APPENDIX - Commands

Use caution when following the built in help information - it is based on GNU GRUB and contains some legacy commands (and information) that do not always apply to Grub4dos. The following example is the output from typing help default -

grub> help default default: default [NUM ¦ 'saved' ¦ FILE] set the default entry to entry number NUM (if not specified, it is 0,    the first entry), or to the entry number saved by savedefault if the    key word 'saved' is specified, or to the entry number previously saved    in the specified file FILE. When FILE is specified, all subsequent    'savedefault' commands will save default entry numbers into FILE.   

Although the default [NUM] parameter works within a configuration file, using default saved does not. In addition the default [FILE] command only works with the default file included in the grub4dos download - e.g. default /default.

The following (66) commands are all recognised by Grub4dos - version 0.4.4 (build 2009-03-31)

background blocklist boot cat cdrom chainloader checkrange checktime clear cmp color commandline configfile dd debug default displaymem embed errnum errorcheck fallback find foreground

fstest geometry halt help hiddenflag hide initrd install - Note that this command will be removed soon – use utility bootlace.com instead. is64bit kernel lock ls makeactive map md5crypt module modulenounzip outline pager partnew parttype password pause pxe quit read reboot root rootnoverify savedefault serial setkey setup - Note that this command will be removed soon – use utility bootlace.com instead. setvbe splashimage terminal terminfo testvbe tpm unhide uuid vbeprobe write

background

grub> help backgroundbackground: background RRGGBB S   ets the background color when in graphics mode. RR is red, GG is green, and BB blue. Numbers must be in hexadecimal.   

blocklist

grub> help blocklist blocklist: blocklist FILE Print the blocklist notation of the file FILE.   

boot

grub> help bootboot: boot Boot the OS/chain-loader which has been loaded.   

cat

grub> help cat cat: cat [--hex] [--skip=S] [--length=L] [--locate=STRING] FILE Print the contents of the file FILE, or print the locations of the    string STRING in file.   

cdrom

grub> help cdrom cdrom: cdrom --add-io-ports=P ¦ --init ¦ --stop Initialise/stop atapi cdroms or set additional I/O ports for a possible    atapi cdrom device. The high word of P specifies the base register of    the control block registers, and the low word of P specifies the base    register of the command block registers.   

chainloader

grub> help chainloader chainloader: chainloader [--force] [--load-segment=LS] [--load offset=LO] [--load-length=LL] [--skip-length=SL] [--boot-cs=CS] [--boot-ip=IP]  [--ebx=EBX] [--edx=EDX] [--sdi] [--disable-a20] FILE  Load the chain-loader FILE. If --force is specified, then load it    forcibly, whether the boot loader signature is present or not. LS:LO    specifies the load address other than 0000:7C00. LL specifies the    length of the boot image(between 512 and 640k). CS:IP specifies the    address where the boot image will gain control. EBX/EDX specifies the    EBX/EDX register value when the boot image gets control. Use --sdi if    FILE is a System Deployment Image, which is of the Windows XP RAM boot    file format. Use --disable-a20 if you wish to turn off A20 when    transferring control to the boot image. SL specifies length in bytes at    the beginning of the image to be skipped when loading.   

checkrange

grub> help checkrange checkrange: checkrange RANGE COMMAND Return true if the return value of COMMAND is in RANGE and false    otherwise.   

checktime

grub> help checktime checktime: checktime min hour dom month dow Check time.   

clear

grub> help clear clear: clear Clear the screen   

cmp

grub> help cmp cmp: cmp FILE1 FILE2

Compare the file FILE1 with the file FILE2 and inform the different values    if any.   

color

grub> help color color: color NORMAL [HIGHLIGHT [HELPTEXT [HEADING]]] Change the menu colors. The color NORMAL is used for most lines in the   menu, and the color HIGHLIGHT is used to highlight the line where the   cursor points. If you omit HIGHLIGHT, then the inverted color of NORMAL   is used for the highlighted line. If you omit HELPTEXT and/or HEADING,   then NORMAL is used. The format of a color is "FG/BG". FG and BG are   symbolic color names. A symbolic color name must be one of these:   black, blue, green, cyan, red, magenta, brown, light-grey, dark-gray,   light-blue, light-green, light-cyan, light-red, light-magenta, yellow    and white. You can prefix "blink-" to FG if you want a blinking    foreground color.   

