Get APPS with no internet on TC laptop? Load APS on boot from auto-mounted USB?

[Juanito]

added usbwait=10 on the append line - right before the word quiet - perhaps usbwait=20?

Unless you have usb-1 (as opposed to usb-2), I would have thought usbwait=10 would be enough.

Where do you check to see if it loaded on boot

Use apps audit "onboot". If perl5 is listed, then it should load on boot. You can also check for the existence of /tmp/tcloop/perl5

Then I click BACKUP setting - find the USB drive and type sdb1 (USB) - no slashes.

It accepts that (used to error out), or should I type /sdb1 or sdb1/tce or /sdb1/tce or /sdb1/tce/optional etc. or

"sdb1" should be OK, but again, it is not obvious that your usb stick will called sdb1 on every boot, hence it is better to use a label or uid to identify your usb stick.

but its FAT32

Ah-ha, it would be much better if it were formatted ext2. There are freeware ext2 drivers available for windows (eg www.ext2fsd.com) that allow you to read/write files to usb sticks formatted ext2 - although you need to format the usb stick ext2 in linux.

3. WHEN I have Perl loading correctly at boot, is there a file or method to execute a Perl script at boot? I could use a TIMEOUT or something ??

again, use /opt/bootlocal.sh

[Juanito]

I don't have a file called /opt/bootlocal.sh

is that a folder

/opt

I create on the root of the USB drive?

There should definitely be a file named bootlocal.sh in the /opt folder. You do not need to create it, the file is automatically created on boot.

Note that by default the folder /opt is not on any permanent storage, it is in the root file system in ram.

[grandma]

struggled with tcz PLUS md5 manual loads - got a few with some time cut and paste

[grandma]

DOS label didn't work

tce=LABEL=tinycore home=LABEL=tinycore opt=LABEL=tinycore restore=LABEL=tinycore

TO

tce=UUID=ABCD-1234 home=UUID=ABCD-1234 opt=UUI=ABCD-1234 restore=UUID=ABCD-1234

...since the drive has that UUID

[Juanito]

You folks really need some LIBRARY HELP - every md5 - every info - every list - every dep file - and naturally every tcz - should be ONE CLICK - got it - done.

When you have tinycore booted with a working internet connection, it is one click with the apps browser..

OR - like the rest of planet earth - a zip or GZ (smart) and then pack that into the /tce/optional area - and POOF - one click - copy - boot - done.

I wasn't aware debian (or the rest of the planet earth) had every single deb packaged up into a zip file or tarball 

Anyway - there is no DOSFSTOOL.TZ anywhere to be found. Any ideas?

http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/tinycorelinux/3.x/tcz/dosfstools-3.tcz

or at least WORKING on wireless drivers - so there would be some hope that I could get off this thing.

Using the pci-utils or usb-utils extensions (ho-hum), could you post the exact details of your wireless hardware.

also - I am still not clear about the /opt file - "loading on boot" - since its a ram drive and isn't ready for anything until AFTER boot is done - right?

I assure you that if you add a line to /opt/bootlocal.sh (and if your backup works), it will be executed on the next boot. Part of the boot process is to copy the saved bootlocal.sh into the root file system in ram.

but right now - before I do anything - I need to get a label on that USB so it backs up

Give it a label in windows?

[Juanito]

tce=UUID=ABCD-1234 home=UUID=ABCD-1234 opt=UUI=ABCD-1234 restore=UUID=ABCD-1234

...since the drive has that UUID

Mine looks like this:

Code: [Select]

tce=UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3 waitusb=10:UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3
All this to say:

1. the uuid is a lot longer than that you're suggesting
2. I'd start off with "tce=UUID=ABCD-1234 waitusb=10"

[grandma]

I will see if I can get GRUB to pass that.

[Juanito]

so this goes in the APPEND area of cfg - right before the waitusb and quiet?

I use extlinux and it looks like this:

Code: [Select]

label microcore
kernel /boot/bzImage
append initrd=/boot/microcore.gz quiet noswap tce=UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3
waitusb=10:UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3 host=boxdell syslog
..so you just need to do something analogous to that.

as for UUID - dos format is xxxx-xxxx - always - 30 years now - I used to register floppies of software I published on that key

I have the feeling dos may have truncated the full uuid and linux might not recognise the shortened version, but I could easily be wrong..

[grandma]

can't find dosfstool

[Juanito]

let me know if you find a dosfstool-3.t etc. - ain't on the repo download list...

Again, http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/tinycorelinux/3.x/tcz/dosfstools-3.tcz

..as said, you could give it a label in windows?

boot says "ignoring persistent home request - ignoring persistent opt - invalid UUID etc. etc. - system frozen

As said, remove "home=" and "opt="

..and BTW, since you're managing to boot in tinycore, you can find the uuid with:

Code: [Select]

$ blkid -s UUID /dev/sdb1

[tinypoodle]

tce=UUID=ABCD-1234 home=UUID=ABCD-1234 opt=UUI=ABCD-1234 restore=UUID=ABCD-1234

...since the drive has that UUID

Mine looks like this:

Code: [Select]

tce=UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3 waitusb=10:UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3
All this to say:

1. the uuid is a lot longer than that you're suggesting
2. I'd start off with "tce=UUID=ABCD-1234 waitusb=10"

vfat looks like that here as well, while reiserfs looks like your example  

[grandma]

will try that - tce=UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3 waitusb=10:UUID=aaab6273-4a6c-4118-8eb2-e31a9b31edb3

[Juanito]

"Why does the boot process spit out a label generated by dosfstool-3?"

The label I am using is USBCHIP (all lowercase)

Could you copy & paste the contents of your syslinux.cfg file here - this might help answer your question

[grandma]

   append initrd=/boot/tinycore.gz usbwait=20 quiet

Here is the "won't boot at all" version - complete file

display boot.msg
default tinycore
label tinycore
   kernel /boot/bzImage
   append initrd=/boot/tinycore.gz tce=LABEL=usbchip home=LABEL=usbchip opt=LABEL=usbchip restore=LABEL=usbchip usbwait=20 quiet

implicit 0   
prompt 1   
timeout 300
F1 boot.msg
F2 f2
F3 f3
F4 f4

[grandma]

retried reloading tc from original ISO

FAT32
sys'd with syslinux -i -s -a

now that won't boot either

tried micro code iso
that booted
then I tried an SU (was going to try to mount USB drives and sys them there to try and clean up the MBR or whatever may be out of kilter

couldn't really get around in su or mount anything
then I got locked out by a password request

easiest method thus far? ISODISK - xcopy to USB drive or will learn to make a folder on NTFS C: