Steve's blog about RMPrepUSB, Easy2Boot and USB booting and sometimes other stuff too! Don't forget to Subscribe! PDF eBooks here
Visit www.rmprepusb.com for over 140 Tutorials on USB booting or www.easy2boot.xyz for a unique USB multiboot solution.
Saturday 26 November 2022
Quickly improve the Windows Explorer right-click context menu
Wednesday 23 November 2022
How to run DOS utilities directly from an Easy2Boot USB drive
Sunday 20 November 2022
Black Friday website host deals
Thursday 17 November 2022
VentoyPlugson 1.0.82 for E2B now available
- Ventoy2Disk.exe: Add exFAT/NTFS/FAT32 options in Option-->Partition Configuration for Ventoy installation.
- Ventoy2Disk.exe: Display Ventoy partition file system in selected disk
- Ventoy2Disk.exe: Fix the issue that string "Status x%" is missing for translations (#1667)
- Update Shim/Mokmanager efi file from Fedora 37.
- Add VTOY_SHOW_PASSWORD_ASTERISK option in global control plugon. (#1931)
- VentoyPlugson: Fix the issue that secondary boot menu option mismatch between web page and json file.
- Fix the issue that Linux WEB/GUI version does not restore MBR when updating. (#1935)
- Change Ventoy LiveCD GUI default language to English (#1938)
- Fix the issue that help line disappears when auto-going to a Fn submenu. (#1939)
- Fix an issue that CGI backup tool can not open after boot WePE.
- Optimization for Windows unattended install process.
- Fix the disk display error when pCloud virtual disk is installed in Windows OS.
- languages.json update
Saturday 12 November 2022
Test AMD Radeon GPU RAM memory using Linux Scripts
First watch the Learn Electronics Repair YT videos (and subscribe :-):
Using Linux to diagnose a fault:
How to run the test scripts:
Adding the test to any E2B USB drive
1. Download and add the ArchLinux ISO and copy to \_ISO\LINUX folder and make the file contiguous.
2. Download the two scripts, unpack and copy to a \scripts folder on your E2B USB drive.
3. Boot to the ISO and follow the instructions in the video (see screenshot below):
Type the correct command as explained in the video
I used these commands to get to the scripts folder:
fdisk -l
mkdir /ss
mount /dev/sda1 /ss
/ss/scripts
dmgg - test Polaris and Navi AMD GPU (RX400/RX500/RX5000)
memtest - generic test
This can also be done using Ventoy, but you should use the VTOY_LINUX_REMOUNT option in the global control section of the ventoy.json user config file so that the volume is accessible once booted to Linux.
See Also - other video card tests
See also MATS/MODS test article here and Kings OverKill article here.
Saturday 5 November 2022
Add your own animated gif to E2B
You can make your own animation like the shuffle dancer shown in the screenshot above (download here) in just a few minutes. The hardest part is finding an animated GIF in the first place like this one.
Friday 4 November 2022
E2B Theme (Rosalind Franklin + DNA animation)
E2B menu plus DNA gif with transparent background |
- 1024x768
- Rosalind Franklin wallpaper
- Animated rotating DNA model
Thursday 3 November 2022
agFM v1.98 released
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agFM default theme with menu heading text + boot mode |
To update to the newest version, run:
Monday 31 October 2022
VentoyPlugson.exe v1.0.81 for E2B drives now available
Sunday 30 October 2022
E2B and agFM updates
- E2B latest version is now v2.18 2022-10-28
- agFM latest version is now agFM v1.97 2022-10-29
- 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' is still at 1.0.79d 20220-09-13
E2B recent changes:
Saturday 29 October 2022
How to quickly identify what's in your old PC or Notebook (DOS SysInfo tools)
Thursday 27 October 2022
Boot pmagic_2022_09_04.iso from E2B\agFM\Ventoy with persistence
It is possible to boot Partition Magic 2022 from an ISO file and use the LIVE SAVE (persistence) feature which allows you to create a persistence file which is saved on exit and automatically loaded on boot.
My personalized purple Pmagic with persistence. |
Wednesday 26 October 2022
Add Gandalf’s Windows 10PE x64 Redstone 7 Spring 2022 Edition to E2B
GandalfsWin10PEx64RS7-20H1_.isomap64.agfmisomap64.ISO
Sunday 23 October 2022
Add PhilsComputerLab's DOSBENCHMARK test utilities to your E2B or Ventoy USB drive (and run Quake and Doom!)
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Speedsys 4.78 run on Lenovo IdeaPad300 notebook |
Monday 17 October 2022
Boot or Install ReactOS Live from E2B
If you want to try ReactOS (which is at Alpha status - so still very buggy!) you can download a .imgPTN23 file here which should boot to the LiveCD ISO.
ReactOS itself does not fully support USB 2/3 AFAIK, so you may need to attach a PS/2 keyboard and mouse if using a real system.
