ISO boot from FAT/NTFS/USB (GRUB.exe, grldr from boot.ini)

[wslkevin]

...ruymbeke's version of GRUB evidently does not write to the hard drive during installation...

The standard grub installer copy or dd (disk dump) the stage1 and stage2 grub binaries into the boot sectors of the floppy, partition or disk which I don't really like when running a corporate xp/ntfs computer. These modified sectors are not seen as a file by the ntfs file system and cannot be simply
Gilles

1. I have used the batch file "install2win.bat" from the Japanese KNOPPIX CD-Rom, and it installed GRUB to my computer using "grubinstall.exe".
How can I remove the grub now? Is it just simply remove the folder "C:\boot"? In which command, the installer will write something to my boot sector?

2. Before installed the GRUB from Japanese KNOPPIX CD-Rom, I have installed (actually just as what you said - copied all files to C:\ and C:\boot). I can find stage1 and stage2 under the folder C:\boot? Did it also influe my boot sector?

3. Is it possible to use a image file located in a NTFS partition for "home" in the cheatcode? For example, "knoppix ..... home=/dev/hda1/KNOPPIX/home.img" (It assume /dev/hda1 is a NTFS partition in which the KNO*.ISO located)?

[wslkevin]

1. I have used the batch file "install2win.bat" from the Japanese KNOPPIX CD-Rom, and it installed GRUB to my computer using "grubinstall.exe".
How can I remove the grub now? Is it just simply remove the folder "C:\boot"? In which command, the installer will write something to my boot sector?

2. Before installed the GRUB from Japanese KNOPPIX CD-Rom, I have installed (actually just as what you said - copied all files to C:\ and C:\boot). I can find stage1 and stage2 under the folder C:\boot? Did it also influe my boot sector?

3. Is it possible to use a image file located in a NTFS partition for "home" in the cheatcode? For example, "knoppix ..... home=/dev/hda1/KNOPPIX/home.img" (It assume /dev/hda1 is a NTFS partition in which the KNO*.ISO located)?

Let me asnwer my question first, then could you tell me whether I am right or wrong? Thanks.

3. It definetly can set the "home" to hda1 which is a NTFS partition before the Japanese kernel has the ntfs.o built-in. After boot to knoppix, it is must to mount the partition /dev/hda1 as captive-NTFS, then the user can read/write/modify the content of "home". However, it isn't a safe way to modify NTFS partition because captive use the MS NTFS driver which isn't stable for Linux.

Am I right? Could you also please answer question 1 and 2?
Thanks very much.

[ruymbeke]

1. I have used the batch file "install2win.bat" from the Japanese KNOPPIX CD-Rom, and it installed GRUB to my computer using "grubinstall.exe".
How can I remove the grub now? Is it just simply remove the folder "C:\boot"? In which command, the installer will write something to my boot sector?

Removing the C:\boot will free up some disk space, but will not remove the grub boot hook. I suppose that the grubinstall.exe writes into the boot sectors. You should probalby have look at: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3311 , and/or try
1) Boot w/ win98 boot floppy, at the a: propmt enter: fdisk /mbr
2)Boot w/ XP or WIN2k cd into recovery mode and run: fixmbr

2. Before installed the GRUB from Japanese KNOPPIX CD-Rom, I have installed (actually just as what you said - copied all files to C:\ and C:\boot). I can find stage1 and stage2 under the folder C:\boot? Did it also influe my boot sector?

No. You have to start grub and run the installer to do it, or an other installer program as grubinstall.exe. BTW, I do not use stage1 and stage2 since they are already part of both the grldr and grub.exe I have been talking about in my zip and setup.

3. Is it possible to use a image file located in a NTFS partition for "home" in the cheatcode? For example, "knoppix ..... home=/dev/hda1/KNOPPIX/home.img" (It assume /dev/hda1 is a NTFS partition in which the KNO*.ISO located)?
Let me asnwer my question first, then could you tell me whether I am right or wrong? Thanks.
3. It definetly can set the "home" to hda1 which is a NTFS partition before the Japanese kernel has the ntfs.o built-in. After boot to knoppix, it is must to mount the partition /dev/hda1 as captive-NTFS, then the user can read/write/modify the content of "home". However, it isn't a safe way to modify NTFS partition because captive use the MS NTFS driver which isn't stable for Linux.

