129 replies to this topic

[wimb]

File Name: USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI
File Submitter: wimb
File Submitted: 06 Mar 2020
File Updated: 03 Aug 2021
File Category: Boot tools

Download: USB_FORMAT and UEFI_MULTI

Download Encrypted - password for USB_FORMAT-E.zip is bootwimb
After Download use R-mouse 7-zip menu to Extract here

USB Format Tool - Make Bootable USB Drive with MBR and 2 Partitions

USB Multi-Boot of Linux ISO + Windows 10 VHD + Win10XPE in BIOS Or UEFI Secure mode

1 - Format USB Drive with MBR and 2 Partitions FAT32 + NTFS
2 - UEFI_MULTI can Add VHD or PE WIM File Booting from RAMDISK
3 - Copy Linux ISO files to folder images on FAT32 - Boot UEFI Grub2
4 - USB drive Booting with Windows Boot Manager Menu in BIOS or UEFI Mode

More Info: UEFI_MULTI
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At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI
All my projects are now available for Download as Releases at wimb GitHub

Download: USB_FORMAT and UEFI_MULTI and VHD_WIMBOOT and System_Info and MBR_Backup
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Linux ISO Info:
UEFI Secure boot support requires Format Drive using Grub2 as EFI Manager

Copy your Linux ISO files to folder images on FAT32 USB Boot drive U-BOOT
Supported filenames for Linux ISO in folder images are:

linuxmint.iso
runtimelivecd.iso and knoppix.iso
ubuntu.iso and Porteus.iso

Download: Linux-Mint and Knoppix-Live and Ubuntu and Porteus x86_64

Rename your Linux ISO files so that they correspond to supported filenames

UEFI mode - Mint UEFI Grub2 booting with FAT32 file \EFI\Boot\BOOTx64.EFI and \Boot\grub\grub.cfg and \Boot\grub\grub_Linux.cfg

UEFI mode - Super UEFI Grub2 booting with FAT32 file \EFI\Boot\BOOTx64.EFI and \EFI\grub\grub.cfg and grub_Linux.cfg Menu
MBR BIOS - a1ive Grub2 installed in MBR and booting with \grub\grub.cfg and grub_Linux.cfg Menu

Grub4dos is used for booting in MBR BIOS mode using Menu created with menu.lst and menu_Linux.lst
==============================
a1ive Grub2 File Manager Info:
Not needed since booting straight with Linux ISO using Grub4dos in BIOS mode and Grub2 in UEFI mode is preferred.
But if you prefer support of a1ive Grub2 File Manager - Download Addons at wimb GitHub
Use R-mouse 7-zip menu to Extract here will Add the content of addon to existing folder and confirm Overwrites with yes

In x64 program use Super UEFI Grub2 Manager as setting for support of a1ive Grub2 File Manager
In this way the files of a1ive Grub2 File Manager and Super-UEFIinSecureBoot-Disk_minimal_v3 (more info) are Added to the USB Multi-Boot Drive

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In case UEFI Grub2 is not available as Boot option in your F8 Boot Menu then you need to use BOOTICE to Add UEFI entry.
Unneeded for USB-Stick, but UEFI Grub2 boot entry is easily lost in case of Portable SSD.
Select as UEFI Boot entry the Linux Mint Grub2 file \EFI\Boot\BOOTx64.EFI



Click here to download this file

[wimb]

USB Format Tool - Make Bootable USB Drive with MBR and 2 Partitions

 

==  ==  == 

 

USB Multi-Boot of  Linux ISO  +  Windows 10 VHD  +  Win10XPE   in BIOS mode Or UEFI Secure mode

 

Manual: 

 

[wimb]

***** There is an ERROR in USB Format Tool file USB_Format-10.zip *****

 

In case Allow Fixed USB Drives is Selected then not only Fixed USB Drives are allowed, but also other Fixed drives like the Internal Harddisk. 

 

I am working on a Fix and ask you to remove any download of USB_Format-10.zip

 

Default the Checkbox Allow Fixed USB Drives is not Selected and in that case it is safely working on Removable drives.

 

Sorry for the ERROR .... The Download is NOT available anymore.

