[FIXED] EasyBCD Beta Build 147: annoying GRUB, unneded for FreeBSD boot installed.

ache

ache

Member
Hi. Could you return (at least for FreeBSD) to plain and simple Release Build 146 boot method instead of having that annoying AutoNeoGrub0.mbr in action, please? It is absolutely unneeded for FreeBSD boot, waits for keys, forces me to choose and press them - that whole step was rightly skipped in Build 146, booting right where I say.
All that boots becomes too intellectual that days. Don't forget that FreeBSD boot is sophisticated enough too. Windows boot + GRUB boot + FreeBSD boot = too much intellect, too much choices, waitings and unneeded key presses.
 
Hi Ache,

Interesting stuff.. I know that FreeBSD suffered from the same issue that PC-BSD did, namely that you couldn't chainload it from a different disk (than disk 0).

Am I right in assuming that you have FreeBSD and Windows on the same hard disk? Or that FreeBSD is on disk 0 at the very least?

I might be able to find a middle ground between the two.

QUESTION:

Do you actually see the GRUB screen? You shouldn't, and if you do, something is wrong.
 
1) FreeBSD can boot from anywhere, at least in the boot promt even any device can be booted (but this is 2nd boot stage, below). Perhaps in the case of 2nd disk FreeBSD booting, copied 512 bytes block can't sense actual device and GRUB will be needed (I can't test that), but clearly not needed for the same disk (I have). FreeBSD have 3 stage boot, first 2 stages combined into single 8192 block written to the start of the partition. Moreover, 2nd stage boot use some code in the 1st stage 512 block, calling back (to save space).
2) Yes, the same disk, FreeBSD partition placed first on the disk and last in the EasyBCD menu.
3) Yes. I see F5 to boot from the Disk 1, F1 to boot from PXE and waits indicating by '#' sign (FreeBSD boot don't have any similarities). And I see AutoNeoGrub0.mbr in the \NST folder. In the Release 146 I see only nst_linux.mbr in the \NST
 
Last edited:
OK, thanks.

I'll split the options into FreeBSD and PC-BSD. FreeBSD will remain the old way.
 
Thanks.
Please notice that I am unsure of proper device detection in case when FreeBSD is not on the main boot disk since I can't test it. Probably for such cases GRUB will be solution, since in worst hypothetical case 1st stage FreeBSD 512 bytes boot will try to load 2nd stage FreeBSD boot from the main boot disk too and fails not finding FreeBSD partition.
 
Last edited:
In that case, I'll have to do something slightly more intelligent under the hood.

Addendum:

I'm uploading EasyBCD 2.1.1 build 148 which should use a more intelligent method to help avoid the extra key presses when possible.

Per testing, both FreeBSD and PC-BSD behave in the same way with the same gotchas (which is reasonable since they both just use BTX without much hacking around). They will both boot OK with the old b146- method of simply chainloading the bootloader. But when installed to a second, non-boot disk, they will need the new method in b147+.

EasyBCD will use the old method if *bsd is on disk 0, and the new method otherwise.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top