Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Base => TCB Q&A Forum => Topic started by: ejames82 on September 13, 2010, 10:37:03 PM

Title: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 13, 2010, 10:37:03 PM
hi,

i don't know if these two problems are related.  i am suspicious that they are.

i made a directory and verified it.
sudo mkdir /media
sudo mkdir /media/windows
after i reboot, the directory is no longer there.  Why?

it seems like this strange behavior has happened ever since i installed xfce desktop.
i made a mistake installing xfce desktop environment.  can i remove it?

thanks. 
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ^thehatsrule^ on September 13, 2010, 10:55:04 PM
1. That's normal - the base resides in a ramdisk.
2. It may depend on your setup but you'll probably want to check out `appsaudit`
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 14, 2010, 08:21:07 AM
thehatsrule,

i did this to get rid of xfce, according to your instruction (sure beats reinstalling).
control panel>apps audit>on boot>maintenance
i clicked on xfce and it disappeared.  i rebooted and xfce was still gone.  no more xfce.

is there any way to create /media/windows so that it is permanent (survives after reboot)?

thanks again.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: Jason W on September 14, 2010, 08:44:59 AM
If it were me, I would symlink /media/windows to a directory on permanent storage.  Kind of like

mkdir /mnt/sda1/windows


and then add this line to your /opt/bootlocal.sh:

ln -s /mnt/sda1/windows /media/windows


Creating /media/windows and then adding it to your backup would work too, either is a matter of preference.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 14, 2010, 01:06:36 PM
Jason W,

"Creating /media/windows and then adding it to your backup would work too"

can i do this by:

sudo mkdir /media
sudo mkdir /media/windows
control panel>backup/restore>backup?

and then /media/windows will still exist after reboot?

this seems to be WAY easier than this:

"symlink /media/windows to a directory on permanent storage.  Kind of like

mkdir /mnt/sda1/windows


and then add this line to your /opt/bootlocal.sh:

ln -s /mnt/sda1/windows /media/windows"



thanks for the reply
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: gerald_clark on September 14, 2010, 01:26:37 PM
TC's file system is in RAM.  Media files will likely fill your RAM rather quickly.
Also, you would have to add media/windows to /opt/.filetool.lst.
This would cause all media files to be backed up at shutdown, and restored at bootup.

I think the symlink to real storage is a better option.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 14, 2010, 02:16:57 PM
gerald_clark,

i don't think i would be able to use Jason W's suggestion exactly as he wrote it, because sda1 would typically be a flash drive, or something else plugged into a usb port, wouldn't it?  here's my fdisk:


tc@box:~$ fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 17.3 GB, 17360093184 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2110 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks  Id System
/dev/hda1   *           1        1084     8707198+  7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2            1085        1435     2819407+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda3            1436        1531      771120  82 Linux swap
/dev/hda4            1532        2110     4650817+  b Win95 FAT32
tc@box:~$


thanks for the reply
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: Jason W on September 14, 2010, 02:42:23 PM
Replace the "sda1" with "hda2" or "hda4", or the name of the  partition you want to use. 
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 14, 2010, 03:24:59 PM
Jason W,

since hda2 is the tinycore/linux partition, that is the one that makes the most sense.  here is the terminal output:

tc@box:~$ mkdir /mnt/sda1/windows
mkdir: can't create directory '/mnt/sda1/windows': No such file or directory
tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /mnt/sda1/windows
mkdir: can't create directory '/mnt/sda1/windows': No such file or directory
tc@box:~$ mkdir /mnt/hda2/windows
mkdir: can't create directory '/mnt/hda2/windows': Permission denied
tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /mnt/hda2/windows
tc@box:~$ sudo ln -s /mnt/hda1/windows /media/windows               
ln: /media/windows: No such file or directory
tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /media
tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /media/windows
tc@box:~$ sudo ln -s /mnt/hda1/windows /media/windows
tc@box:~$

i will now try to reboot.
thanks again.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 14, 2010, 03:51:30 PM
it didn't work.  i rebooted and no /media/windows exists.  no /media exists.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3772/screenshot0914152932.png

hey, i'm the one at fault.  i am just NOT thinking clearly today.  i'm not quitting, i'm just out of ideas, and they usually come to me.  they're just not doing it today. 
if theres any commands you would like me to run and post the output, i'll be glad to.
i really, really appreciate it.  you guys are always great, and you did show me how to remove xfce, so i do have something positive to cheer about.
thanks.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: Jason W on September 14, 2010, 04:09:38 PM
Did you add the commands to /opt/bootlocal.sh and then perform a backup?
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 14, 2010, 04:41:32 PM
Jason W,

