Puppy is extremely modular; just a few files hold the whole operating system, and (usually) another file has your system configuration and your data. This modularity confers many advantages; for example, backup is trivial. It also lends itself to a broad range of booting options, because these files can be located in different places, provided the boot script is smart enough to find and use them (and that has been done to a large degree).

The many different boot methods in turn make Puppy Linux a very attractive alternative, although they can be confusing to newbies (the very problem it is hoped this page will rectify). For example, the Live CD boot means an underlying Windows installation can remain untouched, thus making Puppy Linux one of the best transition paths for users wanting to work their way into the Linux world.

Please see other wiki pages and the forum for more detailed information on a given boot method; this page is intended to show the big picture.

This is the starting point, the way Puppy is distributed, and likely the most popular way for Puppy Linux to be used. It is highly recommended for all new users, if for no other reasons that it is the most tested and there is an awful lot of experience with it, in the Forum∞, where you may have to ask questions. Some visitors from other linux distros seem to think it cannot be a "real" operating system unless it is fully loaded on the hard drive; but that is incorrect, and they are advised to keep an open mind on this point.

How to do it
Simply follow the instructions on the Puppy download page, burn a CD, and boot from it. You may have to change a selection in your BIOS to have it look at CD for a boot device, and very old PCs may not have this capability (sorry, this page does not address such). However it is very unlikely even the BIOS configuration will need to be changed.

Boot times tend to be a bit slow (by Puppy, but not by Windows standards) with this method, because the 70MB pup_xxx.sfs file takes a while to read out of the CD into memory. If this file is copied from CD to the top directory of the first hard drive, Puppy is smart enough to find it and read it from there instead, making the boot very fast. Most Live CD folks probably use this tweak.

Boot flags needed
none (if pup_save is on hard drive)

Storage of personal data and system configuration
The "pup_save" file, typically pup_save.3fs, is the place where this information is usually stored, and most commonly it resides in the top directory of the first hard drive. It may be stored on the CD or DVD itself, assuming you have a CD or DVD burner rather than just a reader; see the next section, Live CD Multisession. It may be stored on some other media such as USB flash (need help with this one).

This is a normal Live CD boot with a twist: personal data and system configuration is stored back on the CD or DVD (this method actually works better with a DVD, see the Puppy Multisession page∞ for more info). This is one of the methods that makes Puppy Linux portable. In effect, you are carrying your computer with you when you use a multisession setup, and you can stick it in any computer that can boot off of CD or DVD, and run as if it were your own. A very nice feature of Puppy, and almost unique.

How to do it
Simply follow the instructions on the Puppy Multisession page∞. Again, boot times are likely to be a bit slow unless you copy the pup_xxx.sfs file to the top directory of the hard drive.

Boot flags needed
none

Storage of personal data and system configuration
On the CD or DVD, that's the whole point! There is no pup_save file. Only changes are saved each time, thus conserving CD/DVD space. If you want to store updated information on shutdown, it requires the computer you are working on has a CD or DVD burner, not just a reader, of course.

Frugal install, AKA "poor man's install", in an option halfway between Live CD and a full hard drive install, combining some of the best features of both (which makes it very popular). It can be nearly as easy as Live CD and about as well tested and supported, while it requires no CD to run. It is an implementation of multi-boot from the hard drive, and there are many ways to do this. Most require changing the Master Boot Record on the hard drive which is dangerous and not exactly bullet-proof, although proponents of these various bootloaders defend their favorite program vociferously. One method is easier and should be accessible for Windows users and does not require any change to the MBR (instead, autoexec.bat is modified). This method is favored for newbies and many who aren't newbies, and is outlined in thorough detail on this site∞ (it is not Puppy-specific).

The bad news is that there is no one good Puppy-specific page that describes this process. Bits and pieces can be found by searching the Puppy Forum∞ for key words like "frugal" and "grub4dos". [[http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=8674∞