Add Puppy & DebianDogs to a Grub2 Menu

[mikeslr]

Posted by rcrsn51 here, http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... a5#1048476 but worth having available without having to conduct an exhaustive search:
"Once a bigboy Linux like Ubuntu or Mint has been installed, particularly on a UEFI system, it is often simpler to let its GRUB2 bootloader manage the entire boot process. The following instructions will vary with each distro.

Let's assume that your Puppy/Dog frugal installs are on partition sda5 and there is a menu.lst file at the start of that partition. Remember that Grub4Dos and Legacy GRUB number partitions starting at 0 while GRUB2 starts at 1.

Boot the bigboy Linux and locate the file /etc/grub.d/40_custom. Open it in a text editor as the root user. This will involve launching a terminal and running something like:
Code:
sudo gedit 40_custom

Add this code:
Code:
menuentry "Various Puppies on Partition sda5" {
set root=(hd0,5)
legacy_configfile /menu.lst
}

Now modify the Linux boot sequence to display a menu. Open the file /etc/default/grub as the root user.

At the top, add/modify lines like the following:
Code:
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10

Run the command:
Code:
sudo update-grub

Do a cold reboot."

Thanks, rcrsn51

[michel804]

Hello @mikeslr how do you get the menu.lst file at the start of a partition since Legacy Grub doesn't work with UEFI machine? I tried installing Puppy using the Universal Installer but it refused since I have an UEFI machine.
Thanks for your help

Michel

[Clarity]

Hi @michel804 I think you may be getting your GRUBs mixed-up.
@MikeSLR is helping us with GRUB2 steps. Menu.lst is used by the other GRUB... Not as GRUB2 configurations.

ON ANOTHER NOTE
It is hoped that sometime in the future, the 2020 PUPs will start to ship with GRUB2 built into the system base. This does NOT cause a problem in booting the 2020 PUPs, BUT does become an issue when seasoned Linux vets go looking for the GRUB2 utilities and they are NOT enclosed in the system.

PUPs are listed on Distrowatch as having GRUB 2.02/2.04 as part of the system. Yet there is ONLY just enough GRUB2 to support boot, but NOT enough GRUB2 to do its maintenance when need.

Hope they will see this and fix that minor issue.

[rcrsn51]

@michel: There are several scenarios where the above method could be used.

1. You start with a UEFI machine that is set in Legacy mode and install some Puppies. You then install a big-boy Linux which replaces the Grub4Dos bootloader with GRUB2.

2. You manually frugal-install some Puppies on the big-boy machine and make your own menu.lst entries.

3. You install Puppy with a tool like the Deblive Multi Installer that is not linked to a specific bootloader.

[bigpup]

I tried installing Puppy using the Universal Installer but it refused since I have an UEFI machine.

This is because the boot loader it uses will not work on a UEFI computer in normal UEFI setup.

Really, this Universal Installer needs to be re-coded and using Grub2 boot loader.
But someone has to take over replacing and modifying the Universal Installer.
Refusing to do installs on a UEFI machine is a quick fix to keep people from going down the rabbit hole and not being able to boot the computer.


the general idea of this topic is good to follow.
Main stream Linux OS's install their own boot loaders and have no idea how to boot Puppy Linux.
However, it is better to let their boot loader be the controlling boot loader.
So, a manual Puppy Linux boot menu entry is required.

[oui]

why a so complexe approach?

complete the probably empty /etc/40_custom file in your last installed big distro approx. as following depending of the situation and simply run update-grub and restart:

#!/bin/sh
exec tail -n +3 $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 "
== PUPPY's : Puppy 64 bit XFCE4" {
set root=(hd0,7)
linux /za/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 psubdir=za ro quiet
initrd /za/initrd.gz
}
menuentry "Puppy 64 bit" {
set root=(hd0,7)
linux /zb/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 psubdir=zb ro quiet
initrd /zb/initrd.gz
}
menuentry "Puppy 32 bit XFCE4" {
set root=(hd0,7)
linux /zc/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 psubdir=zc ro quiet
initrd /zc/initrd.gz
}
menuentry "Puppy 32 bit PAE" {
set root=(hd0,7)
linux /zd/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 psubdir=zd ro quiet
initrd /zdP/initrd.gz
}
menuentry "Puppy 32 bit no PAE" {
set root=(hd0,7)
linux /zf/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 psubdir=zf ro quiet
initrd /zf/initrd.gz
}
menuentry "Puppy entry for tests" {
set root=(hd0,7)
linux /zt/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 psubdir=zt ro quiet
initrd /zt/initrd.gz
}

and use the "e" function as the computer is beginning the boot process event. to change some sub directory name (is the reason fo short names with only 2 letters. z in front is to make they are appearing at the end of the other entries in the / of the partition where your Puppy's are placed in)!

[Clarity]

@fredx181 has upgraded his DOGs, months ago, with the same/similar GRUB2+EFI boot system that are the foundations of all 2020-2021 PUPs as well as FATDOG. This is consistent with the modernization efforts the WoofCE developers and DOG developers have been leading.

In my tests, I have not seen problems in any ability to boot directly on media or from the ISOs of these PUPs/DOGs.

If there are problems with boot issues using GRUB2-EFI, we should please post on the threads of the offending distro.

FYI