Jump to content











Photo
- - - - -

How to modify grub4dos boot menu?

grub4dos

  • Please log in to reply
22 replies to this topic

#1 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 12 July 2014 - 01:44 PM

I have a nice win7pe_se project with a set of utilities that I use a lot ... works great.  Now I would like to modify the grub4dos boot menu to include, dban iso, tufftest iso and spinrite iso.  I have tried easy2boot, but am not able to get the winbuilder project to work (have tried all the alternatives with no success) - plus, it didn't make sense to have a grub4dos menu call a grub4dos menu.

 

I have read much of the grub4dos tutorials .... good stuff.  But I can't relate the information to the way that winbuilder is constructed (actually can't find the correct files to modify).  It would be nice to have a gru4dos section in the winbuilder process ... but that is another discussion.

 

So my question, how do you modify an existing win7pe_se project boot menu to include additional iso's?

 

Thanks in advance.....

 

Gary D

aka senile2



#2 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 12 July 2014 - 02:08 PM

WinBuilder projects are not designed to be multiboot projects.

The obvious way to have a multiboot USB menu is to use Easy2Boot and from that run the WinPE ISO.

If you can explain what problems you have had with E2B and Win7PE ISOs I can try to help.


  • Brito likes this

#3 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 12 July 2014 - 03:50 PM

WinBuilder projects are not designed to be multiboot projects.

NO.
This depends on the project.
Unless of course you have tested ALL Winbuilder projects and verified that NONE of them has multiboot capabilities.
Specifically Win7PE_SE has several script to make a multi-boot build, including some WAREZ, Memtest, "generic .iso", Parted Magic, etc..

The obvious way to have a multiboot USB menu is to use Easy2Boot and from that run the WinPE ISO.

Well, no.
The obvious way (simpler) is make the "normal" build and then edit (add a few lines) in the menu.lst.

@senile2
The menu.lst entries are in .scripts inside the Win7PESE/OtherOS
see:
http://tinyurl.com/cv9s48b

:duff:
Wonko

#4 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 12 July 2014 - 07:17 PM

Thanks for the reply Steve6375...

 

The problem is:  when I try to include win7pe_se project with dban, tufftest and spinrite iso's in easy2boot - everything works except the win7pe project.  It boots like it is supposed to.... then displays 5 or 8 icons on the desktop and adds a warning icon indicating that cdusb.y file is missing (with a bunch of options to repair it - that didn't work).  I am using the latest easy2boot as of 7/10/14.  I have followed the first 2 options to make a winbuilder project work from the easy2boot.com web site (at least 10 times - wanted to make sure it wasn't a operator error).  I keep getting the same error each time.

 

PC is a Dell e530 quad core 64bit with 6 gb memory, 500 gb hd, 4 gb flash drive (scandisk) running win7. 

 

I have used easy2boot in the past for standard iso's without a problem, but I just can't get it to work with a winbuilder project.



#5 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 12 July 2014 - 07:32 PM

Thanks for the reply Wonko......

 

Am looking at the material you sent me ... have found some scripts that add other iso's (Hiram's for example), but I have to admit - I don't have the foggiest idea what to do with them.  I read one of your other post telling someone else much the same thing you are telling me.  As you indicated, it is one thing to know what to write and a completely different thing to know where to write it (nice quote by the way).

 

If I add dban.iso, tufftest.iso and spinrite.iso to the "target" directory of my win7pe_se project and then make an iso of the target directory - would that work?  Then were do I find the menu.lst to modify to work with the new ISO?  You are hitting on the second part of my original post.  I know that winbuilder boot menu is based on grub4dos - so logically it would seem that I could simply add the new iso's to the menu (I know there is a syntax to add each one) and I would have what I am looking for.... but again, know what is different than know how.

 

Am I out in left field or can this be done by someone ... maybe a step or two above a pure newbie?



#6 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 12 July 2014 - 08:50 PM

 

PC is a Dell e530 quad core 64bit with 6 gb memory, 500 gb hd, 4 gb flash drive (scandisk) running win7. 

 

I have used easy2boot in the past for standard iso's without a problem, but I just can't get it to work with a winbuilder project.

 

 

So you tried using a .ini file in the root of the USB drive? If it fails to load you should see a yellow triangle icon on the Desktop - if you click on this it will tell you instructions on how to find out what the name of the INI file it is looking for. It may be that for your build, the name of the INI file is wrong in the build. If so, just change the name of the ini file in the root of the E2B drive to match the one it is looking for (and make sure it's contents are correct). i.e. look in the file  X:\Windows\system32\mountpemedia.ini for the INI filename that it will look for. SearchExternaIiniFile should = Yes and ExternalINIFileName will have the name of the INI file it needs (usually it has no path = root).



