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#21

Boot Managers / Troubles with VMware ESXi

Last post by brittnib0 - June 26, 2024, 10:21:09 AM

Hi,

I'm using VMware ESXi 7.x and connecting to VMs using the Remote Console (VM is running on a remote server, and the USB devices are connected locally in a Windows desktop). My virtual machines are configured to use USB 2.0 and the memory stick that I want to boot is connected using a USB 2.0 HUB (to overcome USB 3.x troubles).

Here my experience:

- When using UEFI mode in the BIOS of the VM, then the last version of PBM6-EFI (pbm6-efi-20230206.zip) doesn't boot. However, the ancient version pbm6-efi-20221104.zip boots. You can check it at https://www.plop.at/en/pbm6/blog.html searching for the "2022-11-04  -  PBM6 - EFI: ISO fix" and "The ISO did not work under VMware. It is fixed now." I don't know why this ancient version is fixed but not the current release. Any reason for it?

- When using BIOS mode in the VM, the PLOP boot manager boots, but the USB devices aren't detected. This is true with any version (including pbm6-20240301.zip). If I boot any LiveCD with the same configuration in the VM all USB drives are detected. However, the PLOP never display any of them. But it does in EFI mode with the same VM configuration. Any idea to fix this?

I really apreciate the effort of the developer of PLOP. This tool is impresive. And I hope you will continue improving it. But IMHO the ESXi support is a very valuable functionality, and now is partially broken. So, please fix it. Thank you.

Regards.

#22

Boot Managers / Re: Using micro SD to boot Win...

Last post by politicse - June 25, 2024, 09:11:28 AM

I am no kind of programmer, just a middle aged mom with time on her hands and wanted to see if I could... I am trying to upgrade a Nextbook NXW10QC32G from Windows 8.1 to 10.  My terminology may not be correct, but I hope you can follow my train of thought.  First, not enough storage on the tablet to do a traditional download for the upgrade.  I came across this website:  https://www.groovypost.com/howto/howto/create-a-windows-bootable-install-sd-card-or-usb-flash-drive/ foodle and have successfully followed the path to creating the bootable micro SD.  Problem is, the detachable keyboard no longer works, so I am unable to use the F2 key on start up to boot Windows 10 from the micro SD.  I cannot figure out another way to accomplish this.  So, I am looking for any way to get my HOURS of diligence to pay off.  I don't know if your 'Plop' software would help, but thought it worth a shot to post here in hopes that someone would see and offer me a possible solution.  ANY suggestions are welcome....

Hi,

Because your Nextbook only has 32 GB hard drive, the only thing you can do if you want Windows 10 is to do a clean installation of it.

Before you do anything, you must:
1.  Run Disk Cleaner and check the System Files checkbox.
This will rid your hard drive of gigabytes of useless Windows update files

2.  Save all your files to the "cloud" or to USB flash drive.

Then, on another PC, download and install Media Creation Tool.
Run MCT to create bootable USB flash drive.

Boot into Windows 8 on your Nextbook
Insert the bootable USB flash drive
Double-click on setup.exe

I have done this on laptops that have only 32 GB eMMC hard drive.

Good luck.

Yep, that's another issue resolved.
Cheers.

#23

Boot Managers / Re: plop 5 boots from USB only...

Last post by primard - June 25, 2024, 09:04:31 AM

I think, you can try different bootloaders - plop6, grub4dos, syslinux, grub2, xorboot... - maybe one of them will see the USB port of the daughter board, and you will get USB3 speed. But you can only run BIOS distro(not UEFI). IMHO.

geometry dash subzero

#24

Boot Managers / Re: Won't boot from USB loaded...

Last post by leastperson - June 25, 2024, 08:55:51 AM

So I have a lenovo mini thinkcentre running windows 11. yesterday the OS updated and now all i get is a black screen and it will not boot. All connections are good and the monitor is working as it flashes HDMI and monitor controls but no logo and I tried everything to get it to boot and nothing works. Using another computer i created a boot disk on a USB and then I downloaded Plop onto the USB and tried to boot my PC. It doesn't work. All i have is the same black screen/ What am I doing wrong? How can i get it to boot again? happy wheels

I think you created the extended partition because of the swap partition. You can also use a file as a swap space to download Plop to USB. That means you can use sda4 as primary partition and custom files on sda4 as swap space. Boot PC, this offers more benefits than using the partition as swap space. But booting also works with extended partitions.

#25

Boot Managers / Toshiba Satellite 2400 (Pentiu...

Last post by Grunchy - March 31, 2024, 17:22:13 PM

Laptop is from 2002 or so, 512MB ram, 149GB PATA. I consider it the perfect DOS/Win9x/WinXP machine & even works well with Linux.

