Best bootloader to load Slacko from ext4? [SOLVED]

[wimhuysm]

Hi all,

i have a question about what loader to use for slacko 5.7 on ext4 partition.
Slacko is installed on old laptop with no usb-boot support so i put plop boot manager in mbr.
Standard loaders for slacko are grub or grub4dos.
Grub has no ext4 if im right, and grub4dos refuses to start when grldr is on ext4.
Tried to install grub2 from slackware 14.0 but that fails because there's a file missing in /etc, slackware-version.
So what is the easiest way, which loader to put on the ext4 partition?
Or maybe grub with usb booting (if that exist) in mbr?

[starhawk]

I use grub4dos on ext4 with no problems. I've done that in Slacko 57 although it's not my current Pup... odd that it wouldn't work.

Where did you get this particular download...? It sounds like it may have been slightly corrupted.

Also -- please post the specs of your laptop. That will help.

[wimhuysm]

toshiba travelmate 4501lci, pentium M 1.5Ghz, 256MB DDR ram, 30GB HD

and i got the info on grub4dos here :

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/intro.htm
http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.1/ ... h=grub4dos

and thru my own experience ofc

i suppose u have grub4dos installed in MBR? - that would work but ild lose the possibility to boot from usb (laptop bios does not support this, why i put plop boot manager in MBR)

[starhawk]

Mmmm... Toshiba. They make some good stuff you'll want to increase your RAM, though, or add at least 256mb swap space -- Puppy needs a minimum of half a gig to really be happy. You wouldn't want it to be cooped up in a cage all day would you?

*ahem*

Put Plop on the MBR of the Toshiba's hard drive.

Put grub4dos on the USB drive's MBR (leave box unchecked for "do not rewrite existing boot record" and specify the USB drive in question).

That should make it work

By the way -- when I run grub4dos, I check "single page menu" and "search in only this device" (which, incidentally, doesn't really work). Later, I edit menu.lst to remove Windows options, PBRs, and the "safe mode" option that I will never ever ever need or use (and, quite likely, neither will you). I also remove the Grub2 cruft and any mention of additional/extra boot media.

Here's my current menu.lst -- ignore the gfxmenu line, that's just fancy splashy crap (I'm allowed, I'm an artist ) --

Code: Select all

# menu.lst produced by grub4dosconfig-v1.9.1
timeout 10
default 0
gfxmenu /message

# Frugal installed Puppy

title X-Slacko Puppy 2.1 (sda1)
  uuid ad211cc0-a258-4e0f-8358-a6a34503361c
  kernel /vmlinuz    pmedia=ataflash pfix=fsck
  initrd /initrd.gz

title X-Slacko Puppy 2.1 (sda1) RAM mode\nBoot up Puppy without pupsave
  uuid ad211cc0-a258-4e0f-8358-a6a34503361c
  kernel /vmlinuz    pfix=ram
  initrd /initrd.gz

# additionals

title Grub4Dos commandline\n(for experts only)
  commandline

title Reboot computer
  reboot

title Halt computer
  halt

[wimhuysm]

thanks for the help starhawk

but after extensive reading (my eyes hurt) i found that grub4dos do can boot usb-drives, so i'm just going to remove the plop boot manager and put g4d in the mbr

just need to add an item in my menu.lst

Code: Select all

# to boot from a USB device
title    Boot USB drive
root     (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
boot

that way i also dont ruin my multiboot stick

oh and i have a 1G pagefile - its just an old laptop im giving a second life with puppy linux

[starhawk]

Well, there you go

Have fun Puppying!

If it works out, let us know -- and after you do, edit your 1st post's title so that it says [SOLVED] at the start or end (just like that).

[bigpup]

If you get booted into Slacko 5.7
Just run Grub4dos config
It will find any operating systems, on any devices connected to computer, at the time you run it, and make a boot entry for all.
The Grub4dos in Puppy has been puppified to do things the Puppy way and to take into account how Puppy works.

I have a computer with Windows and 6 versions of Puppy on the hard drive, a USB flash drive with 3 different Puppies on different formatted partitions. Grub4dos config finds them all and gives a working boot menu.

[wimhuysm]

yes works like a charm

here's my menu.lst (pretty basic for now) :

Code: Select all

# menu.lst produced by grub4dosconfig-v1.9.1
color white/green yellow/blue white/black green/black
#splashimage=/splash.xpm
timeout 10
default 0

# Full installed Linux

title Slacko Puppy 5.7 (sda2/boot)
  uuid 4f1ab3ad-7253-47d3-a6d9-0ce1bdd5db40
  kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda2 ro

# to boot from USB device
title    Boot USB drive
root     (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
boot

# Windows

# Advanced Menu
title Advanced menu
  configfile /menu-advanced.lst
  commandline

and yes bigpup i noticed that on a previous attempt - just didnt figure out where it all came from ...

[starhawk]

Last time I ran a full install on flash media it corrupted and died inside of three days. Eep.

Don't do that, it's bad for you run frugal. Trust me.

[mikeb]

Just fyi to workaround grub4dos inability to boot from ext4 an alternative mbr is used with the puppy wizard...all this is hidden from the user..

grldr itself can boot ext4 partitions...its just the mbr with the limitation.

mike

ps for full installs add an fsck early in rc.sysinit before remounting read/write...i found that essential for stability. Also there is a lack of partition unmounting for full in rc.shutdown...might be a factor.

[wimhuysm]

it wasnt on a flashdrive but with the uuid you cant tell ofcourse

one more note about grub4dos automatically generated list ( i had mine replaced after a reinstall)
it will add your stick and all bootable images on there but it will use the stick's uuid so if you reformat you're screwed

[mikeb]

well thats something you could mention to the script writer here.... shinobar I believe.

grub4dos the puppy installer script is not the same as grub4dos the bootloader...perhaps the name here should be altered to clarify...grub4pup or something.

mike