XPost: uk.comp.os.linux, alt.windows7.general   
   From: java@evij.com.invalid   
      
   Although the Ventoy CD iso wouldn't boot after being copied to a USB by   
   Rufus, I was able to use Ventoy2Disk.exe in the zip to create a bootable   
   USB to try out.  It's pretty neat, and both the problem PCs boot from it.   
      
   So to summarise the situation now, and include a problem I forgot to   
   mention before ...   
      
   On 22/06/2024 21:30, Java Jive wrote:   
   >   
   > This is a deliberate X-post between Linux & Windows groups because, as   
   > per subject, I wish to create one USB stick that can act as a rescue   
   > system for both Linux & Windows 7 & 10   
   >   
   > As a half-way house test-bench, I have partitioned an external HD in a   
   > USB drive-bay as follows:   
   >   
   > P1 Ubuntu 22 | P2 Clonezilla | P3 Win 10 Install | P4 Ghost & ISO images   
   >   
   > The PCs involved are:   
   >      1  Dell Precision M6700 x 2   
   >      2  Dell Inspiron 15RSE 7520   
   >      3  Dell Precision M6300   
   >   
   >   
   > PROBLEM #1:   
   >   
   > I can boot from the external HD on PC3, & I think PC2 but cannot check   
   > just now as I'm using it to write this, but certainly not on either of   
   > PC1, which both give the message "Invalid Partition Table!".  AFAICT,   
   > their BIOS settings are set to support fully legacy booting, which is   
   > what this disk is partitioned as, and they boot happily from their own   
   > internal legacy partitioned disks, but not this external one.  They also   
   > boot happily from a number of USB sticks.  The most obvious difference   
   > between these two PCs and the others is that they both have two internal   
   > HDs:   
   >      Disk 0, /dev/sda, contains just two data partitions.   
   >      Disk 1, /dev/sdb, contains four OS partitions:   
   >          Win 7   
   >          Win 10   
   >          Win 7 32-Bit   
   >          Ubuntu 22   
   >   
   > Can anyone suggest how I can arrange things so that all the PCs can boot   
   > from this external HD?   
      
   As I could include one or more Live Linux USB *.ISOs, I think that most   
   probably this problem has been solved.  However, I'd like to be able to   
   adapt the ISO to use a UK keyboard layout, see next section.   
      
   > PROBLEM #2   
   >   
   > I can boot into Clonezilla 3.1.2, but not into its syslinux.cfg menu as   
   > happens when I boot from the USB directly; the method I found online   
   > seems designed to boot directly into the first option of the syslinux   
   > menu, not to invoke the menu itself.  How can I boot via grub into the   
   > same menu that you get when booting it as a USB?   
   >   
   > The method that I found online suggests placing the following grub   
   > fragment in either ...   
   >      /boot/grub/grub.cfg   
   > .... but that won't survive updates to grub, or to ...   
   >      /etc/grub.d/40_custom   
   > .... which will:   
   >   
   > menuentry "Clonezilla" {   
   >      savedefault   
   >      set root=(hd0,2)   
   >      linux /live/vmlinuz boot=live union=overlay username=user config   
   > components quiet noswap nolocales edd=on nomodeset   
   > ocs_live_run=\"ocs-live-general\" ocs_live_extra_param=\"\"   
   > keyboard-layouts= ocs_live_batch=\"no\" locales= vga=788 ip=frommedia   
   > nosplash live-media-path=/live bootfrom=/dev/sda2 toram=live,syslinux,EFI   
   >      initrd /live/initrd.img   
   > }   
      
   Solved as stated.   
      
   However, I forgot to mention before that I want to adapt both it and any   
   Live Linux ISOs to boot with a UK keyboard layout, as, particularly in   
   Clonezilla, the process of choosing one manually is tedious in the   
   extreme.  Can anyone help with how to do that?   
      
   > PROBLEM #3   
   >   
   > I have added to Clonezilla's syslinux.cfg menu an option of my own to   
   > boot into an ISO of an old W98 console for running Dell Diagnostics, a   
   > legacy version of Ghost, etc.  When booting from the original USB stick,   
   > I see the new option, and it seems to find the ISO and gets some way   
   > into booting it, but then stalls with the message:   
   >      Loading boot sector... booting...   
   >   
   > I can't seems to find a way of chaining to IO.SYS.  Can anyone suggest   
   > how I might do this?  This is what I put in the syslinux.cfg menu:   
   >   
   > label EmerDellGhost   
   >      # MENU DEFAULT   
   >      # MENU HIDE   
   >      MENU LABEL Emergency W98 Boot - Legacy Ghost & Dell Diagnostics   
   >      # MENU PASSWD   
   >      kernel memdisk   
   >      append initrd=/live/EmerDellGhost.iso   
   >      TEXT HELP   
   >      Run Windows 98 boot with legacy Ghost (2003) and   
   >      Dell Diagnostics for Latitude D610 & Precision M6300   
   >      ENDTEXT   
      
   Still a problem, I suspect still with the role of the Boot Sector in   
   chaining to IO.SYS.  I've tried to use Ventoy to boot RawWriteWin *.img   
   files of Emergency W98 boot floppies ...   
      
   	error: no such partition   
   	   
   	Disk I/O error   
   	Replace the disk, and then press any key   
      
   ... and ISOs made with ImgBurn ...   
      
   	[goes straight through to the PC's normal grub menu   
   	without any visible message being given]   
      
   ... but I still can't get a bootable result.  Any further help with this   
   would be welcome.   
      
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