Too many Boot Menus
#1
I have a Zotac Mag on which I have installed Windows 7 and "xbmcfreak-1000-maverick-v2". I use Bootitng as a Multiboot app. When I installed XBMC it overwrote the MBR and removed Bootit. I Installed Grub 2 to the Root directory of the XBMC installation using a Grub2 boot disk from Terabyte and reinstalled Bootit. Now everything works fine with one exception. When the machine is booted up the Bootit menu shows with the choice of either XBMC or Windows 7. When I pick XBMC it brings up the Grub boot menu with the choice of either XBMC, XBMC Recover or Windows 7 in that order. My goal is to have it boot directly into XBMC when it is selected in the Bootit menu without the Grub Menu showing up or at least not delaying for the 5 - 10 seconds it does. How would I edit or change the Grub Menu to accomplish this? I know little or nothing about Linux and would appreciate any assistance. Thanks
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#2
I'm basing this on xbmc-live. So I'm assuming that xbmcfreak uses Grub2 (type: grub-install -v to check version. Xbmc-live uses 1.98 which is a version of Grub2) and that nano (a console based text editor) is installed by xbmcfreak. This will be easy if you are familiar with any command line interface, but I've went ahead an included more detailed instruction just in case you are a true commandline newb. Still, it's easy for something to get mistyped, so if you get an error message, you can press the up arrow to review your command for spelling and syntax. If you do get an error and you are sure you typed the command, then somebody with a working xbmcfreak installation will have to verify the steps for you.

Edit /etc/default/grub and change the timeout value to 0 -> After xbmc loads up, press a ctrl+alt+f3 (press and hold the ctrl button, press and hold the alt button and then press the f3 button, release all). This should take you to a login prompt. Type xbmc for the login and type the password you assigned when installing.

Run: sudo update-grub2
Press enter
This will show a list of installs that it has found and added to its boot menu.

This creates the grub file in /etc/default which is basically a cache file for the real Grub configuration which isn't supposed to be touched by users.

Type: sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Press enter

This is a root priv operation so enter the password for the xbmc username when prompted.

The grub will be loaded in a simple text editor (nano). Use your keyboard arrow keys to change the GRUB_TIMEOUT value (default is 10) to 0:

GRUB_TIMEOUT=0

Save it by pressing and holding the ctrl key and then hitting the x key. You will be prompted to save the modified buffer.
Type: y
press enter.

You will be returned to the command prompt.

Type: sudo update-grub2
press enter

It will run off the various boot options that it will place on its boot menu and then return to the command line.

Reboot (sudo shutdown -r now or press ctrl+at+f8 to return to XBMC and use the Xbmc power menu) and it should boot into the default (1st entry in the boot menu) without showing the menu.

To have Grub show you the boot menu, just hold the shift key down while booting.
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#3
Your assumptions were all correct and your instructions were perfect even for a newb like me. I followed them and it worked as advertised. Except that "ctrl-alt-f8" wouldn't take me back to XBMC and holding "shft" doesn't seem to bring up menu, neither of which are gamebreakers and My reactions may be getting a step slower(old age). Thank you for the help I appreciate it. Now I can get on with learning XBMC. Smile
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#4
Catman915 Wrote:Your assumptions were all correct and your instructions were perfect even for a newb like me. I followed them and it worked as advertised. Except that "ctrl-alt-f8" wouldn't take me back to XBMC and holding "shft" doesn't seem to bring up menu, neither of which are gamebreakers and My reactions may be getting a step slower(old age). Thank you for the help I appreciate it. Now I can get on with learning XBMC. Smile

Glad to hear it worked for you.
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