Save files

[Ed_P]

the output is

Code: Select all

quiet \boot\syslinux\vmlinuz initrd=boot\syslinux\initrd.xz

karousaras it's missing the changes= cheatcode pointing to your /mnt/sdc1/porteus/porteussave.dat file, that's why your changes aren't being saved.

If you post your /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg file and the last 50 lines (lines 450-end) of your /EFI/BOOT/refind.conf file we'll see what the problem is.

[karousaras]

So after so long time I try again in my other desktop pc and it works but I don't know why. Now I want to ask how to install programs. Thanks.

[Ed_P]

So after so long time I try again in my other desktop pc and it works

Good to hear karousaras.

but I don't know why.

I suspect one pc is booting BIOS mode, and using the porteus.cfg file, and the other is booting UEFI mode, and using the refind.conf file. And one file has the changes= cheatcode and one doesn't.

Now I want to ask how to install programs. Thanks.

Use USM to find programs, download them and convert them to modules. Then copy the xzm files from the /tmp folder to your /modules folder. You can then activate them by double clicking on them or reboot which will activate them automatically.

[phil299]

Sorry to hijack this thread, I am totally new to this distro and pretty rusty linux wise however....
I am having the same problem with save changes via USB.

I have changed both porteus.cfg & refind.conf although it should be the latter.

My porteussave.dat file is at /mnt/sdb1/porteus/porteussave.dat

in the config files I put changes=/porteus/porteussave.dat


the bootdev.sh out put is this
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "System Memory:" "$MEMORY"
System Memory: 338M
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "Boot device: " "$BOOTDEV"
Boot device: /mnt/sdb1
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "Boot device format:" "${TYPE: -7}"
Boot device format: "vfat"
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "Boot folder: " "$FOLDER"
Boot folder: /porteus/
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "Boot mode: " "$BOOTMODE"
Boot mode: /mnt/sdb1/porteus
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "OS: " `cat /etc/porteus-version`
OS: Porteus-v3.2.2
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "ARCH: " "`echo $MACHTYPE | sed -e 's/-.*$//'`"
ARCH: x86_64
guest@porteus:~$
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "Kernel: " "$KERNEL" # ${KERNEL:0:29}"
Kernel: Linux porteus 4.9.0-porteus
guest@porteus:~$ if [ "$SAVEDAT" != "" ]; then
> Bold "Changes: " "${SAVEDAT:0:-8}"
> fi
guest@porteus:~$ Bold "Cmdline: " "`cat /proc/cmdline`"
Cmdline: quietoot\syslinux
mlinuz initrd=boot\syslinux\initrd.xz

Any clues what I am doing wrong ?

[Bogomips]

Welcome to Porteus. Our save.dat expert sould be along soon. Please try to put fixed format text like terminal output or overly long output in a code block (o/p will be scrolled). If not sure how to do this, do not hesitate to ask.

[Ed_P]

Cmdline: quietoot\syslinux
mlinuz initrd=boot\syslinux\initrd.xz

Any clues what I am doing wrong ?

As you can see your boot command line does not reference your save.dat file. Need to see what you changed in porteus.cfg and refind.conf. No need to see everything, just the line/s you changed, plus maybe 5 lines above and below the line/s you changed.

Need to see something like this from you:

porteus.cfg

Code: Select all

LABEL razor
MENU LABEL Graphics mode (Razor)
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=EXIT:UUID:17C8-CC62/changes/porteussave.dat extramod=UUID:17C8-CC62/Modules 
TEXT HELP
    Run Porteus the best way we can.
    Try to autoconfigure graphics
    card and use the maximum
    allowed resolution
ENDTEXT

refind.conf

Code: Select all

menuentry "Porteus menu (F2)" {
	volume KERNELS
	icon EFI/BOOT/icons/os_porteus.png
	loader boot/syslinux/vmlinuz
	initrd boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
	options "extramod=/Modules;/modsavedat volume=33 reboot=cold" 
	submenuentry "Save changes" {
		add_options "changes=EXIT:/changes/porteussave.dat noload=porteussave.dat.xzm"
    }
	submenuentry "Always fresh" {
		add_options "nomagic base_only norootcopy" 
    }
   	submenuentry "Boot to copy2ram mode" {
		add_options "copy2ram"
    }
   	submenuentry "Text mode" {
		add_options "3"
    }
   	submenuentry "pxe-boot" {
		add_options "pxe"
    }
}

[phil299]