Friday 14 October 2022
E2B v2.16 released
- New - Support new .wimboot file extension (can use xxxxx_.wimboot.wim to make E2B boot using iPXE wimboot method instead of NTBOOT and bootmgr\BCD).
- New - skip the prompt ‘Press ENTER to not use WIMBOOT’ if characters ‘WIMBOOT’ are in Windows Install ISO filename.
- New - Ctrl+F7 hotkey to switch display to text mode. Use Ctrl+F8 to reload menu in default mode.
- New - Alt+F7 hotkey to switch display to 1024×768 mode. Use Ctrl+F8 to reload menu in default mode.
- New - \_ISO\WINDOWS\SVR2022 folder added for Server 2022 ISOs/IMPTN files.
- New - Add support for Ventoy Linux VHD/VDI .vtoy files. \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu Files\Linux Mint VHD_VDI (ventoy).mnu, \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu Files\Linux\ventoy_grub.cfg added.
- New - Check USB drive is not a GPT drive added.
- New - Can use set QMENU=1 in MyE2B.cfg for faster loading of E2B menus (but no ISO volume info in descriptions and no ‘not contiguous’ warnings given). Improve menu loading time if many files in menu folder.
- New - Add “\_ISO\docs\Make_E2B_USB_Drive\Download and update E2B.cmd” – this script will download the latest currently released version of E2B (or latest Beta if available) and then update the E2B version on the USB drive, then proceed to download and update agFM and Ventoy for Easy2Boot and Ventoy Plugins.
- Bugfix - SWITCH_E2B.exe fix not switching if partition 4 has start/size parameters but is Type 0.
- E2B Menu F1 ENGlish help text updated, hotkey grub4dos utility updated, \grldr grub4dos version updated.
Tuesday 11 October 2022
Three new ways to make or save money (but be quick!)
Here are some ideas to get approx. £40 in less than an hour (no risk) and save up to 30% on Christmas gifts or purchases and save £££s on your weekly supermarket shopping bills for ever!
Monday 10 October 2022
E2B v2.16j available with E2B update script
v2.16j - Add "\_ISO\docs\Make_E2B_USB_Drive\Download and update E2B.cmd" - this script will download the latest currently released version of E2B (or latest Beta if available) and then update the E2B version on the USB drive, then proceed to download and update agFM and Ventoy for Easy2Boot and Ventoy Plugins.
If an E2B Beta is available you can download and install that version, otherwise it will download the currently released version.
You can download any E2B version and drag-and-drop the .zip file onto the Download and update E2B.cmd script and it will use that file instead of downloading one.
The script will then go on to download and install the latest current release of agFM and Ventoy for Easy2Boot (you will be asked if you want to update first).
Note: If you abort the script during operation, it may leave some temporary files on your Windows system. You can delete them by simply running the script again and answer No at the first question.
Thursday 6 October 2022
Easy2Boot v2.16h Beta available
I have made a slight improvement to speed up the enumeration/loading time of an E2B menu folder.
In addition, if you add
into your \_ISO\MyE2B.cfg file it will also speed up the menu load time (but the ISO volume name and the contiguous file status will not be checked or displayed).
The E2B grub4dos+grub4efi Beta version has also been updated if you want to experiment and UEFI-boot to a UEFI E2B menu system.
I am thinking of releasing E2B 2.16 soon so please let me know if you spot any issues.
Beta downloads are in the Alternate Download Areas as usual - Latest Betas folder.
Tuesday 4 October 2022
New Linux VHD\VDI video
You can also boot to the .VTOY file using your own grub2/grub4dos/rEFInd menu system - see the vdiskchain github project for details.
Beaware of this VentoyPlugson issue!
Wednesday 28 September 2022
Testing a Ventoy USB drive using VirtualBox under Windows 10/11 (and why it didn't work!)
Monday 26 September 2022
E2B v2.16g and agFM v1.92 now have .vtoy support for full Linux OS VHD\VDI booting
To update your E2B USB drive
agFM v1.92 supports .vtoy files - run Ptn2:\e2b\Update agFM\Download and update agFM_v2.cmd to get the latest version of agFM.
Wednesday 14 September 2022
'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' v1.0.79d released
The current release of the official Ventoy v1.0.79 does not currently support Windows .7z file injection if you use the Ctrl+W WIMBOOT override key (some PCs will not boot Windows ISOs without using WIMBOOT).
My latest version includes the latest Beta code so that WIMBOOT mode will also work with file injection (the next official version - Ventoy v1.0.80 will probably have this fix too).
Also, my new version will respond to the w, i, u and r keys (with or without the ctrl key) which means you can use those modifier keys on a Mac AirBook or other non-standard computer which does not recognise the Ctrl key.
