Grub4DosConfig

[sc0ttman]

I've just re-installed grub4dosconfig (1.6.0)

I love this tool, with frugal installer - now I finally have Puppy on (ext3) HD, using a frugal install.
Windows always made this a problem, until now.

Anyway.. about easy of use/usability...

I think the grub4dosconfig (and frugal installer) utility should use tooltips on the checkboxes, buttons etc in the GUI..
They are easy to add to gtkdialog GUIs and very important for novice users (and idiots like me).

Something like:

Code: Select all

# set tooltips
SEARCH_ONLY='search only this drive for puppy installs'
...
# build gui
'<checkbox tooltip-text="'$SEARCH_ONLY'">'
...

For example, a tooltip could say that the 'search only this drive' option "will not search for puppy installs on other drives"..
I thought this meant for MBRs... Even though the list above shows the MBRs that were found

Therefore, when I clicked 'search only this drive', the installer found no frugal installs, and therefore there was no Puppy entry in my menu.lst..

Not a problem for me luckily, as I realised my error and can fix it.. But tooltips would solve these kind of 'issue' for novices

[shinobar]

about easy of use/usability...

Thanks for the suggestion.
Next version must be more user friendly with your feed back. > to all the readers.

[nooby]

Shinobar,

may I ask about your program.

If I have Win7 Starter on my Acer D250 and Jolicloud has installed their Ubuntu style for small Netbooks on it using Wubi specially made for Jolicloud.

And I fire up your prog and try to install grub4Dos when there is already kind of grub with gldr there already.

What does the script do then? Does it rewrite so it make menu entries for all the Os that are already installed like win7Starter, Joliclound, Puppy Quirky, luci-236, Fluppy007, puppeee, wolf, murky, Puppy Studio and SuperOS ?

Or does it skip the win 7 or the jolicloud due to its wubi peculiar thing?

I mean can it create disaster that can not be repaired?

I have no DVD because it is a Netbook without DVD or CD.

[shinobar]

Does it rewrite so it make menu entries for all the Os that are already installed like win7Starter, Joliclound, Puppy Quirky, luci-236, Fluppy007, puppeee, wolf, murky, Puppy Studio and SuperOS ?

Hopfully all yes, but not tested. Calling for your test report.

Windows 7 Starter have not yet been tested. Hope the same as the regular Windows 7 as for the boot.
Hopefully the Grub4DosConfig detects Wubi installed distributions and place it on the top level menu.
If the Grub4DosConfig failed to list up them in the top level, you select 'Windows' there, then the next menu appears with Windows and Wubi listed on.

Test with Floppy is recommended, but for PC's without FDD, USB drives can.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=61348

[nooby]

Yes it is reasonable I make the rescue version first and see that it loads several times.

thanks.

Reason for that I ask is that I fail to use luci-236 and LupQ too but that for most of the time Quirky and pupeee and fluppy do boot. Dpup too boot.

SuperOS do boot.

So something about luci make it fail. Almost never fail if there is no pupsave in the sub dir but if it is a pupsave and if I do pfix=ram then it can still fail.

So I thought it can have to do with the older version of grub.
Jolicloud have their own version of grub so it can be different.

So if I use your version then luci should work too.

[nooby]

Edit I tried a third usb mem stick and that failed too.
should the three files always be within a subdir on the memstick?

I try again moving them and start all over with that one.

my older text.

This is very embarrassing. I did my best but failed with two memsticks.

It is much more difficult than one first think.

One has to have the proper usb memory.

I've tested now with both Transcend 1GB and that one failed to boot after following Shinobar instructions.

Then I took a SanCruzer 1GB and that one failed too. it even ended up with two partitions due to me got recommended by the help text to try another installer too.

Now to rescue these two memsticks I need to format them but fail to know how to do such thing.

I need to start all over with these two mem sticks and
prepare them so they have a reasonable chance to succeed.

How does one format them and what format is best to use for rescue type purpose? What program is most easy for a complete newbie to follow. I tested gparted and that one was too difficult. It did not explain how one make one partion of two.

[shinobar]

Edit I tried a third usb mem stick and that failed too.

