HOWTO: Grub Customizer

[drs305]

Thanks for the quick response - I can boot into Lubuntu and it appears from the file manager that everything in the Windows partition is fine - so it does seem that I somehow fouled up Grub configuration. I'm very hopeful it can simply be restored and I'll try the Boot Repair tool.

I won't be able to settle in for a fix it session until tomorrow but will get back on the result.

Best, I2k4

If you can boot normally into your Lubuntu and you didn't move or alter the files in the /etc/grub.d folder, you should be able to get Windows back into the grub.cfg file (the Grub menu) by simply running:

sudo update-grub

As it runs, just watch the terminal and see if you see a reference to Windows. If you do, it most likely added it to the menu. You can also check the existing entries after the update and before booting with:

grep menuentry /boot/grub/grub.cfg

[I2k4]

Thanks for the terminal commands - as they looked quick and easy I tried them - I got this result from "update":

Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-22-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
done

And this from menuentry:

menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-22-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-22-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {

On reboot after this, I only got the same four choices, without Windows.

I looked into the etc/grub.d folder, not knowing exactly what to expect, and found entries that look like above along with "OS-PROBER" but no specific entry for Windows.

I'm planning to try the Boot Repair as suggested above, later today or on the weekend. I looked at it quickly, and there seems to be a one-click try. I'll do that and report back.

Apart from that there seemed to be some dialog boxes - if there is any further advice on using Boot Repair or otherwise, in this situation of disappeared Windows, I'd be very glad of it.

Thanks again.

[drs305]

Grub is not finding Windows when you update grub. There are several reasons this can happen:
1. Critical Windows boot files are missing. Probably not likely in your case.
2. 30_os-prober isn't being run either because the os-prober command isn't available or the script isn't running.

To make sure the script exists and is executable:

sudo chmod +x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober

To check that os-prober exists:

which os-prober

If this still doesn't fix things, run Boot Repair. If it still doesn't work, post the contents of the boot info script, which you can run from within the Boot Repair app.

[I2k4]

Many thanks for your help here - I got no response from the OS-PROBER commands, but the Boot Repair tool worked a charm. The GRUB boot priority list again includes Windows 7 and it's booting normally.

Since I don't know what went wrong, I can't say if/when I'll try the GRUB Customizer app again, but I'll save this thread forever.

Best wishes for the holidays.

[nattyiac]

Mod Note: Removed the quoting of the thread's original post in it's entirety.

I can't get mine to work. When I try to open it says it can't find a bootloader and asks me if I want to choose a partition.
What should I do to solve this?

[drs305]

Mod Note: Removed the quoting of the thread's original post in it's entirety.

I can't get mine to work. When I try to open it says it can't find a bootloader and asks me if I want to choose a partition.
What should I do to solve this?

I'd recommend downloading and running the Boot Repair tool. It can solve a large number of Grub problems. Check out the thread via the "Boot Repair" link in my signature line.

If it doesn't fix it, the app will let you run the boot info script and you can post the RESULTS.txt content if you still need help.

[2CV67]

Thanks so much for this HOWTO & even more thanks to Daniel Richter for the vitally-needed app!

I am about to enter the world of Grub2 (trepidations...) & have heard remarks (probably out of date) that Grub Customizer is not yet ready for 1.99.

I know GC 2.2 is out there & is intended for 1.99.

Could you possibly give us a brief status report on that?
As of today, what can GC 2.2 do with 1.99 & are there still shady areas, apart from the images/fonts stuff you helpfully edit in the first post?

Thanks again!

[gregzeng]

Thanks so much for this HOWTO & even more thanks to Daniel Richter for the vitally-needed app!

I am about to enter the world of Grub2 (trepidations...) & have heard remarks (probably out of date) that Grub Customizer is not yet ready for 1.99.

I know GC 2.2 is out there & is intended for 1.99.

Could you possibly give us a brief status report on that?
As of today, what can GC 2.2 do with 1.99 & are there still shady areas, apart from the images/fonts stuff you helpfully edit in the first post?
Thanks again!

Grub Customizer 2.4.1

Just downloaded it now.
Uncertain what are the changes. It cannot delete crazy, non-existent 'lines', so it's still a work in progress.

Very surprised ... so many Linux 'gurus' * coders around, and this essential fix is still not fixed. Tried to be more constructive in joining the *buntu community, ... journalistic, writing, documentation skills, .... but after an hour, gave up.

I'm in the 1% of IQ ("unsuitable for Mensa"; Australian Mensa told me, when I explained they have no social responsibilities nor ethics, especially to non-whites like myself. Seems the Linux obsessives like being 1 per centers as well, to prove that they are not the Ninety-Nine per-centers, in the world's social responsibilities.

