Thursday 16 January 2014
Wednesday 8 January 2014
Easy2Boot v1.22_DPMS bugfix!
Somehow the DriverPack.ini file was missing from the Easy2Boot_v1.22_DPMS.zip download, this has now been fixed. Please download Easy2Boot_v1.22B_DPMS.zip and either overwrite your whole E2B drive or just extract and copy DriverPack.ini from the Easy2Boot_v1.22B_DPMS.zip file.
v1.22B Small bugfix so that NOF7HD variable works if used in MyE2B.cfg.
Note: This link may not work at a later date - please check Tutorial 72a for the latest downloads.
P.S. Why is spam mail so dumb? I have been getting lots of spam mail recently for nursing bras and hair restoration oil - who do they think I am - a bald mother?
v1.22B Small bugfix so that NOF7HD variable works if used in MyE2B.cfg.
Note: This link may not work at a later date - please check Tutorial 72a for the latest downloads.
P.S. Why is spam mail so dumb? I have been getting lots of spam mail recently for nursing bras and hair restoration oil - who do they think I am - a bald mother?
Tuesday 7 January 2014
Booting a CrunchBang ISO from a grub4dos USB drive
I had not heard of CrunchBang before (why are there are so many linux distros? .If only these developers would collaborate, I am sure linux could easily beat Windows!).
Anyway, here is a menu which will boot to the Live desktop from a CrunchBang 11 ISO file
title CRUNCHBANG
set ISO=/crunchbang-11-20130506-i686.iso
uuid () > nul
set UUID=%?%
echo %UUID%
map ()%ISO% (0xff) || map --mem ()%ISO% (0xff)
map --hook
root (0xff)
kernel /live/vmlinuz boot=live fromiso=/dev/disk/by-uuid/%UUID%%ISO% live-media-path=/live config splash noeject
initrd /live/initrd.img
Of course, as usual, you can boot the ISO to the Live OS just by adding the ISO to your Easy2Boot \_ISO\MAINMENU folder (no need to edit a menu).
If using a .imgPTN file (no real need as not UEFI?) then you will need to use the 'mount -t vfat -o ro /dev/sdb1 /cdrom' shell command.
Anyway, here is a menu which will boot to the Live desktop from a CrunchBang 11 ISO file
title CRUNCHBANG
set ISO=/crunchbang-11-20130506-i686.iso
uuid () > nul
set UUID=%?%
echo %UUID%
map ()%ISO% (0xff) || map --mem ()%ISO% (0xff)
map --hook
root (0xff)
kernel /live/vmlinuz boot=live fromiso=/dev/disk/by-uuid/%UUID%%ISO% live-media-path=/live config splash noeject
initrd /live/initrd.img
Of course, as usual, you can boot the ISO to the Live OS just by adding the ISO to your Easy2Boot \_ISO\MAINMENU folder (no need to edit a menu).
Installing CrunchBang! from a USB drive
If you wish to boot from the CrunchBang ISO using E2B and then select the 'Install' option to install it onto another disk, you will need to use the same 'mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/sdb4 /cdrom' shell command that I detailed in my previous 'kali' blog post.If using a .imgPTN file (no real need as not UEFI?) then you will need to use the 'mount -t vfat -o ro /dev/sdb1 /cdrom' shell command.
Sunday 5 January 2014
Installing Kali to a disk from a Kali ISO located on an E2B USB drive
Kali will run as a Live OS just by copying over the ISO to your E2B drive (e.g. copy to \_ISO\MAINMENU), however if you try to use the Install options to install Kali to another disk, you will find that you get an error as it will not be able to find the 'CDROM'. The same problem occurs with USB drive made with YUMI too, however with Easy2Boot we can work around the issue.
You can manually fix this problem if using E2B by typing in a linux command from the command shell to mount the partition #4 that will now contain the ISO file mapped by E2B before booting it, as follows:
When the CD-ROM is not detected, choose 'No' 'No' <Continue>, and choose the Execute the Shell menu option, then type ls /dev/ to find the fourth USB partition name - sdx4 (usually sdb4) and then type
mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/sdb4 /cdrom
and check if it was successful using the mount command - then type
exit
and proceed with install.
Other useful commands are:
list-devices disk
ls /dev/s*
umount /cdrom to unmount the cdrom.
Note: E2B has a sample .mnu file in the \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu Files folder for Kali.
