Add MX Linux with persistence to agFM

If you want to UEFI64 (or legacy) boot to an MX-Linux ISO and have persistence, you can use a .grubfm file. The .grubfm file must be the same name as the ISO file and in the same folder, e.g.

• \_ISO\LINUX\MX-21.1_x64.iso
• \_ISO\LINUX\MX-21.1_x64.grubfm

1. Copy on the two files. The grubfm file can be found on Partition 2 at "\e2b\Sample agFM menu files\LINUX\MX-21.1_x64.grubfm" folder or download from here.

2. The persistence files that will be created by MX-Linux must be stored on either Partition 2 of the E2B USB drive or Partition 3. Check that you have enough room (the default files are 8GB and 10GB but you can choose a smaller size). If you do not have a Partition 3 on the E2B USB drive then you could resize the partitions using EaseUS Home Partition Master or a similar tool. 

3. Edit the .grubfm file and change the partition number to the one that you are going to use - either 2 or 3, e.g.  line 15-17, make sure set PERSIST_PTN= 2 (or 3) as the only line and comment out any other set PERSIST_PTN= line...

Ventoy for Easy2Boot v1.0.79 pre-release is now available.

The current Ventoy for Easy2Boot is version 1.0.57 and it is getting a bit long in the tooth - so I have today edited and recompiled a new version for Easy2Boot.

I have added a link to it in the latest eBook #4:

'E2B #4 - UEFI-multiboot using the a1ive grub2 File Manager_v1.24.pdf' 

which will take you to the download file for 'Easy2Boot v1.0.79'. The password is also in the eBook (search the PDF for '1.0.79' to find it).

New! IODD ST400 Disk emulator (2.5" SATA HDD enclosure)

IODD have brought out a new disk enclosure which allows you to add your own 2.5" SATA disk drive (spinning rust or SSD). The IODD allows you to select and boot from any ISO or VHD as long is it is bootable, so there should be no issues with Secure Boot failures as long as the ISO/VHD has signed boot files.

It is called the ST400 (Amazon.com #ad). It is available from Amazon.com (USA) now for about $90 and you can add a cheap 1TB 2.5" SSD for about $100 (it does not need to be fast as the USB 3 transfer rate for the ST400 device seems to max out at around 140MB/s) - or add a spinning rust Seagate Barracuda 5TB drive for about the same price instead. The IODD Mini is approx. $130 for the 256GB SSD unit.

E2B v2.15 released (bugfix for SWP01 error in v2.14)

Please Update to v2.15. There was a problem in v2.14 (the QRUN.g4b batch file was too long as limitation of only 2048 lines of code are allowed in a grub4dos batch file).

The only change is the QRUN.g4b file and the version.txt file.

agFM v1.84 released (bugfix)

Some .img and .vhd files would not boot in Legacy mode when using the 'map' option (which runs grub4dos).

For instance, if you install Medicat to a fixed-size .VHD file, you can boot to it using E2B (as .vhdhdd) or agFM (as either .vhd or .img) or Ventoy (Ventoy requires the extension to be .img) -  so use the extension _.vhdhdd.img so that it works on all three.

You can update just by running Ptn2:\e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM_v2.cmd.

Note: There is a bug in E2B v1.14 - if you get a 'Cannot find label SWP01' error then please update to v2.15aBeta.

E2B v2.14 now fully released

 v2.14 is now fully released and is on FossHub for fast download.

There were a few small changes including tweaks to QRUN.g4b and E2B_Editor.exe since the 2.14 version that I made available a few days ago on the Beta Alternate Downloads OneDrive site. You can update again to the full release version if you wish.

The E2B_Editor.exe utility now displays the X-Y co-ordinates of the cursor as well as the colour of the pixel under the cursor in the floating tooltip - as shown below. This may assist you when setting STAMP and ANIMATION co-ordinates. 

Easy2Boot v2.14 available

E2B v2.14 DPMS is now available here. I will put it on FossHub in a few days but I thought I would make it available to blog subscribers here first.

E2B v2.14 is now fully released.

Here are the changes (please feed back any issues if you find any ASAP):

More tips to save on gas/oil/electricity energy bills

If your house has a hot water tank (not a combi-boiler/direct water heater) then a simple tip is to just set the timer so that the hot water will come on for only an hour or so in the morning and then switch off for the rest of the day.

The water in a well-insulated tank will stay quite hot for the rest of the day and should still be warm enough in the evening to do any washing up, face washing, etc. if required (especially in the summer).

Obviously, if you use too much hot water during the day then it will go cold, but you can adjust the timer accordingly. The idea is to not use energy to keep the tank of water hot when you really don't need it to be hot. It is a shame that we cannot have two temperature settings for the hot water because we really only need very hot water when we have a bath\shower and need more than one tank-full of hot water.

Also, if you do not use a lot of hot water in the morning for a shower or bath, then instead of adjusting the temperature by mixing in some cold water, just turn down the hot water thermostat to reduce the temperature of the water in the hot tank. Try reducing the hot water temperature by 2 deg C each week until you find the lowest temperature that suits your usage and preferences.

In Summer we don't really need really hot water from the sink taps anyway and it seems silly to heat a whole tank of water up for the whole day. The rooms near the hot water tank will be cooler too if it is not on all day.

Most domestic appliances are cold-fill only (because most houses have directly heated hot water and it is considered 'more efficient'), however if you have a tank full of hot\warm water available during the day, it is more efficient to use a hot+cold-fill washing machine or dish washer and make good use of that warm water instead of just letting it cool down slowly during the day.

In the winter, you may need to adjust the timer and thermostat settings again.

Free newspapers and magazines for 3 months!

Why not cancel your daily newspaper and magazine subscriptions, save money and also help to save trees at the same time?

Sign up before the end of this month and Readly will give you 3 months for free. After that they will charge you the reduced rate of £8.99 a month for the next 12 months (£9.99 thereafter). You can cancel any time (even in month #3 of the free trial period).

agFM v1.83 released

 The new version has a few changes

v1.83 2022-07-21

• Add \e2b\update agFM\GetLatestVentoyPluginFiles.cmd.
• Improve download speeds. Fix problem of .imgPTN switch-in operation sometimes detecting difference in MBR and offering to restore instead of switching in new imgptn.

GetLatestVentoyPluginFiles.cmd – this downloads the latest plugins required by Ventoy for some functions (Windows vhd plugin, Windows wim plugin, Linux persistence .dat files in a .zip file, bootable ISO to remove Ventoy Secure Boot whitelist key from UEFI BIOS NVRAM).

The files are copied to the \ventoy folder on Partition 1 of the E2B USB drive.

To update your E2B drive, run Make_E2B.exe and click the Update E2B button or run "\e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM_v2.cmd".

Note: E2B v2.14 will be also available soon and then I hope to produce a new 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' version.