36 replies to this topic

[asker2]

I already tried GRUB and Syslinux, but both aren't working!
I want to get a Multiboot on my USB stick with the OS VistaPE, Gparted and some other Linux distributions.
I have installed Syslinux, but by booting there is written: no operating system
and GRUB I installed too by copying the stage files and then the grub command for install but then by booting nothing happened!
What is to do to make it working.

( it is a 8GB stick from sony with fat32 at the moment, and I already booted backtrack as single boot)

[was_jaclaz]

Try using fuwi's batch:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=21702

Read this seemingly unrelated thread:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=21955

jaclaz

[asker2]

Try using fuwi's batch:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=21702

Read this seemingly unrelated thread:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=21955

The fuwi batch:
There is nothing written about Multiboot. What is then to do to make it multiboot.
I think with GRUB it would work, there is at least no error if I boot only a black screen.

I did this introduction:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=18846

Then there is written Operating System not found.
I have included like in the introduction DSL and PuppyLinux but it is still not working I don't understand...

[was_jaclaz]

Look, it doesn't work like this.

You have a problem: the impossibility to make a booting stick.

I did this introduction:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=18846

No you didn't.

That tutorial is an old one about a FAT16 system, you used FAT32 and BECAUSE of this you got:

Then there is written Operating System not found.
I have included like in the introduction DSL and PuppyLinux but it is still not working I don't understand...

Let's try making it boot.

Try using fuwi's batch.

If you had taken the time to read the given links, you would have found how booting from FAT32 is sometimes problematic when using the 2K/XP/2003 bootsector, and how the procedure by fuwi was devised to work around the problem.

If it works we'll talk about multibooting.

For the record, the original guide by diddy is actually TWO guides, one using syslinux and one using grub4dos, once you run succesfully fuwi's batch, you are in a situation similar to that in step 5, but with the grldr.mbr installed, useful to workaround the said bootsector problem by bypassing it and loading directly the OS kernel files.

In other words, you should be in a situation with the grldr.mbr properly installed as in here:
http://diddy.boot-la...ll.htm#method08
INSTEAD of being in the one here:
http://diddy.boot-la...ll.htm#method05

Guess who, roughly 1 year and a half later, wrote the current grub4dos guide?:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=5187



jaclaz

[asker2]

Thanks now it works Grub4dos is starting
Now I took your 2nd introduction and choose load via syslinux
I installed syslinux and add the grub4dos label to syslinux.cfg

Was that right?
To which file have I now to add the OS to syslinux.cfg or do I have to create a menu.txt?

[was_jaclaz]

Was that right?

Who knows?

You have to make up your mind.

Are you using syslinux OR grub4dos?

(using both is actually pointless, but in any case you need to decide which one is the "main" loader)

grub4dos can load syslinux as a bootsector:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=4486


syslinux can load grub4dos:

label GRUB4DOS

		   KERNEL grub.exe

jaclaz

[asker2]

I wrote a menu.lst and then Puppy Linux booted with Grub4dos.

Could you help me to write a menu.lst for Gparted or is there an introduction?

[Icecube]

You can also try Parted Magic instead of the Gparted liveCD.
Parted Magic contains Gparted also and has already a menu.lst file for grub(4dos).

[asker2]

OK I will try it is really crazy
BackTrack and PuppyLinux work but Gparted not!
PMAGIC is not working too it can't mount any partition is written and GPARTED stops after mounting the USB stick partition

Apart from this:
What is to do for adding VistaPE, because that was not mentioned.
I tried this:

[codebox]title VistaPE
chainloader /BOOTMGR
[/codebox]

then there is the message ntrldr will be booted and nothing happens.

[was_jaclaz]

I tried this:

title VistaPE

chainloader /BOOTMGR

then there is the message ntrldr will be booted and nothing happens.

You should ALWAYS root (or rootnoverify) to the drive.

Are you using command line or adding entries in menu.lst?

When you use command line (advised when testing), you need to enter a boot command as last line.

This is NOT needed if you add entries in menu.lst.

All the above info has been written n times, in the guide and in several threads, take a bit of time, do some browsing and searching on the forum, do not ask questions already answered several times, if you have an error or a problem do ask for help or advice, but post some details, nothing is tiring as doing guesswork.

To clarify, this is NOT a report that anyone can give advice on:

I tried this:

title VistaPE

chainloader /BOOTMGR

then there is the message ntrldr will be booted and nothing happens.

this:

I tried this:
I installed grldr.mbr on a FAT32 formatted partition (first and only of a USB stick)
The key is booting and reading menu.lst allright.
I created a VistaPE by......
....
I copied it to the USB stick by ......

I have this directory structure:
grldr
menu.lst
BOOTMGR
/boot/
/whatever/
...
etc.
etc.

I tried adding this line to menu.lst:

title VistaPE

chainloader /BOOTMGR

then there is the message <please insert here EXACT error message you get>
....
....

may

This said, create a VistaPE .iso and boot it with (hd32) mapping :
http://www.boot-land...?...=5041&st=14

jaclaz

[asker2]

I added now to my USBSTICK F: with the menu.lst direct in F:\ the following parameters.
Here you can see what is on the USBSTICK.

title Boot Windows PE 2.1 - ISO from HD into RAMDISKfind --set-root --ignore-floppies /VistaPEv12b3full.isomap /VistaPEv12b3full.iso (hd32)map --hookroot (hd32)chainloader /BOOTMGR

But then I got this error:Autodetect number-of-heads failed. Use default value 255Autodetect sectors-per-track failed. Use default value 63I couldn't find a solution for this.
And to the GUI of Boot_Iso:
I can't press GO like you see in the attached picture.
It says I should select all sources, but I have only this one.

