Arch 2011.08 and Hirens bootcd on the same usb-disk (grub4dos)

mandos · 2012-03-01 00:19:31

Since Arch became my only OS I try to have a USB with the latest Arch installation around me.
Another thing that I like to have with me is Hirens bootcd. It is very usefull when trying to save your (or your friends) computer and has a few programs that I like to carry along. Most notable of them is memtest, which is now available in the archlinux iso.

Yesterday I decided to create a usb for hirens, I did so from my fathers windows machine since it was a piece of cake to do it from win. My USB was ready within minutes.
Then I had the idea to put Arch2011.08 inside the very same usb-disk.

The hirens usb-disk used grub4dos for its bootloader.
I copied arch2011.8 in the usb using the info mentioned here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pu … _USB_drive

Then I edited the grub4dos menu.lst and added the following lines:

title Archlinux 32bit - 2011.08
kernel /arch/boot/i686/vmlinuz archisobasedir=arch archisodevice=/dev/disk/by-uuid/XXXX-XXXX
initrd /arch/boot/i686/archiso.img

title Archlinux 64bit - 2011.08
kernel /arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz archisobasedir=arch archisodevice=/dev/disk/by-uuid/XXXX-XXXX
initrd /arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img

where XXXX-XXXX is the usb-disk uuid
note: the usb generated for hirens has 2 menu.lst files, the one on the root folder isn't used (I deleted it).

This way I'm chainloading (I suppose) syslinux from telling grub4dos to boot arch. The results worked fine and I believe that upgrading the installation files would be very easy: just copy over the new ones!
I believe that using the very same technique one could add his favorite live-cd in the same usb-disk with arch-installation, having a usb-disk with all the utils to save a computer

If people agree I can place this stuff in the wiki (either in an article named hirens/grub4dos or in here https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pu … lash_drive under a section named grub4dos).

Last edited by mandos (2012-03-01 00:59:56)

djgera · 2012-03-01 00:47:59

No, you are directly using described method on the wiki, the only difference is that you are using already installed bootloader (grub2dos), there is no chainload here.

Apart of this, Hirens is considered as "warez", so...

mandos · 2012-03-01 01:00:33

I didn't know about the warez part... After all it is freely available from their site (and not from other sources). Sorry about that.
If a mod believes that this should be deleted please do so!

I fixed my error above, with the chainloading. Thnx

Last edited by mandos (2012-03-04 16:37:22)

pyther · 2012-03-04 15:39:00

djgera wrote:

Apart of this, Hirens is considered as "warez", so...

Slightly OT: This use to be the case, but now it is using opensource/free/shareware programs (no warez). http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd

mandos · 2012-03-04 16:37:00

Thanks for clearing this out pyther! I wouldn't like to promote anything illegal

Arch Linux

#1 2012-03-01 00:19:31

Arch 2011.08 and Hirens bootcd on the same usb-disk (grub4dos)

#2 2012-03-01 00:47:59

Re: Arch 2011.08 and Hirens bootcd on the same usb-disk (grub4dos)

#3 2012-03-01 01:00:33

Re: Arch 2011.08 and Hirens bootcd on the same usb-disk (grub4dos)

#4 2012-03-04 15:39:00

Re: Arch 2011.08 and Hirens bootcd on the same usb-disk (grub4dos)

#5 2012-03-04 16:37:00

Re: Arch 2011.08 and Hirens bootcd on the same usb-disk (grub4dos)

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