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**oshunluvr** · Feb 17, 2019, 08:08 AM

Yep, I can. Been doing this for a while. Here's a stanza from mine:

Code:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000]menuentry 'Kbuntu 18.04 ISO' --class iso {[/COLOR]
    set isofile="/@grub/kubuntu-18.04-desktop-amd64.iso"
    loopback loop (hd0,3)$isofile
    linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=$isofile noprompt noeject
    initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz
}[/FONT]

I basically download the newest ISO, rename it to "kubuntu-18.04-desktop-amd64.iso" and save it to my grub folder. This works well with any *buntu ISO I've tried.

Note i'm not using EFI so that's one difference.

**Fintan** · Feb 17, 2019, 10:17 AM

Thanks for the reply. Which "grub" folder are you talking about here? I have one here: /boot/grub? What is that in Grub speak?

I am not aware that I had installed using EFI. Where do you see that? I have a generic Kubuntu 18.10 install.

So, I could use:

menuentry 'Kbuntu 19.04 ISO' --class iso {
set isofile="/@grub/kubuntu-19.04-desktop-amd64.iso"
loopback loop (hd0,

?)$isofile
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=$isofile noprompt noeject
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz
}

Thank you for any further feedback.

**oshunluvr** · Feb 17, 2019, 06:14 PM

No no no, sorry. The "@grub" part is my grub folder. You need to use whatever folder your grub is in or where ever you have your ISO stored. I have a dedicated GRUB install on a BTRFS file system so MY grub is in a subvolume named "@grub".

I don't think it matters where the ISO is as long as it's accessible by grub.

**Fintan** · Feb 17, 2019, 06:38 PM

Right. So, I am back to this:

I tried accomodating my situation:
menuentry “Kubuntu 19.04_ISO” {
set isofile=”/Data/Downloads/Linux/disco-desktop-amd64.iso"
loopback loop (hd0,1)$isofile (What goes here)
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz.efi boot=casper iso-scan/filename=${isofile} quiet splash
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz
}

And what goes here

loopback loop (hd0,1)$isofile

considering where my ISO file is:
/Data/Downloads/Linux/
resp.
/dev/sda3/Downloads/Linux

**oshunluvr** · Feb 17, 2019, 06:45 PM

Not sure why you think something needs to go there?

"$isofile" is a variable filed in by "set isofile=..."

**jlittle** · Feb 17, 2019, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by Fintan View Post

/dev/sda3/Downloads/Linux

This should have the grub notation: (hd0,3) (It has been a while).

Such a translation is dubious. How grub and linux enumerate drives can vary, and vary from boot to boot too.

The first thing I would do is press c while on the grub menu, to get a grub prompt. Then type "ls" to see what devices grub sees. Say it sees hd0,1
Then type
ls (hd0,1)
to see what really is there. You can try the various commands out, and maybe find what's going wrong.

Now, when I boot a cosmic iso, the initrd command reads

initrd (loop)/casper/initrd

yours has a ".lz" on the end. I have a vague memory that that changed in Ubuntu isos since 14.04. You can open the iso in Kubuntu with ark, and look in the casper folder; my cosmic iso has a plain "initrd".

I use a grub loop that looks for .iso files in my downloads directory and generates menuentries for whatever is there. Using a bootable USB stick, preferably a fast one, with such a generated menu is the way to go in future I think; there's a few projects that do that, I must check one out some time.

**Fintan** · Feb 18, 2019, 01:46 AM

Hmmm...

Here is my boot screen-> c -> ls =
(hd0) (hd0,msdos8) (hd0,msdos7) (hd0,msdos6) (hd0,msdos5) (hd0,msdos4) (hd0,msdos3), etc...

Not sure I like this msdps stuff, but hey...

Anyway ls (hd0,msdos3) gives my Data partition, which is where my download folder is.

Now I did this to my 40_custom_proxy:

#!/bin/sh
#THIS IS A GRUB PROXY SCRIPT
'/etc/grub.d/proxifiedScripts/custom' | /etc/grub.d/bin/grubcfg_proxy "-*
-#text
+'Kubuntu'~515db425b7561c0741785584d223c275~
"

menuentry “Kubuntu 19.04_ISO” {
set isofile=”/Data/Downloads/Linux/disco-desktop-amd64.iso"
loopback loop (hd0,msdos3)$isofile
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=${isofile} quiet splash
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd
}

grub-update gives:

fintan@fintan-HP-Pavilion-dv6-Notebook-PC:~$ sudo update-grub
[sudo] password for fintan:
Generating grub configuration file ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-13-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-13-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-12-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-12-generic
/etc/grub.d/40_custom_proxy: 8: /etc/grub.d/40_custom_proxy: menuentry: not found
/etc/grub.d/40_custom_proxy: 14: /etc/grub.d/40_custom_proxy: Syntax error: Unterminated quoted string

Something is obviously wrong here with the syntax.

Any ideas?