[wimb]

*** Update USB  Format Tool 2.0 ***

 

- Improved Detection of USB Drives so that Selected Target Drive is only valid when it is an USB Drive

 

Download: USB_Format-20.zip

[wimb]

*** Update USB  Format Tool 3.0 ***

 

- changes in Menu files menu.lst and grub.cfg as suggested by alacran

- Uefi_Multi.ico ICON used by autorun.inf as given by alacran

- Support for using a1ive Grub2 File Manager - agFM

 

Download: USB_Format-30.zip  and  USB_FORMAT-30-addon.zip Or  USB_FORMAT-30-addon_v7-beta3.zip for a1ive Grub2 File Manager

 

At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI 

 

All my projects are now available for Download as Releases at wimb GitHub

 

Download:  USB_FORMAT  and   UEFI_MULTI  and  VHD_WIMBOOT  and  System_Info  and  MBR_Backup

 

Grub4dos is used for booting in BIOS mode using Menu created with menu.lst and menu_Linux.lst

Grub2 is used for booting in UEFI Secure mode using Menu created with \Boot\grub\grub.cfg and \Boot\grub\grub_Linux.cfg
a1ive Grub2 File Manager is used in UEFI Secure mode using Menu created with \EFI\grub\grub.cfg and \EFI\grub\grub_Linux.cfg

 

a1ive Grub2 File Manager Info:

Not needed since booting straight with Linux ISO using Grub4dos in BIOS mode and Grub2 in UEFI mode is preferred.
But if you prefer support of a1ive Grub2 File Manager - Download Addons at wimb GitHub

 

Use R-mouse 7-zip menu to Extract here will Add the content of addon to existing folder and confirm Overwrites with yes

In x64 program use Other EFI Manager as setting for support of a1ive Grub2 File Manager
In this way the files of a1ive Grub2 File Manager and Super-UEFIinSecureBoot-Disk_minimal_v3 (more info) are Added to the USB Multi-Boot Drive

Instead of using the Addon you can follow Manual Instructions to Add a1ive Grub2 File Manager
See Help file Support_a1ive_Grub2_FileManager.txt

 

More Info:

http://reboot.pro/to...ional/?p=213996

http://reboot.pro/to...ional/?p=214055

http://reboot.pro/to...ional/?p=214063

http://reboot.pro/to...pport/?p=214065

 

Thanks and Credits to alacran and a1ive   

 

Clear Linux ISO clear-32590-live-desktop.iso file booting OK in UEFI Secure Or BIOS mode using a1ive Grub2 File Manager and partnew or map method.

 

[alacran]

Just to let you know:

 

A1ve  released a new version grub2-filemanager v7-beta3 with Keymap support, available in several languages, including my just made Spanish translation: https://github.com/a...es/tag/v7-beta3

 

EDIT: See this post for some useful links related to the use of multipartitioned devices on OS versions older than Win10 v1703: http://reboot.pro/to...al/#entry214092

 

alacran

[wimb]

A1ve  released a new version grub2-filemanager v7-beta3 with Keymap support, available in several languages, including my just made Spanish translation: https://github.com/a...es/tag/v7-beta3

 

 

Thanks for the Info.

 

New developments of a1ive Grub2 File Manager will be added in future versions of USB Format Tool 

[alacran]

Hi wimb

 

After taking a look to your actual menu.lst I noticed you included this entry:

 

iftitle [if exist /vhds.lst] VHDs menu
find --set-root /vhds.lst
configfile /vhds.lst

 

I have been usually cutting all VHD entries from menu.lst and adding them to vhds.lst, this helps me to have a few more order on the menus and also keep the main menu shorter and less overloaded.

 

Then my question/suggestion:

 

Do you have plans for future versions of UEFI_MULTI and VHD_WIMBOOT to write VHDs entries directly to vhds.lst?

 

alacran

[wimb]

 

Do you have plans for future versions of UEFI_MULTI and VHD_WIMBOOT to write VHDs entries directly to vhds.lst?

 

 

No. I think it is easy for you to compose file vhds.lst from the menu.lst entries generated by my programs.

It is your personal preference to organise it this way which is good and for which I have added an entry for vhds.lst in the menu.lst file already.

 

UEFI_MULTI-96 has support for a1ive Grub2 File Manager - agFM with UEFI_MULTI-96-addon_v7-beta3.zip

 

At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI

 

Download USB_FORMAT-30-addon_v7-beta3.zip

 

Use R-mouse 7-zip menu to Extract here will Add the content to existing folder USB_FORMAT-30

In USB_FORMAT_x64 program use Other EFI Manager as setting for support of a1ive Grub2 File Manager

 

Personally I prefer to have Portable SSD booting in BIOS and UEFI Secure mode from USB with Win10XPE (most powerful) from RAMDISK and Win10 VHD as FILEDISK.

If desired one can add Ubuntu or Knoppix ISO booting with Grub4dos in BIOS mode and with Grub2 in UEFI Secure mode using the supplied Linux menu entries.

Adding a1ive Grub2 File Manager agFM is not needed and booting through agFM is often slower and less reliable for the Linux ISO files.

agFM is looking nice and is especially quite useful to boot Linux ISO files for which no entries are given yet to boot straight with Grub4dos or Grub2.

