~$ file /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-8-amd64
	/boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-8-amd64: XZ compressed data

That worked just as you typed it would, being XZ compressed data.

I then checked my 5 other installs with the same result of:

$ file /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64
/boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64: ASCII cpio archive (SVR4 with no CRC)

Same result for the /boot/initrd.img-4.19.0-2-amd64.
Now that's answered -

ralph.ronnquist, thanks for your post...this is my official 1st introduction to cpio.

$ cat initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64 | ( cpio -i ; file - )
62 blocks
/dev/stdin: ASCII cpio archive (SVR4 with no CRC)

That unpacked a kernel folder,->x86 folder->microcode folder->AuthenticAMD.bin file.

$ cat initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64 |  ( cpio -i ; gunzip | cpio -i )
62 blocks

gzip: stdin: not in gzip format
cpio: premature end of archive

Again, a kernel folder, ->x86 folder->microcode folder->AuthenticAMD.bin file.
New to me, but you guys know this already.
Now on to:

$ cat initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64 |  ( cpio -i ; cat > ramdisk.gz )
62 blocks

$ ls
initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64  kernel  ramdisk.gz

I just had to try...

$ gunzip ramdisk.gz
gzip: ramdisk.gz: not in gzip format

Ol`well, it's ok to try things.

$ cat ramdisk.gz |  ( cpio -i ; gunzip | cpio -i )
3102 blocks
cpio: etc/console-setup/null: Cannot mknod: Operation not permitted
160946 blocks
$ ls
bin   etc   initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64  lib    ramdisk.gz  sbin     usr
conf  init  kernel                    lib64  run         scripts

That's it! wow ~ both awesome & as jaromil typed "elegance"!
Nothing left to do, but repack it all now...   fsmithred post #2 was the fix - no resume file in conf/conf.d.
I think I'll do this again, on the other installs - after successful repacking of course

Oh, fsmithred - Did the info answer post #12 questions? If not let me know - I'll find `em.
Shoot, long post - I'm done for this nite!
asta ~~

For example: unpack first archive (microcode) and check type of second (probably gzipped).

cat /initrd.img | ( cpio -i ; file - )

Then: unpack the first archive, then the second with gunzip-ing

cat /initrd.img |  ( cpio -i ; gunzip | cpio -i )

Or if you like: unpack first, and copy second (compressed) into a file ramdisk.gz

cat /initrd.img |  ( cpio -i ; cat > ramdisk.gz )

The last one might be useful if you want to repack things manually since it lets you work out the byte size of the first archive, so you can prepend those bytes to a repacked image.

stanz, I've had those pink symbols before (I don't remember which build(s) they were on). At the time I thought it was strange, and I couldn't find anything to explain it...so I attributed it to some conspiracy brought on by the Illuminati. LOLOLOLOL!!!

I never noticed any side-effects or strange behavior, so I just chalked it up to one of the extra benefits of using Miyo. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!       

There's a resume file in your initrd that has that uuid inside it. In a live session, run lsinitramfs /initrd.img | grep resume to see if it's there.

I'm working in miyo's live session now...
/boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64
All ran as regular user...

miyo@miyolinux:~$ lsinitramfs /initrd.img | grep resume
scripts/local-premount/resume
bin/resume

We don't have here, the conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto, that showed up in the updated (delayed) install.

To answer..

I always have swap partition setup before all installs.
And wonder why swap gets an 'uuid', even tho I choose 'labels'?

Then created new folder for work, :~/initrdtest$, cd into it-
Will stick with 'full path' to file...

miyo@miyolinux:~/initrdtest$ xzcat /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64 | cpio -d -i -m
xzcat: /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64: File format not recognized
cpio: premature end of archive

To check, if su might be different.

root@miyolinux:/home/miyo/initrdtest# xzcat /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64 | cpio -d -i -m
xzcat: /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64: File format not recognized
cpio: premature end of archive

Checked with:

$ file /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64
/boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64: ASCII cpio archive (SVR4 with no CRC)

I'll hold off on editing /usr/bin/refractasnapshot, and upgrading to refractainstaller 9.5.2 from ceres,
till I get this "extraction/edit/repack" done...then move into snapshot & installer.

No such file or directory

You're sure it's there? You didn't change directory between running xzcat and running file? Try using the full path to the real file instead of the symlink. (/boot/initrd.img-<version>)

BTW, it's better if you don't have the initrd inside the directory where you extract it. You don't want it to end up inside the new initrd when you repack it.

You could add RESUME=none to initramfs.conf then run update-initramfs -u -k all and then make a new snapshot. Note that this would change the host initrd. (both of them)

I finally did that, and rebooted with the 4.9.0-5-amd64, which still showed the symbols - but, with NO delay!
So I'll mark this solved, although I'm still continuing trying to unpack the initrd.

Yes, those commands complain...

:~$ xzcat initrd.img | cpio -d -i -m
xzcat: initrd.img: No such file or directory
cpio: premature end of archive

and with the help of that 'file' command...

:~$ file initrd.img
	initrd.img: ASCII cpio archive (SVR4 with no CRC)

Frustrating to me, it didn't work on miyoXtra, as quick as it did on refracta9. That's why I thought
maybe you had a 'helping' package installed on your system - that is not on miyo's.??
Well, I have more research to search.
Thanks again fsmithred..

file /boot/initrd.img-4.19.0-2-amd64 should tell you what compression is used. Use the corresponding zcat or xzcat command above to unpack it. Tell me which compression was used and what you found inside the initrd. Possible choices of things to do would be remove the offending files, edit the offending files, maybe something else.

Maybe you're missing these?

Rebuild initrd with gzip compression:
find . -print0 | cpio -0 -H newc -o | gzip -c > ../initrd.img

Rebuild initrd with xz compression:
find . | cpio -o -H newc | xz --check=crc32 --x86 --lzma2=dict=512KiB > ../initrd.img

Then of course, you have to replace the original with your changed version. (keep a backup copy of the original and copy the modified one to /boot, and make sure the name corresponds to what your boot menu expects it to be.)

now I'm in the troubled system and cannot reproduce that success (3 hours now!).
maybe i'm missing a package, in this install?
i dislike pastebin - but pasted all my attempts there not to clutter here.

i'll try again in the morn`in....

xzcat /initrd.img | cpio -d -i -m

Yes, you can just call the initrd directly (in /boot) instead of using the symlink.

Please get refractainstaller 9.5.2 from ceres. It should be in the repo by now (or very soon.)

As ordinary user, in your home run the following commands.

mkdir extracted
cd extracted
zcat /initrd.img | cpio -i

This looks in /boot dir?

:~/extracted$ zcat /initrd.img | cpio -i

gzip: /initrd.img: not in gzip format
cpio: premature end of archive

:~/extracted$ zcat /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64 | cpio -i

gzip: /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-5-amd64: not in gzip format
cpio: premature end of archive

I did run bleachbit couple times, to reduce snapshot size.

:~/extracted$ zcat /boot/initrd.img-4.19.0-2-amd64 | cpio -i

gzip: /boot/initrd.img-4.19.0-2-amd64: not in gzip format
cpio: premature end of archive

I'm gonna reinstall on other partition, and do all this before install - than after -
and before upgrading the image, then after (if thats possible?).

Then redo again with your edit to /usr/bin/refractasnapshot.

What`ta ya think? 

Thx for your time with this fsmithred, as always.

I gots a 'honey-do' list in front of me today...will return asap