[SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-10-19 17:49:55

Tony wrote:

can I run update on this usb and keep it updated?

I wouldn't think so, the installed packages are "hard baked" into the squashfs (or whatever Debian uses these days) so you would have to un-squash it, update the packages then re-pack the image.

linux_user · 2016-11-06 19:32:39

I created the USB stick following the process posted by hhh, I even did the last step,

syslinux -i /dev/sdX1 -d /syslinux

However the USB is not persistent. It indeed boots a live environment, but not persistent. These are the errors I see while booting up the live environment.

mount: mounting /dev/sda on /live/persistence/sda failed: No such device
mount: mounting /dev/sdb on /live/persistence/sdb failed: Device or resource busy
mount: mounting /dev/sdc on /live/persistence/sdc failed: No such device
mount: mounting /dev/sr8 on /live/persistence/sr8 failed: No such device

Here's the screenshot

I do see persistent.conf file with the text /union in it in the persistent partition.

Last edited by linux_user (2016-11-07 03:43:11)

linux_user · 2016-11-07 15:25:19

Any suggestions?

damo · 2016-11-07 17:42:20

justin_mathew wrote:

Any suggestions?

That you use the actual drive name that you want to mount. "/dev/sdX1" is a generic label that is unlikely to exist on your system!

hhh wrote:

MAKE SURE YOU USE THE RIGHT DRIVE LETTER....

linux_user · 2016-11-07 18:53:22

I am sorry, I straight away copied that code from hhh's post. When I made the USB stick, I had entered it as sdc.

I figured out what I did wrong. While using gparted, the label I entered for the ununsed partition was persistent instead of persistence. Therefore the code sudo sed -i 's/$append boot=.*$$/\1 persistence/' syslinux/live.cfg wasn't properly executed.

I now created it again, this time it worked a little ahead showing me a log in screen to log in. I logged in using the username: user and password: live (both credentials accepted), however I do not see any desktop as such. Bunsenlabs default wallpaper appear, and then screen turns into grey (Bunsenlabs theme color). Only the mouse pointer is active.

Right click works . I can open terminal, firefox etc.. from the lists. However there is no desktop I can view.

When i click exit, , It asks me a prompt to exit open box . How ever during log in the default desktop is xsession , not openbox.

Last edited by linux_user (2016-11-07 19:18:41)

damo · 2016-11-07 19:25:53

Sounds like you haven't set up the new $USER's settings. Is there a ~/.config etc, with the relevant skel files?

To set up a new user with the BL defaults, then run "bl-user-setup"

Last edited by damo (2016-11-07 19:31:00)

Horizon_Brave · 2016-11-07 22:18:55

hmm I'm wondering can this process be done without using gparted but regular cli parted instead?

Bearded_Blunder · 2016-11-07 22:40:50

From all the trouble and help posts I've seen regarding "Live with persistence", I wonder why people bother, to just have to recreate every time there's a kernel upgrade, given that installing bunsen directly onto a USB stick is a simple as making sure you pick the correct place when you partition and format during setup. I've done so more than once, have a laptop behind me right now that uses a USB stick rather than a HDD simply because the drive caddy is missing, so no internal drive.

Horizon_Brave · 2016-11-07 22:53:09

Bearded_Blunder wrote:

From all the trouble and help posts I've seen regarding "Live with persistence", I wonder why people bother, to just have to recreate every time there's a kernel upgrade, given that installing bunsen directly onto a USB stick is a simple as making sure you pick the correct place when you partition and format during setup. I've done so more than once, have a laptop behind me right now that uses a USB stick rather than a HDD simply because the drive caddy is missing, so no internal drive.

That was literally my next question..what's the big deal and advantage of doing live with persistence rather just a normal persistent install on the usb?

Tony · 2016-11-08 02:02:25

Horizon_Brave wrote:

Bearded_Blunder wrote:
From all the trouble and help posts I've seen regarding "Live with persistence", I wonder why people bother, to just have to recreate every time there's a kernel upgrade, given that installing bunsen directly onto a USB stick is a simple as making sure you pick the correct place when you partition and format during setup. I've done so more than once, have a laptop behind me right now that uses a USB stick rather than a HDD simply because the drive caddy is missing, so no internal drive.
That was literally my next question..what's the big deal and advantage of doing live with persistence rather just a normal persistent install on the usb?

