Edit help.msg file, isolinux, grub questions

[NavyLT]

Here's my quick questions, why I ask is explained below.

 

1. On the Mandriva One DVD, it appears as if ISOLINUX uses .msg files for the boot menu's. What can I use to edit the .msg files with? They are binary, not text and I have searched and can't find what program edits/creates them.

 

2. Is there a way to get GRUB to chainload a bootable image file? Specifically, I am trying to get GRUB to chainload the isolinux.bin boot image.

 

3. When I mount an ISO file as a loopback file, when I change things in the directory that I mounted the ISO file too, does the ISO file itself get continuously updated? Does the ISO file remain bootable if it was created that way to begin with?

 

Here is what I am trying to do. I want to add the Mandriva Free installers for both 2008.0 and 2008.1 to the Mandriva One Live DVD. I am just a couple months new to Linux, after having tried it several years (decades) ago, and I keep getting my installations messed up with my tinkering so I do a lot of re-installs. I have set aside a partition where I keep the ISO files for the distrobutions and I want to create a DVD that I can use to install from those saved ISO's or have the option to run Linux direct off the DVD.

 

I have managed to modify the Mandriva One DVD to boot with GRUB vice ISOLINUX, and I can select either the 2008.0 or the 2008.1 installer and that works fine, but I can't figure out how to add the original Mandriva One boot into grub.

 

Also, I think I could put title lines in the insolinux.cfg file for the installers, but I can't figure out how to get those options to display in the boot menu system. I do know how to create the bootable DVD selecting either GRUB or ISOLINUX as the bootloader, I haven't had any problems with that :P

 

THANKS for all your help and advice! John

[dexter11]

3. I think you can mount an ISO image only in read-only mode, so no.

[Greg2]

I would suggest that you install the isomaster package from the repos, and see if that will help you. You can edit the .msg files with a hex editor e.g., khexedit.

[NavyLT]

I would suggest that you install the isomaster package from the repos, and see if that will help you. You can edit the .msg files with a hex editor e.g., khexedit.

 

ISO Master is great! Thanks! Well, it looks like the Mandriva ONE CD uses an altered version of isolinux.bin to boot with. The altered version allows for graphical boot. Probably a patch similar to bootsplash. I extracted the files out of the gfxmenu file but could not find what would correlate to the menus you get when the Mandriva ONE CD boots. So I think I am going to give up on the Mandriva ONE CD.

 

Now I will try it with a 2008.0 DVD. I just want to add the installer files for 2008.1 and a menu line to run them so I can then install from the ISO stored on a partition. I am also going to take the automatic function out of the 2008.0 menu line so I can choose the install method with 2008.0 as well.