If you use a MakePartImage .imgPTN file to boot to Kali, you can use a similar command - e.g.
mount -t vfat -o ro /dev/disk/by-label/EASY2BOOT /cdrom
or
mount -t vfat -o ro /dev/sdb1 /cdrom
where EASY2BOOT is the label of the partition (EASY2BOOT is the default volume label when you create the image file using MakePartImage).
You can manually fix this problem if using E2B by typing in a linux command from the command shell to mount the partition #4 that will now contain the ISO file mapped by E2B before booting it, as follows:
When the CD-ROM is not detected, choose 'No' 'No' <Continue>, and choose the Execute the Shell menu option, then type ls /dev/ to find the fourth USB partition name - sdx4 (usually sdb4) and then type
mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/sdb4 /cdrom
and check if it was successful using the mount command - then type
exit
and proceed with install.
Other useful commands are:
list-devices disk
ls /dev/s*
umount /cdrom to unmount the cdrom.
If you cannot remember this, why not make a .txt file with the same name as the ISO with these instructions in the text file, e.g. (all one long line)
title Kali Linux\n To INSTALL to another disk, run the shell and type:\n mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/sdb4 /cdrom\n You can use ls /dev/ to find the correct name of the USB drive\n Then type exit to continue
Note: E2B has a sample .mnu file in the \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu Files folder for Kali.
If you use a MakePartImage .imgPTN file to boot to Kali, you can use a similar command - e.g.
mount -t vfat -o ro /dev/disk/by-label/EASY2BOOT /cdrom
or
mount -t vfat -o ro /dev/sdb1 /cdrom
where EASY2BOOT is the label of the partition (EASY2BOOT is the default volume label when you create the image file using MakePartImage).
Easy2Boot v1.22 now available (bugfix)
If you find the Ptn2_Menu.mnu menu doesn't work, this should now be fixed in version 1.22. Thanks to DvdK for spotting this! 4 files have been changed in the \_ISO\e2b\grub folder.
Note: 1.22A fixes the bug where if you are using Ptn2_Menu.g4b, then the F7-F10 menu entries are missing from the resulting menu of ISOs on the 2nd partition so you cannot go back to the main menu.
1.22B fixes a small bug if you are using the NOF7HD variable to suppress the F7 menu item.
Note: 1.22A fixes the bug where if you are using Ptn2_Menu.g4b, then the F7-F10 menu entries are missing from the resulting menu of ISOs on the 2nd partition so you cannot go back to the main menu.
1.22B fixes a small bug if you are using the NOF7HD variable to suppress the F7 menu item.
Saturday 4 January 2014
Easy2Boot v1.21 available
Small update to DPMS2. If two XP mass storage drivers are found, then a firadisk/winvblock driver was not selected - this resulted in a BSOD. What you should do is use F6 to select the required drivers.
Only two virtual F6 floppies are recognised by XP Setup, therefore we cannot have two default mass storage drivers + a default Firadisk or WinVBlock driver. fd0 can have one default driver and fd1 can have another default driver, but we cannot have 3 default drivers!
I have changed the behaviour now so that one mass storage driver is selected + the firadisk/winvblock driver. However, if the wrong mass storage driver is selected by DPMS2, you will need to press F6 and select the other mass storage driver manually (as well as the firadisk/winvblock driver).
The only way to load 3 or more drivers is to use the F6 key.
V 1.21 of E2B and V1.21 +DPMS2 mass storage drivers are now available.
Only two virtual F6 floppies are recognised by XP Setup, therefore we cannot have two default mass storage drivers + a default Firadisk or WinVBlock driver. fd0 can have one default driver and fd1 can have another default driver, but we cannot have 3 default drivers!
I have changed the behaviour now so that one mass storage driver is selected + the firadisk/winvblock driver. However, if the wrong mass storage driver is selected by DPMS2, you will need to press F6 and select the other mass storage driver manually (as well as the firadisk/winvblock driver).
The only way to load 3 or more drivers is to use the F6 key.
V 1.21 of E2B and V1.21 +DPMS2 mass storage drivers are now available.
Tuesday 31 December 2013
Easy2Boot v1.20 now available
v1.20 is now available, changes are:
Note: You can still use any name for the 3rd level folders instead of MNU, and you can overwrite your E2B drive with v1.20 and it will still work.
Please let me know if there are any problems with this new version (and any successes you have too!)
