How to install Puppy Linux on VMware

If you want to install Puppy Linux 2.17.1 on a VMware image by your own, just follow the instructions:

Tested Puppy Release: Puppy Linux 2.17.1.

Step 1 - Preparation

Download and install VMware Player on your computer
Download and extract the LiveCD Virtual Appliance
Delete livecd.iso (it's an empty file)
Download the Live iso image from Puppy Linux. (I have used puppy-2.17.1-nolzma-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso)
Rename the .iso file to livecd.iso

Step 2 - Install Puppy Linux by using the Live CD iso

Boot the Live CD by using the .vmx file and the VMware Player. During the first boot of the Live CD select your keyboard layout and select the X server I have selected german keyboard layout (because I have a german keyboard) and the Xvesa, because Xorg didn't work. Select 800x600x16 (x24 didn't work). x16 means 16-bit color which is 65,546 colors. Prepare the disk with cfdisk, mkfs and parted
Open the console and create a partition with the GNU cfdisk 1.0: cfdisk /dev/hda Commands: New, Primary, Beginning, Size: 2147MB, ext2 Flags, [x] boot (hit Enter and Esc) Make FS, (use it?) Yes, (continue?) Yes Commit, (continue?) Yes Quit The cfdisk parameters should look like this: Number Flags Part Type Filesystem Label Size 1 Bootable Primary ext2 2147MB Format the partition with mkfs /dev/hda1

Check with the program called parted whether everything is ok, enter 'print' followed by 'quit'. Parameters should be Type: primary, File system: ext2, Flags: boot

Select Menu/Setup/Puppy universal installer Select "IDE (ATA) internal hard drive" Select "hda VMware Virtual IDE Hard Drive, size 2 GiB" Select Install Puppy to hda1 Click OK Select Normal Install Wait until the Grub install dialog appears, select "Install Grub" Click OK Accept the defaults (simple, standard, /dev/hda1), except at the Grub Destination Question. Select "MBR, Install to Master Boot Record (probably unsave)" Click OK Click No (installation finished)

Exit the Live CD by selecting Menu -> Shutdown -> Power-off computer Select "Do not Save" at the last dialog. Wait until the VMware Player is entirely closed.

Step 3 - Configure the installed Puppy Linux

Edit the .vmx file replace ide1:0.present = "TRUE" with ide1:0.present = "FALSE" Remove the livecd.iso file Start the .vmx file At the GNU GRUB menu, select the first entry called Linux (on /dev/hda1) and hit Enter. Select the Xserver (Xvesa), keyboard layout and the resolution/color depth (800x600x16) again as you did it already at the steps above.
Do any configuration you like (configure the network for example with Menu/Setup/Network Wizard)

Step 4 - Optimize the VMware image (optional)

Boot Puppy Linux again and copy vmshrink from Ken Kato to the VMware image http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vmtools.html#vmw Change the permission of the file to make it executable chmod 755 vmshrink Fill the disk with zeros, remove them again and run vmshrink cat /dev/zero > /fill; sync; sleep 1; sync; rm /fill; sync; vmshrink

It works very well....and the result is a real treat for anyone who wants to use a vmware verrsion. I have 1.6 gig of space left, it sees my network card that connects to the router, and I can access my usb drives.

Source: Dipl.-Inf. (FH) Johann N. Loefflmann