So ... back to winning my Nobel Peace Prize for anti-military accomplishments.

[bogan]

Hi!, drs305,
Like others, I add my thanks to danielrichter, and to you; without your detailed help files, I would never have dared to try Grub Customizer, despite having a grub menu with more than 20 confusing entries.

In setting up a new clean install of Ubuntu 11.10, I stumbled on your HowTo:GC. After reading all the posts in that Thread, and again from 1 to 118, I was so impressed that I swallowed my aversion to editing files that start: "Do Not Edit This File."

I installed GC as per your instructions:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install grub-customizer
sudo update-grub

and ran it from a Root Terminal.Edit: and re-ran update-grub :

grub-customizer
update-grub

Edit2: I did not use "gksu", maybe that caused the errors ??
It ran OK, except for a sea of error messages. { See attachment }.
My grub menu was edited as I wanted; but no colour change, and no Background image.
Furthermore, the Debian background Image I had had during boot-up, after the grub menu, since I installed Gnome3, had gone.

I am an Octogenarian Ignoramus and there are some simple things I find difficult to fathom out; please bare with me if they seem obvious to you.

First: how do I "get" your attached image file and "drop" it into /boot/grub/. When I tried with another jpeg it refused to drop. [ Edit: I found an answer to the second part of that with 'gksu nautilus /pathname/'. See below.]

Second: I cannot find any menu item, in Gimp Image Editor, that would change a .jpeg to a .png format, as you describe, nor in Nip2.

Eventually, I found your link in P#103 to "Re: Grub 2 Drop-In Backgrounds & Font Selection"; downloaded the splashimages and used

 gksu nautilus /imagepathname/

to "drop" it into /boot/grub/.

That gave an image but the unchanged text colour is illegible against it.

The first image I tried in GC was one with a space in its name and my /boot/grub/grub.cfg then showed:

if background_image /boot/grub/.backgound_cache;

But no image showed.

Currently my /boot/grub/grub.cfg shows:

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='(hd1,msdos8)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 2a453a5a-fe73-417b-a61f-8450cf25914b
insmod tga
if background_image /boot/grub/Windbuchencom.tga; then
  true
else
  set menu_color_normal=white/black
  set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
  if background_color 44,0,30; then
    clear
  fi
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

"Windbuchencom.tga" being the image file I dropped. but this did not alter after changing the colours first, and then both image & colours with GC.

Third: I think I remember your Posting that some lines need to be added to that code, to get the GC colour changes to work; would you please re-post them?.

Fourth 'simple' question: Although I am certain I have grub2 installed since 10.10, the grub menu title still shows:

GNU Grub version 1.99-12 Ubuntu5

is that relevant, or important??

Your assistance appreciatively awaited,. Chao!, bogan.

[drs305]

Hi!, drs305,
Like others, I add my thanks to danielrichter, and to you; without your detailed help files, I would never have dared to try Grub Customizer, despite having a grub menu with more than 20 confusing entries.

Well, I'll get the easy ones first. Grub 2 is officially Grub 1.96 or later - the latest is Grub 1.99. Even Grub legacy, which was around a long time, never got past 0.97. Go figure...

Also, in the attached file I saw a 'pixmaps' error message. You may be able to fix that with this command, which will install a package that might allow the system to use it on the latest version of Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install gtk2-engines-pixbuf

First: how do I "get" your attached image file and "drop" it into /boot/grub/. When I tried with another jpeg it refused to drop.[I] [ Edit: I found an answer to the second part of that with 'gksu nautilus /pathname/'.

Not sure if you still need help with this, but if so one way to move the image into /boot/grub is via a terminal. If the image is on your Desktop, the command would be

sudo cp ~/Desktop/image-name /boot/grub/

Using nautilus as root would be better, since you can inspect the /boot/grub contents. If the image file isn't specifically designated in /etc/default/grub the bootloader will use the first image file it finds in /boot/grub (which may not be the one you want).

Second: I cannot find any menu item, in Gimp Image Editor, that would change a .jpeg to a .png format, as you describe, nor in Nip2.

It's so simple it's not obvious. In GIMP, open your file and when you are ready to save it as a png image, just select File, Save As and change the extension from .jpg to .png. When you save it, GIMP may ask you some questions or say it has to modify some of the file characteristics, but it will walk you through any conversion decisions you have to make before it saves the file as a PNG image.

Font colors/background images aren't the easiest things to work with in Grub 2. I'm going to reread the font color part of your post, try to make sure I understand your current problem, experiment in a VM with the Windbuchencom.tga image, and will reply to that part in a separate post.

In the meantime, forum member towheedm is our current forum guru on theming and has written an excellent, detailed guide on Grub 2 theming.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1534689