Can't boot PL 431 from CF Card on a VAIO VGN-AR250G
 

I tried to boot this computer from a usb pendrive with DSL (working well on other computers) & never passed certain point in the process (crashes without any message). Then burnt a live cd with PL 431 in it &, from the cdrom it boots ok. Since this machine doesn't have a hd & I found a CF Card (128 MB) with an interphase to use in an usb port, decided to format & partition it in 2 parts (109 MB for PL & the rest as a swap-file for PL).
Up to this point everything appears to be ok but at the moment of booting the machine it gives off the message: <Performing a 'switch=root' to the layered filesystem... kerenel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!>. The only activity I see are 3 leds blinking on the laptop & a cursor (_) on the screen, but cannot write anything & the keyboard is useless for rebooting the machine. So, have to press the Power button for a few secs. to turn it off.
I've enabled everything within the BIOS that could lead to permitting the machine to boot from a usb drive.
I noticed that within the process of installing PL to a device there are other methods for enabling the device to boot-up; I used the default setting in my 2 trials:

1. the file system tried the first time was ext3;
   the next time, after deleting the partitions & re-partitioning the drive again, I used ext2 (mainly for satisfying my curiousity)

If I'm not wrong here I think there're 5 alternatives including the default one & I'm planning to try each and everyone in the order they appear there. If someone works well in my situation I'll post that as a reply to this thread but I don't feel that's going to happen & that's why I'm posting this before exhausting my alternatives.
Thanks in advanced for any hints/info on this that anyone can post as a reply here! I don't think I'm the only person with this issue in the past 3 years.

One suggestion. You might try the ttuuxxx 214 updated Iso.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=42553

Made to boot and run on older gear with newer applications.
Some gear has trouble with the kernel in 4.31. Like my IBM A22 Laptop (couldn't find pup_sfs). I ended up installing 4.0 Dingo. I wish I had the room on it for ttuuxxx 214. Sounds like a sweet puppy Linux version for older gear.

Sorry rokytnji, but don't understand the contents/intentions of your post nor what's encountered in the link. Are you suggesting to download another distro? A newer one or an older one?
Thanks for responding!

Yes.

It is a newer version of 2.1.4. Designed by ttuuxxx . Some Puppy Linux Distros Kernels do not load up on older gear like yours. So developers at Murga Puppy Linux developed Puppy 412 and 214 for home users faced by kernel boot problems with older gear (after a install).

Hope that is clear enough.

Thanks rokytnji for responding!
What about the functionality of those other distros when compared with 431? Drivers?
Is there another more updated version of PL than the 431 I'm dealing with now (but not a Beta one)?
I'm asking the last question because have the idea that sometimes problems like this might be solved in a subsequent release.

Yes
http://puppylinux.org/news/releases/...ting-platform/

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=puppy



Actually. 214 and 412 are pretty supportive when it comes to the kernel and drivers. I run Puppy 4 Dingo on my IBM A22 Laptop, Pentium 1000 Hz, 256MB of ram, 20 gig Hardrive. I dual boot it with AntiX 8.5 Full Iso running a Custom rolled 2.6.34 Kernel also.

Any Hows. My Puppy Dingo install. Which has a older kernel than Puppy 4.31. It picks up my Belkin F5D 7010 ver.6 PCMCIA wireless G cardbus just fine without having to manually load a module. I am running Firefox 4.3, Skype, Opera 10.61, a external web cam, external mic. All on a 2001 laptop. All those applications I mentioned above are available at murga puppy linux forums and also through private members/developer repositories at murga/puppy linux and also from ibiblio.org.

One can only test and see what works first hand by booting a live cd and see what works and how well you like the interface. There are also many different flavors of Puppy 4.31.
1. NOP (xfce 4.31 without open office but OO can be installed if wished)I run this as a frugal install dual booting with
2.Bruno (I run this to on frugal install on Desktop. 2nd post down in link)
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/vie...cf0113a5dd0830

A lot of choices are available when deciding to use Puppy Linux.
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Puplets

Keep trying till you find what you like. Thats what I do.

