Puppy-Linux

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3. How to run Puppy

A great advantage of Puppy Linux is that Puppy doesn’t have to be installed. You can run Puppy directly from the CD, without affecting your operating system. Alternatively you can install Puppy on a harddrive or a USB stick.

3.1 How to run Puppy the very first time

First you must set up the boot sequence in the BIOS. If you do not know how to get into the BIOS-setup, consult the computers manual. Usually you press one of the following keys immediately after switching on the PC: ESC, one of the function keys F1 to F12 or the delete key. At the BIOS-setup you change the boot sequence so that the CD-ROM drive is first and the harddrive is second. Close the BIOS-setup and store the settings.

The PC then usually reboots. Immediately insert the Puppy CD into the CD-ROM drive. If you are too slow your old operating system starts. In this case keep the CD inserted in the CD drive and start the PC again.

Now Puppy should start. During the starting procedure you are requested to enter the keyboard map. Navigate with the cursor keys downward to the entry "us" (us stands for USA). Then strike the return-key. Thereafter a further window (Puppy video Wizard) appears. Change with the tab-key from "VESA" to "Xorg" and strike the return-key. Wait some seconds till the next window (Xorg video Wizard) appears. There you navigate with the cursor keys to your screen (LCD panel = flat screen, CRT = standard monitor) and resolution. Press the space bar, so that an X is set into the parentheses at the beginning of the line. Then strike the return-key. Now another window appears. Navigate with the cursor keys to the resolution and depth of shade (e.g. 1024x768x16 or 1280x1024x24). Make sure that the entry is marked as "supported". Subsequently you press the space bar so that a X is set into the parentheses at the beginning of the line. Then you strike the return-key. In the next window "Test_X_Now" is already marked . Press the return-key (if you want to change press the tab-key). Wait some seconds till a new window appears. Now you click with the left mouse button on the Button "Okay". In the next window "Finished" is already marked. Press the return-key. In the next window "Done" is already marked. Press the return-key. After some seconds the Puppy desktop appears.

Puppy was loaded completely into RAM. Your old operating system is not touched, so that you can look safely at Puppy Linux. Now you can take the CD out of the CD drive.

If you terminate Puppy you are asked whether you want to store the settings (and your personal files) in a file named pup_save.3fs on a harddrive or CD-ROM. A window appears which offers you the choice between "SAVE-TO-FILE" and "SAVE_TO_CD_or_QUIT" (you can change between the two options with the tab-key). Select with the tab-key "SAVE_TO_CD_or_QUIT" and press the return-key. Now a further window appears and you can select "NO_SAVE" or "SAVE_TO_CD". Select "NO_SAVE" and press the return-key.

If you would like to store the settings (and your personal files) you are asked on which harddrive this should happen.

3.2. Boot-Options

When Puppy boots it offers you some boot-options. If you do not enter anything, Puppy is loaded after some seconds into RAM. When starting Puppy automatically looks for a previously stored pup_save.3fs-file. If this file doesn't exist yet, you are asked for the keyboard map and the screen resolution (see chapter 3.1).

With the boot-option

puppy pfix=ram

you have the option to start Puppy into RAM without your pre-saved-settings and without your personal files even if a pup_save.3fs-file already exists. This boot option is very useful and is used in this manual a few times. The other boot-options are normally not needed.

3.3 How to save the settings and your personal files

So that Puppy can store all settings and your personal data, a file named pup_save.3fs is saved. I recommend a size of 512 MB for this file. This is big enough for further programs and can be backed-up on CD-ROM (note: if you want to backup the file on a USB stick, it must have a storage capacity of 1 GB). Puppy can store the pup_save.3fs-file on a FAT32-filesystem only (note: USB sticks and external harddrives are usually formatted with a FAT32-filesystem, so that they can be used without problems). Windows XP-users normally have a NTFS-filesystem only. There are two options for you to store the pup_save.3fs-file as well:

Save the file on an external harddrive or USB-stick.
Make the NTFS partition smaller and create one or more further partition with FAT32-filesystem and ext3-filesystem

If you intend to use Puppy durably you should select the second alternative. This alternative has many advantages.