- Now should work with Win8.1 Retail install ISOs which use \sources\install.esd instead of install.wim
- Option to erase partition 4 if detected on the E2B drive when booting (use with care!)
- 64-bit XP install ISOs will now not use DPMS2 (which is 32-bit only) if there is '64' in the ISO name - so you can now press F6 and install the firadisk and winvblock 64-bit drivers.
- 3rd level folders now removed except for a single MNU folder - e.g. \_ISO\MAINMENU\MNU and Sample .mnu files changed to use \_ISO\xxx\MNU folders.
- 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Eval product key added so you can install from the free M$ downloadable ISOs.
- Windows Vista+ ISOs are now only loaded using ImDisk and not Firadisk - the Firadisk drivers are no longer used and have been removed (but still used for XP using an F6 floppy image).
- Memtest86-5.0.0 ISO added to Utilities - Memory Test menu
Note: You can still use any name for the 3rd level folders instead of MNU, and you can overwrite your E2B drive with v1.20 and it will still work.
Please let me know if there are any problems with this new version (and any successes you have too!)
Monday 30 December 2013
Add the Windows 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Evaluation ISOs to Easy2Boot
If you copy the Windows 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Evaluation ISO to your Easy2Boot \_ISO\WINDOWS\Win8 folder of your Easy2Boot USB drive and try to install it, you will find that you will receive a pop-up error message which reads 'Windows cannot find the Microsoft Software License Terms'.
This is a sign that the product key chosen by you, and subsequently written to the AutoUnattend.xml by Easy2Boot, is missing or incorrect.
Although this version does not require the user to enter a Product Key when installed from a DVD or from a 'flat-file' USB drive, to get these ISOs to work in Easy2Boot, you need to use the product key that is embedded inside the product. To find out what the product key is, you can install it to a VM from the ISO file, or use RMPrepUSb to extract the ISO to a USB drive and install it to a real system. Then run the Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder to find the Product Key. In the case of Windows 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Evaluation it turns out to be 76FKW-8NR3K-QDH4P-3C87F-JHTTW.
We can now either create a .key file in the \_ISO\WINDOWS\Win8 folder for this key (copy an existing example file and modify it), and/or add it to the CHOOSE FROM A LIST.key file (in both the menu and the place where the variable is set).
E2B version 1.20 will contain a key file for Windows 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Evaluation.
P.S. Use the command slmgr -rearm from an Admin command console to get an extra 90-days when your first 90 days expires.
As an alternative, you can convert the ISO to a .imgPTN file using the MPI Tool Kit. If you use the MPI_FAT32 shortcut, then it will also be UEFI-bootable too.
This is a sign that the product key chosen by you, and subsequently written to the AutoUnattend.xml by Easy2Boot, is missing or incorrect.
Although this version does not require the user to enter a Product Key when installed from a DVD or from a 'flat-file' USB drive, to get these ISOs to work in Easy2Boot, you need to use the product key that is embedded inside the product. To find out what the product key is, you can install it to a VM from the ISO file, or use RMPrepUSb to extract the ISO to a USB drive and install it to a real system. Then run the Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder to find the Product Key. In the case of Windows 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Evaluation it turns out to be 76FKW-8NR3K-QDH4P-3C87F-JHTTW.
We can now either create a .key file in the \_ISO\WINDOWS\Win8 folder for this key (copy an existing example file and modify it), and/or add it to the CHOOSE FROM A LIST.key file (in both the menu and the place where the variable is set).
E2B version 1.20 will contain a key file for Windows 8.1 Enterprise 90-day Evaluation.
P.S. Use the command slmgr -rearm from an Admin command console to get an extra 90-days when your first 90 days expires.
As an alternative, you can convert the ISO to a .imgPTN file using the MPI Tool Kit. If you use the MPI_FAT32 shortcut, then it will also be UEFI-bootable too.
Monday 23 December 2013
Something for the Christmas holidays (GeGeek Toolkit)?
Update: a donation is required for GE Geek ToolKit now.
OK, you have eaten as much Turkey as you possibly can and even the Brussel sprouts weren't too bad, you've also consumed as much alcohol as you can (probably a bit too much!) and opened all your presents (ready to exchange as soon as the shops open). There is nothing on TV except repeats, and Uncle Fred is snoring his head off so you can't hear a thing anyway.
So why not checkout the massive GE Geek Tech Toolkit? The link for the Toolkit is at the very top of the GE Geek home page or click here for a direct link to the download page.