**jlittle** · Feb 18, 2019, 03:11 AM

Originally posted by Fintan View Post

#THIS IS A GRUB PROXY SCRIPT

I've never used "grub customizer", and it's gobbledygook to me at this stage. Something is going wrong with it. I suggest not using it for now. A way to achieve this would be delete everything before the "menuentry" line, and replace it with

Code:

#!/bin/sh
exec tail -n +3 $0

That's the way the non grub-customizer, default debian 40_custom file works. It just causes the following text to be copied into grub.cfg. Any script that outputs the codes you want would do.

(IMO it's much simpler to use a manually maintained grub.cfg. It need only be 20 lines or so, rather than the default convoluted scripts that call other scripts that generate scripts that call other scripts, which break screwing up booting.)

**Fintan** · Feb 18, 2019, 04:00 AM

Ok. Thanks for the grub customizer heads up.

Got rid of that, did an upgrade now I have this in 40-custom, with my changes:

#!/bin/sh
exec tail -n +3 $0
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
menuentry "Kubuntu" --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-3710e270-6ac8-4d24-b042-9aae3f37ab82' {
recordfail
load_video
gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
if [ x$grub_platform = xxen ]; then insmod xzio; insmod lzopio; fi
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos1 3710e270-6ac8-4d24-b042-9aae3f37ab82
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 3710e270-6ac8-4d24-b042-9aae3f37ab82
fi
linux /boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-13-generic root=UUID=3710e270-6ac8-4d24-b042-9aae3f37ab82 ro quiet splash $vt_handoff
initrd /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-13-generic
}

menuentry “Kubuntu 19.04_ISO” {
set isofile=”/Data/Downloads/Linux/disco-desktop-amd64.iso"
loopback loop (hd0,msdos3)$isofile
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=${isofile} quiet splash
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd
}

grub-update:
fintan@fintan-HP-Pavilion-dv6-Notebook-PC:~$ sudo update-grub
[sudo] password for fintan:
Sourcing file `/etc/default/grub'
Generating grub configuration file ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-15-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-15-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-13-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-13-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.18.0-12-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-12-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.elf
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Found Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS (18.04) on /dev/sda7
error: out of memory.
error: syntax error.
error: Incorrect command.
error: syntax error.
Syntax error at line 443
Syntax errors are detected in generated GRUB config file.
Ensure that there are no errors in /etc/default/grub
and /etc/grub.d/* files or please file a bug report with
/boot/grub/grub.cfg.new file attached.
fintan@fintan-HP-Pavilion-dv6-Notebook-PC:~$

**Fintan** · Feb 18, 2019, 04:40 AM

Ok, looks like I am getting closer.

Edited 40_custom with this:
menuentry 'Disco' {
set isofile= '/Data/Downloads/Linux/disco-desktop-amd64.iso'
loopback loop (hd0,msdos3)$isofile
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=${isofile} quiet splash
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd
}

grup-update comes back without errors.

Grub boor "sees" Disco.

But when I click on Disco I get:
Error: invalid file name ` '
Error: disk 'loop' not found
Error: you need to boot kernel first

Not sure what all that means...

**oshunluvr** · Feb 18, 2019, 06:43 AM

It means it's not finding the ISO. Either the drive reference in the loopback comment is wrong or the path/filename to the iso is wrong.

The first obvious thing I see is you used single quotes around the filename where I (and the grub documentation) uses double quotes.

I've never had to use the "msdos" part to specify my partition, but I'm using GPT tables so that makes sense.

**oshunluvr** · Feb 18, 2019, 07:05 AM

BTW, where is this "Data" directory. It's not a mount is it?

**Fintan** · Feb 18, 2019, 07:06 AM

Hmmm...went back to grub boot-> c -> ls-> ls(hd0,msdos3) and that shows: Partition (hd0,msdos3)_ file system type ext* - label `Data' - last modified...

now, /Data/Downloads/Linux/disco-desktop-amd64.iso is the path to my .iso.

When I type that path into a terminal I get

permission denied

Permissions on the ISO show me. What now? Do I make it executable?

**Fintan** · Feb 18, 2019, 07:08 AM

/Data is a partition. Mounted

sda 931.5G
├─sda1 / 24.2G 3710e270-6ac8-4d24-b042-9aae3f37ab82
├─sda2 /home 27.2G 171802f7-58ce-42ae-a46b-f2838af70a77
├─sda3 /Data Data 380.2G 870450d7-d898-441c-9f0f-2084807b6fd2
├─sda4 1K
├─sda5 /Media Media 246G cc363feb-3783-4195-8d90-faee31f64e98
├─sda6 [SWAP] 4.6G 5626e36a-e819-46ea-839f-7e8043f66954
├─sda7 24.4G fca79d3d-bcc6-4a13-8677-09ee0ac39b6f
└─sda8 /Media2 Media2 225G 405c7e1d-95e7-4745-98f7-49b46339456d
sr0 1024M
fintan@fintan-HP-Pavilion-dv6-Notebook-PC:~$

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