My plan is to multi-boot "Dos6 + Win3.1" from primary 1 (2GB), "Win95" from primary 2 (10GB), "Win98" from primary 3 (10GB), "Kolibri OS" from logical 1 (2GB), "WinXP" from logical 2 (40GB), "Lubuntu 16.04" from logical 3 (83GB + 2GB swap).

Plop V5 working with Linux doesn't make any sense to me. We have this warning, "Warning Linux users: Install LILO or GRUB to the boot sector of your Linux instead of the Master Boot Record (MBR). The Plop Boot Manager is not a Linux loader and cannot start Linux without LILO, GRUB, Syslinux and similar!  See Linux Boot Managers."

And of course if you click "Linux Boot Managers" all you get is a cryptic message, "LILO, GRUB / grub4dos, GRUB2: I had no time to write some short descriptions how to install them to the boot sector."   <-- I DIDN'T FIND THIS INFO VERY USEFUL TO ME.


Well the laptop did work with Plop V5 (for DOS and Win9x), though I could never figure out how to boot Linux/Lubuntu with it.


So then I thought, perhaps I can boot Linux with PBM6? But when I try to boot up PBM6 from floppy disk it comes to a screen and "freezes" (no response from keyboard or mouse).

It says:

Hard disk     [IDE, PM, P1] >
CD/DVD drive  [IDE, SM] >
Floppy drive  [FDC, 1] >

Viewer, File Commander
Setup
About
Shutdown

This is the 12/02/2024 version, I also tried the latest "pbm6-20240301.zip" and got the same result.

Maybe I don't need such a fancy bootloader as PBM6, perhaps Plop V5 is good enough for this older Laptop.
But then, is there any possible way to write an instruction or perhaps sequence of events for configuring Plop to work with Linux?

One imagines someone at some time was able to achieve this, perhaps a "how to do it" for the next guy.

#26

Boot Managers / Re: Booting ubuntu on an expre...

Last post by Elmar - February 20, 2024, 20:32:30 PM

Woooow dude!! It worked just like that! Amazing!

Great 

#27

Boot Managers / Re: Booting ubuntu on an expre...

Last post by fasterubuntu - February 20, 2024, 16:36:09 PM

Woooow dude!! It worked just like that! Amazing!

How crazy is to boot an encrypted ubuntu in a tiny usb 3 drive plugged into a cheap expresscard?

And the best thing is the expresscard adds no volume to the laptop.

Thank you!!

Now, I have an ancient desktop PC, I think I can upgrade it with a usb 3.0 ports card.

I wonder if... 

#28

Boot Managers / Re: Booting ubuntu on an expre...

Last post by Elmar - February 20, 2024, 13:07:27 PM

The encrypted installation, has three partitions, the same as above and a third encrypted partition.
There is no "/boot" folder in the ext4 partition, I had to make one to put the plopkexec.cfg file in.

For your encrypted system use this plopkexec.cfg

Code Select Expand

label Ubuntu - Encrypted
kernel /vmlinuz
append root=/dev/mapper/vgubuntu-root ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img
Write this plopkexec.cfg file into the same directory as vmlinuz is. You will see there also files like vmlinuz-6.5.0-18-generic and so on. vmlinuz is just a symlink to the latest kernel.

#29

Boot Managers / Re: Booting ubuntu on an expre...

Last post by fasterubuntu - February 19, 2024, 19:45:07 PM

Wow, that worked in a regular ubuntu installation!, boots much faster, it was /dev/sdd2.
Thank you!

However I'm now trying to boot an encrypted installation, with no luck.

The regular ubuntu installation has two partitions, a small FAT partition and a big ext4 partition, I put the plopkexec.cfg file in the ext4 partition, "/boot" folder where the files vmlinuz and initrd.img can be found.

The encrypted installation, has three partitions, the same as above and a third encrypted partition.
There is no "/boot" folder in the ext4 partition, I had to make one to put the plopkexec.cfg file in.

The files vmlinuz and initrd.img are in the "/" folder instead. I changed the plopkexec.cfg file accordingly and the ubuntu installation is detected by plopkexec, and it starts to boot but it doesn't boot correctly, it asks the password in a different way and then it gives some errors and ends up in a "busybox" shell asking for commands.

When booting normally in a usb 2.0 port, whatever I put in the ext4 "/" folder, will appear in the "/boot" folder of "computer".

[/boot/plopkexec.cfg]

#30

Boot Managers / Re: Booting ubuntu on an expre...

Last post by Elmar - February 19, 2024, 14:16:08 PM

Hello,

Is there any way to make it boot anything or at least an already installed ubuntu?

Yes.

On your Ubuntu installation create the file /boot/plopkexec.cfg

Code Select Expand

label Ubuntu - Hard disk
kernel /boot/vmlinuz
append root=/dev/sda3
initrd /boot/initrd.img

Maybe you have to change the 'append' line and change /dev/sda3 to your Ubuntu partition.


PlopKexec will find this configuration file and you can boot Ubuntu.


Regards
Elmar