Video Tutorials: Multiboot Puppys Windows & More

[mikeslr]

Thanks, trawglodyte.

Links from this Thread, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 64#p109164

[wizard]

@mikeslr
@trawglodyte

The reFind boot manager looks very interesting, but one thing to keep in mind is it is still in Beta and appears to be the work of a single developer. Not much activity on the code site since v0.14 in March of 2023. Could become an orphan, I would hesitate to recommend it to a new comer.

Thanks
wizard

[trawglodyte]

@wizard That's true. I had ran into it once before with an installation of PopOS! but I don't have a lot of experience with it. The documentation talks about potential problem with other boot options "taking over" startup and gives some instruction on how to prevent that.

So far I like it though. There's no easier way to get your boot uptions to show up in one nice menu on startup. Especially for someone who may only have Windows and have never thought about a grub menu, this will avoid a lot of cunfusion for them and allow them to get running with Puppy Linux. But time will tell, there may be issues w/ rEFInd that arise. Someone did mention @BarryK used rEFInd for some time, so that gave me confidence it must be decent. But they also said he uses something else now, I should probably find that comment and look at the thing he uses now.

[williwaw]

refind worked well for me but I believe it does not do bios boots, just uefi
being that easy is a disk image that does not need to be installed to a partitioned disk with a boot loader, barry also needed a way for bios only machines to boot

[trawglodyte]

@williwaw You are right. rEFInd is strictly EFI. Also, rEFInd cannot directly boot an .iso like grub2. However, since rEFInd directs you to Linux grub menus, rather than booting straight to the OS, you have additional options there. Originally, I didn't like the redundancy of picking, say, Debian from rEFInd and having to click Debian again in it's grub menu. I wanted rEFInd to launch me straight into the OS.

But I changed my mind. First, it's quick. It doesn't reboot or anything, when you select the option in rEFInd the associated grub or Windows manager pops right up. Secondly, it will be very nice to be able to go to the Puppy grub controlled by BookwormPup64_10.0.4 if you wind up with several pups installed. Lastly, going to other Linux grubs makes it infinitely configurable. But at the same time practical if all you want is Windows and BookwormPup64.

There are other features of rEFInd I haven't mentioned because my goal is still a very simple step-by-step instruction. But I did a lot of reading on rEFInd website and testing beforehand.

I did shave off a couple steps thanks to feedback on the forum. I redid video and am going to edit this time, cutting any junk out. But many people don't need the video, they can do it just by reading this. I think I'm going to use that Odysee
channel I've been posting vids on for experimental, goofing around, and risky experiments. When I work out the kinks I'll put final project on a different channel. I should have this one up soon.

• - instructions for installation of BookwormPup64_10.0.4 on USB to dual-boot w/ Windows.

  1. Get 2 quality USB flash drives. TeamGroup C175 64G would be perfect.

  2. Make one USB a VentoyUSB

  3. Get BookwormPup64_10.0.4.iso and put it on VentoyUSB.

  4. Boot Ventoy and launch BookwormPup64_10.0.4

  5. Menu>System>Gparted to format the other USB for Puppies to live on.

  6. Menu>Setup>FrugalPup_installers>FrugalPup do "Puppy" and "Boot".

  7. In EFI partition, edit grub.cfg changing "pmedia=usbhd" to "pmedia=usbflash" if you want pupmode 13.

  8. In terminal do <apt update> <apt install refind> <refind-install>

- first reboot will not be pupmode 13, do Quick Setup, reboot again, it will make a save automatically.

- when you come back you will have a "save" folder on the desktop

- and disk icon in tray indicating you are in pupmode 13

Congratulations! You now have a friendly Puppy Linux OS installed
and a nice screen when you start your computer with options for booting Windows
or BookwormPup64_10.0.4.

• Specifically for 64-bit EFI.
• In my BIOS there are several settings regarding secure boot. Your BIOS may be different.
• You may not have to change anything. It varies based on chipset, firmware version, and whatever
• Microsoft decides to do next week or next month. I currently boot Windows 10, Windows 11,
• Debian, Deepin v23, Manjaro, VentoyUSB, and 64-bit EFI Puppy distros on the same machine.
• All from rEFInd startup screen as of 01/20/2024. But I can't offer specific instruction on
• secure boot settings. I can just say do your homework and good luck!! Reiterate, there are several settings.
• If you think there's one to turn secure boot "on or off" you haven't looked hard enough.

[williwaw]

refind will work as standalone bootloader. I have only ever used it along side a mbr type like grub4dos when I plug the disk into an old bios machine.

I never did work with refind enough to get all the advertised features working. Kinda gravitated towards grub2 on account of more documentation available

[trawglodyte]

Kinda gravitated towards grub2 on account of more documentation available

I'm not trying to convince you to use rEFInd. I would point out that I currently have my choice of 4 linux grub menus at startup using rEFInd though. I'm not giving up grub, I have more grub that I ever did before. The only difference is I can get to them without going into BIOS, switching the boot order, and rebooting the computer now.

[williwaw]

refind, ventoy and four grubs......maybe a flow chart would be nifty

https://www.tecmint.com/best-flowchart- ... for-linux/

[trawglodyte]

......maybe a flow chart would be nifty

Allright, here's yer flowchart. Startup screen looks like this.

Select 1rst icon - go here

Select 2nd icon - go here

Select 3rd icon - go here

Select 4th icon - go here

Select 5th icon - go here

Select 6th icon - go here

This is shear ridiculousness, I don't suggest anyone put this many OS's on their machine for any practical reason.
If you try to use them all you spend all your time downloading updates and fixing little bugs and glitches rather than using your OS.
I just wanted to figure some things out. I will add some more Pups to play with, and probably spend some time in Debian.
Most of the others I won't use much.

I need to get a second computer and a video capture card so I can fire my lousy photographer.

[wizard]

@trawglodyte

I can fire my lousy photographer.

I was thinking you had to much coffee.

You should see my free hand shots, I have hand tremors + I drink coffee. Even I don't know what they are

need to get a second computer

I have 4 old Intel quad cores lined up under my work table and a KVM switch so I can switch between them. Also use VNC for remote controlling them. Two computers is probably a good choice. If you're in the U.S., there's lots of inexpensive and capable desktops on Ebay, the last one I bought was a Dell 7010 w/Intel i5-3570 and 8gb ram for $40 U.S. delivered.

Thanks for pics.
wizard

[trawglodyte]

@wizard

You might be my twin?? I also have hand tremors and drink coffee non-stop. Just about pulled the trigger on a Dell Optiplex on eBay roughly the same age and specs as my machine recently. Think it went for $170 w/ shipping. I gotta figure out if any of the $40 video capture cards are any good before I do that though.

Getting something that would boot Puppy 1.0.0 would also be fun, probably quite affordable if I keep my eyes open.

[wizard]

@trawglodyte

You might be my twin??

Naw, I'm considerably uglier than you, maybe have some of the same genes though.

Getting something that would boot Puppy 1.0.0

Still have a Pentium 1, 233mhz w/96mb ram running Puppy 1.0.4. Amazing what it can do even with those resources. 1.0.4 was my first real customizing and remastering work, made it look just like MS Windows XP so users wouldn't be as intimidated.

wizard