Multiboot USB

armans · 08-30-2012, 04:38 PM

I know htere are a lot of tutorials out there, but I have a unique situation and I have yet to find the answer I was looking for. I am trying to create a multiboot drive for my work and I keep hitting roadblocks. I have been trying to use syslinux/extlinux and grub4dos. Two of the utilities I am using have the exact same folder and file nameing (not my doing) so I know I have to ful them in different partitions. I am able to boot into all utilities except my WindowsPX utility, I get an error that it can not find addons. Addons is a directory of this utility.
Here is how my drive is partitioned:

Code:

/dev/sdb1 (aka=hd0,0) = Company image of OS and WindowsXP_PX
/dev/sdb2 (aka=hd0,1) = Windows7_PX

Both the windows_PX utilities are the ones that have the same file and folder names, but the info contained in them is different, and I am unable to modify the names.
Here is my extlinux.conf file (/hd0,0/syslinux/:

Code:

default vesamenu.c32
timeout 100

menu hshift 6
menu width 69
menu margin 0

menu background splash.jpg
menu title ****************************
menu color title        * #FFFFFFFF *
menu color border       * #00000000 #00000000 none
menu color sel          * #ffffffff #76a1d0ff *
menu color hotsel       1;7;37;40 #ffffffff #76a1d0ff *
menu color tabmsg       * #ffffffff #00000000 *
menu vshift 12
menu rows 7
menu tabmsgrow 16
menu timeoutrow 17
menu cmdlinerow 15
menu tabmsg Press ENTER to boot or TAB to edit a menu entry

label linux0
  menu label Try Company Image
  kernel vmlinuz0
  append initrd=initrd0.img root=live:UUID=0de5dc37-1a31-4ce4-ba1a-7816c02df22f rootfstype=ext2 ro liveimg  LANG=en_US.utf8 exec-shield=1 selinux=1 rhgb quiet drm_kms_helper.poll=0 rd_NO_LUKS rd_NO_MD rd_NO_DM  
menu default

label vesa0
  menu label Try Company Image (Basic Video)
  kernel vmlinuz0
  append initrd=initrd0.img root=live:UUID=0de5dc37-1a31-4ce4-ba1a-7816c02df22f rootfstype=ext2 ro liveimg  LANG=en_US.utf8 exec-shield=1 selinux=1 rhgb quiet drm_kms_helper.poll=0 rd_NO_LUKS rd_NO_MD rd_NO_DM xdriver=vesa nomodeset 

label install1
  menu label Install Company Image
  kernel vmlinuz0
  append initrd=initrd0.img root=live:UUID=0de5dc37-1a31-4ce4-ba1a-7816c02df22f rootfstype=ext2 ro liveimg  LANG=en_US.utf8 install noswap nolvmmount quiet exec-shield=1 selinux=1 drm_kms_helper.poll=0 rhgb rd_NO_LUKS rd_NO_MD rd_NO_DM
  
label XP_PX
  menu label WindowsXP_PX
  config px.cfg

 label 7_PX
    menu label Windows_PX on hd0,1
    kernel chain.c32
    append hd0 2

label Grub for Windows7_PX
  menu label GRUB
  kernel grub.exe

label memtest
  menu label Test memory
  kernel memtest

label Rescue installed system
  kernel vmlinuzr
  append initrd=initrdr.img rescue quiet loglevel=0

label local
  menu label Boot from first hard disk
  localboot 0xffff

Here is my px.cfg (Windows7_PX was from a prior attempt with both images on the same partition):

Code:

PROMPT 0
DEFAULT /isolinux-3.0.1/vesamenu.c32
TIMEOUT 0

MENU MARGIN 5
MENU ROWS 4
MENU CMDLINEROW 20
MENU BACKGROUND /isolinux-3.0.1/bootlogo.png

MENU TITLE **********************

LABEL WindowsXP_PX
MENU LABEL WindowsXP_PX
MENU DEFAULT
kernel /isolinux-2.3.9/boot.1
append splash quiet vga=791 video=vesa:ywrap rootfstype=squashfs root=/dev/ram initrd=/isolinux-2.3.9/boot.2 INIT_MOUNT=usb MNT_ID=2459622821 loglevel=0

