racy_py

[antiloquax]

apple_tart said:

I don't have an .iso file in the load of files that came from the Racy-Pi download, there are 14 files resulting from unzipping the Racy-Py download, 3 are called 'boot', some 'outlooks'. CFG, BIN, SFS but nothing that looks like a .ISO file. Where am I going wrong?? Help!
Hi apple_tart,

This link points to a single file called "RacyPy2_1.iso". That should be what you have downloaded already. If you find that file on your PC (don't try to unzip it or anything!) and right-click on it, there should be an option in the menu that comes up to "burn using DVD Decrypter".

Hope this helps.

[apple_tart]

antiloquax said:


apple_tart said:


I don't have an .iso file in the load of files that came from the Racy-Pi download, there are 14 files resulting from unzipping the Racy-Py download, 3 are called 'boot', some 'outlooks'. CFG, BIN, SFS but nothing that looks like a .ISO file. Where am I going wrong?? Help!


Hi apple_tart,

This link points to a single file called "RacyPy2_1.iso". That should be what you have downloaded already. If you find that file on your PC (don't try to unzip it or anything!) and right-click on it, there should be an option in the menu that comes up to "burn using DVD Decrypter".

Hope this helps.


You are being very helpful and I'm sure I'm being very thick. Followed your link, did the down load, got the same folder with 14 files in that I already had on the PC from previous downloads. Interestingly during the download process the little box at the bottom of the screen referred to the downloading file as Racy_Py.iso or similar but when it comes up in explorer the .iso file extn has gone. Anyway right-clicking does not come up with the "burn using DVD Decrypter" option so I guess this might be a Windows problem of some kind? The DVD Decrypter program is present and correct so what's the next step o wise one???

[antiloquax]

This is puzzling! I can't understand what is happening to the .iso file. Have you got the folder options set to "hide extensions for know file types"? Windows sometimes does this and it can be confusing. But in any case, try opening DVD Decrytper and choose "Write .iso" in the Mode menu.



Then you should be able to click on the folder icon and navigate to where the download was saved. If you can find it, you just click on the image that's like this and it should burn it.



Hope this helps.

mark

[Grandad]

Using the assistance provided by the other members on this project  I got it to work, here is how:

RacyPy is a remastered versions of Puppy Linux by antiloquax.

Here is my long winded expination of how I got it to work on my Windows laptop:

1) First of all, download the linux program RacyPy from  http://ubuntuone.com/5Dcxf7l0W.....EkKi1E26vv  to a folder on your Windows computer remembering where you put it. It’s a big file, 384MB.

The above link points to a single file called "RacyPy2_1.iso".

2) Now download  DVD Decrypter  to be found at : http://www.dvddecrypter.org.uk/ to a folder, then run it.

If you selected the option, you should see the DVD Decriptor icon on your desktop.

3) Insert a blank cd into a cd drive on your windows computer, on the window that opens up, select “Open a writable CD folder using Windows Explorer”  Do not copy any files onto the disk.

4) Now, find the file "RacyPy2_1.iso” on your PC (don't try to unzip it or anything!) .
Right-click on the file "RacyPy2_1.iso”, there should be an option in the menu that comes up to "burn using DVD Decrypter". Click on the option.

5) On the DVD Decrypter window, check that the ‘Destination’ is for the correct disc drive. Now select ‘File’/’Write’ and RacyPy2 will be written to the CD.

Now restart your windows computer with the CD still in the drive.

6) The Windows computer should now boot from the Linux program RacyPy on the CD.

7) Now you can set the Linux program up. Assuming that you are in the UK.
See the RacyPy screen then personalise your program:
‘Country settings’ to en-GB, English Great Britain.
‘Time’ to Europe/London
Keyboard to UK
Adjust your video settings if you need to.
Click ‘OK’
Click .Restart’ on the next window, leaving the CD in of course.

8)The linux program will now start  on your Windows computer and the fun begins.

[antiloquax]

Thanks Grandad. That's admirably clear!

[apple_tart]

antiloquax said:


This is puzzling! I can't understand what is happening to the .iso file. Have you got the folder options set to "hide extensions for know file types"? Windows sometimes does this and it can be confusing. But in any case, try opening DVD Decrytper and choose "Write .iso" in the Mode menu.



Then you should be able to click on the folder icon and navigate to where the download was saved. If you can find it, you just click on the image that's like this and it should burn it.



Hope this helps.

mark


Well, we creep a little close day by day!!!... yes the folder settings were hiding the file extensions, so fixed that and hey presto - i've got an ISO file all of a sudden. Definitely no right click burn option though but got round that by sparking up the DVDDecrypter prog, set it up for write an ISO (as per your above note), it was already pointed at the CDwriter and then went to 'find a file' and selected the .ISO. Down to the 'burn' pic (as per above) and we're off. CD burned. Into the BIOS to set the CD as first boot stop, re-start PC and wham! instant failure!!!

The message I get from the boot off the burned disc is:

ISOLINUX 3.73 2009-01-25 ETCD copyright (C) 1994-2008 H.Peter Anvin

Could not find kernel image: linux

boot:_

I repeated the whole burn process a second time but the end result was the same.

So what we do now is...... (you fill in this bit!!!)