commandline

grub> help commandline commandline: commandline Enter the command-line prompt mode.   

configfile

grub> help configfile configfile: configfile FILE Load FILE as the configuration file.   

debug

grub> help debug debug: debug [on ¦ off ¦ normal ¦ status ¦ INTERGER] Turn on/off or display/set the debug level.   

dd

grub> help dd dd: dd if=IF of=OF [bs=BS] [count=C] [skip=IN] [seek=OUT] [buf=ADDR] [buflen=SIZE] Copy file IF to OF. BS is blocksize, default to 512. C is blocks to    copy, default is total blocks in IF. IN specifies number of blocks to    skip when read, default is 0. OUT specifies number of blocks to skip    when write, default is 0. Skipped blocks are not touched. Both IF and    OF must exist. dd can neither enlarge nor reduce the size OF, the    leftover tail of IF will be discarded. OF cannot be a gzipped file. If    IF is a gzipped file, it will be decompressed automatically when    copying. dd is dangerous, use at your own risk. To be on the safe side,    you should only use dd to write a file in memory. ADDR and SIZE are    used for user-defined buffer.   

default

grub> help default default: default [NUM ¦ 'saved' ¦ FILE] set the default entry to entry number NUM (if not specified, it is 0,    the first entry), or to the entry number saved by savedefault if the    key word 'saved' is specified, or to the entry number previously saved    in the specified file FILE. When FILE is specified, all subsequent    'savedefault' commands will save default entry numbers into FILE.   

displaymem

grub> help displaymem displaymem: displaymem Display what GRUB thinks the system address space map of the machine    is, including all regions of physical RAM installed.   

embed

grub> help embed embed: embed STAGE1_5 DEVICE Embed the Stage 1.5 STAGE1_5 in the sectors after MBR if DEVICE is a    drive, or in the "bootloader" area if DEVICE is a FFS partition. Print    the number of sectors which STAGE1_5 occupies if successful.   

errnum

grub> help errnum errnum: errnum Return the error number.   

errorcheck

grub> help errorcheck errorcheck: errorcheck [on ¦ off ¦ status]Turn on/off or display the error check mode, or toggle it if no   argument.   

fallback

grub> help fallback fallback: fallback NUM... Go into unattended boot mode: if the default boot entry has any errors,    instead of waiting for the user to do anything, it immediately starts    over using the NUM entry (same numbering as the 'default' command).    This obviously won't help if the machine was rebooted by a kernel that    GRUB loaded.   

find

grub> help find find: find [--set-root[=DIR]] [--ignore-floppies] [--ignore-cd] FILENAME [CON DITION] Search for the filename FILENAME in all partitions and print the    list of the devices which contain the file and su   ffice CONDITION. CONDITION is a normal grub command, which return non-zero for TRUE and    zero for FALSE. If option --set-root is used and FILENAME is found    on a device, then stop the find immediately and set the sevice as new    root. If the option --ignore-floppies is present, the search will    bypass all floppies. And --ignore-cd will skip (cd).   

foreground

grub> help foreground foreground: foreground RRGGBB Sets the foreground color when in graphics mode. RR is red, GG is green,    and BB blue. Numbers must be in hexadecimal.   

fstest

grub> help fstest fstest: fstest [on ¦ off ¦ status] Turn on/off or display the fstest mode, or toggle it if no argument.   

geometry

grub> help geometry geometry: geometry [--tune] [--sync] [DRIVE]Print the information for drive DRIVE or the current root device if    DRIVE is not specified. If --tune is specified, the geometry will    change to the tuned value. If --sync is specified, the C/H/S values in    partition table of DRIVE and H/S values in BPD of each primary    partition of DRIVE(or BPB of floppy DRIVE) will be updated according to    the current geometry of DRIVE in use.   

halt

grub> help halt halt: halt [--no-apm] Halt your system. If APM is available on it, turn off the power using    the APM BIOS, unless you specify the option '--no-apm'.   

help

grub> help help help: help [--all] [PATTERN...] Display helpful information about builtin commands. Not all commands    aren't shown without the option '--all'.   

hiddenflag

grub> help hiddenflag hiddenflag: hiddenflag [--set ¦ --clear] [PARTITION] Hide/unhide PARTITION by setting/clearing the "hidden" bit in its    partition type code, or report the hidden status. The default partition    is the current root device.   