LABEL Windows7_PX
MENU LABEL Windows7_PX
MENU DEFAULT
kernel /isolinux-3.0.1/boot.1
append splash quiet vga=791 video=vesa:ywrap rootfstype=squashfs root=/dev/ram initrd=/isolinux-3.0.1/boot.2 INIT_MOUNT=usb MNT_ID=371524736 loglevel=0

LABEL WindowsXP_PX (Advanced)
MENU LABEL WindowsXP_PX (Advanced)
kernel /isolinux-2.3.9/vesamenu.c32
append /isolinux-2.3.9/usb_a.cfg

LABEL Windows7_PX (Advanced)
MENU LABEL Windows7_PX (Advanced)
kernel /isolinux-3.0.1/vesamenu.c32
append /isolinux-3.0.1/usb_a.cfg

And my syslinux.cfg file from hd0,1:

Code:

PROMPT 0
DEFAULT vesamenu.c32 
TIMEOUT 300

MENU MARGIN 5
MENU ROWS 2
MENU CMDLINEROW 20
MENU BACKGROUND bootlogo.png

MENU TITLE Windows7_PX

LABEL Win7_PX
MENU LABEL Windows7_PX (Default)
MENU DEFAULT
kernel boot.1
append splash quiet vga=791 video=vesa:ywrap rootfstype=squashfs root=/dev/ram initrd=boot.2 INIT_MOUNT=usb MNT_ID=4542472

LABEL advanced
MENU LABEL Advanced Installer Configuration Menu
kernel vesamenu.c32
append usb_a.cfg

Here is my menu.lst:

Code:

color blue/green yellow/red white/magenta white/magenta
timeout 30
default /default

title Win7
map (hd0,1)+1 (fd0)
map --hook
root (fd0)
chainloader +1
boot

I have been trying to get this for over a month now and always end up in the same spot, Can not find the addons directory!
Please if anyone can help I would realy appreaciate it, I am trying to relive our techs of having to carry around several CD/DVD's and/or flash drives if I can get these PRIMANY tools to work right.

aus9 · 09-01-2012, 05:41 AM

I know nothing of lilo or grub4dos or windows junk

Have you tried to create a bootable usb using grub-legacy?

leaping ahead here are some basic stuff to get the first distro installed
---test first one works then add menu and files for others

1) use gparted in root mode to partition usb as single ext3 partition

2) use file manager to copy over grub legacy files

3) download grub-legacy ...its irrelevant that you use a different bootloader...I don't care what you use
http://ftp.iinet.net.au/debian/debia...97-66_i386.deb

4) install or use an unpacker....I use xarchiver to unpack the deb

5) Create folder /boot/grub on usb
---- now copy over the stage files you will find under data/usr/lib/grub/i386-pc/

if you like cli try

Code:

sudo su
mkdir -p /tmp/usb
mount /dev/sdb1 /tmp/usb
mkdir -p /tmp/usb/boot/grub

5) Now create a grub-legacy menu.lst....I will use your windows junk as an example

it goes to /boot/grub

------------------
timeout 5
default 0

title Company-Image
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=UUID=0de5dc37-1a31-4ce4-ba1a-7816c02df22f (add other waffle here)
initrd=/boot/initrd.gz
-------------------------------

6) So we are going to need to copy vmlinuz and initrd.gz to /boot/grub

7) now the fun

in a terminal where you still have root access, navigate to grub command which is diff folder

Code:

cd data/usr/sbin
./grub  (note its dot / grub) 
GNU GRUB  version 0.97  (640K lower / 3072K upper memory) 
       [ Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported.   For 
         the   first   word,  TAB  lists  possible  command 
         completions.  Anywhere else TAB lists the possible 
         completions of a device/filename. ] 
grub> root (hd1,0) 
 Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83 
grub> setup (hd1) 
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... no 
 Checking if "/grub/stage1" exists... yes 
 Checking if "/grub/stage2" exists... yes 
 Checking if "/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes 
 Running "embed /grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd1)"...  17 sectors are embedded. 
succeeded 
 Running "install /grub/stage1 (hd1) (hd1)1+17 p (hd1,0)/grub/stage2 /grub/menu.lst"... succeeded 
Done. 
grub> quit

8) set bios to boot from usb and test

9) only if it works....I have no idea what those kernels etc are....

add more menu entries and test

10) Notes....grub legacy likes its initrd to be a gz format
run ...file (filename) to see if its already gz against your initrd0.img

Your extra entries can have vmlinuz1/initrd1.gz etc