
Make and burn an E2B DVD or CD
These instructions are for experts who know their way around grub4dos menus!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Easy2Boot is designed to work when booting from a writeable drive such as a USB Flash drive, SD card or USB Hard Disk. Unless the E2B boot media is writeable under grub4dos, then some (most!) E2B functions won't work correctly.
You can make an ISO from a working E2B drive which you can then burn as a bootable E2B CD or DVD - but don't get too excited though because many things won't work properly and there is a danger you could destroy disk partitions on the system you are booting it on!
- Windows installs - XP via WinPE installs and Win8/SVR2012 installs won't work (Vista/7 needs a Helper USB Flash drive and XP step1/2 may work but I have not tested them!).
- Many linux ISOs won't work unless you use a .mnu file which has special cheat codes in it or the ISOBOOT feature - this is because E2B can't use the partnew command (which it nearly always uses to boot most ISOs) on a CD! Use a .mnu file which does not use the partnew command or rename the file extension to .isoboot so that E2B 'ISOBOOT' is used to boot the linux iSO.
- Do NOT use any .mnu file which uses the grub4dos partnew command - hd0 will be your internal hard disk and you could erase partitions on your hard disk!
- UEFI booting (using .imgPTN image files) is not supported.
The CD\DVD that you make will also support FASTLOAD so it does not have to enumerate all the ISOs each time it boots.
The grub4dos commands should not use the 'partnew' command - instead you need to use 'cheat codes' to point linux at the .iso file or the squashfs file:
- Use a 'small' distro of linux that does not use a squashfs (.sfs) file such as the FatDog64 ISOs
- Use 'cheat codes' to direct linux to your ISO file (e.g. fromiso= or iso-scan/filename=, bootfrom=) in a .mnu file (use the sample .mnu files examples for peristence as a template but remove the peristence code)
- Extract the files from the ISO and direct linux to the folder where they are stored (e.g. using psubdir=) and use a .mnu file
- Use the ISOBOOT feature for supported linux ISOs (or hold down the SHIFT key before selecting the ISO file in the menu)
See here for examples
1. Make a USB Flash drive (or USB HDD) with E2B
2. Add your payload files and test as normal
3. (optional) If you want FASTLOAD enabled on your final CD/DVD then copy FASTLOAD.YES to the root of the USB drive
4. (optional) If you have FASTLOAD enabled, boot the USB drive on a real system.
Then reboot it to test that it loads the menu from cache correctly. Tip: If possible, write-protect the USB drive to emulate a read-only CD/DVD.
5. Run RMPrepUSB and select the USB drive - then select File - Make grub4dos ISO from drive. Choose 'No' if asked to make a WinPE ISO. This will make a bootable E2B ISO file.
6. (optional) Test the ISO using RMPrepUSB Ctrl+F11 (File - Boot from ISO using QEMU Emulator)
7. Burn your ISO (or copy it to a Zalman ZM VE-200/300/400 or IsoStick for testing).
I strongly suggest that you search all the .mnu files that you are using and check that they don't use the partnew command - otherwise you could accidentally delete a partition on a hard drive when you boot the CD/DVD!
Test by booting from the ISO file as a virtual DVD using Virtual Box and check that Virtual Hard disk 0 is not corrupted, before you use the CD\DVD on a real system.
Tip: In the \_ISO\MyE2B.cfg file, add set CD=1 - this will force E2B into CD write-protect mode and when booting from USB, E2B will use ISOBOOT to boot linux ISO files (ISOBOOT will also work when booting from a CD).
Recommended for Easy2Boot (fastest flash drive!)
