knoppix 7.4.2 persistence

[superman]

@ Werner P. Schulz

... simple and nice solution ...

Indeed! If rspiteri's client is using Win7 with separated boot and system partitions, his client won't even realise the knoppix-data.img has been planted in the /dev/sda1 since the boot partition won't be shown in the Windows Explorer. Cheeky, cheeky...

@ rajibando

(2) Booted to the laptop owner's system normally.
(3) Copied your pendrive's boot and KNOPPIX folders, renamed your pendrive's KNOPPIX binary to KNOPPIX000.
(4) Booted from your pendrive, let your syslinux search and find the HDD's KNOPPIX binary and knoppix-data.inf and boot from there.

If (big if) I am not mistaken, the internal hard discs generally occur earlier than the usb storage devices on the Linux's device list, and KNOPPIX's init will use the first KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX found in the system by default. So there may be no need to re-name KNOPPIX to KNOPPIX000 as mentioned in point 3. ... NAND flash memory's wear leveling... Ouch...

[Werner P. Schulz]

1. I have knoppix on my usb to fix PCs ...
2. I do not always use the same PC and/or laptops since clients vary ..
..
4. .. if I could have a knoppix-data.img on every user's hard drive partition ..
.. Then once I boot knoppix from my usb, ..
.. looking for the img file and if found, it is used as the overlay file.

The solution does exactly what the OP wanted.

[rspiteri]

Indeed! If rspiteri's client is using Win7 with separated boot and system partitions, his client won't even realise the knoppix-data.img has been planted in the /dev/sda1 since the boot partition won't be shown in the Windows Explorer. Cheeky, cheeky...

well said superman

[rajibando]

... his client won't even realise the knoppix-data.img ...

Is it? Oh, then I am not aware of this, because I exclusively use Linux, and Wine, occasionally.
I use several versions of linux, and my MBR directs to Syslinux.
I can use both pen drive isolated (physically removing internal HDD), rename my HDD KNOPPIX KNOPPIX000 and boot from pendrive or boot from HDD with/without pendrive.
In my BIOS even with pen drive first, and HDD later in boot seq, Knoppix prefers the HDD version first I stand corrected, and I am sorry for the error. But I know I haven't confused you and rspiteri because you two are avid readers as well as programmers.
I will definitely need your help in future! I would very much wish that you'd remember the Social Contract.
And I would accept Mr. Schulz's opinion as final without dispute. I greatly respect and admire him as a benevolent person.
Very well, then. Let us focus elesewhere then

[macjoubert]

well said superman

I just registered to say THANK YOU - I was having the same problem and your steps really helped me.
The other guys suggestion was actually even more cumbersome than yours.