Grub2Win / Discussion / General Discussion: Installation cannot start

meo6062 - 2021-03-20

Hi
I use Windows 10 stable and I want to try to install grub2win and change the resolution it requested. But, the installer perceive the resolution differently. Is this a bug?

Screenshot_2021-03-20_22-44-43.pdf

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Drummer - 2021-03-20

Hi David,

You have your scaling set to 125%. This cuts your effective resolution to 819 x 614.

Your effective resolution is not large enough to display the Grub2Win screens.

You can either increase your display resolution or change the scaling from 125% to 100%.

I hope this helps.

Dave

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meo6062 - 2021-03-20

Hi
Dave
I have dual boot settings with Windows 10 Pro and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with Grub customzer installed. So, I have few questions and suggestions:
1. I use your solution for resolution problem and it works properly. But, since modern monitor runs with minimum 2k, 4k and so on. it will be really helpful and prevent unwanted surprise from noobs if the user can install the app easily without need to modify the resolution settings.
2. I saw this app does not have any capability to change the GRUB wallpaper like grub customizer. So, it will be great if there is such option
3. this app automatically delete my grub configurations and wallpaper I made from grub customizer by replace it with their own setting. I hope this app can become a way to modify the grub setting in Windows and work together with grub customizer in Ubuntu rather than replace its own setting
4. When, I want to delete this app, the app make a mess by make my grub settings does not show up on Windows. So, I need to execute this command "bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64".efi on Command prompt with admin privilege to make the grub appear. So, I found this is quite annoying
Can you solve the problem?

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Drummer - 2021-03-21

Hi David,

I think you may have some misconceptions about Grub2Win, so I will address each of your points.

Grub2Win requires 1024 x 768 to display properly. This is simple arithmetic. The GUI will not fit in a smaller display.

Grub2Win comes with nine different wallpapers (themes). You can also add an unlimited number of your own themes if you wish.

Grub2Win is a Windows application. It does not touch any files in your Linux or Grub Customizer setup. It cannot even access your Linux files.

I'm not sure how you uninstalled the app. Did you use the Windows control panel uninstaller or did you simply delete the C:\grub2 directory? If you used the Windows control panel uninstaller, you should not have this problem.

Please let me know.

Thanks,

Dave
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meo6062 - 2021-03-21

Hi
Dave
Thanks for your reply and I have questions:
1. You mentioned that the GUI will not fit on smaller display and is it possible for the app automatically recognise the resolution on bigger screens (2k, 4k and beyond)?
2. You mentioned that with grub2win we can add wallpapers. Can you show me how to do that?
3. After the installation finished, the Grub2win replace my customised grub settings (page 1 on the attachment) with the blue one (page 2). Is there any possibility to prevent this issue?
4. I use control panel from Windows to remove the app and after I restarted my PC, the grub menu does not shows up and I automatically redirected to Windows. So, I have to execute this command bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi on command prompt to solve this problem and it is quite problematic. What do you think?
Can you solve the problem?

oJR4c-converted.pdf

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Drummer - 2021-03-21

Hi again David,

I am going to contact you directly about these issues instead of using the general discussion forum. The concerns you have are very specific to your particular configuration.

Dave

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meo6062 - 2021-03-21

Hi
Dave
Honestly, my modifications for grub configuration only limited to: boot order between ubuntu and Windows, wallpaper, font size and colours, time needed to select OS to boot via grub and boot default entry. So, what kind of communication method you prefer?

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Ed P - 2021-03-21

Renaming an existing grub2 install folder rather than deleting it or overlaying it shouldn't be that hard to do Dave. Then the user can decide whether to delete it or not. And if he keeps it and later decides to uninstall Grub2Win he can simply rename his old grub2 folder back.

This problem seems more frequent with Ubuntu installs which include grub2 and whose grub2 doesn't require disabling EFI to run.

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Drummer - 2021-03-21

Hey Ed,

Grub2win doesn't delete or rename or overlay any existing grub files or directories. The Ubuntu grub and Grub2Win's grub EFI subdirectories are completely independent, so there is no reason for Grub2Win to alter files in the Ubuntu EFI subdirectory.

I think there are some misconceptions here. Files are not renamed or overlaid. The EFI firmware pointers are simply set so they point to the appropriate EFI subdirectory.

