SliTaz Forum
You are not logged in.
The other day I downloaded Slitaz-Rolling.iso (55MB) and installed it on an old 128MB USB drive, yes, cutting edge tech in the early 90's and cost £12!
Ouch!
It was all I had available at the time, and despite it's minuscule capacity, still seemed overkill for a 55MB iso.
The machine I wanted to install it on just wouldn't "see" any usb's at all, bootable or otherwise so a re-think called for for that machine.
I tried the stick in another machine and was impressed how fast it ran, even with old hardware.
I would like to keep it but there is just one problem.
I would like to add VLC, Libre Office and Gimp to the install.
Looking for instructions on how to create a "persistent" USB install, every thread/video goes back 5-10 years!
Is there some tutorial/instruction that is more recent?
...and easy to follow!
Offline
There is an easy one. Use TazPuppy, slitaz-based distro with full persistent support. Just boot it and reboot for the first time, then follow the wizard to save your session
Offline
Use the blkid command to determine the UUID of the flash drive.
Add home=<Your UUID> to the kernel command line of the boot loader menu.
To write a new rootfs to persist run [c]tazusb writefs gzip[/c] before shutting down/rebooting.
Reference:
http://doc.slitaz.org/en:guides:persistence_splash?s[]=tazusb
http://forum.slitaz.org/topic/a-couple-of-newbie-questions#post-23052
Offline
Thanks for your advice, I'll try both and see if i get in a mess!
Seems to have become unstable despite me having not yet done a thing!
Every boot, the install works for a few minutes, then freezes.
re-installed the iso to the USB Stick twice same result.
Seems I'm expecting too much.:(
Just tried downloading and installing the iso again with the same result, fail!
Offline
@ Hexeta,
Is your USB drive formatted EXT ?
128MB USB drive, yes, cutting edge tech in the early 90's and cost £12!
Probably USB1 drive.
Add [c]rootdelay=10[/c] to the kernel line.
Offline
Hi Ceel and thanks for your great detective work!
Your magic seems to have worked on this "old stick"!
So far, it is running just fine, very smooth and quick.
I am not very clever with technology despite my keen interest so had no idea if the stick was formatted EXT, all I could see was that Windows 10 was aware that the stick had been inserted, but couldn't show the content.
Using my Laptop running Mint 19.3 I could see the partitions in "Disks" and was able to insert the delay as per your instructions.
Hope I have done it correctly, as it appears to be working!
Can you tell me if I can convert this stick to be persistent, with another piece of your magical editing? 
[attachment=49160,3020] [attachment=49160,3021]
Offline
Hi Hexeta,
According to the second screenshot, your stick is formated FAT16; strange that Windows cannot access to it...
With this formatting I think you don't have any chance to have persistence. You can try, with a partition editor (ie GParted) to set the lba flag on (it works with FAT32, I never try it with FAT16). Then follow the instructions in mojo's post above
But...
[*]the free space on the stick is only 74MB; this is very few and probably insufficient "to add VLC, Libre Office and Gimp"
[*]the persistence in SliTaz concerns only the /home directory
To add programs, you must first install them from your live session and then create a new rootfs with the command
[c]tazusb writefs gzip[/c]
Note you'll have to change your command line [c]initrd=\EFI\BOOT\rootfs4.gz initrd=\EFI\BOOT\rootfs3.gz initrd=\EFI\BOOT\rootfs2.gz initrd=\EFI\BOOT\rootfs1.gz[/c] in [c]initrd=\EFI\BOOT\rootfs.gz[/c] because tazusb will build only one file.
Good luck!
Offline
Thought I may have been asking too much of this tiny old drive!
Strange that it is formatted FAT16, I used the USB Writer software which was part of my Linux Mint suite of standard software.
Maybe best to abandon that stick until I can find another use for it!
I do have another of similar vintage, ...256MB.
Would that be large enough to create an install with persistence large enough for VLC, Libre Office and Gimp?
Have to say, your instruction notes in your reply are I think beyond my understanding.
...Is it possible to simplify?
Thanks.
Offline
Thought I may have been asking too much of this tiny old drive!
Strange that it is formatted FAT16, I used the USB Writer software which was part of my Linux Mint suite of standard software.
Maybe best to abandon that stick until I can find another use for it!
I do have another of similar vintage, ...256MB.
Would that be large enough to create an install with persistence large enough for VLC, Libre Office and Gimp?
Have to say, your instruction notes in your reply are I think beyond my understanding.
...Is it possible to simplify?
Thanks.
Offline
your instruction notes in your reply are I think beyond my understanding... Is it possible to simplify?
I'm going to try.
SliTaz Rolling 32bit has 2 main ISOs
[*]slitaz-rolling.iso
It's called the 4-in-1 because it has 4 rootfs files: rootfs4.gz, rootfs3.gz, rootfs2.gz and rootfs1.gz.
From the Live's menu you can run SliTaz in 4 modes:
base: just a terminal (rootfs4.gz);
[*]justX: SliTaz in graphic mode only whitout apps (rootfs4.gz+rootfs3.gz);
[*]gtk only: SliTaz in graphic mode with GTK+ (rootfs4.gz+rootfs3.gz+rootfs2.gz);
[*]Core: "full" SliTaz Live (rootfs4.gz+rootfs3.gz+rootfs2.gz+rootfs1.gz)
[*]and slitaz-rolling-core.iso that is the full SliTaz Live, with only one rootfs: rootfs.gz
The initrd line in Screenshot_from_2020-06-27_ammended.png shows the 4 rootfs in the linux.cmdline; so you have create your Live from slitaz-rolling.iso.
The tazusb command produces a single rootfs.gz; that's why you'll have to change the command.
I do have another of similar vintage, ...256MB.
Would that be large enough to create an install with persistence large enough for VLC, Libre Office and Gimp?
I can't say...
On the one hand, you don't install only the programs but also all their dependencies.
On the other hand, the rootfs.gz is a compressed file.
Try...
I think won't have no problem for Gimp and VLC but LibreOffice is really heavy.
Concerning LibreOffice, read this excellent topic.
If you create a new Live on your 256MB stick, use slitaz-rolling-core.iso thus you don't have any thing to change in the linux command line.
Offline
[ Generated in 0.017 seconds, 7 queries executed - Memory usage: 1.55 MiB (Peak: 1.77 MiB) ]