Frequently Asked Questions
Where's the Start Button?
The Start Button is just a way to bring up the menu. Tiny Core uses FLWM Window Manager right click anywhere on the background or window title of the screen to bring up the menu. Then navigate the menus as usual. If you decide not to select anything and want the menu to go away, then left click on the background.
How do I add/load/install extensions?
For best results use the desktop application Appbrowser, it is available from the icon lanuch bar or the system menu.
Using Appbrowser will fetch the requested extension and all of its required dependencies. See:
Downloads Howto
How do I update my extensions?
The safe method to keeping your collection of extensions updated is to run tce-update see: Tools->Update Extensions from the main system menu. When run in safe mode (booting with base norestorei) you are assured that no extension will be in use during the upgrade procedure.
How do I delete an extension?
Use appaaudit. See Tools->appsaudit from the system menu. This is a GUI reporting and deletion tool. This provides a safe method to delete an extension and all unencumbered dependencies. The extensions marked for deletion will be removed during shutdown, ensuring that no extension is in use. Several reports are also available to check on dependencies.
How do I use system menu/taskbar/pager?
A quick primer on flwm: FLWM popup menu is a combination of: application launcher task bar of running and iconized applicataions pager with multiple desktops via "New Desktop" menu option FLWM popup menu is always readily available by: right click on empty area of desktop right click on any window title bar alt-tab FLWM popup menu handles multiple desktops: Menu allows easy switching desktops, just select Desktop X from menu. Moving windows to other desktop is easy, switch to Desktop then choose running app from menu. FLWM does not use a file for menu, but symlinks or scripts in the .wmx directory located in HOME.
How to use pendrives and other removable devices with Tiny Core?
Starting with Version 1.3, Tiny Core supports UUID and LABELS.
This is most helpful when using pendrives on different machines and you want to "anchor" your Tiny Core boot codes to a specific device.
To find the UUID of a device use the command blkid
blkid -s UUID /dev/sda1
You can mount devices by UUID with the mount command, e.g,
# mount -U 4773-DFE2
The UUID tend to be long, so best to cut and paste into your menu.lst boot options.
You can now specify the device to be used by UUID as follows:
tce=UUID=4773-DFE2 home=UUID=4773-DFE2 opt=UUID=4773-DFE2 restore=UUID=4773-DFE2
Typically this is helpful when using pendrives, be sure to add the waitusb=5 option.
You can now also use LABELS. This too is optional.
To write a label on the partition of a pendrive, use the command tune2fs
# tune2fs -L tinycore /dev/sda1
You can check your results with
blkid -s LABEL /dev/sda1
Then you can specify devices by LABEL, e.g.
# mount -L tinycore
For Tiny Core boot options use:
tce=LABEL=tinycore home=LABEL=tinycore opt=LABEL=tinycore restore=LABEL=tinycore
In order to use labels on other filesystems than ext2/3, see their respective extensions:
- for fat16/32 dosfstools-3.tce contains the tool dosfslabel
- for JFS jfsutils.tce contains the tool jfs_tune
- for XFS xfsprogs.tcel contains the tool xfs_admin
How to resolve 'Failed to load firmware' error?
When booting Tiny Core 2.x an error like the following appears:
e100: eth0: e100_request_firmware: Failed to load firmware "e100/d102e_ucode.bin": -2
Boot continues very slowly after the message. Desktop appears but network access is disabled
To resolve many firmware issues see:
firmware-2.6.29.1-tinycore.tcz extension.
How to setup a proxy with Tiny Core?
How can I set a http proxy for downloading extensions? I am sitting behid a restrictive firewall and need to go through a proxy to the internet.
export http_proxy='proxy.domain: port'
Example:
export http_proxy="http://192.125.196.3:8080"
If a username and password are required:
export http_proxy="http://username:password@host:port"
How do I make aterm default to transparency mode?
Transparency is not the default in v1.3.
The choice to make it default is under the control of the user by editing the .Xdefaults file in the their home directory.
Shading is not 100%. No change was made to the v1.2 of 70%
A simple change from Aterm*transparent: false to Aterm*transparent: true will allow wbar to launch Aterm with transparency.
Current .Xdefaults in v1.3:
Aterm*scrollBar: true
Aterm*transparent: false
Aterm*title: Terminal
Aterm*foreground: white
Aterm*background: black
Aterm*font: fixed
Aterm*cursorColor: green
Aterm*fading: 70
Aterm*shading: 50
Aterm*color12: DodgerBlue1
Aterm*saveLines: 1000
fltk*scheme: gtk+
How do I mount windows shares?
If the sharing computer is at least Windows 2000, you can mount the share with only the filesystems-2.6.26.tcem extension.
In a root console:
mkdir /mnt/windows
mount -t cifs //9.53.216.11/myshare /mnt/windows -o user=myname,pass=mypassword
Replace the IP with your sharing computer's IP. If you need to log into a domain instead of the computer,
you can add domain=mydomain to the options.
