1) Edit a .cfg file 2) Where's PPM ?

[meisthfox]

Hey ! I just installed Porteus 3.0 - 64 bit w/ XFCE desktop. 1) I'm running it w/ a flash drive set up in Windows 7 & somehow it got formatted to FAT32 so I had to add a savefile to that drive. After creating the file, a window came up & said I now need to edit a .cfg file to make the savefile work, but I forgot which one & I was not instructed on how to do it. 2) In your documentation you mention using the already installed PPM to install additional programs, but my Porteus installation does not have that app. (My cksums were fine) Please advise. Thanx

[Ed_P]

After creating the save.dat file change the flash drive's /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg file with:

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APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=porteussave.dat 

-or-

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APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=EXIT:porteussave.dat 

Assuming of course the save.dat file you created is named porteussave.dat. If not change the above code accordingly.

[brokenman]

but my Porteus installation does not have that app.

It is the blue icon on your system tray. It also goes by the name USM. Please open the program and update it using the menu update/Update USM. After this do 'update all' and you should be golden. To answer your question about porteus.cfg it is in on your installation media in the folder boot/syslinux. Your changes= line should have the full path to the location of your porteussave.dat. You can read the cheatcodes.txt document also found on the installation media (in boot/docs) for more exact info.

[meisthfox]

In response to Ed_P : There are a few instances of text in that file that begin w/ : "APPEND initrd=initrd.xz".
Do I replace any of them w/ : "APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=porteussave.dat", or just add this somewhere ? Thanx

[Ed_P]

Sorry meisthfox you are right, there are several similar lines. I meant for the change to be made to only the 1st one, the one in the Graphics Mode menu. The one that loks like this:

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APPEND initrd=initrd.xz                                                                                        

[meisthfox]

Didn't work ! I'm so sick of dicking w/ these linux os's !!! Fuggit !!!

[Ed_P]

WHAT didn't work? The edit? The booting? What kind of error did you get?

[meisthfox]

The os doesn't remember any changes I made. Here is my porteus cfg file : (porteus_save.dat is the name of my savefile)

PROMPT 0
TIMEOUT 90
UI vesamenu.c32
DEFAULT xfce
MENU BACKGROUND porteus.png
MENU TITLE Porteus-3.0 64bit

MENU WIDTH 30
MENU MARGIN 2
MENU ROWS 10
MENU HELPMSGROW 17
MENU TIMEOUTROW 28
MENU TABMSGROW 15
MENU CMDLINEROW 22
MENU HSHIFT 4
MENU VSHIFT 5

menu color screen 37;40 #00000000 #00000000 none
menu color border 30;44 #00000000 #00000000 none
menu color title 1;36;44 #ffF6FF00 #30003f07 none
menu color unsel 37;44 #ffffffff #00000000 none
menu color hotkey 1;37;44 #ff8037b7 #00000000 none
menu color sel 7;37;40 #ff111B78 #003f7fbf none
menu color hotsel 1;7;37;40 #ffaf67f7 #003f7fbf none
menu color scrollbar 30;44 #00000000 #00000000 none

menu color tabmsg 31;40 #ffB6F538 #00000000 none
menu color cmdmark 1;36;40 #ffff0000 #00000000 none
menu color cmdline 37;40 #ffffffff #ff000000 none
menu color pwdborder 30;47 #ffff0000 #00000000 std
menu color pwdheader 31;47 #ffff0000 #00000000 std
menu color pwdentry 30;47 #ffff0000 #00000000 std
menu color timeout_msg 37;40 #ff809aef #00000000 none
menu color timeout 1;37;40 #ffb72f9f #00000000 none
menu color help 37;40 #ffD5F538 #00000000 none
menu color msg07 37;40 #90ffffff #00000000 std


LABEL xfce
MENU LABEL Graphics mode (xfce)
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=porteus_save.dat
TEXT HELP
Run Porteus the best way we can.
Try to autoconfigure graphics
card and use the maximum
allowed resolution
ENDTEXT

LABEL fresh
MENU LABEL Always Fresh
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz nomagic base_only norootcopy volume=50%
TEXT HELP
Normally Porteus saves all changes
to the /porteus/changes/ directory
on the boot media (if writable)
and restores them next boot.
Use this option to start a fresh
system, changes are not read from
or written to any device
ENDTEXT

LABEL copy2ram
MENU LABEL Copy To RAM
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz copy2ram volume=50%
TEXT HELP
Run Porteus the same as above,
but first copy all data to RAM
to get a huge speed increase
(needs >768MB)
ENDTEXT

LABEL text
MENU LABEL Text mode
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz 3 volume=50%
TEXT HELP
Run Porteus in text mode and
start the command prompt only
ENDTEXT

LABEL pxe-boot
MENU LABEL Porteus as PXE server
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz pxe volume=50%
TEXT HELP
Run Porteus as usual, but also
initialize a PXE server.
This will allow you to boot Porteus
on other computers over a network
ENDTEXT

MENU SEPARATOR

LABEL plop
MENU LABEL PLoP BootManager
KERNEL plpbt
TEXT HELP
Run the plop boot manager.
This utility provides handy
boot-USB options for machines
with vintage/defective BIOS
ENDTEXT

LABEL hd
MENU LABEL Boot from the first hd
COM32 chain.c32
APPEND hd0 1
TEXT HELP
Don't start Porteus at all, but
rather run any operating system
installed on the first partition
of the hard drive
ENDTEXT


What did I do wrong ? Thanx

[fanthom]

What did I do wrong ?
this:

Your changes= line should have the full path to the location of your porteussave.dat. You can read the cheatcodes.txt document also found on the installation media (in boot/docs) for more exact info.

[meisthfox]

OK So now it's a question of how to properly phrase the file path.
Here's what I've done & it still won't record my changes :

APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes= mnt/sb1/porteussave.dat

So what is wrong now ?

I don't see a designation for the flash drive itself. Do I need to include that ?

[Ed_P]

APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes= mnt/sb1/porteussave.dat

So what is wrong now ?

You're missing a "/" and an "_".

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APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=/mnt/sb1/porteus_save.dat

Here is my porteus cfg file : (porteus_save.dat is the name of my savefile)

[meisthfox]

I corrected that and upon booting it read that it cannot find savefile.
What to do now ?

[fanthom]

this task is quite easy: you need to read and paste a path.
changes=/mnt/sdb1/porteus_save.dat

just make sure it's really there and that you are booting from first entry (graphic mode).

[meisthfox]

Duh ! Guess I'm getting a little bit senile. Thank you fanthom !
I think it'll work now.

[meisthfox]

It works - Thanx guyz !