'Corona special offer' on E2B eBooks - now only $5 each

Some of the eBooks were previously priced at $6.99, $7 and $10.

I have now reduced the price so they are all only $5 each - you can also get a 10% discount on all of the eBooks when you purchase more than one (add one to the Basket and then you will see the others). Why not put down that game controller or 'Joy Stick' (well, that's what my wife calls it), and become a wizard of the USB stick instead?

This special offer will only be for a limited time so grab 'em while they're hot!

P.S. There are a few reviews about the eBooks on the GuestBook page if you want to see if they might be useful to you (and I didn't pay them to write that - honest!).

How to get Batocera working on your Easy2Boot USB drive

Batocera is a linux-based games emulator + KODI.

Batocera-linux

It can be downloaded as a .img.gz file and it is an image file which is intended to be written to a flash drive or SD card.

Here is how to get it working on your E2B drive:

agFM v1.47 download now released

Just a quick note to say that agFM v1.47 (now 1.48 - discovered a bug in 1.47!) is now released which has the latest version of a1ive's grub2 with newer language files. You can update using the .cmd file in the \e2b folder.

The SAMPLE_startup_menu.txt file has also been updated slightly to include a fourth menu style (set mymenu=3). This sets a basic terminal (console) text mode. It has been found that using graphics modes can cause keyboard lockup issues on some systems (e.g. MacBook Pro) due to a long standing grub2 bug. The console mode does not suffer from this issue (it also loads faster), however it does not display any icons or wallpaper, only supports English (because no fonts can be loaded) and it is not as pretty!

I have also updated eBook #4 for agFM - it is now at version 1.9. Download the latest PDF using the link in the Payhip email that you should have received after purchase.

P.S. If you are a Windows 7 or 8 user, I have made available for download a batch file which will delete are re-make the second agFM partition of your E2B USB drive automatically. See the agFM page for more details. Note: It does NOT work under Windows 10.

Free eBook - Learn how to use and hack with Kali Linux

https://ghacks.tradepub.com/free/w_pacb119/prgm.cgi

This link provided by ghacks - limited number.
eBook is 2019 version and 85MB.
You need to give a lot of your details though...

Learn about the latest ethical hacking tools and techniques in Kali Linux 2019 to perform penetration testing from scratch.

The current rise in hacking and security breaches makes it more important than ever to effectively pentest your environment, ensuring endpoint protection. This book will take you through the latest version of Kali Linux and help you use various tools and techniques to efficiently deal with crucial security aspects.

Through real-world examples, you’ll understand how to set up a lab and later explore core penetration testing concepts. Throughout the course of this book, you’ll get up to speed with gathering sensitive information and even discover different vulnerability assessment tools bundled in Kali Linux 2019. In later chapters, you’ll gain insights into concepts such as social engineering, attacking wireless networks, exploitation of web applications and remote access connections to further build on your pentesting skills. You’ll also focus on techniques such as bypassing controls, attacking the end user and maintaining persistence access through social media. Finally, this pentesting book covers best practices for performing complex penetration testing techniques in a highly secured environment.

By the end of this book, you’ll be able to use Kali Linux to detect vulnerabilities and secure your system by applying penetration testing techniques of varying complexity.

Features:

• Get up and running with Kali Linux 2019.2
• Gain comprehensive insights into security concepts such as social engineering, wireless network exploitation, and web application attacks
• Learn to use Linux commands in the way ethical hackers do to gain control of your environment

Free offer expires 5/6/2020.

agFM v1.46 released

The new 1.46 version has a few changes/improvements:

1. New agFM boot files (+ Ventoy support)
2. Some partition references changed to use (e.g.)  hd0,1 instead of hd0,msdos1. This allows the E2B version of agFM to be used on non-legacy partition drives such as gpt drives. Note that some functions such as .imgPTN and .isodef (partnew) won't work on GPT drives and I don't support GPT drives!
3. The variable grubfm_startbat can now be used to define a different start.bat file which is run at the start of Windows Setup. This just provides a way to 'hook' in a custom batch file and will not be of value to most users.
4. SAMPLE_startup_menu.txt re-organised
5. \grldr and \boot\grub\menu.lst file added to allow a system to MBR boot to the agFM partition and then load agFM (grub2).
6. Some README files added to \boot\grubfm folder
7. Load agFM startup menu.cfg copied to root of agFM folder to allow user to re-run the startup menu.
8. Enable or Disable UEFI booting.mnu file added to \e2b folder (for copying to \_ISO\MAINMENU of partition 1 if required).