#7 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 12 July 2014 - 10:41 PM

Boy do I feel stupid..... the filenames are case sensitive.  I had a capital PE in the name.  Changed that and it worked fine.  Steve, thank you for the help.  Now that I have a working flash drive, I will spend some time "making it pretty" (clean it up some).

 

Thanks again for you help.... don't think I can mark this solved (if I can please tell me how) so if you could mark it solved I'd appreciate it.

 

gary d

aka senile2



#8 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 12 July 2014 - 10:56 PM

I don't think the INI file name is case sensitive? Are you sure? Can you double-check by changing the case of a working filename and see if it no longer works???



#9 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 13 July 2014 - 08:27 AM

@senile2

Yep, the "simple" way is to modify the "plain" menu.lst of the "normal" build (and this has a single layer of complexity, i.e. you need to know the grub4dos syntax, besides obviously experimenting or searching for the "proper" way to boot the particular "item").

The "other way" through Winbuilder has two or three layers of complexity :ph34r:, if you use one of the "provided" .scripts it is easy as all you have to do is to provide the path to the "item", but of course you need to create your own .script (possibly basing it on one of the included .scripts) which implies both the knowledge of grub4dos syntax and that of Winbuilder syntax, besides the needed commands for the specific "item" .

Easy2boot "bypasses" all these needs, by automating the whole grub4dos menu.lst making and it is extremely nice :thumbsup:, though still not "the obvious way".

:duff:
Wonko

#10 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 13 July 2014 - 01:34 PM

Steve... OK, now I am in hair pulling out mode.  Changed the letters to cap's .... didn't work.  Changed them back.... didn't work.   Moved to new machine, same problem.  I am back to square one.

 

I can see that the Y drive is not being mounted.... I am getting the error from the mountpemedia.ini onerror step, so it appears that it is the cdusb.y problem ... but I am not sure how to fix it.  Is there a way to manually mount Y before the boot?  Since the other iso's (dban, tufftest and spinrite) work, I assume that they don't depend on mounting Y.

 

Any ideas?

 

Gary D 

 

 

PS:  additional thoughts, if Y isn't mounted - how can it display part of the desktop? Over half of the icons are showing and working.  I get the warning icon after the penetwork icon (the displayed icons all work).  missing icons:  hdtune, Seagate tools and wd  tools, and cpuz.


Edited by senile2, 13 July 2014 - 01:40 PM.


#11 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 13 July 2014 - 02:05 PM

Wait a minute.

The Win7PE_SE has some peculiarities (or "needs") that must be taken into account.
You are most probably in this case:
http://reboot.pro/to...-boot-win7pese/
http://tinyurl.com/pycn9bp

Are you sure that your build has IMDISK enabled?
Have you checked the name of the ISO has not been changed?
Are the contents of Win7PESE.ini and of MountPEmedia.ini correct?

:duff:
Wonko

#12 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 13 July 2014 - 02:17 PM

Are you sure the ini file has a .ini file extension and not  .ini.txt ???

Do you have Windows Explorer 'View - File name extensions' enabled?

Why did it work before and not now?



#13 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 13 July 2014 - 02:32 PM

this is getting crazy.... I just booted the flash drive 5 times.... 2 of them there was no error .... the other 3 had the Y mount error.

 

Wonko ..... all the names are correct, I am not sure on the imdisk (I will have to make a new build)  - but if the win7pese project works "every" time stand alone (without easy2boot), wouldn't that indicate that the imdisk is operating as it should?

 

Steve .... positive on the file naming ... it didn't matter rather is was caps or not.  As to the why?.... not sure.  just did an additional 2 boots on a different machine .... they both worked.  So I am now thinking like Wonko that maybe there was a problem with imdisk.

 

Guys ... thanks a bunch for the help.... I'm so close that I don't want to drop it.  I'll keep testing on multiple machines and try a new build ... making sure that imdisk is enabled (seems like that should be the default).

 

Gary D



#14 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 13 July 2014 - 02:50 PM

@senile2

Forget for one moment ANY experiment on n different machines.

Choose one PC.

Boot it from the stupid USB stick.

Get to the grub4dos command prompt.

In it input these commands (and [ENTER] after each line):

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /ISO/Win7PE_x86.ISO
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map /ISO/Win7PE_x86.ISO (0xff)
map --hook

root (0xff)
chainloader (0xff)/BOOTMGR

boot

 

(of course adapting the /ISO/Win7PE_x86.ISO to your actual path and .iso filename).

 

It will either work or not, if it does the Win7PE_SE is fine (and *something else* - for which Easy2boot  may be blamed -  is the issue) if it does not, it means that *something* is "wrong" in either the .iso or in the mentioned files/settings (i.e. it is not Easy2boot "fault").

 

It is also possible that you have some "queer" timing issues, if you succeed 2 out of 5, but the above test would take what? 5 minutes at the most and it may help in pinpointing where the issue is.