I did not try it yet, and I would be very carefull with that. Try it on a test system, not a corporate computer. As I understand it, ntfs read only is the default after a knoppix boot and is totally safe. This linux driver cannot be easily used and is not safe to use for write access. For that reason people use the capture script and the linux read only driver to look for the MS drivers into the nt partition and then use these MS drivers to write into the ntfs partition.
So, I may be wrong, but I think that since you may want to have write access into your home directory, you would need at boot time to: first use the linux ntfs driver and the capture script to get the MS drivers and then remount the ntfs partition in rw mode and finally mount the /home/knoppix directory from the knoppix.img being into that ntfs partition. This can be done, but ... YAKA (just do it...)
Cheers, Gilles

[ruymbeke]

Being inspired by the japanese boot ramdisk, I modified the minirt24.gz to allow knoppix 3.6 to boot from ntfs with the kernel 2.4. Here is the link:
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/minirt24_ntfs.gz
I also modified the the /ramdisk memory allocation to use 3/5 (instead of 4/5) of the total memory available. This should help KDE to run when using a persistent home. Here is the link for the modified boot ramdisk for the 2.6 kernel:
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/minirt26_ntfs.gz
And my updated zip package:
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/grub7.zip
And my menu.lst entries are as follow:

title Knoppix 3.6 kernel 2.6 from NTFS hda1 ISO scan
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/linux26 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hda1/boot/knoppix.36/*.iso config=scan home=scan
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/minirt26_ntfs.gz
boot

title Knoppix 3.6 kernel 2.4 from NTFS hda1 ISO scan
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/linux24 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hda1/boot/knoppix.36/*.iso config=scan home=scan
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/minirt24_ntfs.gz
boot

Enjoy, Gilles

PS for Fabianx:
Since we finally got the ISO NTFS Boot working for knoppix 3.6 with both the 2.4 and 2.6 kernel. Would you please consider adding this feature in the next Knoppix release ? Thank you for your time and consideration.

[ruymbeke]

... Could that make the difference between success and failure? ...

j.drake, my deep apologizes again. The linux26 kernel I was using in my zip file was the one from the 3.4 release which explain all your errors. Could you please replace the \boot\Knoppix.36\linux26 kernel with this file:
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/linux26
I updated also the link: http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/grub7.zip
Please forgive me... Gilles

[probono]

we finally got the ISO NTFS Boot working for knoppix 3.6 with both the 2.4 and 2.6 kernel.

AWESOME!!! thank you so much, this is _great_!

Now, a Windows .bat that does all (including editing the Windows boot loader textfile to load GRUB to load Knoppix) automagically would be nice...

[ruymbeke]

Now, a Windows .bat that does all (including editing the Windows boot loader textfile to load GRUB to load Knoppix) automagically would be nice...

Something like this should do it...

set path1="Root_Of_NTFS"
set path2="*.iso"
xcopy/S %path1 c:\
copy %path2 c:\boot\Knoppix.36
attrib -R c:\boot.ini
echo c:\grldr="Start Grub" >> c:\boot.ini
attrib +R c:\boot.ini
set path1=
set path2=

Cheers, Gilles

[j.drake]

The linux26 kernel I was using in my zip file was the one from the 3.4 release which explain all your errors. Could you please replace the \boot\Knoppix.36\linux26 kernel with this file:
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/linux26
I updated also the link: http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/grub7.zip
Please forgive me... Gilles

FNA!!!! IT WORKS!!!

I'm writing this from an ISO 3.6/2.6 boot, straight from your menu.lst!! Now to make my changes for PH, etc.

No apologies needed. I'm just glad I didn't have to give up in frustration.

Thank you -- U DA MAN, GILLES!!!

jd

[ruymbeke]

...I also modified the the /ramdisk memory allocation to use 3/5 (instead of 4/5) of the total memory available. This should help KDE to run when using a persistent home...

I still have the problem: When using a PH (persistent Home) having larger a size than the Ram memory of the computer, KDE doesn't start. I have an error message from KDE saying that it requires at least 88MB of Ram to run properly. Reason why I modified the /ramdisk size allocation within the linuxrc of the minitxx.gz. I now do have more Ram available since the ramdisk doesn't use it all, but KDE is still complaining about more free memory...
Does anyone experience the same problem ? Any solution ?
Thanks, Gilles

[ruymbeke]

...I also modified the the /ramdisk memory allocation to use 3/5 (instead of 4/5) of the total memory available. This should help KDE to run when using a persistent home...

I modified the the /ramdisk memory allocation again: I put back the 4/5 as a default as it was before, but I added a cheatcode: "ramdisk=xxx" xxx being the size of the ramdisk in kb. So if ramdisk=32000 exists ==> a /ramdisk of 32MB will be created otherwise a /ramdisk of 4/5 of the system memory will be created. Here are the links and my menu.lst:
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/minirt24_ntfs.gz
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/minirt26_ntfs.gz
http://s94592085.onlinehome.us/grub/grub8.zip

title Knoppix 3.6 kernel 2.6 from NTFS hda1 ISO scan ramdisk=32MB
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/linux26 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hda1/boot/knoppix.36/*.iso config=scan home=scan ramdisk=32768
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/minirt26_ntfs.gz
boot

title Knoppix 3.6 kernel 2.4 from NTFS hda1 ISO scan ramdisk=32MB
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/linux24 ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce quiet bootfrom=/dev/hda1/boot/knoppix.36/*.iso config=scan home=scan ramdisk=32768
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/knoppix.36/minirt24_ntfs.gz
boot

Enjoy, Gilles