[wimb]

After a lot of testing with Clear Linux ISO booting from agFM with partnew or map method,

I got the idea that booting first in UEFI mode with partnew enabled to reboot with map method. 

In any case booting first with map method often failed. 

 

Also I experinced twice that reboot in BIOS mode with Boot Manager Menu and Grub4dos FAILED with Invalid Partition Table 

After booting with partnew then MBR Partion Table has changed - the 4th entry is NOT empty but contains bytes other than 00

I would expect that partnew after using that space  would fill it with bytes 00 again. 

 

I think agFM needs some more development before it is reliable to be used .....

[wimb]

Manual: 

 

At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI

All my projects are now available for Download as Releases at wimb GitHub

 

Download:  USB_FORMAT  and   UEFI_MULTI  and  VHD_WIMBOOT  and  System_Info  and  MBR_Backup

 

 

[wimb]

=

Update Manual: 

[wimb]

Update USB_FORMAT-30-addon_v7-beta4.zip and UEFI_MULTI-96-addon_v7-beta4.zip available

 

Added Support for UEFI Secure booting with a lot of Linux ISO files by using:
- GRUB2 Live ISO Multiboot menu of Super-UEFIinSecureBoot-Disk_v3.zip is present in Addon v7-beta4
- Simply copy your Linux ISO file to USB in folder efi\iso\YourLinux

 

Download:  USB_FORMAT  and   UEFI_MULTI

 

 

[alacran]

On MBR/CSM I know we can use GrubFM Boot Manager of a1ive to boot Linux Isos.

 

But an option to call grub2 super-grub.cfg from menu.lst will be good when having Linux Live Isos on: U-Boot:\EFI\iso folders. Especially if we don't know the cheat codes for booting them from grub4dos.

 

So far I tried:

 

iftitle [if exist /EFI/grub/super-grub.cfg] Super Grub Menu - /EFI/grub/super-grub.cfg
find --set-root /EFI/grub/super-grub.cfg
configfile /super-grub.cfg

 

And after adding g2ldr (taken from AIO Boot) to /EFI/grub/g2ldr

 

iftitle [if exist /EFI/grub/g2ldr] Run Grub2-1 - /EFI/grub/g2ldr
find --set-root /EFI/grub/g2ldr
kernel /g2ldr

iftitle [if exist /EFI/grub/g2ldr] Run Grub2-2 - /EFI/grub/g2ldr
find --set-root /EFI/grub/g2ldr
kernel /g2ldr
configfile /super-grub.cfg

 

All say can't find the file.

 

Any ideas/suggestions?

 

alacran

[wimb]

Yes, I am also looking for a way to use in BIOS mode the Grub2 Live ISO Multiboot Menu, since it has good menu entries for a lot of Linux ISO files.

 

I have got it working now with grub2win for which I have an entry in Windows Boot Manager menu for booting USB in BIOS mode with \grub2\g2bootmgr\gnugrub.kernel.bios

 

Tomorrow I will adjust the programs so that Grub 2 for Windows menu entry is added to Boot\BCD on USB and to add to USB the slightly modified grub2 folder of grub2win.

 

Also I will add Knoppix runtimelivecd.iso as option in Grub2 Live ISO Multiboot Menu for BIOS and UEFI mode !!

 

[alacran]

Suggestion:

 

On Bios booting, add to the root of  U-BOOT grub.exe from grub4dos too, and following entry on some or all config files:

 

menuentry "Run grub4dos" {
        linux "($root)/grub.exe"
    }

Then we will be able to load from Win Bootmanager grub4dos or grub2 and back to grub4dos and Win Bootmanager (loading Win bootmanager already exists on super-grub.cfg).

 

 

alacran

[Wonko the Sane]

 

All say can't find the file.

 

Any ideas/suggestions?

 

 

Why don't you (as you should) try ON COMMAND LINE before putting the commands in a iftitle/ifexist condition?

 

Wonko

[alacran]

Hi Wonko, nice to hear from you.

 

I had so many hard times using grub4dos in command line with a non english keyboard that I created this habit, (hard to break by the way).

 

But let me tell you my friend, just by using command line it is not going to solve by itself, so that's not a solution.

 

I'm out of ideas because also the option to boot from core.img is not available since there is not a core.img

 

I think then wimb approach is best option, I will wait for it, but in the mean time I will try to configure it by myself, so far I have Grub2Win grub2 folder on the U-Boot partition and the entry in BCD for \grub2\g2bootmgr\gnugrub.kernel.bios, now the next chalange is load super-grub.cfg from it, but I never used Grub2Win before and will need to read all info first.

