I'm still experimenting with live CDs...is it possible to (relatively easily) create a swap file on a usb flash drive to use while running off the CD?
I've been testing the new xfce version of mint which works much better than gnome on my machine that has 500 mb of ram...but it doesn't take long for that to fill up and choke. But if I could give it a little assistance with the memory issue, maybe I could avoid that problem.
Yes, I know I should just install the darned thing. Not ready for that yet.
Ideally, I'd like to have "mint on a stick," or perhaps a USB hard drive, but my understanding is that it would not be persistent (therefore no better than the CD) and creating one carries a risk of messing up my MBR (I understand it's something very important to my computer) unless I take my computer apart and disarm the hard drive. Ugh.
I.
Live CD with swap file on USB?
Forum rules
There are no such things as "stupid" questions. However if you think your question is a bit stupid, then this is the right place for you to post it. Stick to easy to-the-point questions that you feel people can answer fast. For long and complicated questions use the other forums in the support section.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
There are no such things as "stupid" questions. However if you think your question is a bit stupid, then this is the right place for you to post it. Stick to easy to-the-point questions that you feel people can answer fast. For long and complicated questions use the other forums in the support section.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Live CD with swap file on USB?
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
After a bit of research on the ol' www, I see that putting a swap file on a usb flash drive might not be such a good idea, as it may be destroyed by the multiple writes.
Presumably, now that I think about it, the same principle would apply to putting the OS in its entirety on a "stick." I'd think the same amount of swappin' would be going on. Somebody correct me if I'm mistaken.
I.
Presumably, now that I think about it, the same principle would apply to putting the OS in its entirety on a "stick." I'd think the same amount of swappin' would be going on. Somebody correct me if I'm mistaken.
I.
A lot of people get paranoid once they find out there is a limited number of write cycles with flash memory. The problem is they don't do the math. In reality that number is so high that it would be difficult to wear out a flash drive even if you tried. In normal use (even as a swap drive) your computer would probably fail well before the flash drive.
However, USB flash drives are notoriously slow. They are significantly slower than hard drives, so I don't know if it would improve your situation much.
You really should just install it.
I'm running Mint XFCE on an old Pentium-III 800 with 768MB of RAM and it runs extremely well. I was actually ready to throw that old P3 away because it was too slow, but I decided to try Mint XFCE on it just to test it out. Well I was very surprised by the result of that test. It runs so well I have decided to keep the computer and find it a home.
However, USB flash drives are notoriously slow. They are significantly slower than hard drives, so I don't know if it would improve your situation much.
You really should just install it.
I'm running Mint XFCE on an old Pentium-III 800 with 768MB of RAM and it runs extremely well. I was actually ready to throw that old P3 away because it was too slow, but I decided to try Mint XFCE on it just to test it out. Well I was very surprised by the result of that test. It runs so well I have decided to keep the computer and find it a home.