Item 5 above means that you may now be able to MBR-boot to agFM from the second partition (e.g. using the BIOS boot menu).

This is useful if you have switched in a .imgPTN23 file which does not contain grub4dos or the CSM menu. For instance, you can boot to agFM from the E2B menu. switch in a .imgPTN23 file (no checks are made as to what the new partition contains) and then from the agFM menu you can boot from a file on the new partition #1 or run a grub2 grub.cfg file from partition #1.

How to fix the issue of the BIOS not listing an MBR\Legacy boot option to boot to the E2B menu

If your E2B USB drive now has a FAT32 partition with UEFI boot files in the \EFI boot folder, you may find that some systems will not offer you the choice to Legacy from your E2B USB drive (even though you have enabled CSM) - the only option is to UEFI-boot (or set the BIOS options to disable UEFI-booting) which may not be what you want to do on some occasions. You may need to run a Legacy payload using E2B.

Where is the Legacy boot option?

These buggy BIOSes do not present a Legacy-boot (unless you can change the BIOS options to disable UEFI-booting which sometimes is not possible).

We can however rename the \EFI folder on the 2nd FAT32 agFM partition and this will cause the BIOS pop-up boot menu to list the Legacy-boot option.

agFM v1.45 is now available

agFM v1.45 now supports non-USA keyboards - e.g. German QWERTZ keyboards or French AZERTY keyboards, etc.

To update, use the "\e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM_v2.cmd" file.

By pressing F4 you can now set the keyboard type as well as the language.

The developer a1ive has done some great work in getting grub2 to support different keyboards. This is the first time that grub2 can support different keyboards and is reliable!

eBook 4 has also been updated with details of how to configure a language and keyboard type on startup.

P.S. If you have set the 'seven' or user 'slax' theme, then when you press F4 you will see a missing icon for the keyboard menu entry. To fix this, update the seven folder to the latest version (one icon gkb.png has now been added).

The unpleasant truth about Corona!

The Corona virus is highly infectious and can be passed on without the vector (the person spreading the infection) showing any symptoms at the time.

The other reason why this virus is so scary is that, unlike influenza, it can be fatal even to some young, fit and healthy individuals.

So, when considering any population (e.g. an island or a country or a state), the only way that the infection can be stopped is either a significant proportion of that population develops an immunity OR we quarantine EVERY INDIVIDUAL IN THE COUNTRY until there is no further sign of infection. If a population has been locked down in this way however, it only takes one 'foreign' visitor to re-infect the whole country again!

I say a 'significant number', because if an infected person arrives into the country from somewhere-land, they will only be able to pass on the virus if they come into contact with another person who is not already immune. So if 70% of the population are immune, then the virus is not likely to infect anyone else as long as the visitor is quarantined as soon as they show any symptoms (or at least only infect 1 or 2 others at most who are also quickly quarantined).

So, for the sake of argument, let us say that the critical point is when 70% of the population develop immunity, then we can all go back to living virtually normal lives and the virus should die out as it can only survive for approximately 72 hours (or just a few minutes if you stick them in a microwave!).

So how do we get a population which is 70% immune? 

How to easily customise all your WinPE ISOs - add your own Wallpaper, Portable Apps and Desktop shortcuts

So I have my E2B+agFM USB drive and it can Legacy and UEFI64-boot on (almost) any system, including Secure Boot.

The WinPE payloads on my USB drive include:

• Bob Omb's WinPE
• Medicat
• DLCBoot 2019 (must use .cfg or .grubfm file)
• Gandalf'sWin10PE
• Hirens Boot CD PE
• Sergei Strelecs Win8\10 PE (.imgPTN23)
• and a few others

E2B Menu

agFM (UEFI64) menu

However, now some of these old Win PEs have applications which are a bit outdated.
Also, I would like to add more shortcuts to the Desktop for apps which I use frequently.
I would like to add some portable apps too.
Having one or two apps auto-start would be nice as would changing the wallpaper.
But the ISO cannot easily be changed - right?