Dave

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Ed P - 2021-03-22

Maybe adding an Uninstall option for Grub2Win that provides that restore function as an option since the Windows uninstall option doesn't do it would be a good idea.

Last edit: Ed P 2021-03-22

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Drummer - 2021-03-23

Hey again Ed,

The uninstall already does revert to the previous configuration. Problem is, some EFI firmware, particularly older EFI firmware, simply ignores the revert command and boots Windows no matter what.

Dave

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Ed P - 2021-03-23

I'm not sure Windows Control Panel uninstalls supports the revert command Dave. If I get some time I may play around with some apps and see what it does.

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meo6062 - 2021-03-23

I suspect this is the main problem and not my main firmware. So, I think publish on Microsoft Store is also better solution because Microsoft store apps have different procedure for uninstall an app.

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Drummer - 2021-03-23

Hey again Ed and David,

That's not how it works. There is no control panel "revert" command. "Revert" is my shorthand name for the following command:

bcdedit /set {fwbootmgr} displayorder
{739b80c5-45c5-11eb-9d4c-806e6f6e6963}
{9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
{444e352a-45f0-11eb-9d57-806e6f6e6963}
{a6b42bc6-460a-11eb-9d5b-806e6f6e6963}
{01441ec6-8bda-11eb-9e04-806e6f6e6963}

This command is issued when you uninstall Grub2Win through the Windows control panel. The control panel calls the Grub2Win uninstall function which then issues the command. The Microsoft store will not work for Grub2Win.

Notes: The pointers shown in the command above are for my system. Your system pointers will be different and unique to your system. You can enter the same bcdedit command from an administrative Windows command prompt with the same result.

Some EFI firmware simply ignores the pointer set command. On these systems, you will have to boot to the EFI firmware screen and manually set the EFI boot order.

The exact same situation occurs when you run the Linux EFI efibootmgr command. Stubborn EFI firmware refuses to honor the boot order specified and the manual process must be used.

I hope this clears things up.

Dave

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Ed P - 2021-03-23

Dave, the OP says he manually runs the bcdedit command to restore his Ubuntu grub2 boot config which, to me, indicates your Grub2Win uninstall isn't doing it which, to me, implies the Grub2Win install didn't backup his bcd config thus can't restore it.

When Grub2Win is installed is there a way to list/print the boot config it backed up? If so Dave T. could list his bcd settings, install Grub2Win, then compare the Grub2Win bcd backup with his bcd settings before the install.

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Drummer - 2021-03-23

Hey Ed,

I'm confused. What is "OP"?

The Grub2Win bcdedit command does not alter the BCD database, it is setting the EFI pointers, so there is nothing to restore.

The command David is issuing,

"bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64".efi

is also a pointer setting command command and does not alter the BCD database.

It can be used to set the bootmgr path to any of hundreds (if not thousands) of EFI modules.

Dave

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Ed P - 2021-03-23

"OP" > Opening Poster. Whose name is also Dave

So Dave/Drummer, is the bcdedit pointer setting command able to backup a system's existing bootmgr path setting? Before Grub2Win sets a new pointer?

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Drummer - 2021-03-24

Hey Ed,

I'll give this some thought. It might get very messy and unreliable.

Issues:

What happens when the restored pointer references an EFI partition that is no longer mounted?
I frequently see systems with multiple EFI partitions on flash drives. I have seen system with as many as seven EFI partitions. Sometimes four EFI partitions on the same drive. God only knows why.

Which EFI partition is the "real" EFI partition? If they have similarly named .efi files, which one is valid, and which does the pointer actually reference.

The pointer may have been set months or years earlier. What has changed? Is it still valid.

I think you see what I mean. The risk of creating an unbootable system is quite real.

Dave

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Ed P - 2021-03-24

I agree with all your thoughts, especially the last one. Thus the restore should include an option to restore to Windows or restore to the old system, if the old system is still present.

Someone who multi-boots and tries Grub2Win and after a day decides to delete it restoring to the previous system should work. After a week or more it becomes a crap shoot. Maybe the option could be time based or if there is a way for it to investigate the backup and the current EFI files and etc. A lot of work, a 1 week or 3 day time period might be enough of a check.

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