Install and boot options [Solved]

[DukeComposed]

The concern I have about this approach is how to get the UUID of the partition while still running Windows.

Followup: In Windows, run System Information, select Components > Storage > Drives. The UUID string needed for the buuid argument will match the partition's "Volume Serial Number", but without any hyphens.

[Tarq]

I believe that the program grub52win can play the role of a boot manager and loader, unlike the program easybcd. My recent statement is not based on experience but is merely a guess. This conclusion depends on and is derived from the name of the program, not its actual uses, as I have not fully understood them. Its role is to manage the boot process, based on the name and based on the nature of the original grub program being a boot management and loading tool. Therefore, this can be expected, and it is correct to say this until proven otherwise. I believe that grub2win surpasses easybcd.

[fehlix]

Do you get Live-Boot menu? If yes, add this two boot parameter:
fromiso="path-to-the-iso"
and
blab="Label-of-the-file-system"

Testing this out on a VM, the blab argument didn't work for me. It may have been because the label of the partition was "NEW VOLUME". Using blab="NEW VOLUME" didn't work, so I ended up booting the ISO normally just to run blkid and get the UUID of the partition. After shrinking the NTFS partition of the VM, creating a new FAT32 partition from the unused space, and I renamed the MX-23 ISO to "MX.iso" for brevity. After configuring the EasyBCD boot menu to load the ISO with the "Run from disk" option, I added "fromiso=MX.iso buuid=C608-DE1A" to the boot arguments and that allowed the ISO to finally start.

The concern I have about this approach is how to get the UUID of the partition while still running Windows.

Good, you have confirmed that it works.
Don't use spaces in the file system label. Just re-label using Windows file manager.

[Eadwine Rose]

Please be mindful and edit your posts rather than deleting the content and then starting a new one. Duplicates as well, thanks.

[fehlix]

Do you get Live-Boot menu? If yes, add this two boot parameter:
fromiso="path-to-the-iso"
and
blab="Label-of-the-file-system"

Where is the live boot menu located? Do you mean on the boot manager screen? How do I add the path? Do you mean through the direct boot command line screen or through one of the graphical interface options in the easy bcd program? Be precise in describing everything because sometimes I have no idea about a certain component.

In case the boot method used by EasyBCD won't show you the LiveBoot menu, you may need to find the place within EasyBCD to add those boot parameter. Maybe @DukeComposed can give some hints.
Last time I used that method worked, but as this is quite some time ago and I do currently have no Windows system to try this out, I can't give you any more details.

[DukeComposed]

Good, you have confirmed that it works.
Don't use spaces in the file system label. Just re-label using Windows file manager.

I was curious to know if this method would work without having to shrink the C: partition and create a new one. So I moved the iso to C:\MX.iso and replaced the EasyBCD boot menu entry to use it. I also ended up having to give C: a volume label in Explorer. I chose "X" because it's short.

I then changed the normal boot arguments from

Code: Select all

quiet splasht nosplash

to

Code: Select all

quiet splasht nosplash fromiso=MX.iso blab="X"

It loaded the MX live session as expected. So installing MX from the ISO doesn't require a FAT32 partition. It can also work from a regular old NTFS-formatted C: drive if you have permissions to (1) write the ISO to C:\, though I'm sure storing the ISO elsewhere is possible, (2) install and run EasyBCD to edit the bootloader, and (3) set a simple volume label on that C: drive.

[fehlix]

Good, you have confirmed that it works.
Don't use spaces in the file system label. Just re-label using Windows file manager.

I was curious to know if this method would work without having to shrink the C: partition and create a new one. So I moved the iso to C:\MX.iso and replaced the EasyBCD boot menu entry to use it. I also ended up having to give C: a volume label in Explorer. I chose "X" because it's short.

I then changed the normal boot arguments from

Code: Select all

quiet splasht nosplash

to

Code: Select all

quiet splasht nosplash fromiso=MX.iso blab="X"

It loaded the MX live session as expected. So installing MX from the ISO doesn't require a FAT32 partition. It can also work from a regular old NTFS-formatted C: drive if you have permissions to (1) write the ISO to C:\, though I'm sure storing the ISO elsewhere is possible, (2) install and run EasyBCD to edit the bootloader, and (3) set a simple volume label on that C: drive.

Thanks, for the details. Yes, and note, when using full path remember to use forward slash like

Code: Select all

fromiso=/iso/MX.iso

[DukeComposed]

Thanks, for the details. Yes, and note, when using full path remember to use forward slash like

Code: Select all

fromiso=/iso/MX.iso

Both "fromiso=MX.iso" and "fromiso=/MX.iso" work when MX.iso is in C:\. I imagine "fromiso=/Users/username/Downloads/MX-whatever.iso" is just as viable a path, but it's longer to type and, let's be honest here, you need Administrator permissions to disable SecureBoot and replace the bootloader with EasyBCD, so it doesn't really matter if you're saving the ISO to a non-privileged path.

I haven't actually installed MX this way, but I can at least get to the MX live session. I have to presume that the installer can still unsquash the linuxfs file to a newly-repartitioned drive even though the ISO itself ceases to exist on disk as soon as the new partition table gets created. It would be tragic to have done all this work solving this silly problem and get stuck needing the ISO to finish installing the image that exists on the ISO.

[fehlix]

I haven't actually installed MX this way, but I can at least get to the MX live session. I have to presume that the installer can still unsquash the linuxfs file to a newly-repartitioned drive even though the ISO itself ceases to exist on disk as soon as the new partition table gets created. It would be tragic to have done all this work solving this silly problem and get stuck needing the ISO to finish installing the image that exists on the ISO.

OK, here is the trick: When having the ISO on the same drive/disk (like C:\ on the first disk)
the installer would not allow to install on that disk, even though you have prepared the target partitions /root etc. on that disk.
In the case of same disk for boot-disk and installation target disk,
do start the installer from terminal command line like this

Code: Select all

sudo minstall --brave

And may be important for legacy BIOS-boot (= none UEFI boot) do first not install GRUB to MBR of the WIndows Boot Disk whre C:\ is located but select PBR (Partition Boot Record) of the "/"-root partition. B/c in case of any error and grub boot loader on MBR would fail to boot, you would also not be able to boot into Windows and also into the ISO anymore using EasyBCD.
So, after installing GRUB to PBR, use EasyBCD again and create Windows Boot Menu entry for booting from the root "Partition".
You can later use MX Boot Repair to install GRUB onto MBR, but better do first backup the Windows MBR,which can be done also with MX Boot Repair.

[fehlix]

FWIW, in addition to the already mentioned EasyBCD and GRUB2WIN tools,
a 3rd method maybe Ventoy to boot from ISO by installing Ventoy
from running Windows using Ventoy2Disk onto a internal disk, b/c Ventoy can not only
be installed onto external USB-drives but also on internal hdd.
So, when booting from the internal Ventoy disk you have the same
feature as Ventoy-USB, to boot any ISO like MX's isos.