Install SLAX on USB device

presentation

unification file system or (unionfs) allowing a read only filesystem to behave as a writable filesystem which allows the user to save system wide changes without a secondary persistent partition. The following tutorial explains how to create easily a SLAX USB device via windows with a french environment.

The current slax version is 6.0.7. This version was used to build the slax Key.

This guide comes from the reading of an article of pendrivelinux.com (location : http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2006/09/20/all-in-one-usb-slaxzip/).

SLAX linux installation on USB key 

Format the key under windows in FAT32. Take all space on the key. You can't create a second partition in FAT32. You can create a ext2 partition if you want, but then you can't share data with windows except with explorefs tool. As the vocation of an USB key is to allow movable data and system, just one partition containing linux and data is a good solution.

In my case the drive letter was F: so use the command line:

format f:

1. Download the last slax version in tar format at url http://www.slax.org/get_slax.php?download=tar. An other solution could be to get the iso image and extract data, but it is a little more complex.

2. Untar the slax.tar file and copy everything under the key. p> You can use the following dos command:

xcopy /s *.* f:

You should have:

•  a boot directory
•  a slax directory containing :

•  a base directory
•  a module directory
• an optionnal directory
• a rootcopy directory

3. make the key bootable by taping the command:

syslinux -sf f:

If you are looking for a syslinux.exe available you can get it here

4. Download the 013_slax_en_francais_3_5_4.lzm from that site and copy it into the base directory.

5. You have now to configure your system to you need. For example I have removed the 05 koffice module from base system.

I have copied the following modules in the module directory, which means that these modules are loaded at each slax boot.

015-python-2.5.2-i486-1.lzm
016-tcl-8.4.18-i486-1.lzm
017-tk-8.4.18-i486-1.lzm
020-apache2-php5-mysql5.lzm
021-firefox-2.0.0.14.lzm
022-thunderbird-2.0.0.12-i686.lzm/a>
025-OpenOffice_FR_2_2_1.lzm
028-wine-0.9.60-i486-3tb.lzm
029-slax-get-0.7.2.lzm
030-bluefish-1.0.7-i386-1.lzm
034-xv.lzm
050-ImageMagick-6.4.0-2.lzm
070-nedit.lzm
090-game_ksudoku-0.4.lzm

You can also put module less often used in the optional directory.

Here are mines:

033-epdfview.lzm
040-audacity_1.2.4b-2.1_i386.lzm
041-isomaster-1.3-i686-1sl.lzm
061-Art-Of-Illusion-v2.51.lzm
062-gimp-2.4.4-i486-1.lzm
091-xmahjongg.lzm

You have now a bootable slax Key that you can bring with you everywhere.