Have a question before downloading the 'retrofitted' distro. First, I'm running PL431 live cd. Have a 128MB CF card in the appropriate slot (same distro installed but not booting). The cd was burnt with a utility found within PL421 (don't remember its name) but the burning process didn't close the recording sequence (I understood that more info could be added to the cd). The desktop right now show I've 237MB of free RAM. Have no hard disk.
> How many options I've for downloading the said distro: to a Temp folder(RAM), to the cd or to the emptied CF card?
What I've in mind is one of the following:
1) d/l to ram, 'burn it' to the card & see if it boots;
2) d/l to cd, 'burn it' to the card & ibid;
3) d/l to cd, burn it to cd & ibid; then installing in the card.
In any case, since I've a pendrive with DSL in it, I'm wondering if it could be possible to put some files in the CF card to permit two things: booting-up the said pendrive with DSL & to boot this other PL distro (a menu wouldn't hurt but any working arrangement would do).
Thanks for all the shared info!

My situation has changed a bit..., maybe it would be better to open a new thread but this one is very related to it.

Recently, after selecting to save in an open live cd where Puppy 431 was (working well as a live cd) the pupsave file & some other little files with the purpose of avoiding searching for my bookmarks & other issues within an external media device (or attachment to a self directed email) my Ubuntu Brasero reported having burnt successfully to the said media. Now if I look inside it can't find anything that resembles the burnt file(s) &, what's worst, the cd no longer boot up neither the notebook nor the desktop (where Ubuntu resides) with a 'kernel panic' message.

Due to this situation downloaded the latest puppy to be found, burnt it with Brasero to a blank cd-r & now I'm pleased to be writing this from/with it. Have noticed that it's a MUCH improved OS now (compared with PL421 & 431), which in itself merits my applause!

My problem now with Lupu is that I read that before selecting a browser to be installed it was better/wise to create the Pupsave file, but I can't find instructions/buttons to do that anywhere from the page I read it nor in some forums that I already searched. I'm planning to put all extra files in a CFCard including the Pupsave file because this notebook lacks a HD.

My problem later on is going to be that I'm intending to put this os in its own partition within the primary HD in the desktop for the purpose of being able to boot either Ubuntu or Lupu there. I must say that before installing Ubuntu there I made several partitions thinking of this possibility in advanced. What I've there is something like this:
I - first partition = Ubuntu
II - 2nd partition = Ubuntu-swap (or stuff)
III - 3rd partition = Puppy Linux
IV - 4th partition = Puppy Linux-swap (or stuff)
V - 5th partition = DSL
VI - 6th partition = DSL-swap (or stuff)
VII- 7th partition = Win98
VII- 8th partition = Win98-swap (or stuff)

When partitioning the drive I was using Gparted from PL431 & the other utility you put in there for partitioning hdds (pdisk partition manager, I think). I would like to know if, before trying to put Lupu there, I must check something to avoid problems with this. I know Lupu is a new distro & probably there's not much info regarding circumstances like this yet, but a question in time is better than one after the need arises (have read something about an incompatibility regarding inode... 256 bytes &, with some distros, they recommend changing that to ...128 bytes)!

Thanks in advanced for any help on these issues!

PS I don't know if I'm braking a forum rule here, which I would regret very much, by putting the next link to the proper discussion where I started my last issue, now with Lucid:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/vie...=454333#454333

Hope not!

Not ibid
 

My situation has changed a bit..., maybe it would be better to open a new thread but this one is very related to it.

Recently, after selecting to save in an open live cd where Puppy 431 was (working well as a live cd) the pupsave file & some other little files with the purpose of avoiding searching for my bookmarks & other issues within an external media device (or attachment to a self directed email) my Ubuntu Brasero reported having burnt successfully to the said media. Now if I look inside it can't find anything that resembles the burnt file(s) &, what's worst, the cd no longer boot up neither the notebook nor the desktop (where Ubuntu resides) with a 'kernel panic' message.

Due to this situation downloaded the latest puppy to be found, burnt it with Brasero to a blank cd-r & now I'm pleased to be writing this from/with it. Have noticed that it's a MUCH improved OS now (compared with PL421 & 431), which in itself merits my applause!

My problem now with Lupu is that I read that before selecting a browser to be installed it was better/wise to create the Pupsave file, but I can't find instructions/buttons to do that anywhere from the page I read it nor in some forums that I already searched. I'm planning to put all extra files in a CFCard including the Pupsave file because this notebook lacks a HD.