WRONG!

PEStartup

By using the 'PE Startup.exe' written by the author of AIOBoot, I can boot to any of these WinPEs and instantly change all these things and add Portable Apps too.

Here is a screenshot of my Gandalf Redstone3 desktop (looks a bit different, doesn't it!):

To do this, you need to add the PEStartup files from Tutorial 143 on my RMPrepUSB.com website.
Extract the files to the root of the agFM FAT32 partition (or the 3rd partition if you have one). It would be better to use the 2nd FAT32 partition because it should always be present even when using .imgPTN23 files.

Quick Instructions

agFM v1.44 released

• Latest grub2\agFM version
• Fixes bug when ISO files which don't have a .iso file extension won't UEFI-boot (e.g. xxx.iso would boot but some xxx.isodef would not).
• Additional types recognised, e.g. .isodef64

To update, run \e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM.cmd.

E2B v2.03a Beta is available

E2B v2.03a (Beta) just has a small tweak to QRUN.cmd so that any file which has the three letters 'MBR' (not case-sensitive) anywhere in it's extension can be used.

For example: any file with the file extension .isodef32MBR will be booted as if it had an extension of .isodef but will only be listed on systems with 32-bit CPUs (i.e. exactly the same as if it had a .isodef32 file extension).

.isoPEMBR == .isoPE

Note however, that you can't add 'MBR' into the file extensions of files which are under \_ISO\WINDOWS\xxxxx folders as then they won't be seen by E2B. This trick only works in the standard E2B menu folders.

So what's the point of simply ignoring the three letters 'MBR' in a file extension?

Well, it means that the agFM file system will not list the file. So if you want to prevent any payload file from being listed in the agFM menu (e.g. when UEFI-booting to the agFM menu), then you simply add 'MBR' to the file extension.

This means that files which do not support UEFI-booting will not be listed in the agFM menu - e.g. DOS ISOs, DOS floppy images (.ima), old HBCD ISOs, etc.

'Great!' you may say, but how do I hide files from the E2B menu system? For instance, what if I have an ISO which does not support MBR booting at all and only UEFI-boots?

Well, you simply don't place it in an E2B menu folder. For instance, if you have a Linux ISO which does not MBR-boot, put it in a folder named \_ISO\LINUX\UEFI. If it only UEFI64-boots then use a .iso64 file extension or .isodef64 so that no secondary menu is shown.

E2B v2.02 released

v2.02 is now live and is just a small update to E2B.

• Latest WinContig.exe (small bugfixes wont affect 99.9% of users)
• Add support for .isoagfm extension (same as .isodef)
• Update new ChocBox.cmd and ChocolateStore.exe (now requires .Net 4.8)
• Bugfix in Make USB cmd - if  user specifies 32GB FAT32 then it failed to format it.

If you want to install offline Chocolatey packages using the offline SDI_CHOCO install process, you will need to make the packages using ChocolateStore. However, it no longer worked because .Net 4.8 is now required to download the package files. The developer has just updated the executable, so now we are back in business.

In case you didn't know, once you have set up a Windows SDI_CHOCO configuration on your E2B drive, you can quickly install Windows with the correct locale/language/country options, Windows components, add extra missing drivers (auto-detected and installed), install applications (online or offline Chocolate) and your own app packages and tweak the final settings. During installation it actually speaks to you to let you know what's going on at each stage (if you have speakers connected).

Get the latest eBook revisions for free!

In case you didn't realise it, if you have purchased any eBooks, you can get the latest versions for free!

Just click on the download link sent to you by Payhip and you can download the latest version.

Up to 5 downloads per eBook are allowed, but if you need more, just let me know. The four E2B eBooks have all been updated just recently.