"Did you add the commands to /opt/bootlocal.sh"
i don't know how

"then perform a backup?"
do you mean this:
sudo mkdir /media
sudo mkdir /media/windows
control panel>backup/restore>backup?
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: gerald_clark on September 14, 2010, 04:41:58 PM
You didn't replace sda1 with hda2.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 15, 2010, 11:29:59 AM
i'm back.  sorry for yesterday.  i just wasn't able to think.

i have something to show:


#!/bin/sh
# put other system startup commands here
ln -s /mnt/hda2/windows /media/windows 
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /media
tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /media/windows
tc@box:~$

tc@box:~$ sudo mkdir /mnt/hda2/windows
mkdir: can't create directory '/mnt/hda2/windows': File exists
tc@box:~$



now i will see if the folder/directory survives a reboot.
thanks.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 15, 2010, 11:54:55 AM
there's good news and bad news.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1096/screenshot0915113839.png

though my /media/windows folder didn't survive a reboot, a newly-made folder, /hda/windows, did.
with this, and a little "adjustment" i think i can figure out how to make more/other folders, and they also survive a reboot.

i notice someone has posted another thread about bootlocal.sh, i need to know more about this.
thanks everybody.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: Jason W on September 15, 2010, 12:35:07 PM
The bootlocal.sh file should look like this, creating the directory;

#!/bin/sh
# put other system startup commands here
mkdir /media/windows
ln -s /mnt/hda2/windows /media/windows 
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: tinypoodle on September 15, 2010, 01:05:16 PM
Be aware that what you are trying to do is opposed to standard.
/hda is unheard of and
/media is only for removable media.

The correct location would be under /mnt
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 15, 2010, 01:45:25 PM
Jason W and tinypoodle,

i have read both of your replies and now i am realizing that /media was a bad choice of name. 
i also remember gerald_clark commenting toward that effect.  it's finally making sense, why it DIDN'T make sense.  it appears that the name "media" is already taken.

anyway, i think i will choose to make a directory by the name of

reach

hopefully there will be no conflict or reason the word "reach" can't be substituted for "media".  I'll go back and check all of Jason W's instructions and substitute /reach/windows instead of /media/windows.  now that i'm getting the hang of this, it shouldn't be too difficult (today).

if i don't hear any reason the word "reach" doesn't work within a couple of hours, i'll proceed with my project of making a /reach/windows folder that survives a reboot.

thanks for all the help.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: tinypoodle on September 15, 2010, 02:28:45 PM
To be absolute: It is against standard to create any arbitrary files or directorys on top level of the root file system.
/reach would be equally against standard as /hda or any other name.

Best to create your personal dirs or symlinks in /home/tc and dirs to serve as mountpoints for devices in /mnt

BTW, in /home/tc it will be saved in backup by default  ;)
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 15, 2010, 04:32:20 PM
tinypoodle,

"It is against standard to create any arbitrary files or directorys on top level of the root file system."
ahh, i understand now.  in the root directory it's a no-no.  i'm so use to microsoft windows where it's pretty much a yes-yes.  is this just a tinycore trait, or is this a linux trait (i'm pretty sure i've done this in ubuntu)?

"Best to create your personal dirs or symlinks in /home/tc and dirs to serve as mountpoints for devices in /mnt"
very good.  if i put this directory in /home/tc/reach/windows, this will be no problem.

"BTW, in /home/tc it will be saved in backup by default"
now that sounds TOO easy.  are you saying i don't have to do this:  control panel>backup/restore>backup, or edit some kind of configuration file? 

what about the checkbox when exit-ing?  that probably needs to be checked, doesn't it?

thanks.




Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: tinypoodle on September 15, 2010, 06:56:32 PM
http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html

Yes, backup has to be made, and restored at next boot, (most) everything in home will be back. of course will still have to mount the partition under /mnt/hda2 or whatever for the symlink to actually work.
Title: Re: two problems: directories vanish after reboot and would like to remove xfce
Post by: ejames82 on September 15, 2010, 09:29:10 PM
tinypoodle,

great tutorial!

this will keep me busy for a while.

thanks.