 

:duff:

Wonko

 

 



#15 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 13 July 2014 - 02:54 PM

Sounds like a timing issue. It's possible the USB drive is not mounted by PE at the time that the code in PE starts to look for the ini file on the drive.

To fix it, we probably need to add some sort of delay before the code that start looking for the ini file???



#16 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 14 July 2014 - 11:54 PM

update:

 

Wonko......works fine.  I have been running this win7pese "CD" for better than 2 months.  So I am 99.9% positive it is not a win7pese problem.  I ran the project again without any customization by me - just to be sure.  Project works fine from CD, but fails when I put it in the easy2boot build.

 

Steve .... every time it fails, it can't find the cdusb.y file.  explorer doesn't see the Y device.  Is there a way to hard code it in the mix?  You may be onto something with the timing issue.  I just ran it on the same machine 3 times in a row.  2 of the 3 it ran ok, but the 3rd it got the error.

 

Sorry it took a while to get back to you ... but I was 'testing" and rebuilding the project to make sure it wasn't me.....

 

Gary D

 

PS.... WONKO, is there a way to build a winbuilder project without the grub4dos frontend?  Just a single boot iso.


Edited by senile2, 14 July 2014 - 11:56 PM.


#17 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 15 July 2014 - 12:43 AM

If it is a time delay issue, then it is best to fix the problem.

So is there a Y: drive in Explorer after it has booted to Win7PE (and failed to show all icons)?

 

Also...

 

Try booting to WinPE and looking at  X:\Windows\system32\winpeshl.ini

Does it look like this?

[LaunchApps]
cdusb.exe
"hide /NOCONSOLE /SILENT /WAIT start.cmd"
etc.

X:\Windows\System32\Winpeshl.log should contain a log of the executed commands.

 

If so, look at X:\Windows\system32\cdusb.log

It should contain a log of the attempts to detect the drives in the system - the USB drive should be listed.



#18 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 15 July 2014 - 12:53 AM

Steve... nope.... says:  mountpemedia.exe instead of cdusb.exe - the rest seems to be the same.  There is no cdusb.log in system32

 

this is with one time it worked....


Edited by senile2, 15 July 2014 - 12:54 AM.


#19 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 19 July 2014 - 01:53 AM

update: 

 

Steve - never could get easy2boot - usb to work.   the winbuilder project did not work for either of the projects winpe_se or win7pe_se_small.  They work perfect in vbox  ... but don't work when the usb drive is introduced.

 

Wonko - either you were trying to make me think harder ... or you weren't aware.  in winbuilder section other OS there is a section to add up to 4 ISO's to the grub4dos menu.  I did this, and it worked perfect for a CD/DVD build ..... then I found a irongeek tutorial that explained how to have wb copy a project to a usb drive ..... Finally success.  I have all of my winbuilder project on the usb drive along with tufftest, spinrite and dban.

 

Thanks guys for the help... and motivation to dig deeper

 

Gary D

aka senile2



#20 steve6375

steve6375

    Platinum Member

  • Developer
  • 7566 posts
  • Location:UK
  • Interests:computers, programming (masm,vb6,C,vbs), photography,TV,films
  •  
    United Kingdom

Posted 19 July 2014 - 06:01 AM

What irongeek tutorial exactly?
Does it work 100% of the time - every time?

#21 senile2

senile2

    Newbie

  • Members
  • 20 posts
  •  
    United States

Posted 19 July 2014 - 11:17 AM

Got it from here....:  www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=secuity/winbuilder-win7pe-se-tutorial  Some of the slides are out of date, but I could put together enough to make it work.   Have tried it on 4 different machine and a number of times - without failure. 

 

gary d



#22 pscEx

pscEx

    Platinum Member

  • Team Reboot
  • 12707 posts
  • Location:Korschenbroich, Germany
  • Interests:What somebody else cannot do.
  •  
    European Union

Posted 19 July 2014 - 12:12 PM

Maybe you have a look at the multiPE project.

 

What do you think is told by the name?

 

multiBoot_ISO.gif

 

Peter :cheers:



#23 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 20 July 2014 - 10:42 AM

Wonko - either you were trying to make me think harder ... or you weren't aware.  in winbuilder section other OS there is a section to add up to 4 ISO's to the grub4dos menu.  I did this, and it worked perfect for a CD/DVD build ..... then I found a irongeek tutorial that explained how to have wb copy a project to a usb drive ..... Finally success.  I have all of my winbuilder project on the usb drive along with tufftest, spinrite and dban.

 

Thanks guys for the help... and motivation to dig deeper

Good. :)

For the record the posted link is invalid, his one is the corrected one:

http://www.irongeek....7pe-se-tutorial

 

:duff:

Wonko







Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: grub4dos

1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users