Install Puppy OS without leaving Ubuntu.

[trawglodyte]

I figured out a quick, easy way to install Puppy for multi-booting without leaving Ubuntu (or some other Linux OS), probably in under 10 minutes if I didn't yap so much in this video.

Maybe this is known. I just hadn't seen it done this way when I was looking for how to do it.

EDIT - I made a new video starting with partitioning, and ending with a grub menu ready to multi-boot with Puppy Linux here --> https://odysee.com/@trawg:3/pupinstall:d

https://odysee.com/@trawg:3/2401060449:1

menu entry template - https://disk.yandex.com/d/JFa6Z8_wGkpJYw

[trawglodyte]

I made that video as newb-friendly as possible so someone could follow along and do it if they want. But here's the short version.

1. copy files from .iso to a folder
2. copy the folder to your Puppy partition
3. add menuentry to boot from grub
4. run update-grub EDIT - This step is unnecessary if you put your menuentry's in /boot/grub/custom.cfg rather than etc/grub.d/40_custom

For someone who has a Linux distro installed and wants to multi-boot with Puppy Linux distros this is very easy and fast.
No Ventoy, installer USB or CD, etc... required. You don't even have to go into BIOS. Maybe this is known, but when I was trying to figure out how to install Puppy Linux I did not find it.

I could probably make a script to automate it, but it's already very easy. I think everyone with a mainline Linux distro should have a partition to play with Puppy's!

[Geek3579]

Having an already installed Linux distro with grub2 does make this type of installation easy as you suggest. I did this for a few years with MX-Linux as the base install.

I would also suggest that the added GRUB script(s) be placed in the /boot/grub directory in a custom.cfg text file. That way you do not need to run update-grub each time you change the script, which was quite slow and frustrating.

[trawglodyte]

I would also suggest that the added GRUB script(s) be placed in the /boot/grub directory in a custom.cfg text file. That way you do not need to run update-grub each time you change the script, which was quite slow and frustrating.

Thanks! I'm going to try it.

[williwaw]

yes, a manual frugal is very easy when you have your bootloader installed already and/or working well.

just out of curiosity, how does the the generated kernel line or puppy stanza in grub.cfg read?

[trawglodyte]

how does the the generated kernel line or puppy stanza in grub.cfg read?

This is my stripped down menuentry template. Which can be used by replacing the 4 times it says "BionicPup64_8.0" with whatever you name the folder, and replacing "Puppy" and "eea65cbd-8683-4c1a-850a-99888a7a8324" with the label and UUID of your partition. Which you can find with <blkid> in terminal.

Code: Select all

menuentry "BionicPup64_8.0" {
    search --fs-uuid --set eea65cbd-8683-4c1a-850a-99888a7a8324
    linux /BionicPup64_8.0/vmlinuz acpi_osi=Linux net.ifnames=0 pmedia=usbflash pdrv=Puppy psubdir=/BionicPup64_8.0 pfix=fsck
    initrd /BionicPup64_8.0/initrd.gz
}

This boots a pup on my system, but there are many things you can add. On some systems you may need to add additional parameters.

[mikewalsh]

how does the the generated kernel line or puppy stanza in grub.cfg read?

This is my stripped down menuentry template. Which can be used by replacing the 4 times it says "BionicPup64_8.0" with whatever you name the folder, and replacing "Puppy" and "eea65cbd-8683-4c1a-850a-99888a7a8324" with the label and UUID of your partition. Which you can find with <blkid> in terminal.

Code: Select all

menuentry "BionicPup64_8.0" {
    search --fs-uuid --set eea65cbd-8683-4c1a-850a-99888a7a8324
    linux /BionicPup64_8.0/vmlinuz acpi_osi=Linux net.ifnames=0 pmedia=usbflash pdrv=Puppy psubdir=/BionicPup64_8.0 pfix=fsck
    initrd /BionicPup64_8.0/initrd.gz
}

This boots a pup on my system, but there are many things you can add. On some systems you may need to add additional parameters.

.....and that's pretty much how I do it. I know the recommendation now is to use Grub2config, though I stick with Grub4DOS because it's solid, time-tested and just "works".

I, too, have a "template", for which I just copy, paste a new entry, and change three items. Example:-

Code: Select all

title Quirky 64
  find --set-root uuid () b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3
  kernel /Quirky64/vmlinuz  pdrv=b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3  psubdir=/Quirky64 pmedia=satahd pfix=fsckp
  initrd /Quirky64/initrd.gz
  

title Fossapup 64
  find --set-root uuid () b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3
  kernel /Fossapup64/vmlinuz  pdrv=b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3  psubdir=/Fossapup64 pmedia=satahd pfix=fsckp edd=off
  initrd /Fossapup64/initrd.gz  
  

title Bionicpup 64
  find --set-root uuid () b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3
  kernel /Bionicpup64/vmlinuz  pdrv=b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3  psubdir=/Bionicpup64 pmedia=satahd pfix=fsckp
  initrd /Bionicpup64/initrd.gz
  

title Studio 1337
  find --set-root uuid () b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3
  kernel /Studio1337/vmlinuz  pdrv=b142cd08-ce81-413e-b963-12b393d8eaa3  psubdir=/Studio1337 pmedia=satahd pfix=fsckp
  initrd /Studio1337/initrd.gz

You can see the pattern. "edd=off" is just an additional parameter for Fossapup64, 'cos it seems to need it. Yes, I could run the bootloader stuff again every time I add/delete another Pup - I used to in the early days! - until I came to understand that manual editing is quicker, simpler & gives you more control. And I prefer it.

