USB booting :: WOW!!



Wow, this is unbelievable. I have just installed the DSL-N (100mb aint that much) on CD to test it and I am impressed! To be honest with you, you could use it for day to day stuff. Hell, its so customizable its amazing..... It even has Ndiswrapper!!!!

But a couple of questions if you have a chance:

1. How does DSL-N work? I mean, does it load the entire linux into memory and then read-write of the memory and when you shutdown, write anything to disk and shut down? Its important cos I would like to be able to use it for long periods.

2. Does this change if you access DSL-N via windows (have yet to try this). i.e., does it need to write more data as windows will have already locked a lot of the ram??

3. Is it possible to create a new directory on the pendrive somewhere and save my usual files? I mean, currently as we speak I am moving all my files off my pendrive just in case, but I would like to carry on using my pendrive as a windows storage drive??? If this possible?

Just realised I can actually boot from my pendrive!!! No option for Sony Vaio FX805.... DAMN, looks like its via windows only then....

Edit:: Well, it seems that my laptop does not have USB support, "slightly annoying"... so that leaves Qemu.... I have looked at the help files and what not, but cant make heads or tails of the thing? Anybody have any ideas?


Thank you very much for your help guys!!!
Abbas.
um... anybody?
For dsl-n specific issues, try the dsl-n forums.

1.  It creates a "RAM disk" in memory that is read/write.  It then creates symbolic links (aka "symlinks", similar to MSWindows "Shortcuts" but much more powerful) back to the read-only files on the CDROM disk.  There is a Backup/Restore process that saves designated files and directories to a compressed file on your hard drive/floppy/usbdrive called "backup.tar.gz" similar to a ZIPPED file in MSWindows.  The chosen directories and files are listed in a "hidden" file called /home/dsl/.filetool.lst  There is also a list of EXCEPTIONS that are NOT backed up in your /home/dsl/.xfiletool.lst  You will need to push the "H" button in the file manager (Emelfm) in order to see them.

2. Nope

3. If your pendrive is 2GB or smaller, you can boot DSL from the livecd and then do a INSTALL TO PENDRIVE USBHDD and you can boot DSL from the USB drive or also use it as a normal windows thumbdrive.  If you want to ALSO use it as DSL embedded, you can unzip the embedded archive and copy the files over to your USBHDD installed pendrive and have the best of both worlds.
it is not widely known that ntfs version 5 supports "reparse points" (similar to symbolic links pointing to directories or volumes) and "hardlinks". both are only accessible through special tools not shipped with windows (with the exeption of one sort of "reparse points": volume mount points).

i.e. if you use the (cygwin/win32) windows version of 'rsync' it will create hard links on ntfs volumes if you set the corresponding switch.
Wow, thanks for the info...

Havnt actually tried it on USB boot as my laptop doesnt support it but the live CD version is damn quick.

Thank you for the info. Appreciate it.
Abbas.
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