10 replies to this topic

[darkman738]

Ok, so I may be in the wron are, and this may have been discussed somewhere, and I haven't taken the time to scour the forum, so please feel free to move, or direct this post to where it need to go.

I would like to edit the default boot loader menu. I would like to add some programs (such as a system stress test like PC-Check, and some other diagnostic utilties.) Is this functionality built into WindBuilder? Can it be? Where should I look to do such a thing? Will this require me to build my own boot disk without the assistance of WinBuilder?

Hope someone can help.

Thanks,
Frank

[darkman738]

bump!

[Galapo]

I would like to edit the default boot loader menu.

You'll need to explain a little more what you mean: boot loader of the PE or the host?

I would like to add some programs (such as a system stress test like PC-Check, and some other diagnostic utilties.) Is this functionality built into WindBuilder?

Not sure what you mean by "built in". The WinBuilder executable has the functionality of "running" scripts. So if a script is written to add a certain program (eg the ones you mention) to the PE, then yes WinBuilder can add whatever program.

Will this require me to build my own boot disk without the assistance of WinBuilder?

Of course you have to build your own bootdisk if you desire one, and you may do this with the assistance of WinBuilder.

Regards,
Galapo.

[darkman738]

You'll need to explain a little more what you mean: boot loader of the PE or the host?



Not sure what you mean by "built in". The WinBuilder executable has the functionality of "running" scripts. So if a script is written to add a certain program (eg the ones you mention) to the PE, then yes WinBuilder can add whatever program.



Of course you have to build your own bootdisk if you desire one, and you may do this with the assistance of WinBuilder.

Regards,
Galapo.

OK, I will put this as simple as possiable. By default the PE build that WinBuilder compiled gave me a list of boot options (
Boot PE..
Boot NTLOADER...
..
Memtest...
Ect)

I would like to edit this menu and add some other apps to it, and take some away. How would I go about doing this. Will I need to build the ISO with WinBuilder then edit it, or will this need to be done pre/during the build. If there are scripts to do or include further apps to this menue where is a decent resource / repository of aditional scripts that aren't defaultly included in WinBuilder's default servers?

Thanks,
Frank

Edit:
I just checked the link in your signature, and a thought just occured to me that there may be some misunderstanding, I am not looking to add apps within the PE, I am looking to add boot options so that I can boot into MemTest, some HDD diag tools and a couple of System Diag tools in adition to PE. This will be an either/or selection, should I wish to change tools, I would need to reboot and select the next boot option. Please let me know if I am not being clear enough.

[Galapo]

OK, I understand now. It seems you are using VistaPE, so I am unable to answer you questions as I am not familiar with that particular project. That is, I cannot answer if you have the ability in that project to do the editing you desire "internally" to the project or "externally" on the built ISO. You may be better off posting in the VistaPE section as you query relates specifically to it, it seems.

Regards,
Galapo.

[was_jaclaz]

If you are using grub4dos in VistaPE as bootmanager, the entries you need to modify are in menu.lst.

Check the multiboot/grub4dos forum here:
http://www.boot-land...s/?showforum=71
http://www.boot-land...s/?showforum=66

read threads started by st-dv, that posed similar questions, more generally browse the grub4dos forum for syntax of menu.lst entries.

jaclaz

[darkman738]

If you are using grub4dos in VistaPE as bootmanager, the entries you need to modify are in menu.lst.

Check the multiboot/grub4dos forum here:
http://www.boot-land...s/?showforum=71
http://www.boot-land...s/?showforum=66

read threads started by st-dv, that posed similar questions, more generally browse the grub4dos forum for syntax of menu.lst entries.

jaclaz

OK, so I think I have the idea, but dose grub4dos support floppy disk images? All of the information I find is for ISO's. If so, how do I load an .img/.ima? If not, how do I convert? I cannot seem to find something that will convert my images. UltraISO gives an "Invalad or Unkonw Image File Format" and I can find no coverter in WinImage that dosen't require me to have a flopy drive (which I don't have.)'

Thanks,
Frank

[darkman738]

Well it appears I have answered my own question. For those that my be looking for the same informaiton here is a link to grub4dos' tutorial site.

http://grub4dos.sour...ub4dos_tutorial

The section on Indirect mapping is what I used, since direct maping didn't work. Here is a quick segment:

title Boot from floppy image
map --mem /boot/myImage.img (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)

I have edit the clip from the post since my image was in the (cd)/boot/ directory, you can modify this however your configuration is. This clip will need to be added to your "menu.list" file, which, in my case, is in the root directory of the CD image/disk.

Hope this helps someone!

However is there a way to make sub-menu's like a directory tree i.e.:
Boot PE
Boot First HDD
HDD Diag Tools
- Drive Fitness Test
- Seatools
Memory Tests
-MemTest
-MemTest+
System Diags
-PC-Check
ect...

Where when I choose "HDD Diag" the menu refreshes and gives me new options: "MemTest", "MemTest+" ect...

Thanks in advance.

[was_jaclaz]

Here you can find more examples, also using compressed floppy images:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=3963

I guess that what you are asking is a "multi-level" menu.

This is not possible directly, but there is a workaround using several .lst files.

The entry in menu.lst that you title "HDD Diag" can contain a config-file statement pointing to another .lst file, where you put the actual entries for the whatever you want to boot AND an entry getting you back to the "main" menu.lst.

Get your hands on the "supergrub" disk here:
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/
that makes extensive use of this feature to have a working example.

A word of warning, that disk uses "legacy" GRUB, NOT grub4dos, consequently some of the sintax and commands used in it will NOT work with grub4dos, which still misses some of the features of the original one (but has many more missing in it).

jaclaz

[darkman738]

I will be looking for this answer aswll, but as of now haven't came accross one in my search for other things. The boot loader options are currently:

Boot to NTLDR
Boot to CMLDR
Boot to IO.sys
...

Can I simply set this to boot to hd0 rather than picking an OS?

Thanks,
Frank

[was_jaclaz]

Sure why not?

Doing so will use not one of the unique features of grub4dos, but if you are happy with it....

You will need to chainload a partition, a.k.a. (hd0,0), NOT a whole HD a.k.a. (hd0).

jaclaz