I have always thought it was because the live USB runs mainly in memory while the install pages the USB drive and it will have a very short life span. I could be wrong though.

linux_user · 2016-11-08 07:51:06

damo wrote:

Sounds like you haven't set up the new $USER's settings. Is there a ~/.config etc, with the relevant skel files?
To set up a new user with the BL defaults, then run "bl-user-setup"

Yes, indeed there is a .config folder with these inside ...

However when I run bl-user-setup from terminal (if that's how it should be run), I get this error,

bash: bl-user-setup: command not found

See screenshot .

For all those who wonder why a live USB persistent stick, many reasons... In my case, I broke my laptop and now I use our home computer for my work using the USB stick. I don't want to enter the wifi passwords, download Firefox add ons and fix many other settings every time I log in. Also, I can have some files saved on the persistent disk for my next log in.

Secondly, I didn't know it was such a hard thing to make a live USB persistent stick when all I the experience I have in making a persistent live stick was checking on the persistent button ( Ubuntu through Universal USB installer).

linux_user · 2017-04-22 18:08:35

It's been long, and I had to make a persistent live USB stick again. Tried the steps here and this time it worked.

Last edited by linux_user (2017-04-26 21:15:48)

damo · 2017-04-22 18:47:48

linux_user wrote:

....
It's been long, and I had to make a persistent live USB stick again. Tried the steps in the above mentioned url and this time it worked.

That's good news. Next time you post though, please don't quote such a big chunk of text - just link to the post (r-click the day/time for the url). Then folk can read it if they want to, and not have to scroll for miles to see what you have said.

linux_user · 2017-04-23 07:48:26

damo wrote:

That's good news. Next time you post though, please don't quote such a big chunk of text - just link to the post (r-click the day/time for the url). Then folk can read it if they want to, and not have to scroll for miles to see what you have said.

Damn, I knew that, but didn't realize to use it. Changed it now.

hhh · 2018-05-15 19:48:28

@evangelist ( ) , I don't get what you're asking. This thread discusses and describes an unofficial way to add persistence to a so-called Live USB install. Can you not boot successfully from USB? If not, post a new topic in "Basic Help and Support". See these links...

https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic … 784#p70784
https://www.bunsenlabs.org/installation.html
https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewforum.php?id=2

hhh · 2018-05-16 00:07:56

JesusIsGodAlmighty wrote:

hhh wrote:
post #23
Is there other choices to try out of boot loaders that can boot EXT4 without the need of other formats like Fat?

Format the first partition using ext4 or any other option you like. You break it, no big deal since it's just a jump drive. Reformat.

johnraff · 2018-05-16 06:13:57

BTW @new-member-with-religious-name, the post immediately before yours made a point you didn't seem to pick up on:

linux_user wrote:

damo wrote:
That's good news. Next time you post though, please don't quote such a big chunk of text - just link to the post (r-click the day/time for the url). Then folk can read it if they want to, and not have to scroll for miles to see what you have said.
Damn, I knew that, but didn't realize to use it. Changed it now.

linux_user · 2018-06-04 08:24:48

An Update:

The max size of a Debian 8.x live persistent USB partition (marked as persistence in the steps) can only be 9999MB. Else, you get errors for which you will find no specific troubleshooting in the internet.

I realized this from Unetbootin UI while trying out many trial and error methods to get my 32GB USB driver persistence with BL Hydrogen.

The workaround is to create a partition of the remaining space of any label and file type

Eg,
1024 MB for the iso and kernel updates (fat32 file system)
9999 MB for persistence (ext4 file system labelled as persistence)
And the remaining size can be partitioned to another (or more) partitions with your file system of choice. They will act as normal partitions in the live persistent drive.

#41 2016-10-19 17:49:55

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#42 2016-11-06 19:32:39

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#43 2016-11-07 15:25:19

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#44 2016-11-07 17:42:20

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#45 2016-11-07 18:53:22

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#46 2016-11-07 19:25:53

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#47 2016-11-07 22:18:55

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#48 2016-11-07 22:40:50

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#49 2016-11-07 22:53:09

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#50 2016-11-08 02:02:25

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#51 2016-11-08 07:51:06

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#52 2017-04-22 18:08:35

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#53 2017-04-22 18:47:48

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#54 2017-04-23 07:48:26

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#55 2018-05-15 19:48:28

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#56 2018-05-16 00:07:56

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#57 2018-05-16 06:13:57

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

#58 2018-06-04 08:24:48

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot create a USB stick with persistence

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