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.