plpbt.bin - LiveCD and other ways to start the Boot Manager

When you don't want to install the boot manager to the MBR, then you have to use plpbt.bin. You can start plpbt.bin in many different ways. You cannot save boot manager settings when you use plpbt.bin. But you can use plpcfgbt to configure plpbt.bin.

1. Floppy

A floppy disk image is a file that contains every sector of the floppy disk. You cannot copy the image file on a floppy disk like a common file. It's required to use a special program that writes sector per sector of the image file to the floppy disk sectors. There are many programs available to do this.

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the floppy disk image plpbt.img.

How to create the floppy:

DOS: You can use diskimg.com with diskimg -d a -w plpbt.img

Windows: Write the disk image with the program rawwritewin to the floppy disk

Linux: dd if=plpbt.img of=/dev/fd0

You can configure the plpbt.bin on the floppy with plpcfgbt.

2. CD (LiveCD)

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the iso file plpbt.iso.

Customize ISO: See Create your own ISO ...

Windows:

You can use Nero, or the free program CDBurnerXP, or any other program that can burn ISO images.

Use the option like burn ISO on CD or burn ISO Image. Then choose the boot manager ISO and burn it.

Linux:

cdrecord is the linux program to burn ISO images to a CD.

Burn the ISO with cdrecord: cdrecord -v dev=<devicename> <iso image>

Example:
If you access your CD burner with /dev/hdd
cdrecord -v dev=/dev/hdd plpbt.iso

3. Windows boot menu (NT, 2K, XP, VISTA and Win7)

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract the zip file. Open the folder Windows. You will find the batch program InstallToBootMenu. Run it as administrator in VISTA/WIN7 (right mouse click on the file and choose "Run as administrator"). The batch creates an entry in your windows boot menu called "Plop Boot Manager". When you reboot, then use the entry to start the Plop Boot Manager.

To remove the entry from the windows boot menu run the program c:\plop\plpbt4win. Use "l" (small "L") to list all entries. Remove the entry with "r ID". ID is the number you have seen with "l". See here for more info's to plpbt4win.

Note: plpgenbtldr and contig are no longer required.

4. Syslinux, Isolinux, Extlinux

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the boot manager binary program plpbt.bin.

Add plpbt to the config file

• for Syslinux it's syslinux.cfg
• for Isolinux it's isolinux.cfg
• for Extlinux it's extlinux.conf

Add the following lines to your config file

label plp
linux plpbt.bin

Copy plpbt.bin to the same directory where the config file is.

You start the boot manager when you enter plp at the Syslinux command prompt.

You can configure the file plpbt.bin with plpcfgbt.

5. LILO

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the boot manager binary program plpbt.bin.

Copy the plpbt.bin file to /boot.

Add to your /etc/lilo.conf the following

image=/boot/plpbt.bin
label=Plop

Run lilo to update lilo.

You can configure the file plpbt.bin with plpcfgbt.

6. GRUB / grub4dos

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the boot manager binary program plpbt.bin.

Copy the plpbt.bin file to /boot.

Add to your menu.lst

title Plop Boot Manager
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/plpbt.bin

Info: You have to choose the correct root settings in your configuration or you get a "Error: file not found". See also this Forum entry.

You can configure the file plpbt.bin with plpcfgbt.

7. GRUB2

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the boot manager binary program plpbt.bin.

Copy the plpbt.bin file to /boot.

Example file /etc/grub.d/40_custom

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

menuentry "Plop Boot Manager" {
    set root=(hd0,1)
    linux16 /boot/plpbt.bin
}

Then run update-grub2 or update-grub.

When you reboot, you should be able to start the boot manager from your grub menu.

Info: You have to choose the correct root settings in your configuration or you get a "Error: file not found". See also this Forum entry.

You can configure the file plpbt.bin with plpcfgbt.

8. From network

A better documentation comes when I have more time. Meanwhile use the documentation of Plop Linux.

You need for booting over network a DHCP, TFTP server and the program pxelinux.

For Linux click here, for Windows click here

9. Native from a FAT file system

Download the current boot manager plpbt-5.0.15.zip. Extract it to get the boot manager binary program plpbt.bin.

Copy plpbt.bin to the FAT formatted drive.

Then use the program plpmkboot to make the drive bootable to start plpbt.bin.

• Linux example: plpmkboot /dev/sdb1

• Windows example: plpmkboot F:

© 2024 by Elmar Hanlhofer