• eBook #1: Getting started with Easy2Boot v2.17.pdf
• eBook #2: How to install Microsoft Windows using Easy2Boot v1.6.pdf
• eBook #3: How to make a UEFI multi-boot Easy2Boot USB drive v1.00.pdf
• eBook #4: UEFI-multiboot using the a1ive grub2 File Manager v1.6.pdf

• Getting started with grub4dos_v0.95.pdf

agFM 1.43 now available

v1.43 changes:

• Special extensions (e.g. .iso3g, iso64, imgptn2364pwd) are now not listed in the agFM menu list if the criteria does not match
• Fix for partition 4 needing to be erased after selecting an ISO using partnew\easy2boot option.
• True Hide\Unhide .cfg files in \e2b\Sample agFM Menu files\MISC\
• Latest grubfm
• .iso323gb, .iso3gb, .iso4gb, .iso644gb extensions now recognised
• F1 now displays total memory in system
• if using 'pwd' string in the extension, you must set pwd variable in your user startup menu (e.g. set pwd="Hi Steve") - beware of incorrect keyboard scan codes if using AZERTY or QWERTZ keyboards!

To update, just run \e2b\Update agFM\Download and Update agFM.cmd.

File extension suffixes:

The order is critical for agFM:  23 AUTO 32\64 3GB\4GB pwd

The supported extra file extensions exist as files in the \boot\grubfm\types folder.

For example, if you have

• \_ISO\LINUX\Ubuntux64.iso64
• \_ISO\WINDOWS\WIN10\Windows 10 64-bit.iso64

then they will not be listed if you boot on a 32-bit system.

If you have

• \_ISO\WINDOWS\WIN10\Windows 10 64-bit.iso4GB

then it will only be listed on a system which has 4GB or more of RAM.

• \_ISO\WINDOWS\WIN10\Windows 10 32-bit.iso32 

will only be listed on a system with a 32-bit CPU.

Let me know if you have any problems.

agFM v1.42 available

agFM v1.42 adds these changes:

v1.42 2020-04-16 

• Latest grub2 with new partnew command option and stat -r command
• True Hide and True UnHide .cfg files to protect partitions 1 and 2 (experimental)
• support .imgPTN extensions with 23, auto, 32\64, pwd, 3GB\4GB (must be in that order). Not all combinations are supported.

The website download will not be updated for a day or two.

supported .imgptn* extensions.

imgptn
imgptn23
imgptn2332
imgptn2332pwd
imgptn233gb
imgptn234gb
imgptn2364
imgptn23644gb
imgptn2364pwd
imgptn23auto
imgptn23auto32
imgptn23auto32pwd
imgptn23auto64
imgptn23auto64pwd
imgptn23autopwd
imgptn23autopwd4gb
imgptn23pwd
imgptn32
imgptn32autopwd
imgptn3gb
imgptn4gb
imgptn64
imgptn644gb
imgptn64autopwd
imgptn64pwd
imgptnauto
imgptnauto32
imgptnauto64
imgptnautopwd
imgptnpwd

These files will be still listed in the agFM File Manager menu system but will not run if the system conditions do not match.

Examples
If you have '64' in the file extension then it will not load on a system with a 32-bit CPU.
If you have 3GB in the file extension then it won't load if the system has 4GB or more of memory.
If you have 4GB in the file extension then it won't load if the system has less than 4GB.
If you have 'pwd' in the file extension then you will need to enter a password. The password is set in your user startup menu - e.g. set pwd="secret123".

The True Hide and UnHide .cfg files are experimental. The True Hide will cause the NTFS ptn1 and the FAT32 ptn2 partitions to be inaccessible. You should still be able to UEFI-boot or MBR boot however. If you UEFI-boot to a True-Hidden drive, press F2 to get to the agFM menu and run the Unhide cfg file. Do not use these unless you are well experienced!

• True Hide Ptn1 and Ptn2.cfg
• True Unhide Ptn1 and Ptn2.cfg

True Hide protects the partition from being accessed\infected. You can still boot from a hidden partition and then unhide the partitions when you want to boot a (Windows) payload.

a1ive grub2 File Manager v1.41 available

v1.41 2020-04-15 

• Bugfix to allow non-contiguous Windows Install ISOs to run
• Latest grub2/agFM from a1ive
• A few French language corrections

Just run the update .cmd script from the agFM partition e2b folder to update.

a1ive grub2 File Manager v1.40 now available

To update run "\e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM.cmd" from the USB drive.

• New initial startup menu
• Latest agFM grub2
• Improve French
• Add "\e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM_v2.cmd" for improved update experience so no 7z.exe and 7z.dll errors on update, etc.

The new startup menu is "\boot\grubfm\startup_default.cfg".  It has no timeout set and is in English.

