Puppy is easy to use and does not require a hard disk, so the first trick that you must know is how NOT to install it to hard disk !

  • BOOT FROM CD/DVD - Just boot using the CD/DVD and save to USB flash (you will be asked at shutdown to save or not). If you choose "Save", Puppy will create your save file and use this next time you boot so that you can continue with your previous work. The save file will be named pup_save.2fs (you can add a SPECIALNAME during the first save to make it pup_save-SPECIALNAME.2fs).

    You may also be asked if the programs sfs (like pup_421.sfs or pup-431.sfs) will be copied to your disk drive to speed up booting - Puppy will ask you about this (it is an option to speed up booting when Puppy has detected a hard disk). Note that some puplets use a different name for its programs sfs.

    Final note in using CD/DVD: you can also save to the same CD/DVD that you booted from (Here, DVD works better, but the DVD containing Puppy must be burned initially as "not final", i.e., that more files can be added to it; advanced CD burning software can do this in Windows, and Puppy has BurnISO2cd for this).

  • BOOT FROM USB - While booted from CD or DVD, install Puppy to USB and use it for booting (see Setup in the menu for the installer). You can then tell Puppy at shutdown to save to the same USB drive, or to your hard disk.

    A good tutorial for USB install of Puppy Linux 4.30 is made available as PDF (English, also Italian and Spanish) by Alex Gotev.

    Note that USB drives will be named /mnt/sdb or /mnt/sdc in newer Puppy versions, but /mnt/sda in older ones. Now, did you notice that the newer Puppy will have a hard disk named /mnt/sda? Therefore, BE CAREFUL - you must know whether WHAT YOU THINK TO BE USB IS NOT YOUR HARD DISK!!! You should know exactly that what you are targetting for USB install is not your hard disk. Look at the drive icons in your desktop: a USB icon will be associated with your USB drive.
Still, you may be saying, "But am too old-fashioned - I only know that an OS has to be booted from hard disk!"

Well, if you really have to make an install to hard disk, use a two-minute install called frugal install.


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