2.16 crash when creating pup_save with "fill partition"

[jamesbond]

Not sure whether this has been highlighted before, but I just hope that this bug will not make it to 2.17.

The problem:
1. During shutdown, puppy will ask to create save files. If we choose to save to a file, puppy will further ask of where (which partition) to save to, and then the size of the save file.
2. The last one of the size "choices" is fill partition.
3. All goes well when saving, but after puppy has rebooted, it will fail with messages shown in Image 1 --> basically SQUASHFS failure, and ends up with kernel panic.

The environment this was discovered: Puppy running in VirtualBox with 256MB memory allocated and 512MB virtual harddisk allocated.
I can confirm that size of the harddisk doesn't matter - I re-run the test with a 1GB virtual harddisk - and the results is the same error.

When I boot with pfix=ram, and mounted the harddisk, image 2 shows what I see in it, compared to the files in puppy liveCD:
- there are 3 files in the harddisk, the pup_save, pup_216 and zdrv_216.
- however, pup_216 and zdrv_216 have the wrong sizes (compare them to the sizes in the liveCD)

I have tried to delete the seemingly corrupted pup_216 and zdrv_216 from the harddisk, and reboot - it still does not help (see image 3).

EDIT: I tested the same in Qemu (with 1GB virtual harddisk) - same problem.
EDIT: I tested the same in VMWare (with 1GB virtual harddisk) - same problem.

Conclusion - this is a genuine but, not related to the emulators I use for testing. May be affecting who wants to maximise the save file in their thumbdrive (if it uses the same code path).

Note:
This is a regression bug, only happening in 2.16.1.
I test the same thing in 2.15CE and it works. The only difference I notice is that, 2.15CE doesn't try to copy the pup_215 and zdrv_215 to the harddisk at all.

[BarryK]

I just assumed no one would ever choose "fill partition" when saving to a hard drive. My thinking when that option was offered was in context of booting from Flash drive.

Okay, I'll need to put in a free-space check.

[jamesbond]

Thanks Barry.

Exactly my concern - the problem might happen on Flash drive as well. (I didn't test with thumbdrive - could never got mine to work).

[BarryK]

No, Puppy will only try to copy pup_216.sfs and zrv_216.sfs if pup_save is on a fast hd media, not on usb.

[puppylinuxw]

I had crashes too when trying to create pup_save file (512MB) on 2.16.1 running Puppy from USB thumb drive. I tried several times but get it not working. Neither on fat16 nor on fat 32 Partition.
I used 2.00 Opera before with no problems in this regard.