Installing to hard drive - instructions for a newbie

[bern]

Hi all.  I just discovered today that I can install tiny core to my hard drive, which suits my purposes well on my old laptop.  Problem is, I've followed the installation guide, but I'm totally confused on how to implement the storage of software downloads (extensions?).  Quite simply, I just want to be able to start it up and my apps are there.  I've downloaded Opera a number of times now, but have no idea how to make it persist on reboot.  Can someone give me some simple idiot proof advice on how to go about this? 

Here's my setup so far:  I have Lubuntu installed on the laptop, and following the installation guide, I have copied over the /boot files from the CD to the /boot directory of the Lubuntu install.  I have created the /tce directory in my Lubuntu top directory and created the mydata.tgz file in that directory.  I have modified my grub.cfg (grub2) and I can boot into tiny core no problems.  But I have no idea how I access, or let alone use, the /tce directory and the file I created in it.  Any help greatly appreciated.  Cheers!

[Juanito]

Hmm - it might have been better to install tc to a separate partition on your hd, rather than mix it in with another distro, but never mind.

tc should usually auto detect your /tce directory - when you open the app browser, does it display where it thinks your /tce directory is?

If app browser displays your /tce directory, then you can use "local" to load extensions and "connect" to download and install extensions to /tce directory.

If your /tce directory is not auto detected you can set a boot code of the form "tce=hda1" if the /tce directory is in the top level of hda1 (for example).

[bern]

Thanks for the reply.  Appbrowser is using /tmp/tce which as far as I can tell is just the virtual file system that is created by tc and stored in ram.  I might try and use the boot code.  Can I just add that boot code in the grub.cfg file so it loads that way everytime?  If so, where exactly would I add it?

The other question that I had was the different "modes" of operation.  What is the best approach to use?  I basically just want to use the laptop for fast websurfing.  From what I can gather, you can either mount the app at boot, or mount it later, is that right?

On the issue of using a seperate partition, I was going to do that but the installation guide on the tc site suggested that you could just run it out of an existing linux filesystem.

cheers.

[Juanito]

Can I just add that boot code in the grub.cfg file so it loads that way everytime?  If so, where exactly would I add it?

Yes, you can add the boot code to the grub.cfg file - I'm not familiar with grub2, if you cut and paste your current grub.cfg here I can hazard a guess at where to add the boot code

The other question that I had was the different "modes" of operation.  What is the best approach to use?  I basically just want to use the laptop for fast websurfing.  From what I can gather, you can either mount the app at boot, or mount it later, is that right?

I would use the default tc installation (which it sounds like you've already done) and then set the web browser to load at boot (onboot). The other choice is to set the web browser to load when required (ondemand), but this is more appropriate if you use your tc installation for many things and don't want to load everything at boot.

[bern]

I'm actually running in windows at the moment, so I can't access my grub.cfg, and i'm about to go to bed.  But from memory there are two key lines in there which I think might even be the same as in grub1?  They are:
kernel /boot/bzImage quiet

&

initrd /boot/tinycore.gz

I suppose the boot codes would go after the latter?  Would i need to use parentheses at all?

On the question of loading the apps at boot, I favour having Opera load on boot as this laptop will be used almost exclusively for surfing.  Can you explain the steps in setting the "onboot" thing?  I don't find the "onboot" gui very intuitive, so i'm not really sure how to go about it.

cheers!

[Guy]

Appbrowser is using /tmp/tce which as far as I can tell is just the virtual file system that is created by tc and stored in ram.  I might try and use the boot code.  Can I just add that boot code in the grub.cfg file so it loads that way everytime?

/tmp/tce will be lost every time you turn your computer off, so all extensions will need to be downloaded again. You need to use a different directory.

Can you explain the steps in setting the "onboot" thing?

To use On Boot, open Apps Audit, click On Boot, then maintenance. Click on any extensions (on the left) you want to be loaded when you start the computer.

[bern]

Thanks for the reply Guy.  To use OnBoot properly, do I have to set a permanent directory first (i.e. /tce on hda1) or will the OnBoot function set one up for me?  If I have to do it myself, can you show me the entry I would have to make in my grub2 for it to work?  I'd just do it and see what happens, but i'm at work and won't get a chance till later today.
cheers!

[Guy]

On Boot will not do it.

Include tce=hda1 in Grub.

I have not used Grub 2. Look for info in the wiki, and search this forum.

[gerald_clark]

Use "Set TCE Drive" in the cpanel.
Run AppBrowser and install desired applications.

[bern]

Hi Gerald.  I've tried using Set TCE Drive in the cpanel, but it says that my drive is already set to /tmp/tce and doesn't seem to give me the option to change it.

[Guy]

Just guessing. Maybe it has created a tce directory in /tmp of the other operating system. It it has you can delete it. Be careful not to delete something which is part of the other operating system.

Even if it has, if you use tce=hda1, it should create a new one.

[tinypoodle]

Just guessing. Maybe it has created a tce directory in /tmp of the other operating system.

That would never show under /tmp then, but rather under /mnt/.../tmp (except for the most improbable case of a scatter install on a non empty partition)

[Guy]

That would never show under /tmp then, but rather under /mnt/.../tmp (except for the most improbable case of a scatter install on a non empty partition)

I agree, except this should never happen.

I've tried using Set TCE Drive in the cpanel, but it says that my drive is already set to /tmp/tce and doesn't seem to give me the option to change it.

Something has happened which should not happen.

[SamK]

On the issue of using a seperate partition, I was going to do that but the installation guide on the tc site suggested that you could just run it out of an existing linux filesystem.

I am not able to offer any suggestions on how to do this as I have never attempted to run TC from within an existing file system.  However, one of my primary aims was to create machines which multi-boot various OSs, each in their own partition, and using a single instance of GRUB2 to manage their loading.  The machines commonly contain Lubuntu 10.10 and TC3.1 but have also used other OSs.

Finding sources of useful information was not as easy as I had hoped but these provided sufficient pointers to get going:

• https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2
• The grub2 info file in the TC repository

If you are using GRUB2 installed by Lubuntu to boot TC, do heed the warning given at the head of the grub.cfg file.  Installing apps or updates in Lubuntu often regenerates grub.cfg, which will remove any entries you create in it.  In such circumstances, add your Tinycore entries to /etc/grub.d/40_custom and they will be preserved when grub.cfg is recreated.
  
This may be the "kiss of death" but up to now the machines are operating reliably in daily use.  This post is being made from one of them.
  

[bern]

Ok, I'm home now and have had a chance to try a few things.  I added tce=hda1 to the grub.cfg.  It boots up and when I click on the Set TCE Drive it says that /mnt/hda1/tce is set as my drive and again doesn't give me any options after that.  I downloaded Opera and all the .tcz files are stored in /home/tce.  But if I cd to /mnt/hda1, it shows no files or directories in there.  When I rebooted into my other linux system, there are no files in the /tce directory I created.  And when I reboot into TC, Opera is gone.

So I'm stumped.  Any ideas?