435 replies to this topic

[Scooby]

I saw you've added alphaos to the list of bootable ISO's on rmprepusb.com.

 

It was not added to list

"The ISO files listed below do not 'just work' and may require a .mnu file and/or extraction from the ISO files."

 

I was wondering how you got it to boot directly from iso? Probably persistent storage (aka savefile) wont work if it was done this way.

[steve6375]

It boots as a live CD same as it would from a real CD just by copying over the ISO. Is there a cheat code for persistent storage using an ext2/3 volume?

[Scooby]

It uses the "from" boot code.

 

The problem is when the "from" boot code point to an ISO, Alphaos expects

persistent storage using an ext2/3 volume to reside inside ISO.

( I have made a MOD for this but its not released as

  alphaOS is not my project although I am happy to share when asked)

 

To get original alphaOS to work with persistent storage you would have to extract ISO to folder and point to the folder using

"from" parameter. Then within alphaos create a savefile (persistent storage) that will be placed inside

this folder.

Edited by Scooby, 20 January 2014 - 01:35 PM.

[gggirlgeek]

Hello
 
I am very frustrated and I hope someone can help (thank in advance!)
 
I am getting Error 15: File not found on all Win7 and Win8 iso's from USB HDD.  When I tried deleting menu.lst from my helper flash drive I get Error 23: Error while parsing number or else it Aborts (depending on whether I choose an x64 or x86 iso.)

 

All other attempts (ie: renaming iso's, different helper flash drive, different computer, variations of menu.lst, refreshing menu, deleting FASTLOAD.MNU) still result in Error 15.  XP iso's work fine.  Output shows no error when searching for Winhelper.usb at startup.
 
MY SETUP:

 

FASTLOAD.NO  (Deleted FASTLOAD.MNU too.)

set NOSORT=1

 

   ISO Files:

_ISO\WINDOWS\WIN8

  Win81_Pro_x64.iso

 

_ISO\WINDOWS\WIN7

Win7_X86_Ult_Sep2013.iso

Win7_x64_Ult_Retail_SP1.iso

win7_x86_Repair.iso

win7_x64-repair.iso

 

*System:  Asus P8z68-v UEFI, Win7x64, Easy2boot v1.23

              ***Tried on 8-year old Dell Desktop too.  Same. So Bios is good.
 
*USB 3.0 HDD (or eSata) 3 NTFS partitions: 1 Primary, 2 Logical, no Unallocated (<--Problem???)

MBR: Ultra ISO USB HDD+

PBR: Grub4dos 0.4.5c: 40GB (sizes: 40GB, 200GB, 140GB)

 
*USB 2.0 UFD, 2 Primary Fat32 partitions, E2b ptn hidden and not active. Winhelper, etc. is on accessible ptn.

MBR: Win NT 6.x

Active PBR: Syslinux v4.07 (with Hirens): 3GB

Hidden PBR: Grub4dos v0.4.5c (with E2B): 4.5GB (<-- Hidden E2b a Problem?? Fat32 a Problem?)

 
*Menu.lst variations on Flash drive:

clear
pause --wait=3 Booting from Easy2Boot USB Helper Flash Drive...
find --set-root /_ISO/e2b/grub/menu.lst
chainloader /grldr
boot

or

echo Booting from Easy2Boot USB Helper Flash Drive...
find --set-root /_ISO/e2b/grub/menu.lst
configfile /menu.lst

Edited by gggirlgeek, 27 January 2014 - 12:46 PM.

[steve6375]

Try latest version of E2B?

As a rule (i.e. any other scenario is untested!) e2b should be on the first partition of the USB drive and it should be a primary partition.

The 'Helper' flash drive files (3-5 files) MUST be on the first partition of the flash drive as Windows cannot access any other partition on a removable flash drive.

The 'Helper' USB flash drive should NOT contain the \_ISO e2b folder on any partition or else E2B will get confused.

Are you booting to the USB HDD or the USB flash drive?

 

On a E2B USB drive, you must only have a maximum of two Primary partitions or one Primary and the rest Logical.

 

By using a non-standard partition arrangement you are causing yourself problems!

[gggirlgeek]

@steve6375:  Yes I checked all of those things.  The USB flash drive is formatted according to (your?) tutorial here: 'Secret' E2b partition.

 

I am booting to the USB HDD.  The USB flash drive only boots syslinux (with Hirens) right now.  It's not setup to switch over to the HDD (other than placing the menu.lst in the root.)

 

2 additional things I have tried now:

 

I looked in the "$$AddWin2Main.mnu" file and it seems to be calling Vista.g4b rather than VistaMn.g4b, which is in the \grub folder.  So I renamed it to Vista.g4b....  No dice.  It just kicked me back to the main menu (not the Windows menu.)

 

I also tried adding the ISO's to that "$$AddWin2Main.mnu" file and moving it.  Strangely my Win7/8 items didn't show up in the main menu, but the XP options did, even though I didn't add any XP file names to the mnu file.  WTF????

 

I will try removing the E2b partition from the Flash drive next.  I REALLY wanted that to work because I only have 1 flash drive.

