Sort of not finding media with HD live with 6.4.4, fine before

[Capricorny]

Quite frankly, I think you provide a good illustration of wrong ways to use Knoppix6.X.

First, with grub, I don't have to perform that renaming game for kernels and initrds, just place them in different subdirectories. We don't know how much those names may be hard-coded either, so the safest is to keep renaming at a minimum. So, your kind of multi-booting is easily implemented with grub, but it seems from your description that it is way harder with extlinux. Your choice.

Second, it should be enough just to rename the KNOPPIX directory, e.g. to KNOPPIX644, and then use the cheatcode knoppix_dir=KNOPPIX644

Third, I try to minimize kernel graphics parameters, just using, for example, xmodule=nouveau, and doing the resolution adjustments in X. This is because this stuff has not been stable and fully reliable in 6.X, variable from release to release, and at least in part it is due to X changes. I think you may easily shoot yourself in the foot heaping up graphics parameters like you do - the graphics stuff just isn't that reliable nowadays.

Fourth, Knoppix is extremely flexible, provided you use the right cheat codes. But what do you do?

Obviously "fromhd" isn't any better since it still wants an exact location.

Well, simply using fromhd=<your single ext3 partition>, copying the KNOPPIX directory as KNOPPIX644 there, telling Knoppix about that with knoppix_dir=KNOPPIX644, and dropping that renaming game in extlinux should almost certainly give you a boot. You might even get it from USB, dropping the fromhd=, but keeping knoppix_dir=KNOPPIX644 on the command line.

I think one may even place the KNOPPIX directory in a subdirectory, and prepend that name in knoppix_dir, but I haven't tried.

[Nazo]

Quite frankly, I think you provide a good illustration of wrong ways to use Knoppix6.X.

There is no right or wrong. You may not like the way I use it, but that doesn't make it wrong. That just makes it wrong for you.

First, with grub, I don't have to perform that renaming game for kernels and initrds, just place them in different subdirectories.

Syslinux supports directories. I just don't want to use them. Whenever I have to use Grub, I prefer to rename as well. Actually, it's very unlikely this has anything to do with the bootloader anyway since the problem is long after the bootloader is gone.

We don't know how much those names may be hard-coded either

None. They wouldn't hard-code them. There is no benefit in doing so, but much harm in doing so. The Knoppix team knows better.

Second, it should be enough just to rename the KNOPPIX directory, e.g. to KNOPPIX644, and then use the cheatcode knoppix_dir=KNOPPIX644

Well, it has been a month and a half, but I'm pretty sure I remember having tried that and it just didn't find it. I'll try it again later, but at this point I've about given up on the whole thing.

Third, I try to minimize kernel graphics parameters, just using, for example, xmodule=nouveau, and doing the resolution adjustments in X.

Good for you. Parameters do exist to use them though.

I think you may easily shoot yourself in the foot heaping up graphics parameters like you do - the graphics stuff just isn't that reliable nowadays.

I need a higher resolution in the console regardless. However, I'm willing to bet that the graphics settings are absolutely unrelated to the issue at hand in every way possible.

[Capricorny]

Lots of semantic issues her, let's see.

There is no right or wrong. You may not like the way I use it, but that doesn't make it wrong. That just makes it wrong for you.

In the grand scheme of things, you are of course perfectly right. In the smaller contexts, we often use the words somewhat differently, like
Q: Is this the right way to get there?
A: There is no really right or wrong way, my son
Q: OK then, is this the right way to get there in 5 minutes?
A: No

You have a setup very similar to mine, except for me using grub, which in this context is equivalent. Yours, doing quite a bit of modifications, broke on a version upgrade, mine didn't. I think it could tell something about robustness, but you may disagree.

Syslinux supports directories. I just don't want to use them. Whenever I have to use Grub, I prefer to rename as well. Actually, it's very unlikely this has anything to do with the bootloader anyway since the problem is long after the bootloader is gone.

You rather insist on renaming. Which may indeed lead up to problems - long after the bootloader is gone. You simply have no guarantee it won't. You insist on unsafe and, for most of us, error-prone, methods even when you could play it safer. OK.

None. They wouldn't hard-code them. There is no benefit in doing so, but much harm in doing so. The Knoppix team knows better.

You are probably right, in a narrow sense of hard-coding. But there is no guarantee you are, and I consider it a bad software practice to rely on good guys not making mistakes. You don't know for sure that may not have happened here, do you? And in a wider sense: Hard-coded defaults that have to be explicitly reset. You may think you have set all the relevant parameters, but are you sure? That something that has worked for a long time, suddenly breaks, indicates some "invisible" change, no?

Well, it has been a month and a half, but I'm pretty sure I remember having tried that and it just didn't find it. I'll try it again later, but at this point I've about given up on the whole thing.

Sure, and when it does not work with your method, there is still absolutely nothing to adjust in your method..

Good for you. Parameters do exist to use them though.

Sure, but HOW to use them? I have probably used Knoppix some hundred times more than you, including experimenting with parameters. Because of X changes, this has been much of an unstable kludge, with results changing from release to release. In such a situation, I advise to work defensively, start out with as few as possible, only adding more with experience. But of course you know better.

I need a higher resolution in the console regardless. However, I'm willing to bet that the graphics settings are absolutely unrelated to the issue at hand in every way possible.

That may well be true.

In summary, I suggest you

• Use original names of kernel and minirt.
• Create sys(ext)linux subdirectories, e.g. knx621, knx644 etc, where they reside.
• Copy command lines from actual syslinux entries for the release EXACTLY, only modifying by adding knoppix_dir (plus evt fromhd).
• Rename the KNOPPIX directory to, say, KNOPPIX644 - try them in root directory before moving them to a common, say knoppix_releases, folder.
• Add graphics parameters one by one, or two by two.
• Maybe unzip minirt.gz and look at graphics handling of console during init - there is quite a bit of switching going on, which might be usable for modifying console mode.

[krishna.murphy]

I don't see any reference to one of my favorite modes (from earlier versions), the virtual terminals. I offer the following in case it helps - you can reach those terminals by giving the command (in a terminal as you seem to be doing):

chvt 1

I used to reach them by hitting ctrl-alt-F1 but that doesn't work for me any more. I do hope it helps -

Cheers!
Krishna

[Capricorny]

I don't see any reference to one of my favorite modes (from earlier versions), the virtual terminals. I offer the following in case it helps - you can reach those terminals by giving the command (in a terminal as you seem to be doing):

chvt 1

I used to reach them by hitting ctrl-alt-F1 but that doesn't work for me any more. I do hope it helps -

It works for me in the hybrid (arch=x86_64) 64-bits Knoppix 6.4.4/Debian 6.0.1 full HD install that I'm running right now (assembling for later remastering):
ctrl-alt-F1: Gets me a console
ctrl-alt-F5: Returns me to X

The init parameters I currently use:

knoppix@Microknoppix:~$ cat /proc/cmdline 
root=/dev/sda3 rootwait lang=us apm=power-off nomce libata.force=noncq tz=localtime loglevel=1 ramdisk_size=100000 lang=en keyboard=no  nosound vt.default_utf8=0 apm=power-off initrd=minirt.gz nomce libata.force=noncq loglevel=1 tz=localtime rw

[utu]

Is tz=localtime in there twice for some reason?

[Capricorny]

Is tz=localtime in there twice for some reason?

I haven't checked it - it might have been added by the 0wn installer, not seeing that it was already in place in the running version to be copied from.. I absolutely don't touch it more than I have to, you see - but it should surely occur only once..