Thanks for trying.
Are you sure the BIOS is set to boot up the usb?

To format the usb stick ready, i usually use the gparted:
Delete all partitions on the usb mem,
create new partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table) ,
then create fat32 partition. (any of ntfs/fat*/ext* works)

[nooby]

Finally I made it. Took many many retry and reboot and three memsticks to test on.

But maybe me can do it now but will most likely ahve forgotten how to do it next mornign and I have not the patience to write down how I did it at all.

I barely remember now despite it has gone only some 5 minutes after first success.

I am booted on a 1GB San Cruzer mem stick and have formatted it to F32 and set boot flag and have a sub dir that says luci236 and now will see if it create a pupsave and if that one allow me to reboot using this usb pin.

Edit

Thanks Shinibar for kind words.

Not sure what went wrong either. It is that Nooby guy that don't behave as everybody expect of a typical newbie. Nooby is more like a perennial or persistent noob type of a newbie. Somebody that is computer challenged but love to try anyway since the first computer was affordable.

Edit

Hahah new things to learn.

copying something from HDD to usb flash ends up here

file:///initrd/mnt/dev_save/bkmrk.html

I had no idea that is the place for it.

[shinobar]

Finally I made it. Took many many retry and reboot and three memsticks to test on.

I am not sure what was wrong but...
CONGRAT

[nooby]

Thanks as I wrote in the edit above your friendly Congrats.

Not sure what went wrong either. It is that Nooby guy that don't behave as everybody expect of a typical newbie. Nooby is more like a perennial or persistent noob type of a newbie. Somebody that is computer challenged but love to try anyway since the first computer was affordable.

But now is the big question. Knowing how bad I am on doing things.

Should I really try to skip the jolicloud wubi thing and use your program to restructure the HDD?

In what way can this "rescue" usb be a rescue if I fail to get the HDD booting after using your program?

I will now reboot several times to be able to trust that it does not screw up like on the hdd.

[shinobar]

In what way can this "rescue" usb be a rescue if I fail to get the HDD booting after using your program?

Assume you can boot up with the USB made by the Grub4DosConfig.

How is the boot menu?
If you marked ON the 'Search within only this drive', the list of the boot menu contains:

• Puppy in the USB
• (3)Windows
• Find Grub menu on HDD
• Find Grub2

They should work even if you loose the MBR on the HDD.

It will be enough, but you are encouraged to make the USB with OFF the 'Search within only this drive' checkbox on the Grub4DosConfig.
Just select the target drive to the USB device on the first Grub4DosConfig dialog.
Leave all the checkboxes OFF(default). Press OK for all dialog.
Then the Grub4DosConfig search all over your PC and detects OS's in it.
The boot menu shall be more than the list above.

The USB memory stick made such hopefully can boot up any of OS listed up.
If it can, it can do the same even if you loose the MBR on the HDD.

Let me know what OS detected or not.
Let me know what OS succeed to boot up or failed.

Your report must brush up next version of the Grub4DosConfig.

Thanks for the co-operation.

[nooby]

Edit. First failure to boot even with teh rescue usb so it seem it has nothing to do with which kind of grub I use. So that was sad. I had hoped that it was due to me have older grub.


Shinobar Thanks indeed for your patience. .

Yes now I have two rescue usb that both can do internet and one are special made to rescue the acer D250 because it can boot both the puppy on the usb but also boot any of the puppy on the hdd.

But I have managed to boot win7 on any of them yet.
I need to change the menu.lst

It failed on the other usb with your code.

( which you warned about that one may need to change the menu.lst but I have no clue on what to change it too. )

I tried things but I had not enough knowledge so failed.

old text follows

I thought me was logical. I wanted it to be a generic rescue and that is why I did the search only on USB.

that way it does not include all on that particular computer because that would be of no help if I help my neighbor?

So should I make another one that is exclusively for rescueing the Acer?

And then not tick the search only this usb.

okay I try with another usb.

Sorry forgot to answer your question. When I start the program it do see all os on the hdd so that seem okay.

Edit after testing two usb with luci236.

I need to change the booting of windows.

Now it looks like this on the usb.

