer to make the 2nd flash-drive.

On the troublesome flash-drive the Porteus SaveFile Manager requested I edit the porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg file with the proper path to the save.dat file.

Today using Porteus Installer from a DVD I was asked to edit the porteus.cfg file. This file was noticably different as it was a much longer file with more detail, and the entry was at a different place near the top of the file.

Other interests;

Completed installation with Porteus Installer showed only a boot folder and a porteus folder, NO EFI folder was installed although it is on the DVD, interesting.

*I noticed on the boot screen that Porteus is "searching for porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg", however it is actually finding porteus.cfg !!! very interesting.

Without an EFI folder, I must use legacy bios with one flash-drive but the other boots with EFI.

But now I have persistence.

Sean

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Post#15 by Ed_P » 24 Mar 2023, 05:15

An interesting update sean.
sean wrote:
24 Mar 2023, 00:33
There are actually 2 Porteus configuration files. One is in the porteus folder /sdb1/porteus/porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg, the other is in /sdb1/boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg.
Yes there are and I had completely forgotten about the /porteus one, since I never use it. The /boot/syslinux is the boot menu and where you needed to add the changes= cheatcode. Sorry sean I wasn't clear. :sorry:
sean wrote:
24 Mar 2023, 00:33
The other I made today booting a Porteus DVD and using the installer to make the 2nd flash-drive.
Interesting. I haven't used a DVD in a long time but glad that it clarified things for you. :happy62:
sean wrote:
24 Mar 2023, 00:33
Completed installation with Porteus Installer showed only a boot folder and a porteus folder, NO EFI folder was installed although it is on the DVD, interesting.
Does the computer you ran the install on support EFI booting? If not that could explain why it wasn't copied to the USB drive. Not a big problem, simply copy the EFI folder manually from the DVD to the USB drive. Executing a Porteus-installer- app would probably be wise also.
sean wrote:
24 Mar 2023, 00:33
But now I have persistence.
:Yahoo!: :good: :celebrate14: :punk: :beer:

I applaud your persistence sean. :Bravo:

Technically the .cfg file in the /porteus menu should work for using the changes= cheatcode. Hopefully that can confirmed by others and the Porteus Installer missing the EFI folder can be fixed.
Ed

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