The configuration utility enables you to choose the target boot manager file and adjust settings such as video mode resolution , start mode or font and toggle other ones such as the countdown, Windows zoom animation, forcing USB 1.
By using Plop Boot Manager, it is possible to boot different operating systems on your computer. You can install the boot manager on a CD, on your HDD, on a network location or even on a floppy disk. Therefore, you are provided with a quite large range of possibilities.
All things considered, Plop Boot Manager is a lightweight utility that can help you replace your standard boot loader with a customizable one that you can fine tune according to your preferences. It needs no installation and lets you configure many of its parameters, such as modifying resolution, toggling PCMCIA skipping or enabling countdown.
Basically both versions do the same. The only difference is that plpinst. The second version plpinstc. You have to use the second version for installation from write protected media like CD's or when you install from network or any other boot manager. With this option you install the boot manager to your hard disk.
If you have an installed operating system, then the install program creates a profile for you to boot this operating system. With the installation from floppy, the install program makes a backup of the sectors where the boot manager will be installed. The install program writes the backup to the floppy disk. With this backup it's possible to remove the boot manager completely from your hard disk. If you use the CD installation, then it's not possible to restore the sectors.
In this case the uninstall routine creates a new MBR to boot the current operating system. The partition table data won't be changed. A small program the loader is required in the MBR to start the boot manager. If you install Windows XP after the boot manager, then Windows XP will start instead of the boot manager, because the loader is overwritten with the program from Windows XP.
To setup that the boot manager starts before Windows XP you have to use Rewrite loader. The install program takes the backup that was saved on the floppy disk and writes it back to the hard disk.
With this option, the program writes a new MBR to start the current operating system. The partition table will be unchanged. When you installed the boot manager to the MBR, then you can remove the boot manager in the same way that you used to install the boot manager, but you have to use the option 4 or 5 in the install program.
The option 4 is only available when you install from floppy. When you don't want to use the install program to remove the boot manager, then you can use any other program that writes a new program to the MBR. Or you install another boot manager to the MBR.
You create the install floppy with a floppy disk image. 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 Extract it to get the floppy disk image. You find the disk image in the install directory.
The name of the file is plpbtin. DOS: You can use diskimg. Windows: Write the disk image with the program rawwritewin to the floppy disk. Extract it to get the iso file.
You find the iso file in the install directory. Notice: The CD installer makes no backup for a complete uninstall. See The install program. Then choose the boot manager ISO and burn it. Extract it to get the install program. In the install directory there are 2 install programs plpinst. Use plpinstc. Hint: When you don't want to install the boot manager to the MBR then see plpbt. Extract the zip file. Open the folder Windows.
When you reboot, then use the entry to install the Plop Boot Manager to the mbr. Extract it to get the boot manager install program. You find the install program plpinstc in the install directory. Add plpinstc. Add the following lines to the config file label plpinst linux plpinstc. You start the install program when you select it from the menu or you enter plpinst at the Syslinux command prompt. You find the install program plpinstc.
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. A better documentation comes when I have more time. Meanwhile use the documentation of Plop Linux. For Linux click here , for Windows click here. Copy plpinstc. Then use the program plpmkboot to make the drive bootable to start plpbt. Hint: Do not use the other install program plpinst. When you don't want to install the boot manager to the MBR, then you have to use plpbt.
You can start plpbt. You cannot save boot manager settings when you use plpbt. But you can use plpcfgbt to configure plpbt. Extract it to get the floppy disk image plpbt. Extract it to get the iso file plpbt. You will find the batch program InstallToBootMenu. 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. 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. Extract it to get the boot manager binary program plpbt. Add plpbt to the config file for Syslinux it's syslinux. You start the boot manager when you enter plp at the Syslinux command prompt. Add to your menu. Then run update-grub2 or update-grub. When you reboot, you should be able to start the boot manager from your grub menu. Restart the install program and choose the option 5 to write a fresh MBR program and remove the Plop Boot Manager start routine.
Just remove the boot manager entry and update the configuration when its required for the program. There is one script for Windows and one script for Linux in the zip file. The scripts are using mkisofs from cdrtools. You have to run create-iso. You get a file called plpbtmycd. That's your new boot manager iso file. You must have installed mkisofs. You have to run sh create-iso. This program is available as source code for Linux and Windows. You start the program from a command shell.
If you run the program without parameters then you will see the help information. Infos about int19h see here. If you don't press it, the booting continues without the boot manager.
When you use a Linux boot manager, then you can pass some parameters with "append" to plpbt. Example syslinux. You can store the option rom in your bios or to the rom of a network card and run it from there. The boot manager will be started before any boot device is tried when INT 19h mode is used or the boot manager is the last program that is started when all boot devices failed to boot when INT 18h mode is used.
Passing parameters to the boot manager with the linux kernel command line is not supported by plpbtrom. You can configure plpbtrom. You can test your rom file with the free virtual machine qemu. If you have no hard disk image file then take one from the qemu download page or use a floppy image. Download the Ami bios flash utility and save your current bios. AMI Homepage. Use the Windows tool MMTools to replace the network rom with the plpbt. Find the network option rom. Maybe there are other option roms in your bios.
Take care that you choose the network option rom. Press the Save ROM as and give it the name mybios. Now comes the dangerous part.
Flashing the bios. I suggest setting the bios to the default settings and save it. Then boot from a dos floppy and run. Do not turn off the pc during flash. After the flash has completed, go to the bios and do again a reset to the default settings. If all is ok, you should be able to configure the bios and start the boot manager during the boot process. Download the Award bios flash utility aflash. You should find it at your Motherboard homepage in the bios section. Run it from a DOS floppy and save your current bios to a file.
Give it the name bios. Search the file cbrom in the web. There are different versions, not all will work with your bios file, so you have to test it with different versions. This should list all parts of the bios rom. I cannot give you the command to replace the rom. None of the cbrom programs where able to display the content of my bios rom file. You have to test it by yourself.
When you updated the bios rom file, then flash it. Then boot from a dos floppy and run with awdflash. The program can work with the boot. It automatically detects the required method.
Add plpbt to the config file for Syslinux it's syslinux. You start the boot manager when you enter plp at the Syslinux command prompt. Add to your 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. Then run update-grub2 or update-grub. When you reboot, you should be able to start the boot manager from your grub menu. A better documentation comes when I have more time. Meanwhile use the documentation of Plop Linux.
For Linux click here , for Windows click here. Then use the program plpmkboot to make the drive bootable to start plpbt.
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