How to Cut and Paste?
To cut and paste in Linux one simply highlights the text with the left mouse button and then press the middle button to paste. If you have a two button mouse you would paste by pressing the left and right button together. Cutting and pasting takes a little practice, but is very efficient after one gets use to it.
How To Timezone?
If you live where in an area that has DST then you need to use the full specific ation for the tz variable. Indicating both the begin and end of DST.
For example mine tz boot code is: tz=PST+8PDT,M3.2.0/2,M11.1.0/2 In the above DST clause PDT,M3.2.0/2,M11.1.0/2 M3 = month nbr (1-12) 2 = week nbr (1-5) 0 = day of week (0-7) /2 = timeSo for PDT it begins March second Sunday at 2AM and end November first Sunday at
How To Clean Up Wbar?
Right click on 'Wbar' and that will restart Wbar and clean up any leftovers.
What Bootcodes does Tiny Core Support?
At the boot prompt press [F2] and [F3].
F2 boot time options:
Color 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
256 8 bit 769 771 773 775
32000 15 bit 784 787 790 793
65000 16 bit 785 788 791 794
16.7M 24 bit 786 789 792 795
tinycore vga=7xx 7xx from table above
tinycore xsetup Prompt user for Xvesa setup
tinycore tce={hda1|sda1} Specify Restore TCE apps directory
tinycore base Skip TCE load only the base system
tinycore norestore Turn off the automatic restore
tinycore restore={hda1|sda1|floppy} Specify saved configuration location
tinycore {ssh|cron|syslog} Start various daemons at boot
tinycore lang=en Choose Language (currently english only)
tinycore kmap=us US only unless kmap.tce is installed
tinycore host=xxxx Set hostname to xxxx
tinycore noswap Do not use swap partition
tinycore swapfile{=hda1} Scan or Specify for a swap file
tinycore dosswapfile{=hda1} Scan or Specify dosswapfile
tinycore nodhcp Skip the dhcp request for eth0 at boot
tinycore superuser Textmode as user root
tinycore text Textmode
F3 boot time options:
tinycore waitusb=X Wait X seconds for slow USB devices.
tinycore home={hda1|sda1} Specify peristent home directory.
tinycore opt={hda1|sda1} Specify peristent opt directory.
tinycore local={hda1|sda1} Specify PPI directory or loopback file.
tinycore showapps Display application names while booting.
tinycore noautologin Use in conjunction with secure.
tinycore secure Set password.
tinycore protect Password Encrypted Backup.
tinycore checkfs Check Ext2/Ext3 filesystems.
tinycore pause Pause at completion of boot messages.
tinycore noutc BIOS is using localtime.
tinycore tz=GMT+8 Timezone tz=PST+8PDT,M4.2.0/2,M11.1.0/2
tinycore settime Set UTC time at boot, internet required.
tinycore user=abc Specify alternate user.
tinycore desktop=abc Specify alternate desktop.
tinycore noicons Do not use icons.
tinycore laptop Force load of laptop related modules.
tinycore embed Stay on initramfs.
In addition there are many generic kernel boot parameters
Help X does not start. Why does my system boot up to a login prompt?
Tiny Core defaults to vga=791 or 1024x768 but your machine may not be able to support that resolution.
At the first boot prompt type:
tinycore xsetup
This boot code creates a selectable table from the Xvesa -listmodes so it is easier to use.
If you get a blinking cursor after the "Xauthority" lines, try hitting ctrl-C to get back to text prompt, then type
xsetup.sh and try another screen resolution option.
From text prompt, type: startx
Note: Xvesa -listmodes displays what your video card is capable of, but not necessarily what your monitor is.
If your system does not support Xvesa then perhaps the framebuffer extension (see F2 boot screen and below for instructons).
The last resort is to use the Xorg extension.
How to use framebuffer X server?
In order to use framebuffer (Xfbdev) you will need to have a persistent store, e.g., a PPR.
Boot Tiny Core as follows, using an appropriate vga code from the f2 boot help screen and an appropriate disk partition.
boot: tinycore tce=hda1 text vga=788
At the system prompt:
$ tce-load Xfbdev.tce wget install # This is for TC 2.2 and below
$ tce-load -w -i Xfbdev.tcz # This is for TC 2.3 and above
$ xsetup.sh
$ startx
From the X desktop, shutdown with backup. Your Xfbdev X settings will be saved and used on the next boot.
Do not use the text boot code and your framebuffer X server should start successfully.
My keyboard is not US. How to add a keymap?
The extension "kmaps.tcz" was created just for this. It includes all keymaps from kbd-1.14.1.