If you create or have your own "\boot\grubfm\startup_menu.txt" file then the default startup_default.cfg file will not be used.

The new startup menu just lists the non-empty menu folders in \_ISO\ so the user can quickly access any of the files in each folder. If you have switched in a .imgPTN file, then the 'Restore E2B Partitions.cfg' file will also be listed.

Let me know if you like it. If you prefer to have no startup menu and just see a list of all the partitions as before, then just make an empty "\boot\grubfm\startup_menu.txt" file.

Note that the F1-F6 hotkeys will still work in this menu even though the small icons are not displayed.

If you want to 'tweak' this menu, just copy the startup_default.cfg file to startup_menu.txt and then edit the startup_menu.txt file.

Do NOT edit the startup_default.cfg file or the config file because the next time you update, they will be replaced!

Excellent new Decomputo YT video series in Spanish

In the past Decomputo has provided some excellent videos on E2B. Here is his latest one on E2B v2.

He promises more to come...

Are you French, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese? Please help!

The a1ive grub2 File Manager menu system is now available in more languages, thanks to some users adding translations in Crowdin. However, we still need your help.

Please refer to the previous blog for details of how to add a translation.

ChocBox.cmd script seems to be broken!

The ChocBox.cmd script allows you to make Chocolatey offline packages for the SDI_CHOCO install process.

This allows you to install Chocolatey packages without needing an internet connection.

You could run ChocBox.cmd (after installing chocolatey) on a Win10 system and it would download and make the package files.

It seems to be a powershell SSL issue and the ChocolateStore developer does not seem to be active, so I am a bit stuck!

UPDATE: The dev has fixed ChocolateStore.exe. Please update to E2B v2.02a Beta if you want to use ChocBox.cmd.

Hack into any Windows User Account from a UEFI Secure Boot

A cheaper (i.e. free, but less convenient) alternative to Kon-Boot, is to use the well-known UtilMan.exe hack to create a new Admin account.

Easy2Boot contains two XML files which allow you to semi-automate the hack process which works even on Windows 10 systems. It will backup the hacked files for you and automate the creation of a new ADMIN account. By using a different XML file, it will also undo the hack.

This should work on UEFI32, UEFI64 and MBR\Legacy systems.

Since we can usually Secure UEFI64 Boot to the agFM menu system, this means we can even hack a Secure Boot-enabled system (as long as the Kaspersky efi shim is not blacklisted in the target systems DBx UEFI firmware list!).

All we need is a WinPE or Windows Install ISO. I use a standard Windows 10 Install ISO because it will have the latest chipset and USB drivers in it and I can use the same ISO to re-install or repair Windows if I need to.

Requirements

1. E2B+agFM USB drive
2. \_ISO\WINDOWS\WIN10\Windows10_x64.iso  (any WinPE\Win ISO should work)

Method

We first need to reboot the Windows target system and configure it so that it will restart in Safe Mode on the next boot.

This is for two reasons:

1. To ensure that Windows is not in a sleep (fast boot) or hibernate state.
2. To boot to Windows in Safe Mode which temporarily disables Windows Defender and so prevents it from un-doing the UtilMan.exe file hack.

This can be done without needing to log in to any Windows account on the target system.

Once the Windows target system is set to boot into Safe Mode on the next boot, then we just need to UEFI-boot to E2B+agFM and select the Windows\WinPE ISO and the Load UtilMan - Hack Windows XML file...

After the files have been patched under WinPE, you will then reboot to Windows and type [WinKey]+U after booting into Safe Mode and then type 2 quickly...

Besides creating a new Admin account, it also launches the Window Control Panel password app. to allow you to change any account password.

For full step-by-step instructions, see the UtilMan Hack page on the E2B website.

P.S. The way to avoid this hack is to set a BIOS password, do not allow USB booting in the BIOS options or/and use BitLocker.

How to UEFI64 Secure Boot to Kon-Boot and break into a Windows account without needing a password

The good thing about Kon-Boot is that is does not change any files on the target system disk - it is all done in memory.

However, the current  previous Kon-Boot licensing system restricted you  into making licensed bootable USB Flash drive of only 16GB or less. 