[steve6375]

You need to remove the e2b files from the flash drive.

It should only contain the Helper files in the root of the 1st ptn and any other non-E2B files.

The flash drive 'secret e2b ptn' is for when you boot from the flash drive and have no E2B HDD connected.

If you have an E2B flash drive with a secret ptn then you MUST use the E2B_PTN_SWAP.mnu to make the E2B ptn on the flash drive the 1st partition BEFORE you run any Windows Vista/7/8 install. This makes the 1st ptn the one with the xml files so Windows can see it.

 

Don't alter any E2B files - they are correct. It is your mixing of partitions and folders that are incorrect!

 

If you use a USB HDD + USB Flash Helper, then the Helper files must be on the first ptn of the USB removable flash drive or Windows won't see it. The Helper drive must NOT contain the \_ISO folder with the e2b files in it.

[evoandroidevo]

How do I check if the computer is 64bit or 32bit and then use the iso of the same architect and thanks Steve easy2boot is awesome

[steve6375]

http://www.rmprepusb...etection-v1.28-

[steve6375]

Added new .mnu for .iso now...

http://www.rmprepusb...etection-v1.28-

[evoandroidevo]

man you are awesome i knew i have seen it somewhere just couldn't find it again thanks Steve!

[dianedebuda]

Probably stupid newbie, but - downloaded latest E2B and RMPrep.   Tried Make_E2B_USB_Drive.cmd as Admin, but it can't find E2B files.  Checked and files structure is ok.  Manually entered IF NOT EXIST line & runs ok, even with cmd window run as Admin.  Copied  3 IF NOT EXIST lines to test.cmd; works ok as reg, but fails if run as Admin.  Just doesn't seem to like the IF NOT EXIST in the cmd file if run as Admin.  Checked Security for all files/folders involve and Full Control for Admin & User levels.  Reset CMD association to defalut.  Did a quick google, but didn't see anything else to try.  I'm confused.  Win7 x64 SP1

[steve6375]

What folder did you copy it to? Does it have spaces in the path?

What is the home path when the .cmd file runs - add a 

dir
pause

to the top of the file.

[dianedebuda]

"z:\Flashdrive USB Easy2Boot prep\Easy2Boot v1.29\Easy2Boot_v1.29DPMS\_ISO\docs"

long & obviously with spaces

odd that it works in normal mode but not As Admin

Edited by dianedebuda, 06 March 2014 - 09:37 PM.

[steve6375]

Try adding the dir to see what folder is set as the current directory and try c:\temp as the extraction folder?

[dianedebuda]

moved to "z:\Easy2Boot_v1.29DPMS\_ISO\docs" - same error

[dianedebuda]

That's it.  Default dir is c:\Windows\system32

[steve6375]

add

pushd "%~dp0"

to the top of the file

[dianedebuda]

Working now.  Sorry to trouble you.  Thanks.

[dianedebuda]

Have used a couple versions of E2B - but only 1 or twice each time - so still very much a newbie.  Some feedback:

 

New web site is MUCH easier to use.  Only thing I've have to go back to old was for XP instructions.  Have never tried it before.   Didn't see mention on building flashdrive that updates MAY require a contiguous "fix".   Could have been there, but I didn't see it - so just FYI.

 

The new bat for building the flashdrive is great - much easier (even with previously fixed "default drive" for admin mode) than before.  Would be really nice if matching bat was available for making flashdrive contiguous after updates.

 

I'm doing my first Linux live-cd using Puppy Precise.  A long time ago, I was looking for a windows-like file explorer to use as part of my E2B flashdrive toolbox.  You and another user patiently told me there was no standalone iso & that I should use a small Linux distro for that functionality.  Finally getting to it and I must say I'm finding it MUCH easier than I expected.  I guess I tried Linux briefly a number of years ago, long before live-cd, and abandoned it because it was going to take more time than I had available to learn to use it.  Things sure have changed.

 

I am unclear about the Puppy_Precise_USB_Flash_Persistence.mnu - "4th ptn on USB drive must be empty!"  ptn=partition?  If so, my 32GB flashdrive is a single FAT32 partition, so what does that mean?  Puppy Precise does not boot on my Asus F2A85-V Pro and F2A85-M Pro motherboards, but the latest Linux Mint Cinnamon does.  The super kind folks at the murga Puppy newbie forum thought it might be because of E2B, but I told them that since Puppy booted fine on older boxes, I felt it was a Puppy problem with my mb, not E2B.  Anyhow, can Mint also be persistant?  Is it either Puppy or Mint or can multiple Linux have persistance?  I'm going to try Fatdog on these newer mb, but don't have a lot of confidence that I'll be successful since Precise didn't work.  But if so, I'd want know if I could have persistance for Puppy Precise for the older boxes AND Puppy Fatdog for the newer ones.

Edited by dianedebuda, 09 March 2014 - 07:27 PM.

