(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

This article is an introduction of Grub4Dos for all papians not used to the Grub4Dos.

(preamble)
All papians need to try the Grub4Dos. Why?

• New comers from windows: You need to use Grub4Dos.
  Puppy can install frugal on Windows partitions(NTFS).
  But only the Grub4Dos can boot it.
• New comers from other distro: You need to use Grub4Dos.
  You find Puppy can frugal install, and it is recommended.
  But you will be surprised Puppy do not automatically install the boot loader,
  and feel difficulty in manually editing the menu.lst because you are not used to the frugal install style.
  Unfortunately you may install Puppy frugal on NTFS partitions, realize it cannot boot up from (legacy) grub.
• Puppy experts: You needs to try Grub4Dos.
  Tried other distro and see all the Puppy entries wiped out from the boot menu.
  Trying many puplets with frugal. Feel it some difficulty with editing menu.lst manually.
• Pupians hope to invite more friends to Puppy world: You need to learn how Grub4Dos works and easy and safe.
  Otherwise, do you suggest to your friends complex or dangerous way?

My PC is installed the legacy grub, i used to, and i can manage it.
Do i need to try the new Grub4Dos?
I recommend you to make a Grub4Dos Floppy if your PC can boot-up from a floppy disk.
Or, make a USB pen drive installed Puppy with grub4Dos if your PC can boot-up from a USB pen drive.
You can try the Grub4Dos without any change on your HDD.
It will be a rescue of your system(Windows, Puppy and other distro).
So, it is worth to try.

My PC is already installed Grub2. Think Grub2 and Grub4Dos have no compatibility.
Same as the above. You can try the Grub4Dos without any change on your HDD.
Grub4Dos and Grub2 can co-exist. The recent version of Grub4DosConfig makes a menu entry chaining to grub2.
You can keep your grub2 settings even after you install the grub4Dos.

My PC has the MBR of Windows and I do not want to change it.
I am already using Grub4Dos by editing the 'boot.ini' and the 'menu.lst'.
What is new?
You can continue editing the menu.lst manually. But also you can use the Grub4DosConfig to make the menu.lst automatically.
Tick on the checkbox 'Do not rewrite the existing boot record' on the dialog of the Grub4DosConfig.
You may be used to editing the 'boot.ini', but the Windows Vista and 7 have not 'boot.ini' anymore.　They have the BCD instead of 'boot.ini'.
Editing BCD manually is not safer than replacing MBR, I guess. But there may be a room for discussion.
Anyway, try the Grb4DodConfig without any change on your HDD.

(our target)
How does the rescue FD/USB work?
If you select 'Find menu on HDD', you can boot up the PC with existing Grub menu. It can be of Grub4Dos or legacy Grub.
(The recent Grub4DosConfig has another menu for Grub2.)
The 'Windows' menus can boot the Windows up directly even if the MBR/PBR is broken.
It will be a rescue if you loose the boot loader from the MBR.
(The boot menu of Grub4Dos floppy/USB)


(preparation)
Where can I get the Grub4Dos?
Grub4Dos is built in recent Pyppies, Wary, Quirky, LupQ, and etc.
If your Puppy does not have, you can install the latest grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.3.pet here.
Works on any Puppy-4.x/5.x.

(main)
How to do?

1. Insert FDD(it will be erased all the data), or USB pen drive(any size is OK, but needs 640MB free space if you install Puppy on it).
   Next 3 step is to install Puppy on USB pen drive. Skip them for FDD.
   (If you are running LupQ, you can use the 'Frugal Installer', skip next 3 steps)
2. For the USB, format(if you can erase all the data) with any of you like.
   If you like Windows compatibility, recommended is NTFS.
   To do it firmly, clean up the USB device using Gparted:
   Delete all partitions on the USB devide,
   create new partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table) ,
   Then make new partition and format.
3. Optionally, frugally install in the USB device. Make a directory, say 'puppy', at the top layer of the USB device.
4. Optionally, if you like to install Puppy in the USB device, copy the required files, vmlinuz, initrd.gz, *.sfs into the new directory.
5. Run from the main menu, 'System' > 'Grub4Dos'(grub4dosconfig).
6. Select the FDD or the USB device for the 'Where to install' at the first dialog.
7. Answer 'OK' for all the dialog.
8. Reboot the PC.
9. You may need to select the boot device to the FDD or the USB device

(Next step)
Works well. Can i install it on the MBR?
If you are comfortable with the Grub4Dos, install it on the MBR.
Do not worry. You already have the rescue measure.

(Tips and Traps)
Whit is the trap?

• Multiple Windows
  Some PC has multiple Windows installed but old versions of grub4dos menu boot up only the first windows, it can be for emergency but not usual use. Grub4DosConfig v1.6.1 and later supports these case. Or, add the entry in the /mnt/sda1/menu.lst.

  Code: Select all

  Title Windows on /dev/sda2
  rootnoverify (hd0,1)
  chainloader +1

  Note (hd0,1) can be other numbers. you boot from the removable USB media, swapping map is needed. See this post.
• grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.x and the 'BootFlash'
  The 'BootFlash' makes incompatibe partition table. Go through cleaning up the USB flash with gparted.
  1. Delete all the partitions on the USB devide.
  2. create new partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table).
  3. Then make new partition and format.
• grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.0 on Wary-098
  grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.0 on Wary-098 gets panic with full installed Linuxes.
  It can occur on other Puppy 5.x in some case. Upgrade to the latest version.
• Lucid Ubuntu(9 and 10)
  As for the most recent Lucid Ubuntu(10.04),
  it may fail to boot up with the new configuration.
  (Was the bug of grub4dosconfig v.1.5.2, fixed at v.1.5.3 and later.)
  Make 2 links, vmlinuz and initrd,img, in the '(Ubunto partition)/boot'.

