Adding WinBuilder PE and WinFE ISOs to Easy2Boot

WinFE ISO

Today I made a WinFE ISO based on a Win7PESE WinBuilder Project. To make the ISO, I followed the instructions on the Hacking Exposed website here.

Because I wanted to add lots of WinBuilder Win7SEPE ISOs to my E2B USB drive, I added the ISO file to my Easy2Boot NTFS Flash drive using this .mnu file.

title WinFE \n Note: Mount the E2B boot drive to use all applications
/%grub%/qrun.g4b force.iso01 /Win7PE_x86.iso
boot

The WinBuilder ISO file must NOT be renamed and must be copied the root of the E2B drive so that the MountPEmedia.exe utility will find it and mount it as drive Y:. The name and path of the ISO file is pre-defined in the \Windows\System32\MountPEmedia.ini. This is written by WinBuilder when the ISO is created (the .ini file is inside the \sources\boot.wim file image).

It is important to ensure there is no \Win7PESE.ini file or \CdUSB.y file (which you may have extracted from a WinBuilder ISO previously) in the root of any drive as this could 'confuse' the MountPEmedia utility.

When the WinFE Write Protect Tool automatically launches after WinFE boots, you need to select the E2B USB drive and click the Mount button, otherwise the Y: drive (the mounted ISO file) will be inaccessible and you won't be able to run many of the utilities from the Desktop.

Other ways of adding WinBuilder PE ISOs and other PE ISOs to E2B can be found in the E2B Tutorial here.

Some folders/filenames are not displayed correctly on FAT32 volumes under grub4dos

This seems to be a 'feature' of grub4dos from at least 2009 onwards (and probably from the year dot!).
You may have noticed that grub4dos does not always list all file names and folder names in the correct case.

e.g. under Windows or linux, we can list these files on a FAT32 volume:

AA
bb
Cc
CCC.txt
ddd.TXT
ANTIVIRUS
ANTIVIRU

but the same files are listed by grub4dos in the console as:

aa
bb
Cc
ccc.txt
ddd.txt
ANTIVIRUS
antiviru

I have reported the bug to chenall and suggested a fix which I have tested and it seems to work.

Adding RedHat Install ISOs to Easy2Boot

[Edit] To install RedHat from an ISO, it is easier to just convert the ISO file to a .imgPTN file using the MPI_FAT32 Desktop shortcut. The notes below are now outdated...[/Edit]

I tried to add the RedHat ISO rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd.iso today to my Easy2Boot NTFS USB drive, so that I could install RedHat to the 2nd partition of my notebook, but found that the RedHat installer failed to find any source 'packages'. The ISO was mounted on /dev/sdb4 as a CDFS filesystem by E2B, but it couldn't access it for some reason! This was odd, as it must have used it to boot in protected mode, but once booted to linux, the installer does not seem to find it (not even on /dev/sdb4).
The next thing I tried was to specify the source of the packages as a HDD and point it to /dev/sdb1  (the USB drive) and the /_ISO/MAINMENU folder. This worked, but only if the Easy2Boot USB drive was formatted as a FAT32 volume! It seems the RedHat installer environment cannot read NTFS volumes.
The next problem I hit was that the installer wanted to install RedHat linux to my hard disk (which I wanted) but only gave me the option of installing the grub bootloader to the /dev/sdb MBR (i.e. the E2B USB drive) or, using advanced options, it would install grub to the partition sectors of /dev/sda2  (the partition I was installing RedHat to). I wanted to install grub to the MBR of my hard disk (/dev/sda) but this choice was not offered! It seems I needed to swap over the USB boot disk with the internal hard disk.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, here is how to add RedHat to E2B:

