Free grub software for linux

GRUB Splash Images package contains a collection of splashimages which can be used for GRUB.

If youd like your splashimage in this package send them to mcgrof@ruslug.rutgers.edu.

Quick tips for the impatient:

convert -resize 640x480 -colors 14 image.png image.xpm && gzip image.xpm

Quick tip for debian users: Use "unstable" packages in your /etc/apt/sources.list in order to get the latest GRUB with splashimage support

Quick tip to install GRUB (only Debian users do the apt-get line):

# using the unstable tree
apt-get install grub
grub-install /dev/hda
# Go edit/make a menu.lst file and put it in /boot/grub/menu.lst
grub
# then on the grub prompt run:

# The partition that has the boot partition
root (hd0,0)
install /grub/stage1 (hd0) /grub/stage2 p /grub/menu.lst
quit

grub-choose-default is a simple but handy GUI to set the grub default for the next boot.

Control Grub Default through a GUI

Do you have a dual boot system? Isnt it annoying when you want to reboot from Linux into Windows or vice-versa, and you have to wait for the machine to shut down, BIOS to initialize just so that you can now select the OS that you want to boot into?

grub-choose-default gives you a GUI that you can use to easily select the next default for grub and you can go and grab a snack while your computer reboots without having to wait for anything.

Its a very simple program that just reads your grub menu entries and then lets you click on the one you want to be the next default.

How It Works

In grubs menu.lst file you need to specify default saved, so that grub consults the file default in the grub directory to see which entry it should boot. That file is then modified by grub-choose-default

Cross Platform

grub-choose-default is written in Python (which is required to be installed at the moment) and works under Linux and Windows.

Under Linux it reads /boot/grub/menu.lst and writes your choice to /boot/grub/default

Then grub-choose-default searches all your drives for a grub/menu.lst or a boot/grub/menu.lst. There currently is no way to specify manually where menu.lst resides, please let me know if this is needed.

GRUB Web Admin module allows webmin (a web-based interface for system administration for Unix) to manage the grub bootloader.

Super Grub Disk is a bootable floppy or CDROM that is oriented towards system rescue, specifically for repairing the booting process.

Super Grub Disk is simply a Grub Disk with a lot of useful menus. It can activate partitions, boot partitions, boot MBRs, boot your former OS (Linux or another one) by loading menu.lst from your hard disk, automatically restore Grub on your MBR, swap hard disks in the BIOS, and boot from any available disk device.

The ISO has multi-language support, and allows you to change the keyboard layout of your shell.

This version has Gpareted included.

GNU/Fiwix is an operating system kernel based on the architecture of UNIX and Linux.
GNU/Fiwix operating system is designed exclusively for educational purposes, so the kernel code is kept as simple as possible for the benefit of students.
It runs on the 32-bit x86 hardware platform, and is compatible with existing GNU applications.
Main features:
- GRUB Multiboot Specification compliant.
- Fully 32bit protected mode non-preemptive kernel.
- For Intel 80386 processors or higher.
- Real multitask (kernel tasks at level 0).
- Protected task environment (independent memory address per process).
- Interrupt and exception handling.
- Semaphores.
- Signals.
- Virtual memory management up to 4GB.
- Demand paging with Copy-On-Write feature.
- Linux system calls compatibility.
- Linux ELF-386 executable format support (statically and dynamically linked).
- Round-Robin based scheduler algorithm (without priorities).
- VFS with Linux EXT2 filesystem support (read only).
- Keyboard driver with spanish/catalan and english keymaps (hard coded).
- Floppy disk device driver and DMA management.
- IDE/ATA hard disk device driver (read only).

GParted-Clonezilla project is a multi-boot livecd booting off GRUB. It can load the last GParted-livecd or Clonezilla to backup file system localy or through the network. Clonezilla supported ext2, ext3, reiserfs, xfs, jfs of GNU/Linux, and FAT, NTFS file system.

Topologilinux is a FREE and open-source Linux distribution that can run on top or inside your
existing windows system.

The main thing with Topologilinux is that it does not require any partitioning at all. (uses a single file as linux root system) Topologilinux is therefore very easy to install.

Over the years, the Linux operating system has become very popular
among both computer enthusiastics and experimenting home users.

The trouble with the Linux operating system has always been getting
starting.

Here comes the solution of that problem !!

Topologilinux is a free linuxdistribution to be run on top of any dos/windows and new in version 5 is that you can run it inside your windows system without partitioning your hard disk.

It is very easy to install Unlike other Linux distributions

Topologilinux DOES NOT NEED ANY PARTITIONING.

It will run on your existing Windows/DOS partition in a directory named "/tlinux5". This release works on both NTFS and FAT partitions which means that you can run it under all existing Windows or dos systems. New in version 5 is that you can run it inside Windows through coLinux, you can also use X windows through a vnc server and then connect using a vnc viewer.

You can also run your existing windows program in Topologilinux through the windows emulator wine. Just enter wine your_program.exe

Also a great Office package is included, OpenOffice 1.1.3. To install copy all files to a temp directory and install it.

Topologilinux is a free Linuxdistribution but all donations of money are welcome.

Installation:

1. Backup important data before installing (see IMPORTANT: below)
2. start up windows and insert this CD and run topologilinux-setup.exe and create files (will normally start automatically)
3 Follow instructions and install the system (recommended is to install everything in coLinux mode (default) but you can also select not to do so and boot with this cd in and write "install" then press Enter (You need to have "boot from cd" enabled in bios) (for more advanced boot options press F1) (make sure to try all options in the F1 menu if default) (installation kernel fails). But as said before read the steps and follow instructions and select default alternatives.
A warning for the TAP driver will appear, accept this and continue the installation.
DO NOT FORGET TO DO the networking configuration if you want coLinux to work.
NOTE: that you may not use the cd-driver in any other open windows program like the filemanager explorer or anything like that if you do the setup through coLinux cause filesharing does not work between colinux and windows correct.
Also note that setting for colinux can easy be changed in the xml files /tlinux/colinux/*.xml
4. follow instructions, and install the software you want. It is always prefered to install ALL software
5. Your system is now installed, You can start it inside windows from the "Start Topologiliux" icon or do a reboot and use the grub based bootmanager to start it in real mode (much faster)
6. To use the X system inside Windows you need to start the Topologilinux system first then "Topologilinux X" to connect to the system.
NOTE: that you can not login as root from vnc (Topologilinux X) so you need to login as auser.. (can add more users by adduser command) (to be able to use internet inside topologilinux in colinux mode you need to do the steps listed in the /tlinux5/doc/network-installation.doc or the htm file)
7. After you have done all part in coLinuxmode you should restart your computer and start in "real-mode" and select start Topologilinux from the bootmanager. Then when you are there you should run setup to configure your system there too.
The first time you start up your system you will be prompted to setup your system, do so and then reboot it again and your system will be ready !

NOTE: When installing using more than one cd it might be troubles with mounting the second CD in coLinuxmode. But dont give up: try to first close all programs that uses the cdrom and try press continue, if that does not help you, open the cd in a windows "explorer" window and then try to close it again and wait about 10 sconds and try to press continue again. This step might be a bit triky but it should work. If it does not work for you try to do the installation in "real-mode" instead.

According the Network it might be a tricky part that to. Try the help that is available in this readme file, it it still fails try to search on colinux homepage or try the forums on topologilinux.com

Another thing to know is that if you during the setup in "real-mode" select to start in grafical login during X configuration, this will affect the coLinuxmode too. If you want to change it back just edit /etc/inittab and change to runlevel3 instead of 4.