Is the Grub Customizer a no, no?

[G-Mo]

New user (loser) here. I installed the Grub Customizer after Googling for Kernel management tricks. Seems my machine never recognizes pressing the shift key to enter the Grub menu on boot. The Customizer lets me toggle the boot option screen. I've swapped Kernels with it testing and thought it was a slick tool. Then I read it's not a good utility and the pros avoid it. Looks clear it cannot be properly removed where a rebuild is the only fix.

So now I'm ready to upgrade to an SSD drive. Thinking not to Install the Customizer this round? So, newbie question - is the customizer a reliable utility or are the purists correct?

[JerryF]

I used to use Grub Customizer. I have stopped. It can be very quirky and if you do run into a problem, it's hard to troubleshoot because Grub Customizer changes the grub files invasively.

The one good thing is that Grub Customizer does backup the original grub files and gives you instructions how to restore the original grub, but it's a pain.

Are you pressing and holding the Shift Key right after rebooting?

[Pjotr]

Indeed it's a no no:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... Customizer
(item 6.2.2, right column)

[G-Mo]

Thanks guys those articles are some I read after installing the bugger! I tried holding both right and left keys when the "Mint" splash first appears. I tried tapping shift rapidly at the same point. I know the keyboard is alive as I can jump it into Bios. Never could I force the boot screen with Shift.

[JerryF]

Thanks guys those articles are some I read after installing the bugger! I tried holding both right and left keys when the "Mint" splash first appears. I tried tapping shift rapidly at the same point. I know the keyboard is alive as I can jump it into Bios. Never could I force the boot screen with Shift.

You should hold the Shift key before the splash screen shows.
Click Restart. Immediately after doing that, hold down the Shift key and keep it held down while the computer reboots.

[Sir Charles]

... it's hard to troubleshoot because Grub Customizer changes the grub files invasively. The one good thing is that Grub Customizer does backup the original grub files

Following the advice of Pjotr, me too I have stopped using the GC, but prior to that I had used it at some occasions, so I guess that I have those original grub files backuped somewhere. Where can I find them and which grub files are those that get heavily modified? Would be intersting to compare them for the sake of learning how Grub Customizer works.

[Superannuated]

Some machines respond to the Esc key or they respond to one shift key and not the other (left vs right).

[G-Mo]

I tried both L and R Shift (independently) but never Esc. Interesting. Also I pressed and held the Shift right after the bios splash before and after the Mint logo and failed.

Good to see your ideas as I did catch it can be tricky. After adding the Grub Mess-er-izer, I thought perhaps that I unchecked "Show Menu at Startup", I may have overridden the Key press interrupt method?

[Dave B]

Hi G-Mo,

To show the GRUB screen (without pressing any keys) you can use the following...

1) Boot into Mint

2) Launch Terminal (don't be afraid, next bit is easier than it looks)

3) Copy & paste the following into the Terminal window

Code: Select all

sudo xed /etc/default/grub

You'll be asked for your password (Tip: you won't see anything while typing)

4) After the GRUB file opens, in the first section, look for the following line

Code: Select all

GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0

5) Change the line adding a hash in front

Code: Select all

#GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0

6) Save the file and close the text editor

7) Last step, back in the Terminal window copy & past the following

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

All done! Restart the computer. If above steps were carefully followed the GRUB screen will be shown for 10 seconds before Mint boots.

[Cosmo.]

It is known, that the shift-key does not work on all hardware for showing the grub menu, but the ESC key should do the work. Note, that in difference to the shift-keys (which you press and hold) the ESC key has to get pressed rapidly as quick as you can, until the menu appears.

Regarding Grub Customizer: Indeed, not advisable. As long as it works, all is fine, but if you get into a problem, which makes it necessary to remove it, you will have at least a hard time, possibly you will fail. For a screen, which you normally see only for seconds, the relation between features and risk is insane.

[JerryF]

I tried both L and R Shift (independently) but never Esc. Interesting. Also I pressed and held the Shift right after the bios splash before and after the Mint logo and failed.

Good to see your ideas as I did catch it can be tricky. After adding the Grub Mess-er-izer, I thought perhaps that I unchecked "Show Menu at Startup", I may have overridden the Key press interrupt method?

I neglected to read that you've already used Grub Customizer. Not being able to call up Grub with the Left-Shift key is one of those "quirks" I was mentioning that Grub Customizer can do.

[Sir Charles]

Regarding Grub Customizer: Indeed, not advisable. As long as it works, all is fine, but if you get into a problem, which makes it necessary to remove it, you will have at least a hard time, possibly you will fail. For a screen, which you normally see only for seconds, the relation between features and risk is insane.

