SparkyLinux Installer

[hacktheworld]

Out of curiosity I tried Sparkylinux, it seemed like a good distribution, I created the USB stick from the ISO image, but when I tried several times to install it in a free partition of the hard drive and it installed, but the other two Linux distributions I installed no longer appeared in the boot menu. I'm quite experienced in partitions and I installed (manually) SparkyLinux in a 40 GB partition formatted EXT4 (use as: Ext4 Journaling file system) mount point / and bootloader in /dev/sda I've never encountered such a problem since I've been using Linux, and I was forced to uninstall SparkyLinux and install another distribution (from USB stick). All good now, but I think there's something wrong with the SparkyLinux installer.

 

[Tomedi]

SparkyLinux uses Calamares installer from version 4.6. I've never had any problems with it, but Sparky is the only system I use, so it's not exactly the same situation. Sparky is a very good debian-based distro and it's a shame that a problem with the installer can stop people from trying it.

 

[The Duck]

I've used SparkyLinux in the past and have never had any problems installing it although it was the only Linux distro on the HDD.

SparkyLinux is a good Linux distro based on Debian and being Debian based it's solid as a rock and stable as all get out.

 

[Tomedi]

Yes and what's great about Sparky is that they have their own repos with many applications. Out of the box you can use apt to install and keep up to date Brave, Waterfox and Librewolf web browsers, for example. Sparky lets you install easily many desktop environments and switch between them. For a couple of years I had LXDE for everyday use and Budgie for multimedia. Now I'm using MinimalGUI semi rolling edition. For a moment I had Linux Mint XFCE installed on the same machine. Don't get me wrong - Mint is an amazing, beginner friendly distro, but, in terms of performance it's not even close. Sparky is a hidden gem.

 

[hacktheworld]

I've used SparkyLinux in the past and have never had any problems installing it although it was the only Linux distro on the HDD.

SparkyLinux is a good Linux distro based on Debian and being Debian based it's solid as a rock and stable as all get out.

Have you installed SparkyLinux in multiboot with other Linux Distribution?

 

[The Duck]

Have you installed SparkyLinux in multiboot with other Linux Distribution?

Nope no reason to and see no advantage to have more than one Linux distro per computer.

If I need another Linux distro on one computer I'll install Easy OS or Puppy Linux as a frugal install on to a USB stick and run it that way.

 

[hacktheworld]

Nope no reason to and see no advantage to have more than one Linux distro per computer.

I have three
Linux distro on my computer (Hard Drive 500 GB)
and I see many good reasons to have more than one distribution.

 

[The Duck]

Nope no reason to and see no advantage to have more than one Linux distro per computer.

I have three
Linux distro on my computer (Hard Drive 500 GB)
and I see many good reasons to have more than one distribution.

I guess I should have said in my post I see no reason that I need more than one Linux distro per computer.

I'm a web surfer and stream movies.

Can't see what advantage I would have by having more than one Linux distro on my computer.

What advantages is there to having multiple Linux distros on a single computer.

 

[Alexzee]

Out of curiosity I tried Sparkylinux, it seemed like a good distribution, I created the USB stick from the ISO image, but when I tried several times to install it in a free partition of the hard drive and it installed, but the other two Linux distributions I installed no longer appeared in the boot menu. I'm quite experienced in partitions and I installed (manually) SparkyLinux in a 40 GB partition formatted EXT4 (use as: Ext4 Journaling file system) mount point / and bootloader in /dev/sda I've never encountered such a problem since I've been using Linux, and I was forced to uninstall SparkyLinux and install another distribution (from USB stick). All good now, but I think there's something wrong with the SparkyLinux installer.

When I have encounter the experience you had in the past, I would 'update grub' with root privileges and reboot.
And, if that failed, I'd go into the Bios and boot the distribution that is at the very top of the Grub boot loader and update grub.

When manually creating partitions I've found that it's a good idea to write them down first and make sure that the root partition has the boot flag. Gparted Live is a real gem when things won't boot and a way to manipulate partitions if all else fails.

I've had a few minor issues with installers however, I'd think that the installer would do it's job, meaning that it would have seen the other operating system's installed on the disk and shown you that during the installation.