1. Ensure that you E2B drive is formatted as FAT32
2. Copy the rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd.iso file to the \_ISO\MAINMENU\MNU folder
3. Make a new rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd.mnu text file in the \_ISO\MAINMENU\MNU folder with the following contents:
title REDHAT Installer ISO \n When prompted, specify Hard Disk, /dev/sdb1\n and $HOME$ for the path
set ISO=rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd.iso
/%grub%/qrun.g4b force.iso01 $HOME$/%ISO%
boot
4. Boot from the E2B USB drive on the target system and run RedHat from the menu entry
5. When prompted for a Package source, choose Hard Drive option and then use:
/dev/sdb1                                       - the E2B USB drive
/_ISO/MAINMENU/MNU                  - the path to the ISO file

Using an NTFS E2B USB drive

OK, but what if my E2B drive is formatted as NTFS? Well, I haven't found a nice way round this. There is no point extracting the files from the ISO if RedHat cannot read the E2B NTFS volume!
One solution is that you make a 2nd FAT32 partition on your E2B USB drive and copy the rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd.iso file to a new\_ISO\MAINMENU\MNU folder on that partition.

Then you can then modify the .mnu file like this:
/%grub%/qrun.g4b force.iso01 (hd0,1)$HOME$/%ISO%
and point the installer at /dev/sdb2 which will be the USB drive's 2nd FAT32 volume, instead of /dev/sdb1. This worked for me :-)

# FOR NTFS E2B USB DRIVE - e.g.
# PTN0 = NTFS    /_ISO/MAINMENU/MNU  contains .mnu file
# PTN1 = FAT32  /_ISO/MAINMENU/MNU  contains the iso file

Another way to get round the problem is to make a hard disk image of a FAT32 partition which contains the ISO file and then map that FAT32 volume to a partition on the E2B USB drive - the .mnu file for this is shown below (it requires a spare USB flash drive just to make the image file):

# This can be used if your E2B drive is NTFS (or FAT32)
# Format a spare USB Flash/HDD as FAT32, 1 partition, SIZE=(size of Redhat ISO) + 100MB (e.g. if ISO is 3149MB, format USB flash drive as 3250) - Use RMPrepUSB for this.
# Copy redhat ISO onto the root of the FAT32 USB drive
# Use RMPrepUSB - Drive->File, Filename=REDHATPTN.IMG, start=P1, size=P1, filestart=0 to make an image of the USB drive partition
# Copy REDHATPTN.IMG and this .mnu file to \_ISO\MAINMENU\MNU folder (or any \_ISO\xxxxxx\MNU folder) on E2B NTFS drive
# change rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd to match your ISO filename
# See http://rmprepusb.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/adding-redhat-install-isos-to-easy2boot.html for more info

title REDHAT FOR NTFS\n To install, choose Hard Drive, sdb4 and /
set IMG=REDHATPTN.IMG
set ISO=/rhel-server-5.7-i386-dvd.iso
if "%E2BDEV%"=="" set E2BDEV=hd0 && pause E2BDEV forced to hd0!
if exist CD echo WARNING: Cannot use partnew command! && pause && configfile (bd)/menu.lst
debug on
parttype (%E2BDEV%,3) | set check=
debug off
set check=%check:~-5,4%
if "%check%"=="0x00" partnew (%E2BDEV%,3) 0 0 0
if not "%check%"=="0x00" echo WARNING: PARTITION TABLE 4 IS ALREADY IN USE! (%E2BDEV%,3)=%check% && pause && configfile (bd)/menu.lst
debug 1
if "%check%"=="0x00" partnew (%E2BDEV%,3) 0x0 $HOME$/%IMG% || pause ERROR: $HOME$/%IMG% NOT CONTIGUOUS? && configfile (bd)/menu.lst
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map --hook
# set root as new FAT32 partition on E2B drive
root (hd1,3)
map %ISO% (0xff)
map --hook
root (0xff)
chainloader (0xff)
# replace FAT32 partition number C or B with 0 as linux doesn't need it (E2B USB drive is hd1 now)
cat --locate=\x0c --number=1 --length=1 --skip=0x1f2 --replace=\x00 (hd1)+1
cat --locate=\x0b --number=1 --length=1 --skip=0x1f2 --replace=\x00 (hd1)+1

I have added Tutorial #120 which includes these details.