hide

grub> help hide hide: hide [PARTITION]Hide PARTITION by setting the "hidden" bit in its partition type code.    The default partition is the current root device.   

initrd

grub> help initrd initrd: initrd FILE [FILE...] Load an initial ramdisk FILE for a Linux format boot image and set the    appropriate parameters in the Linux setup area in memory. For Linux    2.6+ kernels, multiple cpio files can be loaded.   

install

grub> help install install: install [--stage2=STAGE2_FILE] [--force-lba] STAGE1 [d] DEVICE STAGE2 [ADDR] [p] [CONFIG_FILE] [REAL_CONFIG_FILE]  Install STAGE1 on DEVICE and install a blocklist for loading STAGE2 as    a Stage 2. If the option 'd' is present, the Stage 1 will always look    for the disk where the STAGE2 was installed, rather than using the booting    drive. The Stage 2 will be loaded at address ADDR, which will be    determined automatically if you don't specify it. If the option 'p' or    CONFIG_FILE is present, then the first block of Stage 2 is patched with    new values of the partition and name of the configuration file used by    the true Stage 2 (for a Stage 1.5, this is the name of the true Stage    2) at boot time. If STAGE2 is a Stage 1.5 and REAL_CONFIG_FILE is    present, then the Stage 2 CONFIG_FILE is patched with the configuration    filename REAL_CONFIG_FILE. If the option '--force-lba' is specified,    disable some sanity checks for LBA mode. If the option '--stage2' is    specified, rewrite the Stage 2 via your OS's filesystem instead of the    raw device.   

is64bit

grub> help is64bit is64bit: is64bit Return true if CPU is 64-bit and false if not.   

kernel

grub> help kernel kernel: kernel [--no-mem-option] [--type=TYPE] FILE [ARG...] Attempt to load the primary boot image from FILE. The rest of the line    is passed verbatim as the "kernel command line". Any modules must be    reloaded after using this command. The option --type is used to suggest    what type of kernel to be loaded. TYPE must be either of "netbsd",    "freebsd", "openbsd", "linux", "biglinux" and "multiboot". The option    --no-mem-option tells GRUB not to pass a Linux's mem option    automatically.   

lock

grub> help lock lock: lockBreak a command execution unless the user is authenticated.   

ls

grub> help ls ls: ls [FILE_OR_DIR] List file or directory.   

makeactive

grub> help makeactive makeactive: makeactive [--status] [PART]

Activate the partition PART. PART defaults to the current root device.    This command is limited to _primary_ PC partitions on a hard disk.   

map

grub> help map map: map [--status] [--mem[=RESERV]] [--hook] [--unhook] [--unmap=DRIVES] [--rehook] [--floppies=M] [harddrives=N] [--memdisk-raw=RAW]  [--a20-keep-on=AKO] [--safe-mbr-hook=SMH] [--int13-scheme=SCH]  [--ram-drive=RD] [--rd-base=ADDR] [--rd-size=SIZE] [[--read-only]  [--fake-write] [--unsafe-boot] [--disable-chs-mode] [--disable-lba-mode]  [--heads=H] [--sectors-per-track=S] TO_DRIVE FROM_DRIVE]  Map the drive FROM_DRIVE to the drive TO_DRIVE. This is necessary when    you chain-load some operating systems, such as DOS, if such an OS    resides at a non-first drive. TO_DRIVE can be a disk file, this    indicates a disk emulation. If --read-only is given, the emulated drive    will be write-protected. If --fake-write is given, any write operations    to the emulated drive are allowed but the data written will be    discarded. The --unsafe-boot switch enables the write to the Master and    DOS boot sectors of the emulated disk. If --disable-chs-mode is given,    CHS access to the emulated drive will be refused. If --disable-lba-mode    is given, LBA access to the emulated drive will be refused. If RAW=1,    all memdrives will be accessed without using int15/ah=87h. If RAW=0,    then int15/ah=87h will be used to access memdrives. If one of --status,    --hook, --unhook, --rehook, --floppies, --harddrives, memdisk-raw,    --a20-keep-on, --safe-mbr-hook, --int13-scheme, --ram-drive, --rd-base    or --rd-size is given, then any other command-line arguments will be    ignored. The --mem option indicates a drive in memory. if RESERV is    used and    <= 0, the minimum memory occupied by the memdrive is (-RESERV) in 512-byte-sectors. if RESERV is used and    > 0, the memdrive will occupy the mem area starting at absolute physical address RESERV in    512-byte-sectors and ending at the end of this mem block(usually the    end    of physical mem).

