## Preparing the bootable media _**PRELIMINARY** (OCTOBER 2026)_ A Live USB created with almost all external tools[1] will be read-only and therefore not be compatible with our Persistence modules. The MX Linux persistence works best with a Live USB created with the MX Live USB Maker. You can start out with a MX Live USB made from the read-only method and then convert it into a full featured MX Linux Live USB. **NOTE** : the procedure below assumes > 3 GiB of ram is available. 1. Boot the machine with the read-only Live USB. 2. At the Live Boot GRUB, select >>>Advanced Options<<< arrow down to Boot Options: 3. Press enter and arrow down to “toram Copy the compressed file system to RAM”. 4. Press enter. 5. Arrow down to <= = = Back to main menu and press enter. 6. Arrow up to the top line and press enter to begin booting. 7. Make your way back to the GRUB boot screen and press enter. 8. The boot process continues as below. 9. Once fully booted, you can unplug the USB drive or choose it as the destination for the next process. ## Creating the Live USB Open MX Live USB Maker. Ensure in the “Mode” area (3) that “Full featured mode” is set . Select in the Options area (4 ) the “Clone running live system” choice. These Clone options are only available when running Live. After checking one the item 2 selector should gray out. Item 5 can be adjusted to allow space for a user files area. Click “→ Next” and allow it to complete. Now you will have your full featured Live USB ## Less than 3 GiB of RAM In the case there is not enough RAM for loading the whole ISO into RAM: 1. Have another USB plugged-in, and run LiveUSB Maker 2. Set the “Select Target USB device” (1) to the 2nd USB. 3. In Options (4) select “Clone running live system”. 4. Click “→ Next” and allow it to complete. 5. Afterwards shutdown and boot from the newly created LiveUSB. ## Enabling persistence On the LiveBoot menu select persistence mode like persist_root. Later in the boot process there will get an option to select the size of the root persistence file. Next will be a question about generating a live-swap file. Small one might be OK like 512 MB or 1 GiB. **USB 2 note** : If a lot of swap is needed the system would probably become unusable because swapping out on the USB would create an IO bottleneck. Select >>>Advanced Options<<< arrow down to Persistence option: In **MX Remaster Control Center** GUI app Persistence can also be managed. More details of persistence setup here – https://mxlinux.org/wiki/help-files/help-mx-remaster/ ## **Using Persistence Options** The antiX live system features advanced options for persistence. The live system works by loading a default file system contained within squashfs file called linuxfs. This file contains all the operating system and applications. This is a read-only file, meaning that any changes made during the live session will not be stored back for future sessions. Persistence allows the user to create up to two additional squashfs files that can be used to save session changes. rootfs is the file for the basic file system. homefs is a file for storing changes just to the home folder. The live system will use a special filesystem called overlayfs to layer these persistence files over the linuxfs file, so that all changes are available to the user on subsequent boots. When persistence is enabled, the user will be prompted for new passwords for both the root (admin) and demo user account. With persistence enabled, changes like installing applications, performing updates, and any other change to the file system will be stored in the persistence file(s) for future sessions. Except for home folder changes, changes stored in persistence files will be carried over during future installations. To create or use persistence files, the users selects one of the following options: **persist_all** – use separate persistence files for root and home. rootfs file is loaded into ram. **persist_root** – use persistence file for root (home folder included). loaded into ram. **persist_static** – like persist_all, but not loaded into ram, accessed from live-usb if its writeable. **p_static_root** – like persist_root, but not loaded into ram. **persist_home** – no root persistence file, only home. home is never loaded into ram. **frugal_persist** – like persist_all, but performs a “frugal” install onto a folder on an internal hard drive. Subsequent boots with this option will try to find the existing frugal install and boot it. **frugal_root** – like persist_root, but for frugal installs. **frugal_static** – like persist_static, but for frugal installs. **f_static_root** – like p_static_root, but for frugal installs. **frugal_home** – like persist_home, but for a frugal install. **frugal_only** – do a frugal install, but no persistence used (read only system). When an option is chosen, the user will be prompted for a size for the files that will store file system changes. The default size for the root persistence file is based on ram size and available storage on the live device. Home persistence files sizes are based on available storage on the live device. The “static” options do not load a filesystem into ram, and changes are stored as they are made. The user will be prompted to set up a swap file on USB. This is optional, but the default is yes. The user will also be prompted to change the root (admin) and demo user passwords. The non-static options will attempt to load the rootfs persistence file into ram. This can take time but gives a very fast system once loaded. Changes are saved either manually or during shutdown. There are three modes for saving changes. A mode will be prompted during first boot with a non-static persistence option, or the user can change it in mx-remastercc->Configure Live Persistence. 1. Automatic – just like it sounds, no prompt, just saves during shutdown. 2. Semi-automatic – prompts to save (not available under systemd or mx25 dual-init). 3. Manual – no prompt, doesn’t save unless you manually do so (MX Remaster CC->Save Root Persistence). ## Links HELP: antiX Live USB System – https://mxlinux.org/wiki/system/help-antix-live-usb-system/ Persistence Options @ antiX FAQ https://robin-antix.codeberg.page/antiX-FAQ/antiX26/persistence.html Persistence on the MX linux Wiki – https://mxlinux.org/tag/persistence/ https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?p=870330 YouTube video on persistence – https://youtu.be/2vF_dw6Kpo8 MX Linux: Make a live-USB with Persistence This is video is still current despite it being >1 year old. **Footnotes** **1)** balena Etcher, Fedora Media Writer, KDE Image Writer, Mint USB Imager and USBImager.

