Howto : GfxBoot ( Grub like suse )

[autocrosser]

Has there been an update to the grub-gfxboot package? I have installed Gutsy and every time I try to update the kernel and the initrdimage file, it fails. I would have to install the current grub, update and then switch back to grub-gfxboot. This has become too much of a hassle.

Any information on this will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

The /sbin/update-grub script supplied with GFXBoot is wrong--the first line is #!/bin/sh ----- it should be #!/bin/bash

Edit the file in a text editor with root permissions.....and check it with the next kernel update

NOTE: I'm still looking for a good tutorial for theme creation--anyone knowing one please PM me...I've got several good ideas waiting!!!!!

[ingo]

The most comprehensive howto I have come across is this

#Make a directory test as root:
mkdir /boot/grub/test

# Copy as root /boot/grub/message to /boot/grub/test
cp /boot/grub/message /boot/grub/test

# Change to directory test
cd /boot/grub/test

# Extract the archive 'message'
cpio -i < message

# Replace the file background.pcx with your own design (you'll probably have to conform to the same format/size/name). In order to get the proper archive move the existing message elsewhere, make a text file "name-list" with all filenames in that directory in it (ls>name-list). Then:

# Copy files named in name-list to the archive
cpio -o < name-list > message

Reboot.

from here
http://mepislovers.org/forums/showth...hlight=gfxboot

[tastatur]

Many thanks to PingunZ for this useful guide. But after i did every steps in your guide, it shows only "normal"-text Grub Menu.

Thanks to Bohboh, his post is still here. I tried to make 2 steps more and hope.

sudo fdisk -l

OK, my Ubuntu's partition locates at sda2

also:

grub-install /dev/sda

Restart and everything is perfect
------
Hope if this post can help someone else
@PingunZ: it would very nice if you can check it and correct your first post

[Robert2k]

I only have a question, i have Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon, and i want to use graphic grub loader, the package can be installed automatically or i have to do something previous or during installation

Thanks for your answer

[spikenick]

So how would i be able to go about this on hardy heron ubuntu 8.04, i got this to work on gutsy, O and i switched from 32bit ot 64bit

[Ubumby]

I installed GFX boot before fine with 7.04 and 7.10. This time after installation it let me log into ubuntu fine but wouldn't boot into windows. It quickly showed:
root hd0,1
Filesystem Type unknown, partition....
save default
...
...
than it just reverted right back to GFXgrub home screen.
When I tried to boot to windows drive, after I disabled my other drive it just shows the word grub in the top left corner, not letting me do anything. I also tried to use my fix boot disk and selected my windows hard drive but after it was complete nothing helped. It almost has to be that the windows hard drive boot was somehow screwed up when i installed gfxgrub. I then should of just left it alone, but i tried to reinstall ubuntu on my 2nd harddrive again, but this made it worse. It didn't recognize my windows partition after install since it wasn't in the final menu.lst. I tried to use my super grub disk again and fix windows partition and after reboot now I get instead of windows booting, a grub command line.

Grub> (I typed in boot) and it says:
Error 8: kernel must be loaded before booting

Another side note: I'm reinstalled ubuntu 8.04 right now and it cant see either of the two partition on my 1st hard disk. But when I use an ubuntu 7.04 live cd it can see both of them and can read the first partiton: (DellUtility) fat32 (I think), but not the NTFS drive. I gives me an error.

$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password

Disk /dev/sda: 60.0 GB, 60022480896 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7297 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe4651a0a

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 4 32098+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 * 5 7294 58556925 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000ed44c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 30119 241930836 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 30120 30401 2265165 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 30120 30401 2265133+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

anyways now when i boot up i get a GRUB loading stage 1.5 then it waits 5 seconds and boots to ubuntu right away. It dosen't show the grub selection screen, so it never recognized my windows after I reinstalled like it should of. Is this a major problem. I don't know how installing gfxgrub could of killed the windows boot so bad.

[ingo]

ubumby,

I'm sure others can shed more light on this shortened grub explanation, but basically grub ought to be in the mbr (master boot record - the part of the disc that the BIOS addresses). It then opens the partition table and looks for /boot.

In /boot it opens up /boot/grub/menu.lst - at the bottom of this file you will see listed all the operating systems and entries which you see on the grub screen shortly after booting.

You will find entries for all your systems.

For Linux OSs you have the title, the root partition, the kernel and the initram. There may also be frame buffer or screen mode instructions.

For M$ you just see the title and some chainloader instruction (maybe more? I don't know). The chainloader points to the partition only - you may want to google it. Grub then looks for the kernel itself.

Armed with that info you should be able to make some headway

[mario2409]

Then do :

sudo grub

grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
 (hdx,y) # this will be the output
grub> root (hdx,y)
grub> setup (hdx)

When I do the first line "find /boot/grub/stage1" I get Error 15: File not found... what am I doing wrong?

[Ubumby]

Thanks for the reply ingo,
I don't understand how grub or ubuntu can't recognize my windows partition anymore. My /boot/grub/menu.lst doesn't even have windows recognized anymore after I reinstalled ubuntu.

[ingo]

Well, the quick way out here would be to download the super grub disk from one of the mirrors listed, burn, boot and let it do its magic - if that does not find your M$ it is because your M$ is not there.