md5crypt

grub> help md5crypt md5crypt: md5crypt Generate a password in MD5 format.   

module

grub> help module module: module FILE [ARG...] Load a boot module FILE for a Multiboot format boot image (no   interpretation of the file contents is made, so users of this command    must know what the kernel in question expects). The rest of the line is    passed as the "module command line", like the 'kernel' command.   

modulenounzip

grub> help modulenounzip modulenounzip: modulenounzip FILE [ARG...] The same as 'module', except that automatic decompression is disabled.   

outline

grub> help outline outline: outline [on ¦ off ¦ status]Turn on/off or display the outline mode, or toggle it if no argument.   

pager

grub> help pager pager: pager [on ¦ off ¦ status]Turn on/off or display the pager mode, or toggle it if no argument.   

partnew

grub> help partnew partnew: partnew [--active] PART TYPE START [LEN] Create a primary partition at the starting address START with the    length LEN, with the type TYPE. START and LEN are in sector units. If    --active is used, the new partition will be active. START can be a    contiguous file that will be used as the content/data of the new    partition, in which case the LEN parameter is ignored, and TYPE can be    either 0x00 for auto or 0x10 for hidden-auto.   

parttype

grub> help parttype parttype: parttype [PART] [TYPE] Change the type of the partition PART to TYPE. If TYPE is omitted,    return the partition type of the specified device(instead of changing    it). PART default to the current root device.   

password

grub> help password password: password [--md5] PASSWD [FILE] If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive    editing control (menu entry editor and command line). If the password    PASSWRD is entered, it loads the FILE as a new config file and restarts    the GRUB Stage 2. If you omit the argument FILE, then GRUB just unlocks    privileged instructions. You can also use it in the script section, in    which case it will ask for the password, before continueing. The option    --md5 tells GRUB that PASSWD is encrypted with md5crypt.   

pause

grub> help pause pause: pause [--wait=T] [MESSAGE...] Print MESSAGE, then wait until a key is pressed or T seconds has passed.   

pxe

grub> help pxe pxe: pxe [cmd] [parameters] Call PXE command.   

quit

grub> help quit quit: quit [--disable-a20] Go back to DOS if GRUB was previously launched from DOS.   

read

grub> help read read: read ADDRRead a 32-bit value from memory at address ADDR and display it in hex    format.   

reboot

grub> help reboot reboot: reboot Reboot your system.   

root

grub> help root root: root [DEVICE [HDBIAS]]Set the current "root device" to the device DEVICE, then attempt to    mount it to get the partition size (for passing the partition    descripter in 'ES:ESI', used by some chain-loaded bootloaders), the BSD    drive-type (for booting BSD kernels using their native boot format),    and correctly determine the PC partition where a BSD sub-partition is    located. The optional HDBIAS parameter is a number to tell a BSD kernel    how many BIOS drive numbers are on controllers befor the current one.    For example, if there is an IDE disk and a SCSI disk, and your FreeBSD    root partition is on the SCSI disk, then use a '1' for HDBIAS.   

rootnoverify

grub> help rootnoverify rootnoverify: rootnoverify [DEVICE [HDBIAS]] similar to 'root', but don't atttempt to mount the partition. This is    useful for when an OS is outside the area of the disk that GRUB can    read, but setting the correct root device is still desired. Note that    the items mentioned in 'root' which derived from attempting the mount    will NOT work correctly.   

savedefault

grub> help savedefault savedefault: savedefault[--wait=T] [NUM ¦ 'fallback'] Save the current entry as the default boot entry if no argument is    specified. If a number is specified, this number is saved. If    'fallback' is used, next fallback entry is saved. If T is not 0, prompt    the user to confirm the write operation by pressing the Y key, and if    no key-press detected within T seconds, the write will be discarded.   

serial

grub> help serial serial: serial [--unit=UNIT] [--port=PORT] [--speed=SPEED] [--word=WORD][parity=PARITY] [--stop=STOP] [--device=DEV]  Initialise a serial device. UNIT is a digit that specifies which serial    device is used (e.g. 0 == COM1). If you need to specify the port    number, set it by --port. SPEED is the DTE-DTE speed. WORD is the word    length, PARITY is the type of parity, which is one of 'no', 'odd' and    'even'. STOP is the length of stop bit(s). The option --device can be    used only in the grub shell, which specifies the file name of a tty    device. The default values are COM1, 9600, 8N1.   

