Backup when Installed on a USB Drive

When Tiny Core is installed on a USB drive, backup is designed to minimize the amount of writing to the USB drive, which results in the USB drive lasting longer. This also applies when solid state memory is used in a computer instead of a hard drive.

When Tiny Core is run without persistent home, and a file is saved, it is saved to RAM. It is only written to the USB drive, when backup is run, normally when shutting down Tiny Core.

Select What is Saved During Backup

The file /opt/.filetool.lst contains a list of files and directories saved during backup. The file /opt/.xfiletool.lst contains a list of files and directories within those in /opt/.filetool.lst excluded from being saved during backup.

You can add the names of files and directories to, or remove the names of files and directories from, /opt/.filetool.lst and /opt/.xfiletool.lst to determine what is saved during backup.

To edit /opt/.filetool.lst or /opt/.xfiletool.lst use a Root Text Editor. Open the terminal and type

sudo editor

Persistent opt

If persistent opt is used on a USB drive, in most situations, it results in less writing to the usb drive. Most people change settings in opt, less often than they backup.

When setting up persistent opt in a USB drive, it is ideal to use the UUID.

To set up persistent opt, edit the bootloader configuration file, adding persistent opt.

If you have installed Tiny Core using the installer, you should already have tce=UUID=“9aff3da3-474d-440d-bb6c-3240afe84ac6” (the number will be different). To set up persistent opt, copy the UUID number, like this

opt=UUID="9aff3da3-474d-440d-bb6c-3240afe84ac6" tce=UUID="9aff3da3-474d-440d-bb6c-3240afe84ac6"

Use the UUID number for your USB drive.

If you have not installed Tiny Core using the installer, to find out the UUID, use

blkid -s UUID /dev/sda1

If not sda1, use the correct partition.

After setting up persistent opt, edit /opt/.filetool.lst, and remove all references to opt, so it is not included in backup.

Make Extensions for Files that Don't Change

If you have Tiny Core installed on a USB drive, using backup, and make extensions for files that don't change, particularly large files, you can have less in backup, which reduces the time taken to start up and shut down the computer, and lengthens the life of the USB drive. For more information, see Make Extensions for Settings.

For more information, see