3.3.1 Harddrives, partitions and filesystems

A harddrive can be divided in one or more partitions. If you create several partitions on a harddrive, each partition appears like a harddrive in the operating system. In other words: although you have only one harddrive in your PC, you will see several (virtual) hard-drives with Windows or Linux. Windows designates the harddrives (as well as the floppy disk drive and CD/DVD drive). In Windows they will be identified with letters. Usually A designates the floppy disk drive, C the harddrive (first partition), D the CD-ROM drive, E the harddrive (second partition), F the harddrive (third partition) and so on. Each partition has its own file system, Windows normally uses NTFS (Windows XP) or FAT32 (Win98, Win95).

With Linux the (first) harddrive is adressed as /dev/hda or /dev/sda. If your PC has a second harddrive, it is adressed as /dev/hdb or /dev/sdb. The partitions are sequentially numbered, starting with one. The partitions of your harddrive are adressed as /dev/hda1 (corresponds to the Windows C-partition), /dev/hda2 (corresponds to the Windows E-partition), /dev/hda3 and so on. Linux can work with different file systems such as ext2, ext3 or ReiserFS. These file systems are not readable by Windows. In addition Linux can work with Windows filesystems too. Due to this option a FAT32-Partition is ideal to exchange files between Windows and Linux.

3.3.2 How to create a FAT32-partition

First of all you have to plan your new harddrive partitions. I recommend you add to your exitsting Windows partition at least three further partitions. The following example assumes that you have only one hard drive (Windows-partition C). Your harddrive could be like this:

First partition: NTFS (Windows XP)
Second partition: FAT32 (to save your Puppy-file pup_save.3fs)
Third partition: FAT32 (to exchange files between Windows and Linux)
optional fourth partition: ext3 (Linux)

The first partition is your Windows-partition with all its programs and data. The second and third partition have a FAT32-filesystem, which can be accessed by Windows and Linux. On the second partition (recommended size of approx. 1 GB) the pup_save.3fs-file will be stored, the third partition (recommended size of approx. 5 GB) will be used to exchange files between Windows and Puppy. To save many large files with Puppy Linux (e.g. music collection or picture collection) you should create a fourth partition with an ext3-filesystem. This file system can not be read by Windows and is intended for Linux only.

To create the partition you should do this:

First of all save your files on a CD-ROM, DVD or an external harddrive. Remember also to save your favorite Internet adresses and your emails. If you have encrypted files, it is advisable to decrypt them and save them too. This protects you from data loss while creating new partitions.

Now you have to make sure that on your Windows partition all files are stored at the beginning of the harddrive partition. In addition, run the Windows-program Defragger. You find the program in the start-menu "Start | All Programs | Accessories | System | Defragger". Depending upon the size of the partition and the stored files, this procedure can last for a very long time (over one hour). If you have many files, you can accelerate the procedure if you first backup these files (see point 1) and then delete them.

Subsequently, when you start Puppy Linux from CD. Start the program "Menu | Control Panel | Gparted partition manager". Make the NTFS partition smaller and create the new partitions.

In Puppy Linux you start a shell "Menu | Run | Rxvt terminal emulator" and then you enter the following commands, in order to create the second and third partitions with a FAT32-filesystem:
mkfs -t vfat /dev/hda2

mkfs -t vfat /dev/hda3

If you want to create a partition with ext3-filesystem for Puppy Linux, then enter the following command:
mkfs -t ext3 /dev/hda4

Close the shell and remove the Puppy CD out of the CD-ROM drive. Then shut down Puppy Linux without saving.

Next time you start Puppy Linux, you can choose the partition /dev/hda2 to store the pup_save.3fs-file.