This will only work if the ISO file is <4GB in size however. You could format the spare USB Flash drive as ext2/3 instead of FAT32, but the last two lines of the mnu file would need to be changed to match the ext2/3 partition type number and the ISO file would need to be made contiguous.

Any other suggestions are welcome...

Add Tablet PC and Media Centre Edition (XP) installs to Easy2Boot

If you want to install Windows XP  Tablet PC or Media Centre Edition using Easy2Boot, you will find there is a slight problem. These versions of Windows XP Professional require an additional CD which contains the extra software components requested during the GUI mode install stage. This means that half-way through the GUI install stage, you will be asked to insert CD #2 (which is difficult when you have booted from a single ISO!).

The two CDs used to install Tablet PC 2005 are (MCE is similar):
CD #1 : Windows XP Professional SP2 (this is identical to the standard SP2 ISO)
CD #2:  Windows XP Tablet PC Edition  CD2 (contains a \CMPNENTS folder)

It is important to note that the Product Key that you enter when prompted during the install, determines whether Windows XP Pro, Tablet PC 2005 or Media Center is installed. Therefore, to install Tablet PC, you need to enter a valid Tablet PC Product Key (usually found on the Certificate of Authenticity label on the reverse of the Tablet PC).

What we need to do is combine the two CDs. To do this you need an ISO editing tool such as Daemon Tools (though other utilities such as Magic ISO, UltraISO or WinISO may also work). Whatever ISO editing tool you pick, it is important that the ISO retains it's boot code after editing it and also, if you are using a modified/edited ISO containing filenames that are longer than the standard 8.3 filename length, that it does not convert these filenames to 8.3 when you save the new ISO file.

Using Daemon Tools Pro, to combine the two ISOs is quite simple:
1. Extract the \CMPNENTS folder from the CD #2 and copy whole folder to a temporary folder on your hard disk.
2. Load the CD #1 (XP Pro SP2) ISO in the Daemon Tools Pro Editor
3. Drag and drop the \CMPNENTS folder to the root (i.e. at the same level as the i386 folder)
4. Save the ISO with a new name (e.g. XP_TABLET_PC_1_2.iso)

Now simply copy the new ISO file to the \_ISO\WINDOWS\XP folder of your Easy2Boot USB drive (and make sure it is contiguous using RMPrepUSB - Ctrl+F2 or WinContig, as usual).
Now just install it as you would a normal XP ISO (use the DPMS version of E2B if installing to a SATA hard disk) - just remember to use a Tablet PC Product Key or else you will end up with Windows XP Professional instead of Tablet PC 2005! Also, note that because the ISO is now larger, you will need more memory in the system than if you were installing from two real CDs.

Tip: If you have BSOD or reboot/crash problems using the E2B Step 2 (512MB+) option, try the Step 2 (Low RAM) option instead.

P.S. I found that I had to install under VirtualBox with Virtual Technology CPU enhancements OFF for both the first (textmode) and second (GUI mode) install stages, otherwise it crashed!

Service Pack 3
You may be aware that there is no SP3 version of Tablet PC or MCE; you will have to run the SP3 update after installing the SP2 version. However, there are instructions here on how to prepare an SP3 Tablet PC ISO (actually an SP2 ISO which auto-updates to SP3). I suggest you use nLite to make this new ISO if you run into trouble with 8.3 filename conversion (check the \$OEM$\$$\Microsoft.NET folder name looks correct and is not 'MICROSOF' before saving the ISO file!).

Don't forget to delete the original \i386\SVCPACK.IN_ file and add (or edit) a new \i386\SVCPACK.INF file. I used this for the new SVCPACK.INF file:

;Windows XP
[Version] 
Signature="$Windows NT$"
MajorVersion=5
MinorVersion=1
BuildNumber=2600

[SetupData]
CatalogSubDir="\i386\SVCPACK"

[ProductCatalogsToInstall]

[SetupHotfixesToRun]
NETFX.CMD
ULTIMATE.BAT

Tip: If you are installing a Tablet PC from a Volume Licence version of XP Pro SP2 32-bit, you will need to enter the correct VL Tablet PC key for your establishment. I found one beginning with KT3Q2 got me past the install stage (though it may not be valid to use or activate correctly).