SanDisk Extreme SDCZ880-128G-G46
- Home
- Start & Intro
- Quick Setup Guide >>>
- DOWNLOADS >>>
- YouTube videos
- Tutorials and How To's
-
Make a USB Drive >>>
- Make a multi-partition E2B USB drive using RMPrepUSB
- Use an existing USB HDD for E2B
- Use LINUX to make an E2B drive + defrag
- How to Update E2B
- How to make a WINHELPER USB Flash Drive (fix 'Required DVD drive driver is missing')
- Multiple partitions on a USB Flash drive
- Using other partitions or drives
- Backup/Restore/Copy (clone) any E2B USB drive
- Make and burn an E2B DVD
- Using E2B with a Zalman/IODD
- Add E2B to your own grub4dos USB drive
- How to remove E2B
- E2B Menu System
- UEFI booting from E2B
-
How to add Payload Files and Use E2B >>>
- Make files CONTIGUOUS
- File Extensions recognised by E2B
- UEFI+MBR and how to make .imgPTN files
- MakePartImage and how to change the CSM Menu
- UEFI-Multiboot and rEFInd
- Using SWITCH_E2B with .imgPTN files
- Using the \_ISO\AUTO folder
-
WINDOWS payloads >>
- E2B USB HDD - Installing Windows with a 'WinHelper' drive
- Windows XP Install ISOs
- Install XP 32-bit + disk drivers (DPMS)
- Windows XP 64-bit
- Install XP using WinPE (one step process)
- Add XP Install ISOs using WinSetupFromUSB
- Windows Vista/7 Install ISOs
- UEFI boot from Windows 7 Install ISOs
- Windows 8/10 Install ISOs
- Unattended Installs
- XMLtoE2B.exe (Unattend.XML files)
- Adding >4GB Windows Install ISOs using .imgPTN files
- Automating Windows Installs from .imgPTN files
- Split_WinISO
- Add Windows ISOs to partition 2
- Windows AIO ISOs
- WindowsToGo
- WinNTSetup
- WinLite10 XML files
- SDI_CHOCO (install drivers, apps and updates) >>
- .VHD and .WIM files
- PassPass (bypass the Windows Password)
- Hack Windows Account Passwords (UtilMan.exe)
- Windows 2000
- Windows 98
- Multipoint Server
- Add the latest XP drivers (DPMS)
- Add a Windows Install menu entry
- LINUX payloads >>
- MSDart ERD ISOs
- WinBuilder, Medicat, Gandalf and WinPE ISOs
- Hirens/Strelec/DLC/F4 ISOs
- DOS (MS-DOS and FreeDOS)
- HAIKU
- MAC OS X
- FreeBSD
- MOVE_IMGPTN
- List of tested ISOs\payloads (with instructions)
-
Configure E2B >>>
- Menu settings (quick reference)
- E2B Menu Demo
- E2B_Editor
- E2B files and folders explained
- MyE2B.cfg - E2B configuration file >>
- Change the payload menu entries and help text using a .txt file
- Change the order of the menu entries
- Change the background wallpaper
- Different background wallpaper for each menu
- Default Menu and Timeout
- Change the Language, Headings, Menu and text
- Changing the default E2B menu entry order
- 'Change File Extension' prompt (Auto-Suggest)
- Change the Keyboard Layout
- About .mnu files
- Sample .mnu files
- PimpMyDrive.cmd
- Reduce the E2B messages
- Add a new Sub-Menu folder
- Stamps, Animation and Tunes
- Draw lines and boxes on the screen
- Write text/time/date to the menu screen
- Global Hotkeys
- Themes (Skins)
- Fonts
- Speeding up E2B (inc. FASTLOAD)
- One Single Menu
- The E2B F1 Help menu
- Add your own Help Menu
- Add Help text files (.help)
- Add Windows Install ISOs to the Main Menu
- Change the Windows Install Menu
- Passwords and Security
- Hide Payloads and Menu Entries
- Guest Mode
- GFX Boot Menus
- Dual Booting
- Change the CSM .imgPTN Menu
- Configure Clover
- Right-to-Left Languages
- Create new language files
- How to modify LOADISO.CMD (Repair message)
- Count number of boots
- UEFI - useful things know!
-
FAQ, Info, TroubleShooting, QEMU and Virtual Machines >>>
- 'File Not Contiguous' and 'Too Many Fragments' Errors
- 137GB 'BAD BIOS' bug
- TroubleShooting E2B
- E2B Error Messages
- Grub4dos Error Numbers
- Common problems with payload files
- Repair a corrupt E2B drive
- Known Issues and Bugs
- Slow and buggy BIOSes
- How E2B Works
- QEMU and Virtual Machines >>
- Using VBOX with a WinHelper USB drive
- Debugging E2B
- CONTIG.ISO
- ISOBOOT
- WIMBOOT (iPXE)
- grub4dos
- Useful resources
- Removable v. Fixed
- Gallery
- Guestbook
- Forum
- Blog
- a1ive grub2 File Manager (MBR+UEFI)
- Add Ventoy
- Site Map
- eBooks
- Contact Me >>>
- Donate
- Licensing
- Privacy policy (GDPR)
- Bespoke design service
- Grub2 Menu System (UEFI_GRUB2_PTN2)