 

[Alexzee]

I guess I should have said in my post I see no reason that I need more than one Linux distro per computer.

I'm a web surfer and stream movies.

Can't see what advantage I would have by having more than one Linux distro on my computer.

What advantages is there to having multiple Linux distros on a single computer.

One of the advantages of having a triple booted rig like I do is if Devuan or Slackware fail to boot I have Debian stable to boot. Each to it's own HDD. Another advantage is that each distro has different DE's and it's often variety that makes things nice.

 

[The Duck]

One of the advantages of having a triple booted rig like I do is if Devuan or Slackware fail to boot I have Debian stable to boot. Each to it's own HDD. Another advantage is that each distro has different DE's and it's often variety that makes things nice.

I have variety also a several working computers throughout the house each with a different Linux distro on.

I use Easy OS and Puppy Linux on USB sticks and Xubuntu and Antix Linux and none of them have ever failed to boot.

 

[Alexzee]

I have variety also a several working computers throughout the house each with a different Linux distro on.

I use Easy OS and Puppy Linux on USB sticks and Xubuntu and Antix Linux and none of them have ever failed to boot.

I ran Xubuntu for years on an old desktop and really enjoyed it.
I'll be installing Antix on a 13 year old laptop soon. Ran it Live last weekend and liked it.

 

[hacktheworld]

I have variety also a several working computers throughout the house each with a different Linux distro on.

I use Easy OS and Puppy Linux on USB sticks and Xubuntu and Antix Linux and none of them have ever failed to boot.

If you have several computers at home, each with a different distribution, you can understand that if a user, for example me , has only one computer and wants to have multiple distributions he has to install them in multiboot.

 

[wizardfromoz]

Have you installed SparkyLinux in multiboot with other Linux Distribution?

I have, it was Sparky Linux Game Over, but it is not currently in my stable.

Wiz

 

[hacktheworld]

I have, it was Sparky Linux Game Over, but it is not currently in my stable.

When you had SparkyLinux installed it could be done, now it cannot be done.

 

[Fanboi]

Did you make sure running os-prober when uncommented in the grub config before running update-grub. Just guessing as they started disabling it by default after I quit dual-booting... On that note, I recommend installing distros to a VM when trying them out. When you create a new partition with free space on an existing one, it messes with the UUID of that partition (not sure if if affects others when using GPT). Protip is to label your partitions and using LABEL= in fstab instead of UUID or device enumerations (a'la /dev/sdXY, nvmeXnYpZ, lol). Dualboot systems are a headache and VMs or USB install are the cure (it doesn't have to be Puppy/antiX/etc., you can either hax anything to USB bootable, or just plain install to USB and have it populated on your GRUB menu same as any others as your USB is still storage -- just remember to update grub when you're done testing it in the latter)... Like I said, VMs are a good painkiller.

 

[The Duck]

If you have several computers at home, each with a different distribution, you can understand that if a user, for example me , has only one computer and wants to have multiple distributions he has to install them in multiboot.

No not really.

When I only had one computer in the house with one OS installed on it and no thoughts of installing a 2nd OS as a dual boot.

I have multiple computers in the house because they were given to me and I just can't throw a working computer away no other reason.

With the exception of Easy OS Linux is Linux to me.

Here's the reason I say Easy OS is different.
Total isolation of the HDDs.

Read here.

Ultra-secure web browsing

 

[hacktheworld]

No not really.

When I only had one computer in the house with one OS installed on it and no thoughts of installing a 2nd OS as a dual boot.

I have multiple computers in the house because they were given to me and I just can't throw a working computer away no other reason.

With the exception of Easy OS Linux is Linux to me.

Here's the reason I say Easy OS is different.
Total isolation of the HDDs.

Read here.

Ultra-secure web browsing

I meant that many Linux users have only one computer, and if they want to have different operating systems installed on the same computer they are forced to split the hardrive into different partitions and thus have multiboot.

 

[wizardfromoz]

@hacktheworld , when you get time, are you able to give me the exact name of the .iso you used to install from?

sparkylinux-2024.02-x86_64-xfce.iso

or other? And from where - DistroWatch, Sparky home page, or other?

I can take a look at it and see what I find.

Cheers

Wizard