Full install to SSD won't boot

[Glennsparky]

Puppy boots fine from my usb stick. I used universal installer and gparted to make the ssd a bootable drive. After shut down i remove the usb stick. On startup it goes from the boot screen to a blinking curser. No splash screen, nothing.
Grub4Dos and Universal Installer say the boot flag is not set.
GParted shows the boot flag is set.
Help?

[Glennsparky]

The second post in this link

http://askubuntu.com/questions/571785/d ... ount-point

says gpt doesnt use a boot flag. It needs a boot bios partition for the grub 2 core.
I used GParted to create a 1 megabyte boot bios partition, but putting grub there was over my head. So I reformatted the ssd with a msdos partition table. The ssd boots now. Works fine.

[bigpup]

From Grub4dos help

note that some BIOS cannot handle boot flags on Linux partitions. it is wise to format the 1st partition with fat16(or fat32) and set the boot flag on it

I used GParted to create a 1 megabyte boot bios partition

If you make this the first partition.
Format it as fat32.
Make it say 10MB.

Grub4dos should place its files on this partition.

The rest of the drive you can partition and use a Linux format.

I have my drive that way.
first partition is small formatted fat32.
All other partitions are Linux format.
Run Grub4dos Config.
I select drive sda and the mbr of sda
Grub4dos automatically puts its files on the fat32 partition.

[Glennsparky]

Thanks bigpup. Tomorrow i'll try that with the gpt partition table.

This also seems like a promising workaround:

https://www.linuxliteos.com/forums/tuto ... artitions/

[bigpup]

Just so you know.
Puppy does not need any partitions labeled root or home.
Puppy does all of that internally in how Puppy works.
Only one partition is needed: the one Puppy is installed on.

A Linux swap partition is always useful.
2 times the size of the ram on the computer.
May not ever get used, but always good to have, if needed.
Really depends on how much ram gets used in doing things.

Puppy install.
Puppy has the most features when installed as a frugal install.

Full install is offered, but it is really not the best way to install Puppy.
Puppy is designed to work best in frugal install.
Do not think a full install is better!!!!

[Glennsparky]

Again, thanks bigpup. I'm following those tips right now

[rufwoof]

Just so you know.
Puppy does not need any partitions labeled root or home.
Puppy does all of that internally in how Puppy works.
Only one partition is needed: the one Puppy is installed on.

A Linux swap partition is always useful.
2 times the size of the ram on the computer.
May not ever get used, but always good to have, if needed.
Really depends on how much ram gets used in doing things.

Puppy install.
Puppy has the most features when installed as a frugal install.

Full install is offered, but it is really not the best way to install Puppy.
Puppy is designed to work best in frugal install.
Do not think a full install is better!!!!

I created a single partition as ext3 format and installed gru4dos to that and it boots fine. I copied the debian liveCD /live folder over to that and boot its filesystem.squashfs frugally. I've also extracted all of the content of the main sfs to that / partition and set it to be the save partition. For swap, most of the time I don't have one but create and activate a swap file if the need arises (such as doing large video edits). I have a single folder that I've sym linked in for easy access so that any files changed in that folder persist across reboots without having run a 'save'. Otherwise other changes are lost unless I run a save.

So the same single partition is the boot partition, swap space, save space and main frugal filesystem (sfs) space and data/docs space. Set up that way I can also boot as though a fully installed, where all changes are preserved as they occur (which I only tend to use in order to install major updates such as a new kernel).

For backup's I create a sfs of that partition (using mksquashfs) stored on another disk along with a off-site copy.

Supports sfs's, but given Debians ease of access and extensive repository, just as easy to apt-get install ... from that as it is to load a sfs.

Debian stable (Jessie) is rock solid and when run frugally like puppy the two work great together IMO.

[Glennsparky]

Hi rufwoof, what partition table is used in your setup? When my partition table is msdos everything works fine. It's the gpt partition table and ext4 file system that wont boot.
I switched to tahrpup64 6.0.5 and ran update a few times with shut downs in between. Then did a universal install on a samsung 32g fit usb stick, gpt, ext4. It won't boot.
Does anyone know how to get a tahrpup64 fresh install to work with a gpt partition table, ext4 file system on a dedicated usb stick or ssd?

[rcrsn51]

Grub4Dos does not work with GPT partition tables. But you can use legacy GRUB.

[rufwoof]

Grub4Dos does not work with GPT partition tables. But you can use legacy GRUB.

It is possible to convert a GPT to MBR I believe. I've not done that myself however so I don't know the ins-and-outs of that.

... EDIT

Apparently you can use gdisk.

after starting (running gdisk) and entering the disk (i.e. perhaps /dev/sda) then run 'r' and then 'g'. Then Press "0," then press "Enter," to convert GPT to MBR on the primary partitions. Press "y," then "Enter," to finalise and exit.

I suspect it could wreck the contents of the disk, so backup etc. first.

Attached image is as far as I took it.

[rcrsn51]

It is possible to convert a GPT to MBR I believe. I've not done that myself however so I don't know the ins-and-outs of that.

So I reformatted the ssd with a msdos partition table. The ssd boots now. Works fine.

[Glennsparky]

I know, if it works don't fix it. But, I would follow this gpt thing to the ends of the earth. Thankfully, I'm being saved from myself. The next three weeks will be no internet, no computers and no free time. Thank you all, and to all, good night.