Build your own Porteus ISO and run it with persistence using Easy2Booot

Porteus is a linux distro that is quick to boot and you can be running a browser within 30 seconds from selecting the menu entry in the E2B menu. Porteus is a complete linux operating system that is optimized to run from a USB flash drive. It's small (under 300MB) and fast which allows you to start up and get online while most other operating systems are left spitting dust.

You can also configure and build your own ISO online in just a few seconds too!

To download the ISO of your choice, click on the Download button on the top of the page at www.porteus.org. This will take you to a page that walks you through selecting and downloading your ISO. Users with 64-bit hardware can use either version, but users with 32-bit hardware can only use the 32-bit (i486) version so I suggest you stick with the 32-bit version.

You can make a Desktop Edition or a Kiosk Edition. The Kiosk Edition has been restricted to only allow public users access the web browser. It is ideal to boot to if you just want to quickly boot to a browser from another system. Furthermore, the browser has been locked down to prevent users from tampering with system settings. The kiosk edition will run on both 32-bit (i486 or greater) and 64-bit (x86_64) systems and is extremely lightweight in terms of size and used resources. Default kiosk image size is under 50 MB while your custom kiosk ISO size will depend on your choice of adding extra components like flash, java, additional fonts, end even what home page you want, etc. When the kiosk boots it automatically opens firefox to the home page. When firefox is restarted all caches are cleared and browser reopens automatically with a clean session. By adding Flash and Java, I could play YouTube videos with sound on my Asus EeePC with no problem.

For your first ISO, I suggest you start with the Desktop 32-bit - GUI - KDE4 version. Just select your options from build.porteus.org, choose a browser (choice of Firefox, Chrome or Opera), a Word Processor (AbiWord or LibreOffice), Skype and Development tools (binutils, gcc, make, etc.), video card drivers (nVidia, Radeon, Linux OpenSource) and Printer Support (as desired) and click on the large BUILD button. Within a few seconds your ISO will be ready to download and copy to your E2B drive!

The Kiosk version is worth checking out also, just to see what configuration options you have in the Kiosk build wizard!

MBR-boot Porteus with persistence on E2B from ISO

To run Porteus from Easy2Boot with persistence, use the correct Porteus-xxx-persistent.mnu file or Porteus_generic_persistence.mnu  (in the \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu files folder of E2B). Instructions are inside the .mnu file.

1. Add generic .mnu file to \_ISO\LINUX\MNU folder

2. Add ISO to \_ISO\LINUX\MNU folder

3. Create \porteus persistence file on USB drive (see .mnu file for instructions)

4. Run \Make_this_file_contiguous.cmd

See also here for more details or you can follow the instructions in Tutorial 73.

UEFI-booting with persistence

Using agFM (legacy and UEFI64)

Create a .cfg file using the text below.

Then follow the instructions on the commented lines. The same /porteus  persistence file can be used for both E2B and agFM if you wish.

# agFM .cfg file for Porteus 4 x64 iso boot with persistence

# For UEFI and legacy

# Place this .cfg file in \_ISO\LINUX folder, place ISO file in \_ISO\LINUX\MNU folder

# Use Make_Ext.exe to create persistence file \porteus  with volume name of porteus in root of USB drive

# make all files contiguous

# NO SPACES in filenames or paths

# If you get a 'spawning too fast' error, just reboot. It is a known issue (maybe to do with NTFS filesystem and dirty shutdown?)