This 16GB limitation is apparently applied because some BIOSes will not successfully MBR-boot to grub4dos if the USB drive capacity is larger than 16GB. This was true on some very old systems about 20 years ago, but AFAIK, it is not required for systems that are in service today. So the limitation makes no practical sense to me, except to prevent more sales of Kon-Boot licences so that it can be installed onto larger USB drives including large Easy2Boot USB Flash drives and USB hard-disk drives! In fact, what is more important, is that they should create a second Primary partition on the USB drive because there are still systems about which require this for MBR\Legacy booting!

Note: later versions now have no 16gb restriction after I asked them to remove the restriction 😉

 

Since Kon-Boot v2.7 one purchased license allows user to install on one and only one selected USB pendrive. Meaning the newest version will be installed only on this one selected USB pendrive (newest Kon-Boot files will be generated only for this device and they will not be visible in the installation package). For usability purposes, older versions of Kon-Boot will be allowed to be installed on a separate USB pendrive.
In short the BIOS part version can be older, the UEFI kon-boot part gets updated and locked to the USB drive on installation.

Kon-Boot does not, per se, support Secure Boot...

However, we can make a E2B+agFM USB Flash drive which can Secure Boot and break into Windows without needing a user password (as long as they don't use a Domain account and have USB Booting enabled in the BIOS settings).

I have included full details of how to make a Secure Boot version of Kon-Boot on an E2B+agFM USB drive in version 1.4 of eBook #4. So just use your confirmation email link to download the new version of the PDF.

Tip: You know it has worked if it takes 1-2 minutes to boot to Windows after this message!

If it boots very quickly then it hasn't worked (check there were no error messages displayed).

If you get a red 'Guru meditation' text screen, then you are not using the correct USB drive that you originally licensed - see FAQ.

P.S. I find that using a hacked Windows system can sometimes cause security issues with some apps and browsers, etc. So whether I use Kon-Boot or the UtilMan XML hack in Easy2Boot, once I get into Windows the first thing I do is make a new Admin account and then reboot (and undo any hack if required). I then have full admin access on an unhacked (unmodified) Windows system. The new Admin account can be removed after I have finished fixing the system or retrieving files, etc.

agFM v1.38 is now available

If you boot on a Secure Boot UEFI64 system, you may sometimes get a Secure Boot error when booting certain ISOs - e.g. Parrot OS.

The way to avoid this is to use the F4 Settings menu and 'Install override security policy' just before you boot from the ISO...

The latest version of E2B's agFM now does this for you automatically when you select the (partnew/Easy2Boot) or (map) boot options.

Parrot OS can thus be given the .isodef file extension and it should secure boot without needing to use F4 - Install override security policy first.

Update agFM

To update to the current released version of agFM, run the .cmd file on the agFM partition:

DrWeb LiveDisk (with non-persistent updates!)

I have updated the blog for DrWeb here and also provided a downloadable .imgPTN23 image file which can be used by E2B and agFM for UEFI64 booting. It seems however that the updates are not persistent even using a flash drive made with their utility!

eBook #4 PDF on agFM has now been revised

Download the latest version using the URL in your confirmation email from Payhip.

As well as some typos, it has updated and added information to be consistent with the latest version of agFM.

agFM v1.37 available with Ukrainian language + updates and new agFM video uploaded

I have uploaded a new video demonstrating agFM v1.37 and the best way to add ISOs for AV, Windows Install, WinPE, Linux, etc.

1. Latest agFM build
2. Update languages - add Ukrainian uk_AU
3. Change bootup message
4. Add \agFM_version.txt file to hold agFM version number
5. Update the SAMPLE_startup_menu.txt file and add in new variables
6. Add .isowin type
7. Add sample .cfg files for DLCBoot and nbrt.
8. Fix UEFI not booting as drive 0 issue

Download from Alternate Downloads area for a1ive grub2 File Manager.

Don't know why, but the volume is fine before I upload it to YT, but then it's always too quiet when streaming from YT - it's very annoying!

agFM v1.35 with updated German, Spanish, Hebrew and Polish languages

agFM v1.35 has updates for German, Spanish, Hebrew and Polish translations.

To update, just extract the files to your FAT32 2nd partition and overwrite the existing files.

See previous blog post on how to easily modify any of the language strings.

Many thanks to the translators who have contributed so far.