setkey

grub> help setkey setkey: setkey [TO_KEY FROM_KEY] Change the keyboard map. The key FROM_KEY is mapped to the key TO_KEY.    A key must be an alphabet, a digit, or one of these: escape, exclam,    at, numbersign, dollar, percent, caret, ampersand, asterisk, parenleft,    parenright, minus, underscore, equal, plus, backspace, tab,    bracketleft, braceleft, bracketright, braceright, enter, control,    semicolon, colon, quote, doublequote, backquote, tilde, shift,    backslash, bar, comma, less, period, greater, slash, question, alt,    spcae, capslock, FX (X is a digit), and delete. If no argument is    specified, reset key mappings.   

setup

grub> help setupsetup: setup [--prefix=DIR] [--stage2=STAGE2_FILE] [--force-lba] INSTALL_DEVICE [IMAGE_DEVICE]  Set up the installation of GRUB automatically. This command uses the    more flexible command "install" in the backend and installs GRUB into    the device INSTALL_DEVICE. If IMAGE_DEVICE is specified, then find the    GRUB images in the device IMAGE_DEVICE, otherwise use the curr   ent "root device", which can be set by the command "root". If you know that your    BIOS should support LBA but GRUB doesn't work in LBA mode, specify the    option '--force-lba'. If you install GRUB under the grub shell and you    cannot unmount the partition where GRUB images reside, specify the    option '--stage2' to tell GRUB the file name under your OS.   

setvbe

grub> help setvbe setvbe: setvbe MODE_3D Set the VBE mode MODE_3D(which is of the form 1024x768x32) for each    subsequent kernel command-line. If no argument is specified,    clear(nullify, invalidate) the video option string setup by the    previous setvbe command.   

splashimage

grub> help splashimage splashimage: splashimage FILE Load FILE as the background image when in graphics mode.   

terminal

grub> help terminal terminal: terminal [--dumb] [--no-echo] [--no-edit] [--timeout=SECS] [--lines=LINES] [--silent] [console] [serial] [hercules] [graphics]  Select a terminal. When multiple terminals are specified, wait until    you push any key to continue. If both console and serial are specified,    the terminal to which you input a key first will be selected. If no    argument is specified, print current setting. The option --dumb   

specifies that your terminal is dumb, otherwise, vt100-compatibility is    assumed. If you specify --no-echo, input characters won't be echoed. If    you specify --no-edit, the BASH-like deiting feature will be disabled.    If --timeout is present, this command will wait at most for SECS    seconds. The option --lines specifies the maximum number of lines. The    option --silent is used to suppress messages.   

terminfo

grub> help terminfo terminfo: terminfo [--name=NAME --cursor-address=SEQ [--clear-screen=SEQ] [--enter-standout-mode=SEQ] [--exit-standout-mode=SEQ]]  Define the capabilities of your terminal. Use this command to define    escape sequences, if it is not vt100-compatible. You may use \e for ESC    and ^X for a control character. If no option is specified, the current    settings are printed.   

testvbe

grub> help testvbe testvbe: testvbe MODE Test the VBE mode MODE. Hit any key to return.   

tpm

grub> help tpm tpm: tpm --init Initialise TPM   

unhide

grub> help unhide unhide: unhide [PARTITION] Unhide PARTITION by setting the "hidden" bit in its partition type    code. The default partition is the current root device.   

uuid

grub> help uuid uuid: uuid [DEVICE] [UUID] If DEVICE is not specified, search for filesystem with UUID in all    partitions and set the partition containing the filesystem as new    root (if UUID is specified), or just list uuid's of all filesystems on    all devices (if UUID is not specified). If DEVICE is specified, return    true or false according to whether or not the DEVICE matches the    specified UUID (if UUID is specified), or just the uuid of    DEVICE (if UUID is not specified).   

vbeprobe

grub> help vbeprobe vbeprobe: vbeprobe [MODE] Probe VBE information. If the mode number MODE is specified, show only    the information about only the mode.   

write

grub> help write write: write [--offset=SKIP] ADDR_OR_FILE INTEGER_OR_STRING Write a 32-bit value to memory or write a string to file (or device!).   

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