MX live USB GRUB boot rescue menu - standalone customized version

[nXecure]

rename the theme folder (/boot/grub/theme/) to something else (like theme-backup) and that should be enough. then it will be a very plain grub live boot.

Will that break anything ? (especially, the boot rescue menus shouldn't lose functionality)

It doesn't break the boot menus or the options functionality. All grub references to any file in the theme don't work, so it renders in the undecorated mode.

Experiment! Try things, write down what you have changed and if it doesn't work, revert the changes back again. Learning is getting your hands dirty.

[fehlix]

I want this USB to be used on any random machine coming to my friend's repair shop (will that require other steps?)
He is a Windows man who knows only GUI, and it would be good if everything works out of the box (on BIOS/EFI/SecureBoot etc.,)

Not sure what this thread is about. Suggest to use MX/antiX LiveUSB Boot Rescue feature, which might do what you want to use it for: Find any attached EFI-/legacy grub loader/grub menus +plus WinOS loader and boot into.

[andrewjoseph]

I want this USB to be used on any random machine coming to my friend's repair shop (will that require other steps?)
He is a Windows man who knows only GUI, and it would be good if everything works out of the box (on BIOS/EFI/SecureBoot etc.,)

Not sure what this thread is about. Suggest to use MX/antiX LiveUSB Boot Rescue feature, which might do what you want to use it for: Find any attached EFI-/legacy grub loader/grub menus +plus WinOS loader and boot into.

Sorry, I didn't understand.

If you're asking about using default MX GRUB menu, I have problems chainloading Windows installation media (on an exFAT partition) -- screen tearing on EFI with "secure boot" .

[nXecure]

Though the OP says:

2) Copy /EFI and /boot folders from LM ISO (good for secure boot)

I think they meant they were using the EFI and boot folder for MX (which also work on Secure Boot; no need for LM inferior boot options).

What I was referring to is to rename the theme folder for the MX /boot/grub/theme/, and not for LM grub stuff. The menus still work but they are "ugly".

OT: @fehlix, thanks for the new changes in the live grub boot on antiX 21. I am really enjoying all the new options without having to go manually type the boot parameters.

If you're asking about using default MX GRUB menu, I have problems chainloading Windows installation media (on an exFAT partition) -- screen tearing on EFI with "secure boot" .

This is totally different from

But, the MX GRUB theme is not OK with chainloading Windows Installation media (distorted manufacturer logo in EFI systems).

Comment out the line that dolphin_oracle mentioned for gfxmode and rename the theme. Try it out first.

[nXecure]

Just came back after a little experiment.

Tests performed on antiX Linux 19.3 Live USB (should be almost the same as MX Linux 19.X live USB)
Results: no "skewed" windows/EFI boot screen.

Steps:
0. No need to rename the mxlinux /boot/grub/theme/ folder.
1. Edit /boot/grub/grub.cfg. Comment out both

Code: Select all

#set gfxmode=1024x768
#set gfxpayload=[...]

2. Edit /boot/grub/config/defaults.cfg and comment out all gfxmode related entries:

Code: Select all

# gfxmode
#
#set default_gfxmode="1024x768" 
#export default_gfxmode
#if [ -z "$gfxmode" ]; then
#   set gfxmode="$default_gfxmode" 
#fi
#export gfxmode

Unmount the USB device and reboot to see if the changes work on your system.

Less than 5 minutes experiment.

[fehlix]

I want this USB to be used on any random machine coming to my friend's repair shop (will that require other steps?)
He is a Windows man who knows only GUI, and it would be good if everything works out of the box (on BIOS/EFI/SecureBoot etc.,)

Not sure what this thread is about. Suggest to use MX/antiX LiveUSB Boot Rescue feature, which might do what you want to use it for: Find any attached EFI-/legacy grub loader/grub menus +plus WinOS loader and boot into.

Sorry, I didn't understand.

If you're asking about using default MX GRUB menu, I have problems chainloading Windows installation media (on an exFAT partition) -- screen tearing on EFI with "secure boot" .

If you have fond something is not working with the MX/antiX Boot Rescue menus, you might consider to report the issue in detail in a dedicated thread. AFAIK, winOS install on exFAT is rather unusual, but exFAT booting is supported through the MX/antiX Boot Rescue menus. Haven't seen screen tearing so far. disabling efi-graphic stack might help.

[andrewjoseph]

@fehlix It's not an installed Windows, but an Installer ( I've extracted the Windows ISO to an exFAT partition )

I am using grub from Linux Mint ISO (that plays better with SecureBoot, especially GRUB modules)

My setup is detailed in the first post of this thread https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.ph ... 3#p643063

[andrewjoseph]

Just came back after a little experiment.

Tests performed on antiX Linux 19.3 Live USB (should be almost the same as MX Linux 19.X live USB)
Results: no "skewed" windows/EFI boot screen.

Steps:
0. No need to rename the mxlinux /boot/grub/theme/ folder.
1. Edit /boot/grub/grub.cfg. Comment out both

Code: Select all

#set gfxmode=1024x768
#set gfxpayload=[...]

2. Edit /boot/grub/config/defaults.cfg and comment out all gfxmode related entries:

Code: Select all

# gfxmode
#
#set default_gfxmode="1024x768" 
#export default_gfxmode
#if [ -z "$gfxmode" ]; then
#   set gfxmode="$default_gfxmode" 
#fi
#export gfxmode

Unmount the USB device and reboot to see if the changes work on your system.

Less than 5 minutes experiment.

Now, when loading the GRUB boot rescue menus, I get a syntax error from GRUB saying about a missing ' or so.

[nXecure]

I just created a live USB with MX Linux that works as you mentioned before, and the changes I mentioned worked flawlessly.

Steps:
1. Use Live USB Maker with a 32GBs USB device and MX Linux 19.4 x64. I selected to use only 20% and leave the rest FREE; and also (advanced options) selected to create a GPT partition table.
2. Use Gparted to create a 8GBs NTFS partition for Windows 10, and the rest for an ext4 partition to store other Linux/Android distros.

3. I had to boot into Windows because I couldn't extract the 5.6 GBs Windows 10 ISO to the NTFS partition. Did it there (on the Windows system).
4. Edited the /boot/grub/grub.cfg file and /boot/grub/config/default.cfg files as described previously.
5. Rebooted. The MX Grub menus were taking up 100% of the screen and didn't look stretched (except for the background image).
6. Used Boot Rescue Menus to search for EFI entries. Found all my antiX EFI entries, and the installed Windows EFI entry. But also found the efibootmgr file for the NTFS W10 installer partition I created in step 2 and 3,
7. Selected this W10 EFI installer and got the screen with the windows circle progress animation not stretched and in the correct 16:9 proportions.
8. I finally got the Windows Installer to show up. Cancelled and exited the Installer screen and rebooted to my antiX installation to write this.

So, it works. The error you experienced may be already there before you edited anything or some other change you haven't explained yet.

If you need more proof I will record it with my phone and publish it on Youtube, but I cannot do this right now.

PS: I will also report something on the MX bug tracker related to the grub.cfg which I already reported on antiX, and thought was also fixed on the MX grub boot configuration.

[fehlix]

PS: I will also report something on the MX bug tracker related to the grub.cfg which I already reported on antiX, and thought was also fixed on the MX grub boot configuration.

Would you mind to post the link to the mentioned report on antiX forum.
Thanks