Custom Grub for Arch in multi-boot system that is maintenance free

[Cavsfan]

I customized the grub on my Arch Linux install and wanted to share this with any one who's interested. It's for those who multi boot Arch with Ubuntu or another distro and/or Windows.



Here's a post in the Arch Forum:

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=200995

You have to be logged in to view it.

Since that thread is closed, I had to post updates here and there have been a few to simplify the whole process.

[Cavsfan]

I thinned the partitions out a bit.

[Cavsfan]

PNG pictures always work for the background picture whereas JPG pictures sometimes display when grub is updated but not on the screen at boot time.

So, instead of wasting time on JPGs, just edit the picture with GIMP, scale the image to the necessary size and then export it as a PNG picture.

The screen size is what the grub picture resolutions is.

[Cavsfan]

I tried to add the Fallback and LTS kernel lines to grub when I first installed Arch but, must have have not gotten it right.
But I have got it down now and am booted up on the LTS kernel and everything is good.

[cavsfan@le-beast ~]$ uname -r
4.4.22-1-lts

I noticed that in /boot there was no LTS kernel so I installed that and the nvidia driver for the LTS kernel.

sudo pacman -S linux-lts nvidia-340xx-lts

That was the driver I use. This is the contents of /etc/grub.d/06_custom (Just the Arch part):

#!/bin/sh
    echo 1>&2 "Adding Arch Linux"
    exec tail -n +4 $0
    # This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries.  Simply     type the
    # menu entries you want to add after this comment.  Be careful not     to change
    # the 'exec tail' line above.
    menuentry "Arch Linux" {
        set root=(hd0,2)
            linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda2 rw quiet
            initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
    }
    menuentry "Arch Linux (Fallback)" {
        set root=(hd0,2)
            linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda2 rw quiet
            initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img
    }
    menuentry "Arch Linux (LTS Kernel)" {
        set root=(hd0,2)
            linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts root=/dev/sda2 rw quiet
            initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-lts.img
    }
    menuentry "Arch Linux (LTS Kernel Fallback)" {
        set root=(hd0,2)
            linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts root=/dev/sda2 rw quiet
            initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-lts-fallback.img
    }
    menuentry "Arch Linux (Recovery Mode)" {
        set root=(hd0,2)
            linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda2 rw single
            initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
    }

[Cavsfan]

My latest Arch Grub screen with all entries:

[Cavsfan]

Whenever Arch installs a newer version of Grub2, it does not update grub but, it does make the original files executable.

So, rather than leave it as is, what I have done is make 10_linux and 30_os-prober unexecutable and then updated grub.

sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/10_linux
sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

[Cavsfan]

*Update: If you use an HDMI to HDMI cable, there's is no need to create the font, add the GRUB_FONT= line or uncommenting out the GRUB_GFXMODE= and matching it your monitor's native resolution in /etc/default/grub.

Apparently if you have a DVI to HDMI cable, etc. you do need to but, with straight HDMI, the size of the menu fonts are already the desired size.

If your fonts are huge, you have probably figured this out long ago.

I however had been using the DVI/HDMI cable and making the fonts were needed but, upon cleaning the PC last time I finally noticed that my nVidia card had an HDMI port.
Between my son and I, we have a few extra HDMI cables laying around.

[yoshii]

Hey thanks for the info. I'm wondering if this will come in handy for trying to get Manjaro to dual boot with Xubuntu better. I haven't tried that yet, but I have read on the Manjaro forums that Manjaro needs to be the "boss" GRUB, or otherwise there is incompatibility.

[Cavsfan]

Hey thanks for the info. I'm wondering if this will come in handy for trying to get Manjaro to dual boot with Xubuntu better. I haven't tried that yet, but I have read on the Manjaro forums that Manjaro needs to be the "boss" GRUB, or otherwise there is incompatibility.

Actually whichever Linux system Manjaro or Xubuntu is installed last would be in control of Grub at that time.
Because Grub is installed on the MBR (Master Boot Record) during installation.

Section 1.9 will show you how to change Xubuntu to install it's Grub on the PBR (Partition Boot Record)

You cannot put Manjaro's grub on the PBR, so nothing you can do will prevent grub from being re-installed on Manjaro.

Unless you take the step above on Xubuntu, grub will be on whatever system runs a grub-install /dev/sdX.

[Cavsfan]

Just use your native screen resolution and that will work just fine for the grub background image.
I thought the resolution had to be 1597x1198 like in the example picture but, it does not.

PNG pictures always are better and work every time for me so far.