Yes, I could run Grub2Config on the big rig and re-write my boot menu for the modern way of doing things, but frankly, there's no point. I've used it for a couple of recent 'mobile' Puppies - one on a flash-drive, one on an SD card - which may end up running on other machines, and it works well. But my main 'kennels' is staying right where it is; although UEFI, it's set to 'Legacy' in the BIOS.....the MyCrudSoft SecureBoot/FastBoot crap was long ago disabled.......and Grub4DOS does what I want it to; boots my Pups!

My distro-hopping days are over; I'm staying right here in Puppyland. If I was still trying out mainstream distros on a regular basis, I'd repartition/reformat the SSD to GPT, go with UEFI full-time, and use Grub2Config instead.....but for me, there's no need. I use 2 other OSs on an occasional basis; HaikuOS runs from an old PATA/IDE SSD I rescued from the ancient Dell lappie that died year before last, converted to a USB 'external' SSD.......and ChromeOS 'Reflex' runs from a flash drive. Both plug in as & when required; when not, they're quite happy where they are.

95% of the time, it's Puppy all the way. (Yeah, yeah, I know; familiarity DOES breed contempt..!)

Mike.

[trawglodyte]

If I was still trying out mainstream distros on a regular basis, I'd repartition/reformat the SSD to GPT, go with UEFI full-time, and use Grub2Config instead.....

I do GPT partition tables and UEFI, but disable Microsoft's "secure boot" b.s. I really don't know if GPT and UEFI is better. I don't think it makes booting any faster or anything. It was confusing to me when I was learning so I just picked that and focused on learning info for that. I never learned how to work with msdos partition table or legacy BIOS. There are some cool Linux distros that don't play nice with UEFI, so there are downsides to going UEFI only.

[Geek3579]

If I was still trying out mainstream distros on a regular basis, I'd repartition/reformat the SSD to GPT, go with UEFI full-time, and use Grub2Config instead.....

I do GPT partition tables and UEFI, but disable Microsoft's "secure boot" b.s. I really don't know if GPT and UEFI is better. I don't think it makes booting any faster or anything. It was confusing to me when I was learning so I just picked that and focused on learning info for that. I never learned how to work with msdos partition table or legacy BIOS. There are some cool Linux distros that don't play nice with UEFI, so there are downsides to going UEFI only.

I use msdos for no other reason that I think I will never need more than 4 partitions on that drive. With GPT you can have many more. For Frugal puppy installs, 3 is usually enough:
The boot partition with EFI (FAT32)
The Puppy OS with all Puppy OS in discreet folders (ext4)
General storage for saved files created with Puppy (ext4)

[williwaw]

There are some cool Linux distros that don't play nice with UEFI, so there are downsides to going UEFI only.

to add to what geek sez

uefi and gpt do not require each other

a disk is partitioned either msdos or gpt

you can boot both partition types with either uefi or msdos

you can also install both a uefi and a mbr boot setup on a disk
(the only requirement for uefi is a fat partition for the boot stuff)

[trawglodyte]

uefi and gpt do not require each other

a disk is partitioned either msdos or gpt

you can boot both partition types with either uefi or msdos

you can also install both a uefi and a mbr boot setup on a disk
(the only requirement for uefi is a fat partition for the boot stuff)

Okay, I do mention those two things, the partition table type (gpt vs msdos) and UEFI vs MBR (my firmware refers to as legasy BIOS) together. Probably because I decided on both while going through the firmware settings, being confused, and deciding to just do GPT for the partition table and shut off the compatibility - support features for Legacy BIOS. Since then I have avoided things related to MBR - Legacy BIOS. But I guess it has nothing to do with partition table, that just determines how many partitions you can have and max disk size and that's it?

[williwaw]

But I guess it has nothing to do with partition table, that just determines how many partitions you can have and max disk size and that's it?

yes,
the association between the two is very common. I think MS inplemented them together on some past version of windows, and there is much erroneous info posted about the need for both together

[trawglodyte]

@mikewalsh @Geek3579 @williwaw
Is there any downside to creating a gpt partition table, assuming someone is in a position to do so? I get that if someone is happy with 4 partitions or less they can keep their msdos partition table.

Also, with gpt all my partitiions are primary partitions, with msdos you have one primary and the others are called "logical paritions"? Is that right? What is that about?

[mikewalsh]

@trawglodyte :-

Mm.....nearly, but not quite right.

With msdos, you can have up to 4 primary partitions. You CAN have more, but you need to turn one of those 4 partitions into what's called an "extended" partition.....following which you then create "logical" partitions inside of THAT. The "extended" partition label will not, in fact, show up AS a drive itself.....only the "logical" partitions within. (The "extended" partition is essentially viewed as just a container, NOT an actual 'drive' as such).

So you'll get - for instance - sda1, sda2, sda3, THEN sda5, 6, 7, etc. That's how it used to work for me on the old Compaq rig some years back.

Does that clarify things any further?

Mike.