How do Linux users clean or wipe out RAM memories?

Jofto · 12-14-2022, 08:09 PM

I am learning Puppy Linux by playing it on a bootable USB flash stick.

Three days ago, BionicPup32 Light downloaded Google Chrome and installed it and visited YouTube and New York Times and NBC News. Everything was normal. After a restart, Light blocked all connections to these websites and other websites. Light repeated the blocking everytime the OS was started and/or restarted.

I noticed that every time BionicPup32 started, it first loaded the files from RAM and then started the OS.

Then, I have questions for using Puppy Linux:
1. Is it true that the OS loads files from RAM for starting the OS?
2. How do Puppy Linux users clean or wipe out the mistake-memories kept on RAM?
3. If mistakes can not be wiped out from RAM, what to do if once a mistake is made?

Thanks.

frankbell · 12-14-2022, 09:18 PM

I suggest that you read up on the Linux boot process.

A few comments:

The OS cannot load files from RAM because, at time of boot, RAM is not populated. Rather, the boot process loads files, such as elements of the Linux kernel, into RAM in order to start the boot process and operate the computer.

History is not stored in RAM. It's stored on disk in various configuration and cached files. Your browser history, for example, is stored in the browser cache. Your command history, if you are using bash, is stored in a dot-config (that, is hidden--all that "hidden" means is that the file does not display unless you ask it to) file called .bash_history. And so on.

As for your third question, what type of mistakes are you referring to?

Jofto · 12-14-2022, 09:49 PM

Sorry. This post is my mistake.

jailbait · 12-14-2022, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jofto

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2. How do Puppy Linux users clean or wipe out the mistake-memories kept on RAM?

All of the contents of RAM are lost when a computer is powered off.

Each computer contains one of several types of non-volatile memory in the CPU. The non-volatile memory remains unaffected by turning off the power. The BIOS is contained in the CPU's non-volatile memory. When a computer is powered on a program in the BIOS begins the boot process by reading code into RAM from an external source such as a hard drive. When enough code has been read in, the BIOS turns command of the system over to the code in RAM it read in from the external source and that code continues the boot process.

So when RAM is thoroughly screwed up your final solution is to reboot.