# Windows

title Windows Vista/2008/7\nBoot up Windows Vista/2008/7 if installed
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /bootmgr
chainloader /bootmgr

but that load the recovery instead of the real win OS.


But on the older grup on hdd which do load the real Win 7.

title Windows Vista (loader)
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
#savedefault
chainloader +1


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda2
title Windows Vista (loader)
rootnoverify (hd0,1)

chainloader +1

So how does one change your menu entry so it comply with this.

There are three partitions on the win 7 hdd.

All of the many os are on sda3 which in meny is (hd0,2) first I guess are the recovery and the second are either a cab thing or the wubi looking like a partition maybe? ahve no idea

Any suggestion? now I go test to see if the second usb do boot up

[nooby]

First failure to boot even with the rescue usb that have worked many times now

so it seem failure to boot has nothing to do with which kind of grub I use. So that was sad. I had hoped that it was due to me have older grub.

I am surprised that none relate to what I tell about where it does happen.

Regardless if I boot from the hdd or the usb with the 1.5 version of grub4dosconfig

it stop at first line and fifth dot before it should say Done in green.

So it usually do 7 dots and then say Done.

But some puppies only show three dots and say done and they work good too when they boot.

So what is it that goes on?

When I use debug then it says that it is after the b43-pci-bridge has loaded and four lines below that one.

So what is all that about. exact same place each time.

Am I the only one having these boot problems?

[shinobar]

I need to change the booting of windows.

Now it looks like this on the usb.

# Windows

title Windows Vista/2008/7\nBoot up Windows Vista/2008/7 if installed
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
map --hook
find --set-root --ignore-floppies /bootmgr
chainloader /bootmgr

but that load the recovery instead of the real win OS.

Hum... I have never thought such a case.
Thank you for the nice report. I need to refine it for the such case.

[shinobar]

First failure to boot even with the rescue usb that have worked many times now

I cannot follow you nooby.
Does your rescue usb sometime works and sometime don't?
Does it show the boot menu(blue or cyan background)?

Is it the Luci-236 problem?
Do not use develop versions of Puppy.
Use your favorite Puppy but stable you think to make the rescue usb.

[nooby]

Do not use develop versions of Puppy.

Ooops, I am that naive, I never even thought about it.

Which version of Luci do you see as a proven version then.

No the recoveery was a one time test to see if it could really rescue.

I always use exclusively puppy, quirky on Acer since luci fail to boot so many times.

Quirky boots 9 out of ten boots.
Lucy boots 2 times then fail 5 times then boot 1 time then fails 3 times then ...

Not reliable booting habit.

so which Luci is seen as stable for rescue?

[shinobar]

Quirky boots 9 out of ten boots.
Lucy boots 2 times then fail 5 times then boot 1 time then fails 3 times

I do not call it stable if 1 out of ten fails.
How about Puppy 4.x series?
You can install the grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.0.pet on any Puppy 4.x/5.x.

[nooby]

Now that makes me even more confused. Sure Barry use the word Quirky to remind us that he test quirky ideas and that it is a test version for his recent ideas on how to make a puppy.

But Quirky did things me could not do in 4.3.1 so I preferred to use Quirky.

Then maybe me should use Puppeee on the Acer and puppy 431 on a general version of rescue?

[shinobar]

Quirky did things me could not do in 4.3.1 so I preferred to use Quirky.
Then maybe me should use Puppeee on the Acer and puppy 431 on a general version of rescue?

If Quirky makes you content, use Quirky.
I do not use any of the ones if it fails to boot 1 out of ten.
The Puppeee is atractive for net books.

[nooby]

I have three 1GB mem sticks so I decide to make


1. Fluppy 007 as a way to boot Acer D250 if the HDD fails in the future
I only need to change the boot code for it, So I will ask how to do this.

2.. Luci/Lupu 1GB or a 4GB memstick. to start modern computers
For to help neighbor if something happen to his computer.

3. Multiboot several frugal installs of Puppy different version on a 4GB
Good to have as a reserve.
4. Puppy 431to start old computers.

That way I feel more secure to always be able to boot.
Or else they just lay there to no usage. What a waist.

Thanks for your patience.