Remember that keymaps have to be changed in the console? So, for a quick test, load the extension, exit to the console,
and type:
sudo loadkmap < /usr/share/kmap/fi-latin9.kmap
To make this permanent, add the extension kmaps.tcz to your persistent tce directory, and then add that command to
/opt/bootlocal.sh (missing the sudo, since bootlocal is executed as root):
loadkmap < /usr/share/kmap/fi-latin9.kmap
You could also add your keymap to the base via a remaster, and then use the bootcode kmap=fi-latin9
Help. Not all keys work in browser or openoffice?
If the altgr symbols do not work in the browser or openoffice then modify the .xsession file by adding:
sleep 3 && xmodmap -e "clear Mod4" -e "add Mod5 = Mode_switch" &
Just before
exec "${DESKTOP:=jwm}
What is the boot architecture?
Tinycore always boots to ram. This unique way has several advantages, like 100% functioning usb boot, awesome speed, and being able to boot without having the ability to access the boot device after booting. You're free to snag out the usb drive right after initrd is loaded, for example.
How to use startup scripts?
The directory /usr/local/tce.installed is where TC keeps track of loaded extensions.
Typically this is a 'flag' a zero byte file. Notice that the extension name does not include its file extension.
Now, if you need a startup script then include it in tar file at this location and its name needs to match the extension name.
Do make sure that the script works and is executeable. Do not use .sh or any other file extension.
A very simple example is in order:
Take for example the 915resolution.tce extension.
If we want to make a startup script then it would be placed in
/usr/local/tce.installed/915resolution
The actual startup script could be anything that is executeable.
Using the same example, my /usr/local/tce.installed/915resolution is a simple as this:
#/bin/sh
/usr/local/sbin/915resolution 50 1024 600
Note: Be sure to use full paths as during boot no login has occured yet no PATHs are set.
So the final result of a 915resolution.tce with a startup script would contain
usr/local/sbin/915resolution
usr/local/tce.installed/915resolution
What are the minimum requirements?
An absolute minimum of RAM is 48mb. TC won't boot with anything less, no
matter how many terabytes of swap you have.
Microcore runs with 36mb of ram.
The minimum cpu is i486DX (486 with a math processor).
A recommended configuration:
Pentium 2 or better, 128mb of ram + some swap
How do I start X apps on boot?
Add them to /home/tc/.xsession, backgrounded. They should be added near
the end, after waitforX and the window manager. Here's how to start
Opera at boot:
opera &
How do I increase the number of loop devices to support more .tcz extensions?
Add the cheatcode max_loop=n to your boot line, where n is the number of loop devices you need, up to 255.
How to get flash working?
Short answer: see the getFlash9.tcz extension.
Long answer:
Flash 10 has such steep requirements, it is not supported on TC. The last working version was 10 beta 2,
but due to the beta nature of that, using Flash 9 is recommended.
Don't use Adobe's installer, copy libflashplayer.so yourself to your browser's plugin folder.
To have sound in Flash using OSS, you need to copy libflashsupport (included in OSS.tcz) to both /usr/lib and your
browser's plugin folder.
There are two variations of the library in /usr/lib/oss/lib, one only enabling OSS sound, the other enabling that and also playing flash over SSL. You need OpenSSL for the second library.
Depending on if you have OpenSSL loaded and need to use flash over SSL, pick one of the libs, and copy it to both /usr/lib and your browser's plugin folder, and then rename it to libflashsupport.so in both places.
Requirements: Flash 9 requires GTK+-2.
How to use/share Virtual Disks (Qemu)?
Virtual disk support (tcvd, tiny core virtual disk) is beginning with Tiny Core v1.4
This was primarily setup for Qemu support, but is useful for anyone.
It uses the Qemu virtual disk image ext2, a loopback file.
To use first specify the 'harddisk' file with the tcvd boot option followed
by your regular boot optons using tcvd, examples:
boot: tinycore waitusb=10 tcvd=harddisk.img tce=tcvd restore=tcvd
This will autoscan for the file named harddisk.img in level one directories and
setup mount capabilities as device tcvd. The subsequent tce=tcvd and restore=tcvd
will use the virtual drive special device.
boot: tinycore waitusb=10 tcvd=sda1/harddisk.img tce=tcvd restore=tcvd
This will look for the loopback file named harddisk on sda1 and setup a special
device tcvd used by the other boot opitons.
boot: tinycore waitusb=10 tcvd=sda1/qemu/harddisk.img tce=tcvd restore=tcvd
This is/was the typical Qemu setup that I used in Damn Small Linux.
Again a special device tcvd will be setup and then other boot options are able
to use it.
Administrator / SuperUser / Root:
Each system requires some command to be run as the administrator. In Tiny Core, such user is called root.
To get root privileges to run a specific command, just proceed the command with the word sudo.
To become the super user, then use the command sudo su. Normally, you should not run your system as root.
GNU/Linux Compatibility:
To make your Tiny Core system more fully GNU compatible, use appbrowser and select coreutils.tcz. This will replace the busybox used in the base system to the full power of the GNU versions.