1. Always Fresh: Nothing but the ISO files that were downloaded.
2. Always Fresh + (plus): The ISO files that were downloaded plus downloaded modules I like to use. NO changes.
3. Always Fresh ' (prime): The ISO files that were downloaded plus downloaded modules plus frozen changes I've made.
4. Live with changes: The ISO files that were downloaded plus downloaded modules plus changes I've made and changes I want to keep.
Options 1, 2 and 3 are useful in debugging problems, determining where the problem lies, and thus determining where the resolution needs to be made. I primarily boot the #3 option, it has my changes and prevents unexpected changes from impacting my system.
I boot the Porteus ISOs directly, via grub2 and to save changes I use 2 options:
1. A Porteus SaveFile .dat file plus the changes=EXIT cheatcode.
2. A script to create a module of the changes I've made and want to keep.
With the #1 option I try to keep my changes to small files and thus have a savedat file of 512MB or less. Larger changes like videos, pictures, and downloads I save on drives outside my booted system and thus outside my save.dat file.
With option #2 I determine what changes a new app makes by running the changes-time command. I wait a few minutes after I've activated the new app then use the app adding options I like to it, I then run the changes-time command, in terminal, to see what files and folders got updated. I then add the changed files/folders to the script I use to save my changes.
For newbies who may not be use to creating scripts and making modules there is a shortcut that can be used to boot to option #3 with saved changes. Make a copy the save.dat file with an extension of .xzm and boot with it as a module and without the changes= cheatcode. cp /changes/save.dat /modules/save.dat.xzm
I hope this helps.
Added in 1 day 23 hours 10 minutes 58 seconds:
My grub2 Porteus50rc3.cfg file.
Code: Select all
set timeout=30
# Set the default variable to the submenu entry you prefer
set default=1
set linux_folder=/porteus5.0
# set iso="/ISOs/Porteus-CINNAMON-v5.0rc1-86_64.iso"
# set iso="/ISOs/Porteus-CINNAMON-v5.0rc2-86_64.iso"
# set iso="/ISOs/Porteus-CINNAMON-v5.0rc3-x86_64.iso"
# set iso="/porteus5.0/rc3ISOModules/Porteus-CINNAMON-v5.0rc3-x86_64-20210818-5.13.11.iso"
set iso="/porteus5.0/rc3ISOModules/Porteus-CINNAMON-v5.0rc3-x86_64-20210818-5.15.1.iso"
menuentry " Porteus 5.0rc3 ISO - changes=" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootparms="volume=33 reboot=cold extramod=$linux_folder/Modules;$linux_folder/rc3Modules changes=EXIT:$linux_folder/changes/50rc3save.dat noload=kde;jinn;lxqt;xfce;lxde;mate;open;mychanges;menu1" # ;changes"
search -f $iso --set=root
loopback loop $iso
linux (loop)/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
# linux $linux_folder/BootModules/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
initrd (loop)/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
# initrd $linux_folder/initrd/2020-11-02/initrd.xz
}
menuentry " Porteus 5.0rc3 ISO - AF'" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootparms="volume=33 reboot=cold extramod=$linux_folder/Modules;$linux_folder/rc3Modules noload=kde;jinn;lxqt;xfce;lxde;mate;open;menu2" # ;mychanges"
search -f $iso --set=root
loopback loop $iso
linux (loop)/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
# linux $linux_folder/BootModules/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
initrd (loop)/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
# initrd $linux_folder/rc2Modules/initrd.xz
}
menuentry " Porteus 5.0rc3 ISO - AF+" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootparms="volume=33 reboot=cold extramod=$linux_folder/Modules;$linux_folder/rc3Modules noload=kde;jinn;lxqt;xfce;lxde;mate;open;mychanges;menu3"
search -f $iso --set=root
loopback loop $iso
linux (loop)/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
# linux $linux_folder/BootModules/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
initrd (loop)/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
# initrd $linux_folder/rc2Modules/initrd.xz
}
menuentry " Porteus 5.0rc3 ISO - AF " --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootparms="volume=33 reboot=cold noload=mychanges;menu4"
# set bootparms="volume=33 reboot=cold extramod=$linux_folder/rc3Modules noload=kde;jinn;lxqt;xfce;lxde;mate;open;changes;menu4"
search -f $iso --set=root
loopback loop $iso
linux (loop)/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
initrd (loop)/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
# initrd $linux_folder/rc2Modules/initrd.xz
}
#
menuentry " Porteus 5.0rc3 ISO - KDE - AF+" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootparms="volume=33 reboot=cold extramod=$linux_folder/Modules;$linux_folder/rc3Modules noload=cinn;jinn;lxqt;xfce;lxde;mate;open;mychanges;menu5" #kde5;
search -f $iso --set=root
loopback loop $iso
linux (loop)/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz from=$iso $bootparms
initrd (loop)/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
}
menuentry " Porteus 5.0 USB - AF'" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set porteus_parms="volume=33 reboot=cold extramod=/Modules;/Modsavedat noload=save.dat" #;cinnamon" # changes=EXIT:/changes/porteussave.dat"
set bootdrv=$root
search -f /boot/syslinux/vmlinuz --set=root
if [ $root != $bootdrv ]; then
linux /boot/syslinux/vmlinuz $porteus_parms
initrd /boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
else
echo "----------------------------------------"
echo USB drive NOT found.
echo
sleep -v -i 10
fi
set root=$bootdrv
}
menuentry " Porteus 5.0 USB - EFI" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootmgr=/EFI/boot/bootx64.efi #grubx64.efi # bootx64.efi
set bootdrv=$root
search -f $bootmgr --set=root
if [ $root != $bootdrv ]; then
chainloader $bootmgr
else
echo "----------------------------------------"
echo USB drive NOT found.
echo
sleep -v -i 10
fi
set root=$bootdrv
}
menuentry " Porteus 5.0 USB - syslinux" --class slackware --class icon-porteus {
set bootmgr=/boot/syslinux/isolinux.bin
set bootdrv=$root
search -f $bootmgr --set=root
if [ $root != $bootdrv ]; then
syslinux_source $bootmgr
syslinux_configfile /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg
else
echo "----------------------------------------"
echo Porteus drive NOT found.
echo
sleep -v -i 10
fi
set root=$bootdrv
}