Hello to everybody. I am trying to install Slitaz 3.0 on a USB key. I downloaded iso file and made a bootable usb using Unebootin from windows (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/). Then I boostrapped my system from usb key. All was well! But I don't know how to make my installation persistent. For example, if I install abiword, even if I use TazUSB Writefs to write down rootfs.gz file to usb key, on next boot I found that abiword disappeared: so my filesystem wasn't saved at all. I believe that using TazUSB Writefs on a live usb generated with Unebootin write rootfs.gz in RAM and not on usb key. In fact if I copy rootfs.gz from / to the directory /boot in usb key, on next boostrap I found that my new installed software is there. How can I do this automatically? Is it possible? Or I have to made a new installation from CD using TazUSB installer? Thanks for help!
I vaguely remember when I did a manual frugal install to a hard drive partition adding home=/dev/XXX to bootcode of grubs menu.lst enabled the writefs option to the logout box.
Unetbootin try adding home=usb keys device name to syslinux.cfg at the end of the /boot/bzImage line
If that doesn't work tazusb install definitely will.
Thank you for your kind answer. Tried tazusb live install from CD to USB and still have the same problem: Writefs creates rootfs.gz in its root directory (which is in RAM) and not in boot directory of USB key. So when you reboot, you loose all your changings! I am going to try your other option.
Partially solved. I found that logging in as superuser (root) does effectly save my configurations (and even has the writefs option in logout box).
The only problem that now at every start up slitaz tell me that it is impossible to make an autologin as tux user. In fact I have to manually log in as root and then everyrthing is ok. I tried to remove tux user and to set root as default user for autologin, but it didn't work: tux user (even system doesn't allow for login in as tux anymore) always appears and even a home directory for tux (completely unuseful) is generated in my usb key.
Is it possible to remove tux user and autologin as root? Thanks so much for your kind help!!!!
One more problem: writefs option in logout box doesn't work. If I select it, I receive the message that tazusb doesn't exist. The only way is to run manually tazusb before leaving.
Is there anyone that could understand why my slitaz doesn't work? I downloaded "normal" 3.0 version from the site.... Thanks again!
As far as I can see, it is impossible to disable autologin and to kill Tux user. I tried doing so using Control Box in System Tools, but apparently Tux is generated again automatically at each boot. For the same reason it is impossible to choose autologin as root, as whatsoever you choose, it is deleted after rebooting. This even if I save my configuration with writefs.
I think tha Slitaz save configuration on Ram and Tux user is written I don't know where: in any case I found no editable permanent file in /media/disk/boot containing a referece to Tux user, so I guess how it would be possible to change it, provided that it is not saved by writefs in rootfs.gz.
It is a pity, since Slitaz seems to be a very small and good looking distro. Unluckily there are too many bugs or simply I have no luck...
Sorry, I am new too. But I think that on a live-usb installation doesn't exist any permanent file such as /etc/fstab. This file is newly created in ram at each boot, so if I edit it, I loose in any case its contents, don't I?
1) there is no difference in results using Unebootin and fat32 file system or TazUsb Installer and ext3 file system: in both cases writefs doesn't work and doesn't save current configuration to usb; running writefs produce a rootfs.gz on root directory in ram and this file is not copied anyway to boot directory in usb: in order to do it, you have to manually copy file from / to /media/disk 2) in order to save configuration automatically, you have to run writefs as root user, not as tux ordinary user: in this case rootfs.gz is created correctly in usb and also a backup copy is generated on the same drive; 3) the problem is that creating rootfs.gz apparently delete Tux user configuration: in fact, after creating it, it is impossible to login as tux (it is only possible to log in as root). This could be related to the bug mentioned in http://forum.slitaz.org/index.php/discussion/comment/5794/#Comment_5794
Now I am going to try a different route: I try to make a true installation of Slitaz on my usb. I'll relate results in a new post.