The download is a 1.3GB ZIP file which extracts to almost 2GB of portable apps. It works like this:
1. Extract the files to the root of a USB drive and makes a \GeGeek Toolkit folder on the drive.
2. Run GeGeek_Toolkit.exe from the \GeGeek Toolkit folder on the USB drive - this puts an icon in your Windows Desktop TaskBar (a small arrow in a circle)
3. Now right-click on the taskbar icon and run 'Run Ketarin Update' - this will update all the apps to their latest version (if you have an internet connection)
4. Quit GeGeek_Toolkit (right-click on the icon and Exit) and then run it again.
You now can run hundreds of portable apps from the GeGeek Tech_Toolkit panel (right-click the task bar icon)!
As well as the apps listed in the pop-up panel, WSCC Portable contains the Microsoft and NirSoft apps. This also has an auto-update feature.
The toolkit is regularly updated by the author and is free (though you can make a donation).
Put this on your USB toolkit drive and you have a load of useful apps all in one place and all easily update-able! Why not download it and check out the 100's of useful apps! Also checkout the very useful references and utilities listed on the main home page.
P.S. Did you know Brussel sprouts taste better now than they used to 10 years ago? That bitter taste that many people don't like has been genetically engineered out of them. There are about 30 varieties of the 'sprout' now and the new ones are really nice (honest!). You can even eat them raw - try slicing them up and adding them to a salad (but it would be best to sleep alone that night or blame the dog!).
OK, you have eaten as much Turkey as you possibly can and even the Brussel sprouts weren't too bad, you've also consumed as much alcohol as you can (probably a bit too much!) and opened all your presents (ready to exchange as soon as the shops open). There is nothing on TV except repeats, and Uncle Fred is snoring his head off so you can't hear a thing anyway.
So why not checkout the massive GE Geek Tech Toolkit? The link for the Toolkit is at the very top of the GE Geek home page or click here for a direct link to the download page.
The download is a 1.3GB ZIP file which extracts to almost 2GB of portable apps. It works like this:
1. Extract the files to the root of a USB drive and makes a \GeGeek Toolkit folder on the drive.
2. Run GeGeek_Toolkit.exe from the \GeGeek Toolkit folder on the USB drive - this puts an icon in your Windows Desktop TaskBar (a small arrow in a circle)
3. Now right-click on the taskbar icon and run 'Run Ketarin Update' - this will update all the apps to their latest version (if you have an internet connection)
4. Quit GeGeek_Toolkit (right-click on the icon and Exit) and then run it again.
You now can run hundreds of portable apps from the GeGeek Tech_Toolkit panel (right-click the task bar icon)!
As well as the apps listed in the pop-up panel, WSCC Portable contains the Microsoft and NirSoft apps. This also has an auto-update feature.
The toolkit is regularly updated by the author and is free (though you can make a donation).
Put this on your USB toolkit drive and you have a load of useful apps all in one place and all easily update-able! Why not download it and check out the 100's of useful apps! Also checkout the very useful references and utilities listed on the main home page.
P.S. Did you know Brussel sprouts taste better now than they used to 10 years ago? That bitter taste that many people don't like has been genetically engineered out of them. There are about 30 varieties of the 'sprout' now and the new ones are really nice (honest!). You can even eat them raw - try slicing them up and adding them to a salad (but it would be best to sleep alone that night or blame the dog!).
Saturday 21 December 2013
Easy2Boot v1.19 full release now available
I have now changed the links in Tutorial 72a.
v1.19 is now available as the E2B download and as the E2B+DPMS2 Mass Storage Drivers download.
The only difference between v1.19 and v1.19Beta is that v1.19 will warn the user if he/she is trying to install from a Vista/7/8 Install ISO from a USB Hard disk without a 'Helper' USB Flash drive also being present.
Hopefully, this will give new users a hint that they need a USB 'Helper' drive if they try to install from a USB Hard drive.
v1.19 is now available as the E2B download and as the E2B+DPMS2 Mass Storage Drivers download.
The only difference between v1.19 and v1.19Beta is that v1.19 will warn the user if he/she is trying to install from a Vista/7/8 Install ISO from a USB Hard disk without a 'Helper' USB Flash drive also being present.
Hopefully, this will give new users a hint that they need a USB 'Helper' drive if they try to install from a USB Hard drive.
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