My problem later on is going to be that I'm intending to put this os in its own partition within the primary HD in the desktop for the purpose of being able to boot either Ubuntu or Lupu there. I must say that before installing Ubuntu there I made several partitions thinking of this possibility in advanced. What I've there is something like this:
I - first partition = Ubuntu
II - 2nd partition = Ubuntu-swap (or stuff)
III - 3rd partition = Puppy Linux
IV - 4th partition = Puppy Linux-swap (or stuff)
V - 5th partition = DSL
VI - 6th partition = DSL-swap (or stuff)
VII- 7th partition = Win98
VII- 8th partition = Win98-swap (or stuff)

When partitioning the drive I was using Gparted from PL431 & the other utility you put in there for partitioning hdds (pdisk partition manager, I think). I would like to know if, before trying to put Lupu there, I must check something to avoid problems with this. I know Lupu is a new distro & probably there's not much info regarding circumstances like this yet, but a question in time is better than one after the need arises (have read something about an incompatibility regarding inode... 256 bytes &, with some distros, they recommend changing that to ...128 bytes)!

Thanks in advanced for any help on these issues!

PS I don't know if I'm braking a forum rule here, which I would regret very much, by putting the next link to the proper discussion where I started my last issue, now with Lucid:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/vie...=454333#454333

Hope not!

You can create a personal pup save file before installing your browser by just using the reboot and picking your hardrive or cd as the place to keep the save file.

After that is done. A new Icon may show up on your Desktop called save. You can use that icon to save then. I usually keep a backup of personal save file separate from my frugal puppy linux installs. For example. I make my save file in Puppy called rok_pupsave. I then open my partition with AntiX and go to /home file. I drag and drop that rok_pupsave to antiX/home and select "copy" not move. Now I have a backup in case I need it. That way if frugal fails to boot because of corrupted personal save file. I can delete the one in /mount/home in Puppy. Then drag and drop the one in /home AntiX to restore a pristine virgin one. Hopes that makes sense.

Is Ubuntu Installed?

(I see now. You are installing Ubuntu after. Install Puppy frugally. Tell it to put newgrubtextfile in root of Puppy. Install Ubuntu. Install Ubuntu grub to MBR. After Ubuntu install is done. You may have to edit Ubuntus Grub 2 bootloader.
I try to stick with Grub Legacy as it is easier for me to deal with when it comes to editing)



If Puppy is the only OS going on this card. Make sure the Puppy Partition is flagged as boot. Right click in gparted will show this. Also if Puppy is the only OS install grub to MBR.

If a frugal install. First partition on CF drive. Text file should look approx. like

######might be (hd0,0) also##########

For the kernel panic issue. you can type in when grub screen loads up

To give time for things to settle down and give the drive time to find root.



Happy Trails, Rok

Thanks rokytnji for responding!

My desktop has Ubuntu (latest release with some updates already) installed in it. What I was intending to do was to install PL 431 (now PL 511, instead) in one of those partitions, but haven't resolved yet how to make a choice at boot time of which OS to use.

The card that you refer to is going to be used on the notebook & not in the desktop. The purpose of this is both, to have a very portable OS & having a persistent OS in terms of my configs, because right now I'm booting with Lucid 511 in a Live cd (the VAIO VGR AR250G has no HDD) & I prefer to use this computer for everyday web browsing & reading emails. I'll check that "puppy rootdelay=20" thing in my next boot &, if it gives me something different I'll post that right here.

I rebooted the notebook & after seeing Lucids 'face' on the screen & being presented with the F2 option (for booting up) I typed the command you suggests that will give the syst more time to syncronize but the 'poltergeist' showed up again (I mean, "kernel panic..."). Still, I would like to learn more about this situation. If there's a link to an article that explains why this might happen it would be welcomed!

Thanks in advanced, rokytnji for all the help provided!

Since using Midori web browser duplicate messages in 2 diff. forums have appeared. I wanted to delete this one which is the same as the last one but didn't see a button for that purpose.

Today I paid more attention to the booting process' notices appearing on the screen, they're as follows:

1) Loading drivers needed... done
2) Searching for Puppy files... done
3) Loading personal file /... done
4) Loading the 'lupu-511.sfs'...done
Kernel panic...

I think there's no problem reading the pupsave file from the card, instead there's something else subsequent to that access to the card. What occurred to me is that, if I now I'm using the card just for holding these files but previously I tried to use to boot the notebook I might need to uncheck the boot flag in order to avoid certain ambiguity that might arise due to that fact. I'm about to check that card now with GParted & proceed to change the status of the flag & check the booting process again. If I'm right or wrong I'll post it right away next...

What is the Viaos specs again? I mention this because of playdayz response to svgt post.

This is on page 40 of long 5.11 thread
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/vie...3aaa576545e7e5

From thread below (it's a long one)

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=58978

Not sure If I mentioned Well Minded Puppy Google Search. If I did. Well. Here it is again.
http://wellminded.com/puppy/pupsearch.html

Good luck with the Kernel Panic. I have never been any good with getting past that error message.