# Only show menu if 64-bit CPU:

if [ "$CPU" = "64" ] ; then

menuentry "Porteus 4 64-bit with persistence" --unrestricted --class ubuntu {

# WARNING: partnew will write a new partition entry

   set "grubfm_per=(${grubfm_device})/porteus"

   

   set "grubfm_path=/_ISO/LINUX/MNU/Porteus-CINNAMON-v4.0-x86_64.iso"

   

    set "grubfm_file=(${grubfm_device})${grubfm_path}"

if [ ! -e "${grubfm_per}" ] ; then 

echo ERROR ${grubfm_per} does not exist on (${grubfm_device}) ; read ; fi

if [ ! -e "${grubfm_file}" ] ; then 

echo ERROR ${grubfm_file} does not exist on (${grubfm_device}) ; read ; fi

if [ ! -e "(${grubfm_device})${grubfm_path}" ] ; then 

echo ERROR (${grubfm_device})${grubfm_path} does not exist on (${grubfm_device}) ; read ; fi

# check files are contiguous

set x=0

set NC=0

stat -c -q -s x "${grubfm_per}"

if [ ! "${x}" = "1" ] ; then 

echo ERROR: ${grubfm_per} is not contiguous or does not exist!

sleep 5

set NC=2

fi

   if test -d (${grubfm_disk},4) ; then echo ERROR: Partition 4 in use ; sleep 5 ; set NC=5; fi

if [ "${NC}" = "0" ] ; then 

   if ! test -d (${grubfm_disk},4) ; then partnew --type=0x00 --file="${grubfm_per}"  (${grubfm_disk}) 4 ; fi

   loopback loop "${grubfm_file}"

   set root=(loop)

   set gfxpayload=keep

   linux /boot/syslinux/vmlinuz from=${grubfm_path}  changes=LABEL:porteus/

   initrd /boot/syslinux/initrd.xz

   boot

fi

}

fi

menuentry "Back" {

grubfm "${grubfm_current_path}"

}

Using .imgPTN

Porteus uses rEFInd for UEFI-booting. I used Porteus-XFCE-v3.2rc5-x86_64.iso.

1. Convert the ISO file to a FAT32 .imgPTN file. Increase the suggested size to allow for a persistence file (e.g.  add 300 MB extra).

2. Switch to the .imgPTN file

3. Edit the \EFI\BOOT\refind.conf file as below:

menuentry "Porteus GUI mode" {
volume KERNELS
icon EFI/BOOT/icons/os_porteus.png
loader boot/syslinux/vmlinuz
initrd boot/syslinux/initrd.xz
options ""
submenuentry "Save changes" {
add_options "changes=/porteus/porteussave.dat"


4. Edit the \boot\syslinux\porteus.cfg file as below for MBR booting:

LABEL GRAPHICAL
MENU LABEL Graphics mode
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz changes=/porteus/porteussave.dat
TEXT HELP
    Run Porteus the best way we can.
    Try to autoconfigure graphics
    card and use the maximum
    allowed resolution
ENDTEXT

5. Boot to Porteus and use the Systems - Porteus Save File Manager   (password=toor) to create a \porteus\porteussave.dat file on the E2B USB drive. Set the size so that it uses all the free space available.

You may get some error messages on first boot but these can be ignored.

Tip: Use CTRL-S to pause the boot messages and CTRL-Q to resume, so you can see if the persistence file was accepted as valid or not.

Login using  root (pwd-toor) and type startx to start the Desktop GUI if any problems.

Now you should be able to UEFI (press F2 in rEFInd menu and choose 'Save changes' menu entry - see below) or MBR boot with persistence.

Porteus 3.2

The latest builds of Porteus come as straight ISO files (the Porteus Build Wizard has been discontinued).

If you make a FAT32 .imgPTN file from the ISO (I used Porteus-MATE-v3.2.2-x86_64.iso), then you can also download any of the .xzm modules (e.g. palemoon-27.2.1-x86_64-1.xzm) and copy them into the \porteus\modules empty folder which is already present.

When you next boot to Porteus from the .imgPTN file, the modules will be automatically added (e.g. Applications - Internet - PaleMoon).

Tip: Create the persistence file as detailed above only after you have added all the modules that you want. If you add modules afterwards, it may prevent Porteus from running startx and booting to the Desktop GUI.

Note: To boot with persistence via UEFI - press Insert or F2 in the rEFInd menu and choose the 'Save changes' boot option.