Hi
Thanks for the welcome.
Here we go
refind.conf

Code: Select all

 {
	icon \EFI\refind\icons\os_mac.png
	volume "OS X boot"
	loader \System\Library\CoreServices\boot.efi
	disabled
}

menuentry "Porteus GUI mode" {
	volume KERNELS
	icon EFI/BOOT/icons/os_porteus.png
	loader boot/syslinux/vmlinuz
	initrd boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
	options ""
	submenuentry "Save changes" {
		add_options "changes=/porteus/porteussave.dat"
    }
	submenuentry "Always fresh" {
		add_options "nomagic base_only norootcopy"
    }
   	submenuentry "Boot to copy2ram mode" {
		add_options "copy2ram"
    }
   	submenuentry "Text mode" {
		add_options "3"
    }
   	submenuentry "pxe-boot" {
		add_options "pxe"
    }
}

porteus.cfg

Code: Select all

std


LABEL GRAPHICAL
MENU LABEL Graphics mode
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=/porteus/porteussave.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
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

I have probably done something stupid but I can't see it for looking

[Ed_P]

OK phil299, don't be too hard on yourself. Your two config files look to be fine.

So, next step/s, post the output of these terminal commands:

Code: Select all

cat /proc/cmdline

ls -lght /mnt/sdb1

ls -lght /mnt/sdb1/porteus 

How did you create your porteussave.dat file? Menu > Admin > Porteus save file manager?

[phil299]

Ok
....

I got so tied up expecting to have made an error writing to the config files that I completely missed the obvious.

So when I got told by the dialog on the save manager to "change one line" I assumed that would be it and the default action from then onwards is that the OS would act in a persistent state, basically saving from then onwards, after rebooting of course.

What I missed was the option from the boot screen of scrolling down highlighting save changes and clicking enter to enact that

So sorry to waste peoples time, and thanks for trying to help, at least I now know where I went wrong and that this community is v v helpful.

[Ed_P]

phil299

BTW Is this the menu you're seeing? http://www.onemansanthology.com/images/ ... e-boot.jpg It's from the porteus.cfg file.

If not then you are seeing the refind.conf file's menu.

[phil299]

phil299

BTW Is this the menu you're seeing? http://www.onemansanthology.com/images/ ... e-boot.jpg It's from the porteus.cfg file.

If not then you are seeing the refind.conf file's menu.

Aha
I have seen that boot menu but not recently.....I have been tackling this on two different pc.
So the one at my shop is where I saw the boot menu your linking too but it is not the one that I have been trying to solve the issue on which is a newer but woefully under-powered laptop at home.
In simple terms that menu above is not what I am working with now.

Currently I am trying to get USM to work, not having a great deal of luck, it tries to update but fails with this error and I am unable to search for anything.

Code: Select all

Fatal Error
usm update database 271
could not decompress: CHECKSUMS.md5.gz 

But don't worry too much as I don't want to throw this thread off topic

[Ed_P]

Currently I am trying to get USM to work, not having a great deal of luck, it tries to update but fails with this error and I am unable to search for anything.

Code: Select all

Fatal Error
usm update database 271
could not decompress: CHECKSUMS.md5.gz 

IMO You have two options;

1. Reboot and start fresh and manually update all the databases not giving the error. Something like this can help.

usmupdates.sh

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#!/bin/sh

#set -x;

if [ `whoami` != "root" ]; then
    echo "Enter root password below"
    su - -c "sh $0 $1"
    exit
fi

usm -u slackware
usm -u slacky
usm -u salix
usm -u alien
usm -u ponce
usm -u sbo
# usm -u slackonly  
# slackonly down

2. Try a different mirror site. For slackonly for example you would try a different mirror in /etc/usm/mirrors-slackonly.txt.

As for your boot menu, you can make the default boot option to boot with changes but it will require some tinkering. Something like this may work:

Code: Select all

menuentry "Porteus GUI mode" {
   volume KERNELS
   icon EFI/BOOT/icons/os_porteus.png
   loader boot/syslinux/vmlinuz
   initrd boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
   options "changes=/porteus/porteussave.dat"
   submenuentry "Save changes" {
      add_options ""
    }
   submenuentry "Always fresh" {
      add_options "nomagic base_only norootcopy changes= "
    }
      submenuentry "Boot to copy2ram mode" {
      add_options "copy2ram changes= "
    }
      submenuentry "Text mode" {
      add_options "3 changes= "
    }
      submenuentry "pxe-boot" {
      add_options "pxe changes= "
    }
}

Do note, untested. So be sure to have a backup of the working file before trying this.

[phil299]

Thanks the USM code worked just fine........as for the boot menu I have decided not to tinker with that for now whilst I have a working stick