 

alacran

[Wonko the Sane]

On command line you can try find, ls, etc., in other words attempt to troubleshoot the issue.

 

Besides the fact that - as you well know - it is possible to load a keyboard translation file, it is not that typing (say)[1]:

find --set-root /EFI/grub/g2ldr

is that much difficult on a Spanish keyboard (I know, as the Spanish keyboard is very similar to the Italian one), all you need to know, should you accept this mission, is that the / is on the - and that the - is on the ? BUT for these you can use the numeric keyboard that is the same US vs. Spain vs. Italy

 

Wonko

 

[1] i.e. you are not going to write the Divina Commedia rectius Don Quixote on grub4dos command line, come on

[wimb]

Update USB_FORMAT-31 and UEFI_MULTI-97 plus the Addon-glim-agFM files

 

- Added Grub2Win for booting in BIOS mode with GRUB2 Live ISO Multiboot menu for a lot of Linux ISO files like with Grub2 in UEFI Secure mode

- Added Knoppix runtimelivecd.iso support for GRUB2 Live ISO Multiboot menu in BIOS and UEFI Secure mode

- Update of a1ive Grub2 File Manager

 

At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI

All my projects are now available for Download as Releases at wimb GitHub

 

Download:  USB_FORMAT  and   UEFI_MULTI  and  VHD_WIMBOOT  and  System_Info  and  MBR_Backup

[alacran]

Hi wimb

 

Just to inform on MBR/CSM GLIM is working fine, also by the way I copied a Linux Mint Iso to its respective Iso foder and it booted fine even when it was not contiguous (it was in two fragments in this case). I was thinking it was required to be contiguous but this demostrated it is not required when booting by means of GLIM, of course we already know grub4dos 0.46a is also capable to boot noncontiguous files too.

 

EDIT-1: Tested booting on UEFI same fragmented iso from GLIM and it booted fine too.

 

EDIT-2: Also tested bootimg same fragmented Iso from a1ve file manager on MBR/CSM and UEFI and it booted fine both ways using first option.

 

Congratulations it is working fantastic.

 

alacran

[wimb]

 

Congratulations it is working fantastic.

 

 

Thank you 

 

In case you use a1ive Grub2 File Manager with partnew method then the Linux ISO must be contiguous.

[alacran]

Thank you 

 

In case you use a1ive Grub2 File Manager with partnew method then the Linux ISO must be contiguous.

 

Yes my friend I am aware of that, but thanks anyway, it may be good info for future readers.

 

I prefer to use Partnew as a last resourse only, because of that requirement.

 

 

alacran

[wimb]

Update USB_FORMAT-32 and UEFI_MULTI-98 plus the Addon-glim-agFM files

 

- Added in USB_FORMAT to make PE-Boot-WIM entry in Windows Boot Manager Menu for booting with boot.wim file

  After Format Drive simply copy your PE boot.wim file to USB Boot drive

- Update of Manual Win10_Install.pdf

 

Manual: and extended 

 

At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI

All my projects are now available for Download as Releases at wimb GitHub

 

Download:  USB_FORMAT  and   UEFI_MULTI  and  VHD_WIMBOOT  and  System_Info  and  MBR_Backup

 

 

[wimb]

 

Update USB_FORMAT-40 and UEFI_MULTI-40 plus the Addon-glim-agFM files

 

- USB_FORMAT - Make PE-Boot-WIM entry in Boot Manager Menu for booting with boot.wim file from RAMDISK

- After Format Drive simply copy your PE boot.wim file to USB Boot drive

 

- USB_FORMAT - Make Win10x64.vhd  VHD entry in Boot Manager Menu for booting with Win10x64.vhd file as FILEDISK
- After Format Drive simply copy and rename as Win10x64.vhd file in USB NTFS drive of Portable SSD

- VHD FILEDISK option can only be added for Fixed USB Drives and Windows 10 Or Win10XPE as operating system

 

 

- The iso folder of Grub2 Live ISO Multiboot is moved to the root of USB Boot Drive
   instead of being a subfolder of EFI as implemented in SuperUEFIinSecure Boot Disk v3 Release
   The reason is that iso folder inside EFI is a source of trouble for booting Linux ISO files
- Simply Copy Your Linux ISO file to iso\YourLinux folder

 

- Update of a1ive Grub2 File Manager to v7.0.0
- Update of Manual Win10_Install.pdf

 

At MSFN there is topic USB Format Tool and UEFI_MULTI

All my projects are now available for Download as Releases at wimb GitHub

 

Download:  USB_FORMAT  and   UEFI_MULTI  and  VHD_WIMBOOT  and  System_Info  and  MBR_Backup