Thanks to Ed.P for the info about adding modules.

Major bug in WinMerge 2.14.0?

If you are using WinMerge 2.14.0 I recommend you use the older 2011 version instead (change the .7z file extension to .exe to install it).

If I compare two folders in WinMerge 2.14.0 and then sort on the  'Comparison result' column, it does not sort the column correctly. This means that some files which are 'Left only' are not sorted to the top or bottom and so if you have a lot of files, you will miss the 'Left only' files as they appear further down the listing and are mixed in with 'Right only' entries! This is a serious bug and so I recommend you to use the 2011 version instead.

P.S. I had this issue on two different Win7 64-bit systems. It seems to depend on which folder you have on the Left and which one is on the Right. If I simply swap over the two folders, then it works correctly (i.e. Left=folderX v. Right=folderY = WORKS OK, Left=folderY v. Right=folderX = DOES NOT SORT CORRECTLY!

BIOS type and 64-bit CPU detection features for Easy2Boot

The next version (available soon! v1.28 now available!) will have a BIOS string-detection feature.

You will be able to detect which system E2B is running on and boot the correct ISO file for it.

Suppose you had some EeePC laptops and some Samsung laptops and you want to run a different  .isoPE file for each one (or different linux ISO or Windows Install ISO). Now you can do this using this type of menu:

# Example menu. Look for a BIOS string and then pick correct ISO file
# force.isope01 forces it to run as a .isope01 even if the file is an ISO file
# strings are not case-sensitive - ISO files must be in same folder as this .mnu file
# 0x7ff+0x01 searches 512 bytes at end of BIOS ROM
# 0x680+0x180 searches all of BIOS from 0xD000:0 to 0xFFFF:F (and so will be slower)
# remove > nul text if you want to see the strings that it has found


title Run Win PE ISO \n Auto-detect based on BIOS
set ISO=
call /%grub%/SearchBS.g4b 0x700+0x100 "eeepc" > nul
if "%GOTSTR%"=="1" set ISO=AsusEeePC.iso
if not exist GOTSTR call /%grub%/SearchBS.g4b 0x680+0x180 "samsung" > nul
if "%GOTSTR%"=="1" set ISO=Samsung.iso
if "%ISO%"=="" echo WARNING: BIOS NOT IDENTIFIED!" && pause && configfile /menu.lst
if not "%ISO%"=="" echo BIOS IDENTIFIED - WILL BOOT %ISO% && pause
/%grub%/qrun.g4b force.isope01 $HOME$/%ISO%
boot

All you need to do is specify the BIOS string and the ISO you want to run.
Depending on your ISO, this may work with Windows Install ISOs too (depending on if they require a Product Key in the AutoUnattend.xml file or not!).
0x600+0x40 is a good base address and range to test for Video BIOS ROM strings (C000:0-C800:0).

Note that the line:
/%grub%/qrun.g4b force.isope01 $HOME$/%ISO%
forces the file to run as an .isope01 file, even if the file has a different extension. You can change this as you wish (e.g. use force.iso to make it boot as a plain ISO file or just omit the force.isope01 text completely to run it with whatever file extension you have used in the ISO= variable line).

If you have different Windows 8 ISOs that you want to install depending on which system that you boot the E2B USB drive from, then use a menu like this:

title Install Windows 8 \n Auto-detects based on BIOS type
set ISO=
call /%grub%/SearchBS.g4b 0x700+0x100 "eeepc" > nul
if "%GOTSTR%"=="1" set ISO=AsusEeePCWin8.iso
if not exist GOTSTR call /%grub%/SearchBS.g4b 0x680+0x180 "samsung" > nul
if "%GOTSTR%"=="1" set ISO=SamsungWin8.iso
if "%ISO%"=="" echo WARNING: SYSTEM NOT IDENTIFIED! && pause && configfile /menu.lst
if not "%ISO%"=="" pause --wait=3 SYSTEM IDENTIFIED - WILL BOOT %ISO%
set MFOLDER=/_ISO/WINDOWS/Win8
/%grub%/%LANG%/RunWin8.g4b  Win8
boot

In this case the .ISO files need to be in the \_ISO\WINDOWS\Win8 folder.