[steve6375]

Have used a couple versions of E2B - but only 1 or twice each time - so still very much a newbie.  Some feedback:

 

New web site is MUCH easier to use.  Only thing I've have to go back to old was for XP instructions.  Have never tried it before.   Didn't see mention on building flashdrive that updates MAY require a contiguous "fix".   Could have been there, but I didn't see it - so just FYI.

 

The new bat for building the flashdrive is great - much easier (even with previously fixed "default drive" for admin mode) than before.  Would be really nice if matching bat was available for making flashdrive contiguous after updates.

 

I'm doing my first Linux live-cd using Puppy Precise.  A long time ago, I was looking for a windows-like file explorer to use as part of my E2B flashdrive toolbox.  You and another user patiently told me there was no standalone iso & that I should use a small Linux distro for that functionality.  Finally getting to it and I must say I'm finding it MUCH easier than I expected.  I guess I tried Linux briefly a number of years ago, long before live-cd, and abandoned it because it was going to take more time than I had available to learn to use it.  Things sure have changed.

 

I am unclear about the Puppy_Precise_USB_Flash_Persistence.mnu - "4th ptn ofn USB drive must be empty!"  ptn=partition?  If so, my 32GB flashdrive is a single FAT32 partiion, so what does that mean?  Puppy Precise does not boot on my Asus F2A85-V Pro and F2A85-M Pro motherboards, but the latest Linux Mint Cinnamon does.  The super kind folks at the murga Puppy newbie forum thought it might be because of E2B, but I told them that since Puppy booted fine on older boxes, I felt it was a Puppy problem with my mb, not E2B.  Anyhow, can Mint also be persistant?  Is it either Puppy or Mint or can multiple Linux have persistance?  I'm going to try Fatdog on these newer mb, but don't have a lot of confidence that I'll be successful since Precise didn't work.  But if so, I'd want know if I could have persistance for Puppy Precise for the older boxes AND Puppy Fatdog for the newer ones.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The new site is still under construction and the XP stuff should be there now.

To make files contiguous, use RMPRrepUSB - Ctrl+F2 - easy! Or install defraggler - then right-click on an individual ISO that you have just copied and choose - defrag. Either way is just as quick.

To test if it is E2B's fault or not when an ISO doesn't boot - use VirtualBox+DavidB's VMUB utility (or QEMU in RMPrepUSB) - if one of those works then the problem is the real system and not E2B. Often it is a VGA driver issue.

re. Puppy precise mnu - E2B will check if the partitions are empty - if they aren't you will be told! There are 4 Primary Partition entries in the MBR. If you only have one FAT32 partition then that leaves 3 free (empty).

I had a few issues with Mint and persistence - see http://www.rmprepusb...als/linuxmint14

I will look at it again - what specific version were you interested in?

You can have multiple linux ISOs with multiple persistence files. Just use different names for the persistence ext2 file.

HTH

Steve

[dianedebuda]

I remembered about insuring contiguous files - just thought you might make sure other newbies knew about it on the new website.

 

I also remembered about using RMPrep for making them contiguous since I just downloaded the new version.  However, I sometimes forget to select the usb drive before using the menu to make contiguous and wonder what's happened with no feedback.  I just thought it might be nice to have a bat file in my E2B "prep" iso dir on my hard disk that was automagic like the build flashdrive one is.  Not a big deal, just a minor thought.

 

I feel pretty confident that Puppy Precise has a video driver problem with my newer mb since all is ok until I see the "Loading Kernal Modules" lines.  I really only mentioned it so that you knew E2B was brought up in that forum.

 

Ah, 4 MBR partitions entries available.  That I understand.

 

Mint Cinnamon 16 x64 was the version that worked on the newer mb.  I'll only use this as a live-cd if Fatdog doesn't work on the newer mb  Really the only persistant thing I know right now that I would like saved is the ROX-filer settings for the live-cd version.

 

I'm going to make my first attempt at installing XP SP1 on one of the new mb that doesn't have IDE in about an hour, so I'll check the new website for instructions.

Edited by dianedebuda, 09 March 2014 - 08:33 PM.

[steve6375]

This .mnu file seems to work for the 32-bit cinnamon v16 version.

Just edit it for the correct name for you and make the mint-rw in the root of your E2B drive as in the instructions.

Attached Files

•  linuxmint-16-cinnamon-dvd-32bit_Persistent.zip   986bytes   444 downloads

[dianedebuda]

FatDog works on the newer mb.  Great!  Thanks for the Mint mnu. 

 

Question on mnu.  Have Precise mnu edited to match my iso & it works.  But the Precise iso shows up too.  Normal or did I mess up?  If I don't use some of the submenus (Backup, DOS, Utilities), can they be hidden?

 

This is great.

[steve6375]

payload files are not added to the menu if they are placed in a subfolder (below 2nd level).

Place both .mnu and .iso in \_ISO\MAINMENU\MNU as in the instructions inside the .mnu file.

Just delete all files and folders under the submenu folder and the Main menu entry will not appear - e.g. delete the \_ISO\DOS\MNU folder and the DOS menu entry will not appear.

 

P.S. Mint failed to boot under VBox but booted on real system with persistence.