329 replies to this topic

[steve6375]

trim the Description down and add ... but leave room for the size maybe?

maybe get rid of the enclosing [ ]?

Align the size so it always starts in same position?

hd0 WDC WD50 00AAKS-60... 466GB
hd1 Kingston DT Ultima... 58.6GB

??

or make the form bigger (as long as it fits in 640x480!)

[DavidB]

Getting rid of the enclosing ( ) [ ] will help a little.
Also I'm thinking of removing the "(hdn) " from the beginning of the text. But it will increase the danger of choosing the OS drive instead of an USB drive...
For this I can implement a warning tho.

Trimming the name and adding ... + setting a fixed position for the size = good idea. But, if in Delphi was not easy to implement, in C is rather difficult.

[DavidB]

+ 50 pixels:

 

[steve6375]

0:  looks like a drive letter and could cause confusion! (it confused me on first look!)

 

better to drop the colon or use hd0?

[DavidB]

 

 grubinst_gui Windows.7z   41.04KB   642 downloads

[steve6375]

need drive number - what if two identical internal HDDs or external USB HDDs connected?

[DavidB]

need drive number - what if two identical internal HDDs or external USB HDDs connected?

 

Yes, it can happen. But, even with drive numbers displayed, how an average user will know which one is which...

 

LE: Answer: he can look at the partitions and see the difference. 

[steve6375]

Well - hd0 is pretty obviously the boot drive - but how do I know what order they are in in the drop-list?

Maybe you have ordered them in some random way?

So if I have two identical internal HDDs and want to install grub4dos to hd1 - would I take a chance and click on the 2nd drive listed and risk trashing my system MBR? So I would use diskmgmt.msc or some util to find the drive number is hd1 - but how do I know which one it is in your GUI?

It MUST have the drive number shown - surely - else it is dangerous\unusable?

[DavidB]

In the list drives are always sorted by the drive number.

The problem is that, even with the drive number displayed, the user will still need an external app like diskmgmt.msc to know which one is which.
A better solution could be to display some of the informations shown in diskmgmt.msc (other than the drive number or partitions list).
For example the letter(s) of the mounted volume(s) from the drive and/or the volume label(s).

This way will help the user save time and energy without decreasing safety.

[Blackcrack]

[%ddrive% %diskdrivenumber%: %ddstatus% %grubstatus% %grubinstallstatus% %drformat% %grubversion% ][ ^ ]

[%ddrive%: %ddn% %ddst% %gst% %ggist% %drft% %gversion%]

[%ddrive%: %ddn% %ddst% %gst% %gist% %drft% %gv%]

[%ddrive%: %ddn% %ddst% %gst% %gist% %drft% %gv%]

[%ddrive%: %ddn% %ddst% %gst% %gist% %drft% %gv%]

 

[Drive          0: HIDDEN    GRUB INSTALLED    EXT2  Grub2 EFI Linux version XXX     ][ ^ ]

[Drive          C: ACTIVE    GRUB INSTALLED    NTFS  Grub1 DOS version XXX           ]

[Drive          E: INACTIVE GRUB UNSTALLED   EXT4  Grub2 Linux version XXX           ]

[Drive          E: INACTIVE GRUB NOT INSTALL VFAT                                                    ]

[USBDRIVE F: INACTIVE GRUB NOT INSTALL FAT32                                                  ]

 

Harddisk-manifacturer name (prossible read out)

if  ^^ == Drive blabla and so on..

this informations can you read out also in Linux, the Drive manufacturewr and which partition ..

and this can you use also ..

 

 

all drive be Alphabeth by WinNT as clue , Linux (by?kernel) has "only" drivesnames and numbers by kernel

what's more positive, sata/SCSI= sda sdb sdc partitions on it, 1,2,3 up to 100 or more

so it is the first drive the sata/scsi-drive and the first partition sda1 what as primary partions only up to 4 on normal harddisks and msdos-format table

(think on it, gives diffrent format tables)

IDE-Drives was (Hda (Master primary),Hdb(Master secondary),Hdc(Slave primary),Hdd(Slave secundary))

hda1-hda4  on the 4 primary can be an enhanced format and be numered from 5 up to 100 (or more)

the numer5 it is in principle ever the 1st partition in the extended partion because the maximum it

is ever 4 primary partions on harddrives on msdos partions table. co, can we named the unnamed/hidden partitions

who can use in linux also with drivenumbers, because we know, WinNT use ever the alphabet .

With this it is also possible if we can read, read out the ext2-4

the path /boot and the path /etc and the path /usr/sbin or /sbin or /bin where it is the grub binary mostly ..

and can check which version it is .. if we are on WinNT or dos, it is easy ,

easy let run grub --version  and grab this information for $VERSION

 

maybe it's well, if we create like in Linux an Standart for grub4dos,

maybe the same folders /boot, /etc,/usr/sbin like in Linux to have

it more easy to handle grub also in dos and in linux.., you see.. and maybe

speak with the programmers of grub4dos for setting up standarts for grub4dos

like in linux to have one standart .. in both systems or maybe all.. because in freebsd i bet it's the same folders ...

