I have an intel compute stick. But this is valid for many more new nettops and laptops.
The internal storage device is not an ssd or hdd, but is an emmc device.
In order to be able to boot without creating an initrd the huge linux image should contain the mmc related options as build-in and not as module. In order to boot my ICS I had modify the config and recompile the kernel here is my diff:

@@ -6187,8 +6272,8 @@
CONFIG_UWB_HWA=m
CONFIG_UWB_WHCI=m
CONFIG_UWB_I1480U=m
-CONFIG_MMC=m
-CONFIG_MMC_BLOCK=m
+CONFIG_MMC=y
+CONFIG_MMC_BLOCK=y
CONFIG_MMC_BLOCK_MINORS=8
CONFIG_SDIO_UART=m
# CONFIG_MMC_TEST is not set
@@ -6197,11 +6282,11 @@
# MMC/SD/SDIO Host Controller Drivers
#
# CONFIG_MMC_DEBUG is not set
-CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI=m
-CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_PCI=m
+CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI=y
+CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_PCI=y
CONFIG_MMC_RICOH_MMC=y
-CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_ACPI=m
-CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_PLTFM=m
+CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_ACPI=y
+CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_PLTFM=y
# CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_F_SDH30 is not set
CONFIG_MMC_WBSD=m
CONFIG_MMC_TIFM_SD=m
@@ -6213,7 +6298,7 @@
CONFIG_MMC_USDHI6ROL0=m
CONFIG_MMC_REALTEK_PCI=m
CONFIG_MMC_REALTEK_USB=m
-CONFIG_MMC_CQHCI=m
+CONFIG_MMC_CQHCI=y
CONFIG_MMC_TOSHIBA_PCI=m
CONFIG_MMC_MTK=m
CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_XENON=m

It whould be nice if this option will end up into the iso image kernel.

Nice work on Zenwalk.

Hi, LinET & welcome to LQ.

I'll trust you on your config. There is a catch-22 here, in that if you need a driver to access your intel compute stick, or whatever port/slot it's plugged into, how do you get it? I have an sdcard slot here, but I can't boot from it because it needs usb and it's own drivers.

You can find quick guides and/or youtube videos online.

I've fixed my problem.
First with an initrd and the build-in "huge" kernel, then with a recompilation of the kernel (I have moved to 5.2 anyway) so I will not use an initrd.

The point I was making is that we are getting more and more systems with emmc drives so it warrants putting the emmc block drivers inside the kernel (not as a module), the same way we are doing already with mass storage usb devices and sata etc.

It is about the compromise I agree, I think that putting the emmc as build-in is a good one.

Also, the zenwalk installer was missing the block emmc driver even from the modules. I had to fetch it from the kernel-modules archive from the install medium, modprobe it. It was a hassle. Some less knowledgeable person would have gave up.

There are others that have had basically the same problem, with the same solution.

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ge-4175587811/

The recommendation is for the next installer.