You could always achieve most of this using a snapshot for distribution ISO with nothing saved from the host accounts desktop etc. Setup the Desktop as you wish, then selectively and very carefully merge only the changes you desire carefully added to /etc/skel. Test the desktop changes with a new user acct to see if your /etc/skel mods work as expected. Once satisfied, make your snapshot.
This works well for Xfce or MXFB, never tried it with KDE because many of the configs are deep down in the system rather than in the homedir. Ensure you make a fully featured Live USB with MX LUM from the created ISO.
If the machines you're intending to install it to are a mixture of MBR boot and EFI Boot, you'll have to do this next step twice, once for each type. On the first run, set the options in the grub boot screen for the locale, language and any other tweak you desire from the available types, then save the settings and they'll be automatically applied next time you run the Live USB.
As I work on many Windows machines and frequently boot customer machines with my MX Live USB, I set the clock to use local time, else, where I live, on shutdown, the BIOS clock will be wound back exactly 12 hours, which is very easy to overlook because the HH:MM remain exactly the same in Windows, but the AM/PM shifts out of sync and the browsers complain bitterly.
EFI boot uses a text based menu style while MBR boot uses a Fn Key driven menu system. You only need to ensure you choose the right option to save your selections before you complete the bootup cycle and you're done.
The same can be done when booting from a regular ISO download made into a fully featured Live USB, but a little more care and understanding is needed when working with changes to the /etc/skel dir. You can still add and remove content as you wish, then remaster it, but
Mike P
Regd Linux User #472293 (Daily) Lenovo T560, i7-6600U, 16GB, 2.0TB SSD, MX_ahs (ManCave) AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, 32G, 8TB mixed, MX_ahs (Spare)2017 Macbook Air 7,2, 8GB, 256GB SSD, MX_ahs
I've never did a snapshot for distribution ISO I suppose your create a snapshot (with which tool ? ) then you mount it and convert it into an iso with probably mkisofs ?
I suppose you do all of that within the live session ? (so before the actual install) ?
out of topic, nice Hayabusa
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Eadwine Rose wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2025 11:49 am
Please change the unreadable color to something easier to read like a dark blue. Thank you.
Sorry I've the forum in dark color, and I choose already a not to bright green, but apparently not enough, it's corrected :)
If the freedom of expression is limited to the ideas that we like, it is not freedom of expression.
I've never did a snapshot for distribution ISO I suppose your create a snapshot (with which tool ? ) then you mount it and convert it into an iso with probably mkisofs ?
The tool is called mx-snapshot, it creates an ISO, you don't mount it, you run and install it like a regular MX release.
