This allows you to install this distribution on just about any system and storage medium possible. For example, you can install and boot a working copy of the latest version of Puppy Linux on a 512MB flash drive. This article shows you how you can do just that.
Why Use Puppy Linux
One of the biggest advantages of Puppy Linux is its ability to completely load and run from your machine’s memory. The way it works is that it separates the system into two parts:
A read-only file system that contains all the default settings and programs. This loads into memory and starts the initial distribution.Any user files and modifications are placed in a “Save file” on your disk. This file then loads after and modifies the live system in your machine’s memory.
This approach ensures that your system is both lightweight and secure. For example, you can install Puppy Linux on a small flash disk and place your “Save file” on a separate larger drive. This will prevent bad actors from seeing any of your data if they end up loading the distribution. Lastly, the developers of Puppy Linux designed the system to be usable out of the box. This means that you can start doing your work as soon as it is booted up.
Obtaining Puppy Linux
You can obtain a copy of Puppy Linux by going to the project’s download page. In here, you can choose between three general “flavors” of this distribution:
FossaPup, BionicPup, XenialPup and TahrPup are all flavors of Puppy Linux that uses Ubuntu LTS as its base. All these versions use apt and are compatible with any program that runs in Ubuntu.RasPup uses Raspbian as its base. This is meant for you to run Puppy Linux on a Raspberry Pi.SlackoPup uses Slackware as its base. This is a flexible version of Puppy Linux that you can customize to your own needs.
For the purpose of this article, we are going to use FossaPup64 since it closely matches Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Once you’ve downloaded the software, you can proceed to writing the ISO file to your device by using balenaEtcher to create a bootable flash drive.
Booting Up the Puppy Linux Installer
Installing Puppy Linux
While Puppy Linux is perfectly usable as a live system, it is also possible to run it on a separate USB flash drive. This is useful in cases where you want a quick and easy way to duplicate your installation.
Preparing the Partition Layout
Installing FrugalPup
You can now start installing to your USB flash disk through FrugalPup. This is a program that copies all the system files from live session to a different storage medium.
Installing the Puppy Linux Bootloader
Image credit: Ali Zolghadr via Unsplash All screenshots by Ramces Red. One important thing to note is that disabling ACPI will also disable any power saving features for your computer. This can be issue if you are installing the distribution on a portable laptop. Further, you also need to run the GRUB4DOS program instead of using FrugalPup to generate the boot partition. You can access this utility by pressing right-click on the live desktop and selecting “Setup -> grub4dos.”