 

best regards

Blacky

[DavidB]

How about this one (just like in VMUB):

 

[Blackcrack]

+1

 

but there it is the problem with the partitons .. which partitions it is installed ..

 

edit: oh i see.. behind .. but installed or only active.. or only installed but not active, because if you delete the

folder, it is grub on the mbr just active and not installed .. as suggestion ..

 

Or but installed , but on the linux-drive .. you see

 

[ ] Search Linux Drives

upps, did see the "Filesystem" oh, well

 

[ ] Grub 2 - EFI

 

& maybe

[Button] Cleanup MBR [/Button] in the middle/between of the both chekboxes maybe (over install)

and if you be in WinNT can you just sys %drive% so can you reinstall the normal bootmbr from Winnt .. (or something)

 

maybe an bmp/jpg or something on it, in diffrent colors, not installed, installed, installed&active and not installed: , "    "  ,"°","°"and "   "

maybe as dropdown menu... as/instead an button "install" because, with this it is possible for remove also ..

or let installed (and configured), but not active .. you see.. and at bottom an easy "GO" button for "make the changes" ..

 

thinking further.. maybe an display, "changed" "applied" ....

 

best regards

Blacky

 

p.s. now finshd  *g*

[steve6375]

I still need to see the drive number as some drives can have no drive letter assigned to them (e,g, ext2 formatted volume under Windows).

grubinst GUI originally had drive numbers so removing them is not an enhancement. I don't think chenall would like it either and to be 'official' then tinybit, chenall, etc. need to adopt your new versions otherwise we will have a fork which would be a pain to maintain.

[Blackcrack]

www.paragon-software.com/home/extfs-windows/
 
http://www.fs-driver.org/
 

 
best regards
Blacky

[steve6375]

That's not the point. I know you can install drivers, but the old grubinst GUI did not require you to install filesystem drivers in order to determine which drive you are going to install grub4dos too!

[Blackcrack]

oh so well if's work without drivers.. it's well
but it's possible? to install drivers temporary ? if it's need..
Was only intended as a impuls

 

best regards

Blacky
 

[DavidB]

On drives with nonWindows filesystem partitions you will see the empty [] and go to partitions list where you can check them.
It's still a better choice than starting an external app and searching the drive with that number.

But if you think it is absolutely necessary, I will again increase the window width and add "hdn: " in front...

[steve6375]

chenall says that a byte in grldr controls silent startup.

https://github.com/c...omment-70401646

 

I have asked for clarification as I can't find it.

 

This could be a way for grubinst/GrubinstGUI to patch grldr for silent startup?

maybe add a checkbox or option to copy/overwrite grldr to target?

Then if silent checkbox is ticked, patch grldr on target (if it is present)? or maybe have two checkboxes for silent - one for stage 1 code and one for grldr stage 2 code?

[Blackcrack]

if well works so far, hold it more minmal as maximal, you see

Main thing it works well

 

if you have more overview , it's much better as have an bag full code part's, you know ..

 

btw, Steve, -> Github G4D... cool !

 

best regards

blacky

[steve6375]

On drives with nonWindows filesystem partitions you will see the empty [] and go to partitions list where you can check them.
It's still a better choice than starting an external app and searching the drive with that number.

But if you think it is absolutely necessary, I will again increase the window width and add "hdn: " in front...

 

I do feel it is necessary :-)

just n will  suffice instead of hdn: as far as I am concerned (but maybe not compatible enough for chenall?)

[DavidB]

0:  looks like a drive letter and could cause confusion! (it confused me on first look!)

 

better to drop the colon or use hd0?

 

 

 grubinst_gui.7z   41.18KB   611 downloads

[steve6375]

 Looks good to me - i'm happy now!

 

BTW: I said 0: may look like a drive letter but   0  does not (which is what I suggested in previous post)   ;-) 

just n will  suffice

[DavidB]

Ok, but "0 " doesn't suggest (hd0) as much as "0: ".

 

 

 grubinst_gui.7z   41.17KB   614 downloads

 

Now the window of the app starts in the center of the screen.

[DavidB]

As you may noticed, the Linux GUI version doesn't display the console with grubinst command line utility. Instead it's starting the console as an invisible window and redirects the grubinst's output to a normal window:

 

Looks better this way.

I'm thinking of implementing the same in the Windows version.

Current:

 

To be implemented:

 

What do you think...?

[steve6375]

looks better but can you use courier for font (or some other fixed font) as the table data is not aligned in true-type font?