1. How to chooseThree different desktop options are available.  Systemd and sysvinit are available for use on each iso.

**This article** **is Windows 11 focused,** **however** **Windows 10 and 8.1 will be similar.** ### **Enabling** **Network Sharing** **Go to** Start->Settings-> Network and Internet->Advanced network settings-> Click on Advanced sharing settings->. There are three sections; only the “Private Networks” and “All Networks” will have configuration changes. **In Private Networks** **(Current Profile)** **turn On:** * “Network discovery”. * “Setup network connected devices automatically.” * “File and printer sharing”. **In** **All Networks –** click ⌄ and turn On “Password protected sharing.” * * * ## Windows share setup **Example** **How To –** **m****a****k****e** **a Pictures share** 1. Start Windows File Explorer. Right-click on Pictures and click Properties. 2. Click the Sharing tab click on the Share button. 3. Check the box “Share this folder” – adjust the Share name: if desired. 4. Click the Advanced Sharing… button. 5. Click Permissions button→ and highlight the group “Everyone”. 6. Ensure that all three boxes under Allow (Full Control, Change, Read) are ticked. 7. Click OK, Apply, OK and finally Close. The above will make the Pictures share open only to everyone on your local (private) home network. * * * ## Connecting to a Windows share **Some extra preparation is required**. For Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs most use a Microsoft Online account for login. The Microsoft Online Account email address and password will be used for login to Windows shares. Additionally you need to find the PC system name: * In Windows: open Windows Explorer and click once to highlight “This PC”. * Right click Properties. Note the system name here: * * * ## Thunar The example below the Windows 11 system name is **win11_25h2** and the share is **Documents**. 1. Open Thunar and click on Browse Network. 2. Edit the address bar URL from **network:///** (see below) _Before editing_ to **smb://****w**** _in11_25h2_** with **.local/****Documents** post-pended to it. See example below. _After editing_ 3. Press enter. In the pop-up select Registered User. 4. For the Login ID use the email address and the Online account’s password. Press enter. 5. On the top bar click Bookmarks then click Add bookmark. _**share** : “/documents/ on win11_25h2.1….” above._ 6. Your share will now appear in the left sidebar. ### **How To rename the Bookmark:** Once created these Bookmarks will always appear in the Thunar sidebar section. You can edit the name by right clicking it and selecting the “Rename Shortcut” choice. Edit and then press enter. * * * ## **More** Using Samba File Sharing in MX Linux PDF, illustrated. Last updated October 3, 2025.

MXlinuxを使っている。普段使いの母艦はwindows11なのだが、家族のお古である本機に購入当時、きっとmicrosoft officeと簡単なウェブブラウジングだけで良いだろうと思い買い与えたのだが、当然その程度の性能では10から11にアップロードなどできずにキツい思いをした。というよりサポート切れ前から起動すらままならず文鎮として放置されていたという代物であったのでlinuxを導入して遊...

MXlinuxを使っている。 普段使いの母艦はwindows11なのだが、家族のお古である本機に購入当時、きっとmicrosoft officeと簡単なウェブブラウジングだけで良いだろうと思い買い与えたのだが、当然その程度の性能では10から11にアップロードなどできずにキツい思いをした。というよりサポート切れ前から起動すらままならず文鎮として放置されていたという代物であったのでlinuxを導入して...

Technik-Blog für Linux, Unix, Open Source, Cloud Computing, Nachhaltigkeit und Co.