Since I haven't got any aswers yet to my question posed further up in this thread regarding the manner in which Grub Customizer modifes grub files therefore i haven't understood why GC is a no no. Of course I can take the word of the experienced posters on this thread at face value. But as a person who wants to learn about things by exploring them on my own I would appreciate if anyone can elaborate on this matter a little bit further. (please see my question further up)

[JerryF]

Following the advice of Pjotr, me too I have stopped using the GC, but prior to that I had used it at some occasions, so I guess that I have those original grub files backuped somewhere. Where can I find them and which grub files are those that get heavily modified? Would be intersting to compare them for the sake of learning how Grub Customizer works.

As soon as my desktop if available, I can check on that. I believe I used Grub Customizer on it.

If the desktop has been customized with Grub Customizer, I'll get rid of it with a fresh install when Mint 19 becomes available.

[Sir Charles]

I didn't know that Grub Customizer had the potential of giving so much headache in the event things goes wrong. I would try to localize those files and see if I can understand it better.

[Pjotr]

I didn't know that Grub Customizer had the potential of giving so much headache in the event things goes wrong. I would try to localize those files and see if I can understand it better.

Test it for yourself:

1. Do a clean installation of Linux Mint 18.3. Don't change anything in it.

2. Copy the contents of /etc/grub.d into a new folder called /etc/originalgrub.

3. Install Grub Customizer and use it to change some stuff, like the boot order of the Grub menu entries and the menu background.

4. Reboot and compare the contents of /etc/grub.d with the contents of /etc/originalgrub.

[Cosmo.]

Since I haven't got any aswers yet to my question posed further up in this thread regarding the manner in which Grub Customizer modifes grub files therefore i haven't understood why GC is a no no.

GC replaces the folder /etc/grub.d with a modified content. If you later have to revert those changes to the original content, you will get into troubles.

Allow me to quote myself:

Out of curiosity I did a search for "grub customizer remove"; astonishing result: Near to nothing useful. Instead I got hits for how to remove this and that in grub or how to install GC. The only related hit was this answer by Daniel Richter, but even he doesn't seem to have a proper answer.

I think that makes the problem clear.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, that Daniel Richter is the developer of GC.

[JerryF]

I didn't know that Grub Customizer had the potential of giving so much headache in the event things goes wrong. I would try to localize those files and see if I can understand it better.

Marziano,

I did a fresh install of Mint 18.3 in Virtualbox. I copied the folders that grub uses.
I then installed Grub Customizer and did some changes with it.
I copied the same folders after the customization.

You can find the copies I made here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pCp5C ... HTLtrle8mV

Happy experimenting!

[Sir Charles]

@Pjotr, Cosmo

Thank you both for giving feedback on my reflections about the working of GC.

To the stretch of my newly gained knowledge, which I have to admit is yet quite limited, but hopefully will accrue the more I use Linux, I assumed that two of the more relevant files that get modified by GC are /boot/grub/grub.cfg and /etc/default/grub.

Actually having used a similar procedure as suggested by Pjotr, I have been able to see how the content of these files get changed in a before-after-GC-execution
control.

Following the advice of Pjotr from another thread I have stopped using GC, but I must say using it and comparing those before and after files, have learned me how I can edit these file manually in order to change the order of Grub menu entries, changing the count_ down time or adding a more personal background to my Grub screen.

Just for the sake of satisfying my curiosity, I would do a fresh install in due time to have an uncluttered /etc/grub.d and run a before and after GC check to just let this drop out of my mind.

Henceforth I wouldn't be using GC, since I can accomplish those simple modifications that I need by myself. But thanks to GC I have had this exchange with you which has been very fruitful for me. I appreciate it.

Thanks

[Sir Charles]

Marziano,

I did a fresh install of Mint 18.3 in Virtualbox. I copied the folders that grub uses.
I then installed Grub Customizer and did some changes with it.
I copied the same folders after the customization.

You can find the copies I made here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pCp5C ... HTLtrle8mV

Happy experimenting!

Thank you very much Jerry! I wouldn't want you to go through so much trouble for
me. You did the homework I had to do myself. Thanks

PS. sorry about the order of my posting

[Sir Charles]

Just a note: I am a bit inhibited by the low spec of my hardware to experiment to the extent I wish. Virtualboxes don't run so well on my machine. The funny thing is that I was just one click away to order a new computer just one day before Meltspectre plague. In that last moment I had second thoughts and I call the whole thing off. The day after Meltspectre happend