Regards

[antiloquax]

I'm impressed by how you are persevering with this. I fear many would have given up by now!

It sounds like something was wrong with the iso file. A quick check might be to see how big the .iso is - it should be about 385 megabytes. In any case, you might succeed if you re-download the .iso file.

Good luck!

[apple_tart]

antiloquax said:


I'm impressed by how you are persevering with this. I fear many would have given up by now!

It sounds like something was wrong with the iso file. A quick check might be to see how big the .iso is - it should be about 385 megabytes. In any case, you might succeed if you re-download the .iso file.

Good luck!


You wouldn't realise from your comment above that it misses the point completely!!! I am a pensioner who has ordered a Pi for a bit of fun and is always keen to learn a bit more about computing and the computing world in general. All of this incompetent stumbling forward with little bits of knowledge gained here and there is fascinating in its own right and it is YOU who need congratulating for always providing pertinent patient responses to my incompetence in a VERY timely fashion. My heartfelt thanks!! Anyway, back to the plot! I'm writing this while waiting for your link above to download. However.... it has already cruised WAY past the .ISO i have been trying to burn size-wise....its currently around 270MB and still going.... the one I have been dealing with is c. 93MB. any clues as to what may have gone wrong there? It's probably academic now as I'm sure when I burn this latest download all is going to be well. I just feel it!! I'll let you know....

[rew]

Well, I'm afraid something went wrong last time you tried to download it. Either the server didn't give you the whole file, or there was a problem on your end....

For the future.... Sometimes people provide an "MD5SUM" with the file. If you get a program called "md5sum", you can run it on the file you got. When all is well,   you'll get the exact same value of about 32 or 64 characters as published on the site. If only a single bit was flipped by accident or on purpose, the  result will be completely different!

[antiloquax]

I think it may be to do with the fact that the file is hosted on Ubuntu One, and it had a lot of traffic after Liz mentioned it in the blog. Probably they don't allocate very much bandwidth to these free accounts. I'm glad it seems to be working now!

mark

@rew - yes, I provided an mdsum for another file (a virtual box disc image). In future I will make a point of doing that.

The md5sum for RacyPy2_1.iso is:

992ea3ca3c03fbd728087f0a9e8c7b74

[Joe Schmoe]

FWIW, I think it is always better to ZIP up a file (*) that is being made available for download.  Never post "raw" files, such as a raw .ISO file.  The reason for this is that you will quickly find any transmission errors when you try to unzip the file.  It eliminates the need for stuff like SHAsum, etc (**).

(*) Or any other "archiver" type program - such as GNU GZIP - or RAR - or whatever.  Anything that has a checksum as part of the "unpacking" process.

(**) Yes, I am aware that SHAsum is actually addressing a different problem than transmission errors - namely, malicious hacking of files - and that ZIP (et al) do not address that problem.  However, that's not most people's focus (***).

(***) Maybe it should be...  But the fact is - it isn't.

[apple_tart]

antiloquax said:


I think it may be to do with the fact that the file is hosted on Ubuntu One, and it had a lot of traffic after Liz mentioned it in the blog. Probably they don"t allocate very much bandwidth to these free accounts. I"m glad it seems to be working now!

mark

@rew - yes, I provided an mdsum for another file (a virtual box disc image). In future I will make a point of doing that.

The md5sum for RacyPy2_1.iso is:

992ea3ca3c03fbd728087f0a9e8c7b74



Well here I am writing the reply via SeaMonkey courtesy of my sparkly new RacyPy CD that worked seamlessly this time around.. many thanks. This is my first exposure to Linux.. it seems a bit Windowish but quite a lot faster. Are there any Python tutorials, 1-2-3 easy stages sort of stuff on this CD or do I have to get the book out and start at page 1??!!

[antiloquax]

Great!. Yes there are tutorials on board. Look in my documents. There's a file called tutorials.tar.gz. If you click on it, it should begin the process of extracting the files. In there are several helpful books on programming in Python.

There are also a few tips on my blog:

[apple_tart]

antiloquax said:


Great!. Yes there are tutorials on board. Look in my documents. There's a file called tutorials.tar.gz. If you click on it, it should begin the process of extracting the files. In there are several helpful books on programming in Python.

There are also a few tips on my blog:


Small picky sort of point now, cruising through the wonders of Racy_Py and doing things with it etc, although the operational speed is wondrous, the whole video experience has a very SinclairSpectrum/DOS sort of feel to it, a combination of kind of big fonts and generally a bit fuzzy (all relative to the razor sharp vid that I see in normal Windows use) I can't believe that I can't access this with R_P as it must surely only mean making optimum use of the hardware in the PC, so I guess the question is how do I determine what parameters do I have control of in the Linux bit of my R_P CD that could change things? Fuzzy sort of question, hope you understand it!

[antiloquax]

Hi apple_tart,

There's plenty you can do to change the appearance of Puppy.

If the display looks "fuzzy" it might be worth running the video wizard to check if you could improve the video driver and resolution (it's with the other wizards in "Setup").

Then you should look in the desktop menu, which lets you change themes, icons, fonts and so on.

It might be worth looking at some of the posts in this thread (on the Puppy forum) to see some of the desktops that users have set up.

Are you going to be learning Python?

Let us know how you get on!