How to retain KDE settings on a custom remaster?

[knopster]

I have tried three different methods to preserve the KDE settings I desire on my customised KNOPPIX image (basically, KNOPPIX 5.1.1 + Citrix Presentation Client 10.6 minus a few things like Audacity, Icedove and KDE Languages to make room). Each time I get the same result. Some custom K menu settings are retained, others are not and some are duplicated. The desktop is not retained nor are the panel settings. Application settings are retained (Iceweasel, Citrix). On booting my custom image I am prompted to setup KDE preferences, as if it were the first run of KDE after installation, resulting in losing some of the settings I had customised. (Could this be because I have removed all the KDE language packages besides english?)

I have tried the procedure recommended here under "Customize the user settings (Optional)":
http://www.brianmadden.com/content/article/How-to-create-a-custom-thin-client-Knoppix-boot-CD-with-the-Citrix-ICA-client
Also the procedure here:
http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Knoppix_Remastering_Howto#Launching_KDE_to_Change_ Menus.2C_Icons.2C_etc.
and a manual procedure of my own design.

All three result in only a partial retainment of my custom KDE settings.

What am I missing? Is there something that is not mentioned in those guides? Has something changed in 5.1.1 that would affect this?

I am getting to know the KNOPPIX distribution far better than I had intended, even geting down to going over each and every run level init script. (Where the heck does /KNOPPIX.build come from when mounted in these scripts? I suspect something there is not accounting for custom KDE settings and is overwriting or deleting them...)

Has anyone had any success with custom KDE settings when remastering KNOPPIX? Is there a reliable and reproducible procedure I could follow?

[knopster]

I searched the forums here som more and found this post:
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27014

Unfortunately no such code appears at line 128 in /etc/X11/Xsession.d/45xsession on 5.1.1.

I tried modifying the rsync at line 168 without the desired result. I suppose I could modify every single rsync that involves the home dir to copy the works every time... would be a tad redundant though but might guarantee the result I am after.

I'll keep searching the forums here, but if anyone has found a solution to this problem please share!

[knopster]

Well, I have read these forums thoroughly and made dozens of attempts, always with the same result; the KDE settings customization comes up when KDE starts from my remaster.

I have concluded that the best solution to this problem is to produce a SLAX module instead. Unfortunate, as I quite like KNOPPIX, but I am a fan of Slackware also, I suspect I will have better luck with SLAX.

[knopster]

I downloaded the latest SLAX but thought I'd give KNOPPIX one more try before giving up on it and I finally got the desired result!

How did I do it? By NOT following the directions linked above.

In order to customise KDE I simply went through my source/KNOPPIX/etc/skel/.kde directory and manually edited appropriate files with vi from a root shell to enter the desired KDE desktop and kicker settings. I did not need to remove shortcuts for removed packages, as the menu is dynamically generated. I put a few shortcuts on the desktop in the skel directory (Iceweasel and Citrix Client). I also decided not to wait the 1.75 hours it takes for an apt-get update to run over dialup but just removed the packages I needed to create space then used dpkg to install a downloaded libmotif3 and ran the Citrix client setup and created a default connection by launching wfcmgr from the chrooted root shell. I made my Iceweasel settings from the running copy of knoppix and copied the .mozilla home folder to the source etc/skel... et viola! Desired result achieved!

Note that I also edited 45xsession differently than recommended in the wiki to remove the startup sound, doing as suggested results in a syntax error. I removed the entire function then removed every call to it, to prevent the syntax error. I also removed the creation of the desktop and autostart shortcut to the knoppix index.html file in 45xsession (as well as editing the autorun.inf and removing the autorun.bat and .pif files).

Yay! I finally got a knoppix remaster to do what I want!

[Harry Kuhman]

...Note that I also edited 45xsession differently than recommended in the wiki ...
You are, of course, invited to update or add to the wiki to include your information. In a month or two this post will be covered over by many others and will only be found by dedicated incividuals making a search with the proper keywords. But the wiki article will still be there, easy to find. Others will go to it looking for help like you did.

[knopster]

That thought did occur to me, as I found the notes others had added helpful as well. I'll try and take the time to add my notes in the next week or two and state them as clearly and succinctly as possible.