[wimb]

@asker2

Your grldr is too old (18-10-2006)
In U_XP_SET package you find grldr of 07-03-2009

You need to Select XP Setup Source folder (or XP setup CD) in order to have the necessary XP BootFiles NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and BOOTFONT.BIN available.

[asker2]

But if I use NTFS Linux will not work am I right?

[wimb]

But if I use NTFS Linux will not work am I right?

You are right, I was making already a correction.
So keep first the stick as it is and Update grldr

But Puppy Linux has Read/Write possibility with NTFS FileSystem.

[asker2]

OK I updated the grdlr and VistaPE is working good (very fast now).
But now the other systems don't work. There is the error:
path or filename must be absolute error 1

What is to change?
Do I have to write:
initrd=F:\initrd.gz

before I wrote only:
\initrd.gz

Can I use always the .iso or only with VistaPE?

[wimb]

You need in menu.lst a forward slash instead of the backslash.

For me is working:

title 07 - Puppy Linux - NTFS Read / Write

find --set-root /grldr

kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 initrd=initrd.gz PMEDIA=usbflash PKEYS=uk

initrd /initrd.gz



title 10 - Damn Small Linux  - NTFS Read Only - Knoppix

find --set-root /grldr

kernel /linux24 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=minirt24.gz nomce noapic qemu quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix frugal

initrd /minirt24.gz

Each entry consists of 4 rules.
The kernel rule can be very long and can appear as two rules, but it is 1 rule

EDIT:
Puppy Linux contains GParted

[asker2]

Now it is working, BackTrack4.
But parted magic doesn't find a partition to mount.
It says: the media that contain PMAGIC.SQFS could not be found and then I come to the linux bash.
What is with the question about the .iso?
Yes I know that there is in Gparted, but a extra Gparted would be better.

[wimb]

Puppy Linux contains GParted, so no need to add it separately.

BOOT_ISO.exe can add two different types of ISO

VistaPE and Windows PE 2.1 ISO are booting from GRUB4DOS menu.lst with chainloader /BOOTMGR

Other CD ISO like UBCD or Acronis can be Added as well
and get then chainloader (hd32)

See preconfigured menu.lst in U_XP_SET package.

[asker2]

And other .iso like the one of OpenSuse will not work or?
Puppy Linux I will probably remove, but if I add OpenSuse I have Gparted again and OpenSuse I need.

[was_jaclaz]

asker2

Really, you need to READ the guide, at least the basics, then browse the Forum for already posted examples, instead of throwing "random" attemps with "random" syntax.

Stickies are there to be READ before posting any question that crosses your mind.

Please READ:
1) the guide:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=5187
http://diddy.boot-la...os/Grub4dos.htm

2) the whereto stickie:
http://www.boot-land...hp?showtopic=14

3) the (hd32) mapping stickie:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=5041

Browse the Forum:
http://www.boot-land...hp?showforum=66

Particularly, READ this ENTIRE thread:
http://www.boot-land...?...ic=4902&hl=

LOTS of time has been spent on trying to document and explain what is possible, what is not and how to do what is possible, you cannot come here after all that work with a

Do I have to write:
initrd=F:\initrd.gz

before I wrote only:
\initrd.gz

kind of question, it is simply offensive to all the people who have contributed their time to the grub4dos forum and guide.

jaclaz

[asker2]

Now Parted Magic is working. That is very good!
The links I will read.
In OpenSuse I have a problem:
it says I should add a correct root= option
I tried /dev/ram0 but that is unrecognized.
I also tried /dev/sdb1, hd0, hd1 it all isn't working.

Here the opensuse menu.lst data:

title OpenSuse Netinstall

root (hd1,0)

find --set-root /grldr 

kernel /net/boot/i386/loader/linux initrd=initrd PMEDIA=usbflash root=(hd1,0)ramdisk_size=512000 ramdisk_blocksize=4096  initrd /net/boot/i386/loader/initrd

[asker2]

It works!
I copied OpenSuse 11.1 .iso to the stick and used mapping and it is starting.
If I use --mem it should be quicker I think. The max size of .iso by memory mapping is limited throug RAM or? I have 2GB RAM, can I now use .iso with memory mappint until 2GB?

[was_jaclaz]

I have 2GB RAM, can I now use .iso with memory mappint until 2GB?

If whatever you boot needs 0 bytes of RAM to run, yes.

Otherwise, you will need to subtract at least the minimum requirement for the particular OS you need to boot.

Of course it is plain counterproductive to limit RAM to the OS in order to load a larger image to RAM, and I doubt it will be faster when loading, though it may be faster when running .

jaclaz

[asker2]

If whatever you boot needs 0 bytes of RAM to run, yes.

Otherwise, you will need to subtract at least the minimum requirement for the particular OS you need to boot.

Of course it is plain counterproductive to limit RAM to the OS in order to load a larger image to RAM, and I doubt it will be faster when loading, though it may be faster when running .

jaclaz

I don't know if I understood right but I think you meant:
It is not useful to use memory mapping because then only loading is faster and not the running OS. So I should use normal mapping?

[asker2]

OpenSuse starts and loads the Kernel but after choosing Start Live Installation it hangs.
In console is written:
couldn't find live configuration file.
But why not?