MX Linux Forum

I live in a 55+ age complex in USA.
I am their unofficial pc guru.
But I don't do Windoz anymore.
Only Linux.

I am charged with setting up 3 PCs
for my elderly colleagues.
The PCs will be set up in the public lounge.

My idea is to use MX-14 on usb stick.
I will remove a lot of apps and add some games.
No persistance, so that nothing is saved.
No HD, so nothing is saved.

I've been playing with RemasterCC on usb stick,
but have not been able to make permenent changes.

Suggestions welcome.

I suggest running the stick with persistence, installing your apps, and then running the remaster. The remaster will take the persistence files and roll them up into a read-only filesystem. Should be perfect for what you are doing.

Once the remaster is done, no more need for persistence.

Welcome to MX Linux, BTW!

dolphin_oracle wrote:I suggest running the stick with persistence, installing your apps, and then running the remaster. The remaster will take the persistence files and roll them up into a read-only filesystem. Should be perfect for what you are doing.

Once the remaster is done, no more need for persistence.

Thanks for the reply.

As I understand you:
1. I should remake my usb stick from MX-14 CD using MX-14's "live usb" app.
2. Remove/add apps as I wish.
3. Run RemassterCC.
4. Then my usb stick will be "locked" with no persistence.
Correct?

I don't want anyone to be able to leave any info on this system after it is shutdown.

Basically, yes.

Just to check - Are you going to be running live on a stick or installed to the stick?

If running live off the stick, you should manually remove the persistence options from the boot menu and if you are really worried, remove the persistence/remaster app.

Just a quick note. Be sure to use a NAME BRAND usb stick, not some unknown type.

anticapitalista wrote:Basically, yes.

Just to check - Are you going to be running live on a stick or installed to the stick?

If running live off the stick, you should manually remove the persistence options from the boot menu and if you are really worried, remove the persistence/remaster app.

Since I'll have no hard drive,
it will run off the stick.

Before registering in this forum,
I installed MX-14 to a stick.
RemasterCC let me keep Firefox installed
and modify the panel to look more XP'ish.
But it wouldn't allow me to keep updates.
So that is why I've come to y'all for assistance.
It looks like a live CD, except for the panel.

I will want to remove everything
from the desktop, except the panel.
I really like MX-14 wallpaper.

I want MX-14 to look the same
as if was booting from a HD.

I want it simple and clean.

I think your suggestions will work.
Now to find enough time to play with it.

Thanks for your knowledge.

It is NOT working.
It is not saving changes to usb stick.
I make persistence space for both root and home.
Make changes. Add and remove apps.
Update Firefox with some bookmark on bookmark toolbar.
Remove the installer from the desktop.
Run remastercc.
Hit yes yes yes...
Reboot. Nothing is saved / remastered.
Suggestions.

I used a pc with no HD and one usb stick.
g-parted says I'm using 11G of 16G.
That seems way too much.
I'll start again from the beginning with the cd.

Jim1938 wrote:I make persistence space for both root and home.
Make changes. Add and remove apps.
Update Firefox with some bookmark on bookmark toolbar.
Remove the installer from the desktop.
Run remastercc.
Hit yes yes yes...
Reboot. Nothing is saved / remastered.

1) Remastering and persistence are different. If you have persistence enabled then things will be saved even if you don't remaster. You say you "made persistence space" but did you actually enabled persistence from the main bootloader menu? If root persistence is enabled then it will ask you to change the root and demo passwords the first time it boots. Every time you boot you get the choice of enabling persistence or not. If you want it enabled by default then use the "F7 Save" menu in the bootloader.

2) There is a bug in the current remaster that makes it so your changes won't appear until the 2nd boot after the remaster. If you did a remaster just reboot again and your changes should appear. If you tell me which the exact version you are using I can send you an initrd.gz file that fixes the bug.

When I first used persistence, that is the mistake I made. Not choosing it from the boot menu. May be a common error. It does work well.