A writable Live USB-disk [Solved]

[MikeR]

Personal favourite, with lots of documentation:
https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

EDITed to add:
The advantage in using Ventoy is that persistence is simpler - There is one persistence option, with an all-or nothing configuration
(you choose the size of the persistence space, and there is a recommended lable MX-Persist)

The MX USB creator offers wider granularity of persistence choice, which requires knowing more about what you are doing,
and the possibility of updating (remastering) the file system in-place.

HTH
Mike

[FullScale4Me]

Well done on his personal choices. Mention of save for the win ;-)

https://blog.ctms.me/posts/2025-01-28-p ... -mx-linux/

[dolphin_oracle]

https://mxlinux.org/wiki/system/boot-parameters/

its older, but mostly valid. but doesn't always match what the menu items say. the underlying boot parameters are correct. The wiki entry if worth updating to include the latest menu items. will add that to list.

when booting with legacy bios boot, there is also an F1 help function. I'm not sure that's possible on the UEFI boots that are more common these days, but the UEFI menus have short explanations of each parameter now.

[Jakob77]

Thank you very much for all contributions. :-)


I don't see so many comments about a tool-tip for the MX Live USB Maker -> "Full-featured mode - writable LiveUSB"

Maybe I need to try to wake up @asqwerth to find someone who might have a strong nose for an interesting opinion about that. :-)


And maybe a tool-tip is not the right place to start.
I know that if you do a deep study of the manual you will eventually be a lot smarter than I was when I ran into the unexpected missing functionality.
I am not sure I would have been able to find a useful searchword for it. So maybe there is also room for some improvement in the manual (6.6.4).



However I did read the help file in the MX Live USB Maker, and maybe that is the most value for money place to ad some more info..?

Code: Select all

file:///usr/share/doc/mx-live-usb-maker/mx-live-usb-maker.html

Full-featured mode is available for users of antiX/MX family systems, including snapshots. This mode enables all the live system features, including persistence and other features requiring writable media to function (save options, etc).

Can we do that a little better.?
We can discuss small or big changes.
Or perhaps just a link to this subject can be the cheapest way to provide a big bunch of extra help.
And perhaps a link to the manual (6.6.4)
Can we do that.. ad links there without too many bad implications.?

[dolphin_oracle]

the text if correct as-is as far as the function of the live-usb-maker utility. what additional information do you want to be accessible? an explanation of how to use the live system doesn't really fit the help file, but I don't have a problem with providing a link to another document. Even the manual area mentioned doesn't really say much.

So I guess I'm asking, what information do you think would be useful?

[Jakob77]

There is not much help in the boot menu and MX Live USB Maker is likely the last place you have been before you stand there (all alone in the dark lol).
The choice was "Full-featured mode - writable LiveUSB"
But what you get on boot up defaults is just an ordinary unwritable Live config.
It can fool a fool to believe that MX Live USB Maker must be broken. I know that because that was where I looked and looked for help. lol


I can think of a lot but In order to disturb as little as possible with the strongest possible effect I guess the best I can suggest is a link under the relevant text in this file:

Code: Select all

file:///usr/share/doc/mx-live-usb-maker/mx-live-usb-maker.html

Perhaps like this:

Full-featured mode is available for users of antiX/MX family systems, including snapshots. This mode enables all the live system features, including persistence and other features requiring writable media to function (save options, etc).
Forum help example for boot menu, writability, persisence etc.:
viewtopic.php?p=819268#p819268

***Edit:

Or if we want to put a file more into it a link can be a key to a fine compromise between the short precise help MX is known for, and the more messy stuff that it takes longer to read but still might be useful.

It could perhaps go like this:

Full-featured mode is available for users of antiX/MX family systems, including snapshots. This mode enables all the live system features, including persistence and other features requiring writable media to function (save options, etc).
Link to more possible help:

Code: Select all

file:///usr/share/doc/mx-live-usb-maker/mx-live-usb-maker-more.html

And then in "mx-live-usb-maker-more.html" we don't have to be so critical. You can almost use it as a casual draft. More user contributions and links can just be added, and more users will therefore be interested in the help system, and more users will automatically be helped. Is the philosophy... :-)

[MXRobo]

I wanted to post last night, but too tired, and I couldn't agree more figueroa.

Many older, some newer.
EDIT Removed dead links

https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki ... Parameters
viewtopic.php?p=796483#p796483
viewtopic.php?p=738172#p738172

viewtopic.php?p=761100#p761100
viewtopic.php?p=686889&hilit=live+persi ... ns#p686889

And then my bookmarked post regarding this, many (if not all) are redundant - I didn't open any of the links to check:
viewtopic.php?p=743475&sid=0da840efcae4 ... 33#p743475
viewtopic.php?p=739451#p739451

Cheers

[Jakob77]

I tried to install a list of programs with MXPI but I was told there was not enough disk-space.
So I guess it could be an idea to change the disk size from 8 to 12 Gb, and maybe I also want to change the swap file.
I just don't know how to be prompted about it again without making a new install to create a new first boot. So maybe I will do that. lol
If I turn persistence off and save I guess it will fall back to the state of the original install and all I added afterwards will likely be lost.

The Terminal command "persist-config" doesn't show me a an obvious way.

And beside it has started to hang when I shut down or reboot the disk runs all too good to be destroyed.
Hmm.. I could also choose just to install a smaller amount of programs at a time and see how it goes from there. ;-)

[figueroa]

@MXRobo Those first three links (download.tuxfamily.org) are no longer good.

[MXRobo]

@figueroa I was in a bit of a rush when I posted, but yes I noticed it too, but I thought that it was just the particular VPN instance that I was using at the time that was causing the problem - I'll remove them.
Again, some of the other links are very old.