[solved] Grub4dos vs Antix 21

[Member ahoppin]

Is there a way to boot Antix 21 live with grub4dos?

I mounted the .iso, and copied the files to /antix64_21 on a vfat thumb drive which also boots other live distros including Antix 19.3.

The relevant section of the grub4dos menu.lst:

title Antix 21.0 (antix64_21)
find –set-root –ignore-floppies –ignore-cd /antix64_21/antiX/initrd.gz
kernel /antix64_21/antiX/vmlinuz disable=lxF
initrd /antix64_21/antiX/initrd.gz

This method works with Antix 19.3, but not with Antix 21.0.

I get the following message during boot:

Non-Fatal Error
Kernel version mismatch
Kernel version 4.9.0-279-antix.1=amd64-smp
The module directory /live/linux/lib/modules/4.9.0-279-antix.1=amd64-smp is missing
c = continue
p = power off
r – reboot

Selecting c continues the boot with a note about “using Vesa driver.”

Xwin starts but isn’t usable. See attached photo.

Hardware: Thinkpad T400, non-UEFI, using integrated Intel graphics.

Thanks!

• This topic was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by anticapitalista. Reason: solved

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[Member Robin]

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There was something I recall when using grub, you possibly need to add a “payload=” (or wasn’t it gfxpayload?) statement into the grub config to make the graphic run in linux. Consider this just as a hint, you’ll have to investigate for this keyword further yourself or wait for additional answers, I can’t tell you more about it. I’m struggling myself right now to make antiX 21 boot on a USB stick differently from the default one created by the USB maker tool.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Member ahoppin]

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Something is clearly different about booting (or trying to) with grub / grub4dos.

When I boot from either the DVD or the thumb drive made with Antix’s official thumb-drive-maker, I get a menu that allows me to choose the kernel (old or new) and boot process (normal, safe video, failsafe).

I don’t get any of that when booting with grub4dos, just the usual Linux-booting text-blizzard.

Could it be that there’s some extra code in the DVD boot sector that’s not getting executed when grub4dos tries to boot the iso contents?

If so, would it be possible to somehow transfer that code to the thumb drive so grub4dos can execute it?

Or maybe grub4dos needs to launch some other executable on the thumb drive.

PS – I just discovered another interesting feature (?) of booting from an “official” thumb drive.

Even though I don’t have persistence set, some things are being saved behind my back. Specifically, when I entered a static IP/DNS configuration, Antix remembered it on the next live thumb drive boot – again, without persistence being set.

And stat /dev/sdb* (sdb is the thumb drive) shows for the thumb drive block dev a modification time which I think is the last shutdown.

I wonder what else is being saved without the user asking it to be.

I also wonder what would happen if I made sdb1 and sdb2 read-only.

[Member olsztyn]

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Just an idea, I am not saying I know for sure:
In antiX 19 the boot process had one kernel to boot. In antiX 21 there are two kernels to chose from, from which to boot – 4.9 and 5.10.
I think the default is kernel 4.9, unless 5.10 is saved as default. In the Live composition, both kernels are in antiX folder – one as vmlinuz and the other is named vmlinuz1. I understand the state remembers which kernel is saved to boot, and if there is a mismatch, then you get the message you described.
I will try to re-create similar situation using Ez2Boot, which I think is using Grub4Dos, where I will set a kernel to boot as default, run ISO-Snapshot and add the resulting ISO file to /Linux folder in Ez2Boot as one to boot.
I am just a user, so antiX tech team might be able to provide a more clear answer…

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member Xecure]

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ahoppin wrote:

`title Antix 21.0 (antix64_21)
[…]

You need to add
bdir=antix64_21/antiX
parameter, so that it can find where the linuxfs file is stored (and load the kernel).
So, change the line to look like:
kernel /antix64_21/antiX/vmlinuz disable=lxF bdir=antix64_21/antiX

ahoppin wrote:

Even though I don’t have persistence set, some things are being saved behind my back. Specifically, when I entered a static IP/DNS configuration, Antix remembered it on the next live thumb drive boot – again, without persistence being set.

From http://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-19/FAQ/boot-params.html

savestate (LiveUSB Only) Save certain “state” files across reboots even without persistence enabled. Also save certain machine-specific state files across reboots. You can control which files get saved by editing the files /live/boot-dev/antiX/state/general-state-files and /live/boot-dev/antiX/state/machine-state-files. Those files and the directory they are in will be created automatically the first time you boot the LiveUSB. This is enabled by default and it is “sticky” so once you enable it it will stay enabled until you turn it off. See below.

nosavestate (LiveUSB Only) disable saving state files. See description above. This too is sticky so when you use it saving state will stay disabled until you re-enable it.

savestate is ON by default, except if you use the nosavestate boot parameter to switch it off.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Xecure.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member Robin]

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ahoppin wrote:

I don’t get any of that when booting with grub4dos, just the usual Linux-booting text-blizzard.

antiX uses syslinux/extlinux/isolinux boot manager when booting from USB or CD/DVD, not grub by default. So it’s expectable you won’t see this screen designed specially for extlinux when using a different boot manager for system startup.

ahoppin wrote:

Even though I don’t have persistence set, some things are being saved behind my back. Specifically, when I entered a static IP/DNS configuration, Antix remembered it on the next live thumb drive boot – again, without persistence being set.

Yes, you are true. There is a specific mechanism storing some basic information on the boot device for convenience if possible.
You will find everything what is stored within the folder
/live/boot-dev/antiX/state
and its subfolders on your boot device. It is partly machine specific.
If I remember correctly, there is a boot parameter to supress the saving of these state info. (Try F1 and search the help docs at antiX boot screen to find the corresponding boot code)

{ EDIT: Just noticed: Xecure (many thanks!) was more precise about this already. So you won’t need to look it up on your own anymore. }

ahoppin wrote:

I also wonder what would happen if I made sdb1 and sdb2 read-only.

For sure, it wouldn’t get saved anymore. This would be equivalent to booting from CD-ROM/DVD, where these convenience information can’t be stored also.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Member ahoppin]

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Xecure:
> You need to add
> bdir=antix64_21/antiX
> parameter, so that it can find where the linuxfs file is stored (and load the kernel).

Thank you! That works perfectly.

> savestate is ON by default, except if you use the nosavestate boot parameter to switch it off.

Thanks for that info, too.

> From http://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-19/FAQ/boot-params.html

Thank you further for not saying “RTFM,” even though I should have RTFM. The online manual is one of Antix’s strengths.

[Member ahoppin]

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