Hi,

Recently at an install party, someone mentioned that someone else who had difficulties booting on USB on a computer compatible with GNU Boot, which is probably running an older Libreboot version. The person told me that 'syslinux' was already tried but didn't think of trying GRUB2 on an external media.

Here's what we have:

Load Operating System (incl. fully encrypted disks)  [o]
Search ISOLINUX menu (AHCI)  [a]
Search ISOLINUX menu (USB)  [u]
Search ISOLINUX menu (ATA/IDE)  [d]
Load test configuration (grubtest.cfg) inside of CBFS  [t]
Search for GRUB2 configuration on external media  [s]
Load SeaBIOS (payload) [b]
Return to SeaBIOS [b]
Poweroff  [p]
Reboot  [r]
Load MemTest86+  [m]

We could have something like that instead:

Load Operating System from internal storage [i]
Load Operating System from external storage (USB) [u]
Load test configuration (grubtest.cfg) from flash  [t]
Load SeaBIOS (payload) [b]
Return to SeaBIOS [b]
Poweroff  [p]
Reboot  [r]
Load MemTest86+  [m]

Under the hood we could do that by trying first GRUB and then extlinux inside the USB Boot. The 'internal storage' boot would instead try GRUB then isolinux on AHCI then on ATA/IDE.

Caveats:

• The menu is called ISOLINUX, so we could probably assume that nowadays most distros use GRUB to boot but that external medias use extlinux.
• We need to test such change with cdrom drives on the GM45 ThinkPads, I945 Thinkpads, desktop computers, etc. Or alternatively just confirming where is the cdrom (ide0? ) could work.

Another option could be to hide more complicated option under submenus.