Please run \e2b\Update agFM\Update_to_latest_Ventoy_version.cmd on Ptn2 to update to the latest version of 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot'.
Saturday 10 September 2022
'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' v1.0.79c released (bugfix)
Another problem was found with 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot 1.0.79' - Windows zip file injection was not working.
The issue has now been fixed in 1.0.79c.
Problem seems to be to do with the FAT code needing to specify ".xz " as file extension rather than ".xz" for FAT32 filesystems (three character extensions worked but not two character extensions) and also a bug in LongPanda's code created a file on X: even if the source file did not exist.The new version is 1.0.79c (press F7 in Ventoy Menu to show version number).
Please run \e2b\Update agFM\Update_to_latest_Ventoy_version.cmd on Ptn2 to update to the latest version.
Check that the \ventoy\vtoyjump32.exe and vtoyjump64.exe has a date of 2022-09-09.
Monday 5 September 2022
Major bank security loophole exposed - don't be a victim - use this simple fix!
Saturday 3 September 2022
E2B v2.16f Beta
Current changes in 2.16f are:
- Add .wimboot file extension support. Use xxxxx_.wimboot.wim to make E2B boot using iPXE wimboot method instead of NTBOOT and bootmgr\BCD.
- Add Ctrl+F7 hotkey to switch display to text mode. Use Ctrl+F8 to reload menu in default mode.
- Add Alt+F7 hotkey to switch display to 1024×768 mode. Use Ctrl+F8 to reload menu in default mode.
- New SWITCH_E2B.exe to fix not switching if partition 4 has start/size parameters but is Type 0
- New \_ISO\WINDOWS\SVR2022 folder added for Server 2022 with XML and KEY files.
- F1 ENGlish help text file updated.
Wednesday 31 August 2022
eBooks updated
- E2B #1 - Getting started with Easy2Boot_v2.21.pdf
- E2B #2 - How to install Microsoft Windows using Easy2Boot_v1.9.pdf
- E2B #3 - How to make a UEFI multi-boot Easy2Boot USB drive using .imgPTN files v1.03.pdf
- E2B #4 - UEFI-multiboot using the a1ive grub2 File Manager_v1.25.pdf
- Getting started with Ventoy v1.11 (for Ventoy v1.0.79).pdf
- Getting started with grub4dos_v1.02.pdf
Monday 29 August 2022
'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' v1.0.79 bugfix for Windows Install ISOs and WinPE ISOs
I found a problem with 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' v1.0.79 - it does not load a Windows/WINPE ISO as a virtual drive as it seems LongPanda has added an additional check into the code. This means Windows Installs and some WinPEs did not work correctly.
Please update 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' using the instructions here.
The new version is still called v1.0.79 - so please update even if the cmd file says that you already have v1.0.79 installed.
The \ventoy\vtoyjump64.exe file on Partition 2 should be dated 2022-08-28 after updating to v1.0.79b.
Thursday 25 August 2022
Quick! - check out the Amazon 'End of Summer' sale bargains
- Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen) for 54% off!
- Fire TV Stick with 38% off.
- Sandisk Extreme Pro 512GB USB 3.2 with 37% off.
- 20%-50% off laptops - e.g. LG gram Laptop 16Z90Q - 16 Inch, Intel Evo Core i5 - 12th Gen, 80Wh Battery, (2560 x 1600 px), 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD Memory, Windows 11 OS
- Up to 38% off Crucial Memory modules
- 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD 23% off
- Large discounts in Kitchen Electrical appliances (some -38%)
Sunday 21 August 2022
Ventoy for Easy2Boot v1.0.79 is now fully released
To update to the latest 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' v1.0.79 just run
\e2b\Update agFM\Update_to_latest_Ventoy_version.cmd
from Partition 2 of the E2B USB drive.
You can run Download and update agFM_v2.cmd to ensure your version of agFM is up to date first.
The .cmd file will also download and update the Ventoy plugin files and copy on a version of VentoyPlugsonE2B.exe that will work on E2B USB drives.
Wednesday 17 August 2022
Is YouTube getting worse or is it just broken?
Tuesday 16 August 2022
Microsoft just made Secure Boot multibooting more difficult!
Summary
This security update makes improvements to Secure Boot DBX for the supported Windows versions listed in the "Applies to" section. Key changes include the following:Windows devices that has Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) based firmware can run with Secure Boot enabled. The Secure Boot Forbidden Signature Database (DBX) prevents UEFI modules from loading. This update adds modules to the DBX.
A security feature bypass vulnerability exists in secure boot. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability might bypass secure boot and load untrusted software.
This security update addresses the vulnerability by adding the signatures of the known vulnerable UEFI modules to the DBX.
KB5012170
Introduction
Solutions
Monday 15 August 2022
E2B v2.16b Beta available
I have added support for the CTRL+F7 hotkey into the E2B menu system.