Reducing the search area will improve the speed of the string search.

P.S. To experiment in finding strings and reducing the search area, run E2B and get to the grub4dos command console (press p then enter the password 'easy2boot' then press c). Now you can run the grub4dos batch file from the command console, e.g.:

/%grub%/SearchBS.g4b 0x680+0x180 "Inspiron"

This will display any matching strings it finds for 'Inspiron' and their location. If 'Inspiron 530' is displayed, you can try specifying that as the search string. As the exact location of the BIOS string may vary from BIOS version  to BIOS version, it is best to search an area of xxxx+0x80 - don't just use xxxx+0x1 or it may not work on a slightly different BIOS version even if it is the the same system type and mainboard.

Please let me know if you think this might be useful for you and how you might like to use it. For instance, if some of your systems require a different parameter when booting linux but other systems crash when the same parameter is used, you can use this feature to identify which system you have booted from.

CPU 64-bit detection

You can also do a similar thing to detect 64-bit CPUs. Thus you could have an 'Install Windows 8' menu item and it would install Win8 64-bit on 64-bit systems and 32-bit Win8 on 32-bit systems. See Tutorial 72a for more details.

To boot an ordinary payload (ISO, IMA, IMG) file, use the following .mnu file (see 64Bit_Auto_Detect_ISO.mnu)

# Change the 1st, 2nd and 3rd line as required - line 4 may be deleted if no pause required

title Run a 32-bit or 64-bit linux ISO \n Auto-Detect system type and run correct ISO

set ISO=Ubuntu32.iso

checkrange 2,3 is64bit && set ISO=Ubuntu64.iso

pause WILL BOOT %ISO% - Press ENTER key to continue...

/%grub%/qrun.g4b $HOME$/%ISO%

boot

P.S. It would also be possible to change the linux vga parameters for linux livecd ISO booting, based on what vga modes the system supported by the BIOS when E2B was booted. Let me know if you would be interested in this (and give me an example grub4dos menu).

Com! Magazin Readers (ISOs vom Stick booten)

Welcome, Com! magazine readers. This is just to tell you that the latest version of Easy2Boot is v1.28. The magazine used v1.17 which is now old.

Please obtain the latest version from here. If you want to install XP from an XP Install ISO, download "E2B + Windows XP Mass Storage Drivers [30MB]" - this includes XP 32-bit Mass storage drivers.

Herzlich willkommen, Com! magazin Leser. Dies ist nur zu sagen, dass die neueste Version der Easy2Boot ist v1.28. Das Magazin verwendet v1.17, die jetzt alt ist. 

Erhalten Sie die neueste Version von hier. Wenn Sie von einem XP XP installieren Installieren ISO wollen, laden Sie "E2B + Windows XP Massenspeichertreiber [30 MB]" - dazu gehören XP 32-Bit-Treiber für Massenspeicher.

Easy2Boot in Com! Magazine

If you subscribe to Com! Magazin (a German computer magazine), look out for an article on Easy2Boot in the 03/2014 issue on Friday 7th February!

http://www.com-magazin.de/news/com-magazin/neue-com-3-2014-da-237003.html

Easy2Boot v1.27

Note: I just re-tried v1.26 and it is working now! Seems this was a false alarm??? v1.26 and v1.27 should be the same and no need to update to 1.27!

v1.26 seems to have a problem with Win8 Install ISOs if a Helper USB drive is used together with a USB HDD - please update to E2B v 1.27 or later!!!

The problem seems to be in the \_ISO\e2b\grub\ENG\RunWin8.g4b batch file, but as far as I can tell it has hardly changed for at least 3 previous versions, so I am not quite sure what the problem was. When I added a few lines to debug it, it just started working again!

v. 1.27 seems to work though, so please update to this new version ASAP.

Sorry for the inconvenience, I am still trying to figure out why it stopped working....