install Burg on LMDE?

[linuxgrrl]

hi,
I would like to use burg, but the directions I've found in these forums for installing it on lmde are out of date.

Because (as i understand it) LMDE does not use PPA, i need an alternate way to install burg.

thanks,
Mary

[kevinthefixer]

Mary, I think you're out of luck. I couldn't find any current instructions for installing Burg on Debian, either, only some from 2014 to install on Wheezy (LMDE2 is based on Jessie). Are you having problems with GRUB?

[linuxgrrl]

thanks, glad I'm not crazy. I have a grub menu with two options at the moment - ubuntu and lmde -- and i'd like to add a third option to boot from an external drive, but i understand that is not possible with grub. I can boot the external drive directly, but not as an option with grub from the main hard drive. I figured i would give burg a try.

Plus, the grub boot screen is way unattractive, at least the way Ubuntu has set it up!

[Penn]

Depending on exactly what you mean, it may be possible to use grub to boot from an external assuming two things (based on personal experience but even other external connections may be possible). You're trying to boot from USB external and your BIOS can boot from USB.

My reason for thinking this is I have installed LMDE, Debian, Fedora and many other distros on USB flash drives. When asked where I wanted to install grub during the OS install I always chose the USB flash. What this means is if I boot without one of those USB drives inserted on this computer I only have LMDE in grub and my other computer only has Windows 10 and Mint 18.1 in grub. But if I boot with any of those flash drives inserted I get the same 2 options but the first option is whatever the distro on the flash is.

Is the distro you want to boot from already on the external? If so you should still be able to install grub straight to that external.

Edit - neither of these boards are UEFI so it may change things slightly if yours is but not too much.

[linuxgrrl]

I guess what i want is slightly different. Even if the external drive is connected, I'd still like all 4 boot options to come up (internal and external). Makes it easier for me to provide guidance on those times where my spouse has to boot the machine and I'm away.

Maybe not a great reason, but there you have it : )
I'm not sure if burg can do this or not, but I'd like to give it a try.

[kevinthefixer]

I don't see why GRUB can't do that for you. BTW there is a new version of GRUB that supports images, you might check that out, it's in the update manager. Now, I haven't studied up on grub-config, haven't had to as the defaults on first install suit me, but I understand that there is a config tool that automatically finds all your installed OSs and adds them to the boot menu. As long as your external drive is mounted while you run it, you should get that OS on the GRUB menu next boot and thereafter. Might not be the hereafter but it should work. Sorry about the pun (OK, well, not THAT sorry).