This hotkey sets the menu system to graphicsmode 3 and text mode.
If you have display issues on some systems and the E2B graphics mode menu system cannot be displayed properly on a particular graphics adaptor or monitor, you may see a 'fuzzy' or 'garbled' or 'corrupt' screen. In this case, hitting Ctrl+F7 may fix the display issue.
Please let me know if this causes you any issues and if you think it is worth keeping this feature in for the next full release.
Friday 12 August 2022
VentoyPlugson.exe for 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' available
\e2b\Update agFM\GetLatestVentoyPluginFiles.cmd
now adds a \ventoy\VentoyPlugsonE2B folder to the first partition. You can then run \ventoy\VentoyPlugsonE2B\VentoyPlugsonE2B.exe from that folder.
Thursday 11 August 2022
Send faxes for free online (no fax machine required)
Recently I had to send a solicitor who was located over 100 miles away, some copies of my ID documents (passport, driving licence, etc.).
Now solicitors do not like receiving emails with attachments as, of course, opening an email attachment carries serious security risks, so they automatically bin all emails with attachments and they wanted me to either send a fax or use snail mail.
However, in the UK, we have just had a warning of a forthcoming Royal Mail postal service strike and so I was afraid that my documents would be delayed or worse - lost if I posted them! So it seemed that it was best to send them faxes of my ID docs.
My printer does actually have fax capability, but I needed a BT phone socket adaptor for it which I didn't have. So instead I decided to try an online fax service.
Wednesday 10 August 2022
E2B v2.16a Beta
While testing all the .wim files in Medicat 21.12, I found that the Lockpick.wim file would not Legacy-boot from the Easy2Boot menu system.
All the other .wim files seem to Legacy-boot OK (except for the DiskGenius.wim file which seems to load and briefly display the WinPE Desktop and then immediately reboot on E2B, agFM and Ventoy???).
Easy2Boot 2.15 and previous versions booted a .wim file by using a default boot.sdi and bootmgr file and it creates a BCD dynamically with the name of the boot file in it. For some reason it seems to crash however on the Lockpick.wim file.
So Easy2Boot v2.16a Beta now supports the .wimboot file extension and this will load the wim file using the wimboot method (derived from the iPXE github project and used by agFM and Ventoy).
Download E2B v2.16a from the 'Latest Betas' folder - https://easy2boot.xyz/download/alternate-download-sites/
QRUN will suggest that you try .wimboot instead of .wim, or you can just give the .wim file a _.wimboot.wim file extension and it will automatically use the wimboot method without prompting you.
e.g.
Saturday 6 August 2022
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...
Friday 5 August 2022
Ventoy for Easy2Boot v1.0.79 pre-release is now available.
Wednesday 3 August 2022
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.
Tuesday 2 August 2022
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.
Monday 1 August 2022
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.
Tuesday 26 July 2022
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.
Sunday 24 July 2022
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):
Friday 22 July 2022
More tips to save on gas/oil/electricity energy bills
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).
Thursday 21 July 2022
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.
Tuesday 12 July 2022
'Getting started with grub4dos' eBook updated to v1.02
I have updated this eBook.
If you have purchased the eBook already, you can get the updated version using the link in the order confirmation email that you would have received from Payhip.
Other Articles
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2022/06/how-to-make-for-zero-cost.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2022/04/ebook-updated-how-to-make-1000-month.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2022/03/easy2boot-v212-released-new-ebook.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2022/03/are-you-looking-for-good-website-or.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2022/02/getting-started-with-ventoy-v107.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2022/01/ebook-getting-started-with-ventoy-v106.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2021/12/ebook-getting-started-with-ventoy-v105.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2021/10/ventoy-ebook-rev102-now-updated-for.html
https://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2021/10/ventoy-ebook-now-available-getting.html
Saturday 9 July 2022
FakeFlashTest v1.1.4 updated (now much faster!)
I wrote FakeFlashTest many years ago when a 16GB Flash drive was considered top of the range and very expensive. Time has moved on since then and Flash memory chips are now cheaper and larger.
So FFT v1.1.4 is now much faster and will dynamically adjust it's algorithm to cater for larger drives. Most drives should take less than 5 minutes to test now (and some a lot less).
You can find the latest version here.
Wednesday 6 July 2022
Easy2Boot v2.14i Beta available
Monday 4 July 2022
Don't miss the bargains on Amazon (12th July)
Amazon Prime Day is 12-13th July this year. There will be loads of special offers but only for Amazon Prime Members.
Membership costs $14.99 a month (£7.99 in UK) and you get free delivery and free Amazon Prime Video too.
Prices will be different in USA. |
However, you get a free 30-day trial (#Ad), so sign up now and watch some movies, grab the bargains on July 12th/13th and then (if you really want to), cancel before the end of the month and it won't cost you a penny.