  Code: Select all

  vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic-pae
  initrd.img -> initrd.img-2.6.35

  You can do it with the ROX-Filer on Puppy.
  Of course you can do with the commands on the virtual terminal.

  Code: Select all

  cd (Ubunto partition)/boot
  ln -s vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic-pae vmlinuz
  ln -s initrd.img-2.6.35 inird.gz

  Then re-run the grub4dosconfig.
• Other distro
  The description like 'root (hd1,0)' in the /mnt/sda1/menu.lst may need to be edited.
  The 'hd1' can be 'hd0' or another number.
  It depends on the BIOS settings on the order of the HDD device.
  You may need to edit or add 'root=/dev/sda1' or 'root=hd2', etc at the kernel option. for example:

  Code: Select all

    kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1

  I believe it is easy if you are used to the (legacy) Grub
  because the description of the Grub4Dos is compatible with the legacy grub
• Chain to Grub2
  Most recent version of Geub4DosConfig makes an entry chaining to grub2 in the boot menu. You can select 'Find Grub2' from the boot menu and run the Grub2 if installed.
• Grub4Dos specific command
  If you are used to the grub legacy, you may be unfamiliar with the next line:

  Code: Select all

    find --set-root --ignore-floppies /puppy/initrd.gz

  The Grub4Dos searches the file '/puppy/initrd.gz' from all the partition.
  It is a replacement of 'root (hd1,0)' or like that of the legacy grub.

  Code: Select all

   uuid 787639df-ff57-4372-8f11-5db31e523889

  The Grub4DosConfig v1.6 and later uses the partition UUID locating full installs instead 'root (hd1,0)' or like that.
  You can use the command of the Grub legacy you used to because theGrub4Dos is upper compatible with the Grub legacy.
  For example, next 2 works almost equally.

  Code: Select all

  # for Grub4Dos only
  title Windows Vista/2008/7 (sda2:PBR)
    uuid 6C54F6966CE8F58D
    chainloader +1

  Code: Select all

  # both Grub4dos and Grub legacy work
  title Windows Vista/2008/7 (sda2:PBR)
    root (hd0,1)
    chainloader +1

Related topics:

• How to install Puppy on Windows PC
• Grub4DosConfig
• Frugalinstaller

Hope this article be some help for you.

There is a serious problem with Bootflash and Grub4dos.
USB flash devices treated by the 'BootFlash' corrupts with Grub4DosConfig v1.6.2.
SOLUTION:
New Grub4DosConfig v1.6.3 manages this issue. But you need not upgrade the Grub4dosconfig.
Re-format the USB device using gparted before using Grub4DosConfig (back up the data before).
1. Delete all the partition
2. Rewrite the partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table)
3. Create partitions and format.

Hi shinobar,

I have a 511 Quickset edition Puppy and want to install Grub4dos. I choose Menu/setup/ Installing Utilities/Grub4Dos bootloader config. It installed Grub to the MBR but it leaves grldr and menu.lst at sda1.

Is there any way I can install it to my Linux partition on sda6?

emil

emil wrote:Hi shinobar,

I have a 511 Quickset edition Puppy and want to install Grub4dos. I choose Menu/setup/ Installing Utilities/Grub4Dos bootloader config. It installed Grub to the MBR but it leaves grldr and menu.lst at sda1.

Is there any way I can install it to my Linux partition on sda6?

You can do it by manually moving the files. Though i do not recommend because there is a trap if you have ext4 partitions...
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... &start=209

So can I copy grldr and menu.lst just over, I have ext2 partition ...
EDIT: It really worked! Amazing

I was asking because in the old GRUB installer there was the question on which drive the files should be copied.

Grub4dos is more flexible than the original Grub. Grldr and menu.lst can be located on any partition on any hard drive, as long as it's a supported filesystem and the BIOS can access the drive.

Pretty cool

I need to install grub4dos on my pendrive in order to safely move to my HDD

I followed the 'How to do' section carefully with Puppy 5.11, Gparted, grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.3 .


When I reboot I got :

Where to look for ??

11/2/6 :
If I use the rescue key on my notebook (Acer One with Puppy 5.11 / Grub)
it works and I got the Gurb4Dos menu with puppy on the key working.

So I suspect problem due to my PC :

Medion MD 8870 running W 7 OEM partitioned :
note I want to use Grub4dos to double boot this PC ( W7/Puppy )

Any help welcomed

I love using Grub4dos.

Now I want to do the same thing on a dual core 64 machine.
I am using lighthouse 64. It has grub4dos installed and listed in the menu, but when I use it,
it says won't not work on x64

I Can't ask Tazoc the Lighthouse developer because he is seriously ill.


Please help

Pete

Test release: grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.7.9.pet (2012-04-30)
http://shino.pos.to/linux/puppy/
# 28apr12 v1.7.9: improved detecting special puppies like LHP, advanced menu, old menus, legacy grub compatible menu, splash image, text domain, exit status

This release is not bugfix, but improved and has new features. Welcome your feedbak to
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=51697

I will post feed back at the other place.


Pete