SOLVED - Linux Mint live & missing persistence file

[jackthelad430]

I am trying to create a live usb with a persistence file using Rufus. I have a 60GB usb drive which I want to use with a 20GB persistence file.The problem is that I can succeed with creating it using the xfce.iso but not with the mate.iso. There seem to be two parts to the problem.

What happens is that with the xfce.iso Rufus will give the fat32 option but with the mate.iso it will only give the NTFS option. I am assuming that this has to do with the size of the iso - very roughly 2+ GB for xfce and 3.8 GB for mate. Is there a way around this to get Rufus to use fat32 or maybe exfat; anything but NTFS?

Secondly, with the fat32 option, I end up with a casper.rw file in a separate partition and all is well. However the NFTS option creates just one big partition with no casper.rw file that I can find and no persistence. Can a persistence file be created using NTFS? If so, how? Just asking Rufus to create it does not seem to work.

I have tried mbr and GPT options but I believe they are red herrings and unrelated to my problem.

Is there another USB creator that will do the job? I have never found a way to create persistence with Etcher and Unetbootin (if it still exists) always seemed clunky and slow.

(I am going to put LM mate on an obsolete 2014 Macbook air but want to sort out the WiFi - Broadcom BCM4360 - problems first).

Jack

[SMG]

Moderator note: Post violating forum rules removed.

[Jo-con-Ël]

You don´t mention LM xfce version and I suppose LM Mate iso is LM 21.3 ´cause NTFS filesystem is the way pbatard solved/fixed design problems on LM 21.2 Cinnamon edge, LM 21.3 and LM 21.3 Cinnamon edge ISOs.

As an aside effect Rufus 4.4. has lost persistence feature completely with LM 21.3 and LM 21.3 Cinnamon Edge edition. It is available for previous Mint version (that Mint xfce?) and it will be for future Mint versions or next Rufus 4.5 release.

In the mean time you can create LM 21.3 Live with Rufus 4.4 and make a persistence partition manually:

1)Shrink first NTFS partition to its minimum. It can be done with Windows disk manager but you will need another tool as MiniTool Partition Wizard for next 2 and 3 steps.

2)Move UEFI_NTFS partition to the left top.

3)Create an Ext.4 partition on unallocated space with desired size and named/labelled as writable.

Be aware, after applying pending operations, Windows will try to format that Ext.4 partition. Don´t let it do it.
with a 60GB USB drive also you can create another partition (NTFS/FAT) with rest of unallocated space for data storage)

4)Edit grub.cfg file on first NTFS partition. that is Linux Mint 21.3 ...(X:)>boot>grub>grub.cfg

and add persistent parameter to menuentry(ies) linux line(s) and save changes.

Then you can boot LInux Mint 21.3 Live USB with persistence.

There are other ways to get a Linux MInt live USB with persistence including Ventoy (I´ve never done) and UNetbootin (even last version 702 is three years old).

(Edited) to add images on English. See complete sequencen on this link

[jackthelad430]

Thanks for that. That hit the spot.

Yes XFCE was an earlier version -21.1. I hadn't thought about that. Even if I had, I probably would have assumed it was still version 21.xx & so not worth mentioning.

Jack