Flash to USB installer (experimental) in 7.0.5

[philo]

I installed Knoppix 7.0.5 DVD on a Kingston USB2 (16GB) with a persistent img of 4GB. It works fine.
I am now trying to use its Knoppix flash-to-USB installer (experimental version) to create another Live USB (on a Sandisk USB2 of 32GB) with a much larger overlay, as reportedly now possible with 7.0.5.
I left the Sandisk key unformated.
The popup window asks me to choose 'i' (overlay of <4gb) or 'p'. I highlight 'p' and press OK. The next window is an error message saying that the overlay must be set at 400MB or above.
In the previous window, I then try to enter a figure (say 10000) as the proposed size for the overlay and press OK, but that figure does not seem to be recorded.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for your help. (this is my first posting by the way)

[Blacksimon]

i=overlay image
p=overlay partition

if highlight "p" a data partition (ReiserFS fornatted) is created about size choosen.
knoppix-data.inf is the partition mounted by fstab

[philo]

Thanks, Blacksimon but could you be more specific - in a tutorial sort of fashion - about how I should proceed after opening the knoppix installer (experimental ersion). Grazie.

[ssanubis]

I, too, am having issues with the new experimental USB installer. Is there some documentation on how exactly to use it? I checked and there is no man page for flash-knoppix2 nor flash-knoppix which is which is a darn shame. No entry on the wiki that I could see. No prior posts here in support minus this one I am in currently.

I am using an 8 GB usb flash drive I always carry on my keys chain and really wanted to try this out (I always thought it stunk that the live-rw function of debian was not functional on knoppix) but simply cannot get this to work. The problem is, without instructions I cannot determine if it's an issue where this experimental application is not working as intended for me or if it's my own user error. Unfortunately, the above post does not contain any actual explainaton either.

Lets boil this down to steps.

1. How exactly does the usb need to be prepared?
2. Number of partitions?
3. Format of partitions?
4. Labels?
5. Size requirements?
6. Mounted or unmounted?

Give me something to work with, LOL.

[Blacksimon]

I only take a look inside flash-knoppix2
Now I try it

[Blacksimon]

1) Launch knoppix installer (experimental version)
2) Select desired target device (I try to use a 16GB Sony Usb not empty)
3) Select installation method:
case "i" Standard installation on FAT32 with knoppix-data < 4GB (I think is the same of old flash-knoppix)
case "p" New type of installation: first parition FAT32 and second partition dedicated to overlay
4) i choose "p" because i want overlay >4GB (if possible...)
5) ok at warning message all data will erase on usb. I want.
6) ok at second warning message before proceed. Do it.
7) select the size of overlay partition. min: 400MB - max: the available free space left on usb
8 ) I select the max (in my case 8728MB)
9) ok to proceed
10) wait the end of the process (formatting, install boot loader, copy data file)
11) now, if you want, you can encrypt with aes the overlay.
12) Enter a password 8-14 chars lenght and then again to confirm
13) Wait the creation of the encrypted overlay
14) End

[Werner P. Schulz]

If you select "p" you'll get your Overlay within a separate partition "/dev/sda2" with the mountpoint "KNOPPIX-DATA"
flash-knoppix2..png

This partition is ReiserFS formatted; therefore the overlay size can exceed the size of 4GB. The partition "/dev/sda1" is FAT32 formatted as usual.

In my example I've used an USB-drive of about 150GB and I created an overlay partition of 20GB.

As you can see there is remainig free space at '/mnt-system/' of 126GB which also can be used. For example create the folder

'/mnt-system/personal_stuff/'

and store whatever you want within this folder.

[ssanubis]

Alright, thank you for the information. I had attempted the same steps as described by blacksimon prior to my first post (which lead to my posting in the first place) and am not presented with

5) ok at warning message all data will erase on usb. I want.

In my case I was given an error at that point that my overlay was too small (less than 400MB). I have tried with an 8GB fat32 partition (let me state here again that the drive in question is a verbatim tuff 'n' tiny 8GB thumb drive) and that failed with that message. I then tried a 2GB fat32 and a 6GB ext2 partition. Failed. I then tried 2GB fat32 and 6GB ext4. Failed. I then checked the forum and saw this thread and tried a 2GB fat32 and 6GB ReiserFS. Failed. Then I tried with a 2GB fat32 and left the rest of the drive unpartitioned. Failed. I then tried all of the above with the second partition named "live-rw" (thinking maybe knoppix is possibly now incorporating debian live's startup script). Failed. This is what I did earlier before my first post. It sounds to me, from blacksimon's post, I should not have needed to touch the partitions in anyway. I kind of figured that was how this should have worked. So.... is this function just "too" experimental? If I missed something obvious please, please point it out. In the mean time I am now home so I will try again from my home PC instead of my work PC and see if I come up with any other result.

PS
I did try before I gave up entirely using the normal install or the "i" option instead of "p" and the install worked no problem and the USB booted into knoppix as expected.

[Werner P. Schulz]

It sounds to me, from blacksimon's post, I should not have needed to touch the partitions in anyway. I kind of figured that was how this should have worked. So.... is this function just "too" experimental?

With the "flash-knoppix2" you need a flash drive with only one partition. If there are other partitions, they will be destroyed - you get a warning about this!

[philo]

Rerring to Blacksimon' tutorial.
Step#5 is NOT the normal warning that all data will be erased. It is an error message saying that the overlay is <400MB and therefore too small.
Until now, I have not yet been asked to set the size of the overlay for the 'p' option. And there is no opprortunity to do it.
So i am moving in a circle...