Install apps after copy to USB drive

#1

We are installing Endless from a full USB stick on a large number of computers. We want to add a few non-standard apps to the desktop for each one. Currently, we have to download each app on each machine, which is quite slow because of our slow internet connection. After an app installs on a machine, it gives the option to “Copy to USB drive.” I would love to be able to download each app once, copy it to a (second) USB stick, and then install those apps from that second stick on each machine, without having to download it multiple times.

The problem is that I can’t get the Copy to USB function to work. I started with a USB formatted as Ex-FAT, since that’s a pretty universal file system. When Endless didn’t recognize the drive, I switched to FAT-32. Endless recognized the drive. I could create folders on it from the Documents (?) app, but the App Install app could not write to it. It failed with a generic error – I’m sorry I didn’t write it down; I can find the exact wording the next time I am at the shop.

Any advice on how to load a custom set of apps –– that aren’t on the default full install USB –– onto a second USB for a quick second round of app installation?

1 Like
#2

Hi, I think they will not allow this, the way OS is made you need to get it from download. Is not like in windows you have access to installer. I can be wrong, have not done that USB copy that you try to make. Maybe for now the best thing for you is to move PC to place with faster download speed.

#3
1 Like
#4

@mwleeds Could help?

#5

@RogerPAlexander could you post a diagnostic log from after you tried unsuccessfully to copy an app to a USB drive? And which app was it? You can generate a log using the eos-diagnostics command in the Terminal application, and then upload it here.

You could also try to copy the app to a USB drive on the command line. The steps for that would be:

  1. Open the Terminal application
  2. Run the command df and note where the USB drive is mounted, perhaps something like /run/media/mwleeds/usbdrive
  3. Run the command flatpak list and note the app ID of the app you want to copy, perhaps com.endlessm.wiki_art.en
  4. Combine the two like flatpak create-usb /run/media/mwleeds/usbdrive com.endlessm.wiki_art.en and post the output of that here if it’s unsuccessful
#6

Sorry for the slow response –– I only get to work on this project every few weeks. I know that the eos version we are using is < 3.4.7. I’ll find out exactly next time I can. I will also generate the suggested error log and try to copy to the USB drive via command line. Stay tuned.

#7