Changing the order of the standard E2B menu entries

Payloads, folders and .mnu files are sorted and listed alphabetically by E2B.
 
E2B will automatically add these additional menu entries into any menu:
 
F7   Boot to first HDD           (if LBACKMENU is not defined)
F8   Back/reload Main Menu  (if LBACKMENU is not defined)
F9   Reboot
F10 Power off
 
The E2B \_ISO\MAINMENU folder contains two E2B .mnu files:
  • $$$SetDefaultMenu.mnu  (contains the 'Set default and timeout' menu entry)
  • ZZSubMenuAll.mnu          (contains menu entries for FASTLOAD, sub-menus and F1, F7-F10)
The $$$SetDefaultMenu.mnu file will usually be displayed first in the menu and the ZZSubMenuAll.mnu will be at the end of the menu because the menu files are listed alphabetically.
 
Note that if you delete or rename these files, when you next update E2B to a later version, they will be added again!
 
If you rename these two .mnu files, when you next Update to a later version of E2B, the E2B Update script will detect that they have been renamed and will ask you if you want to delete the new versions.
 
You can disable all of these menu entries (except the sub-menu entries) by setting NOxxxxx variables in the \_ISO\MyE2B.cfg file.
 
For instance, use 
set NOF1=1
to stop the F1 menu entry from being listed in the Main menu.
 
Some useful variables include:
# sets the Default menu entry that will be highlighted when the WINDOWS INSTALL MENU is displayed
set  DEFM_WIN=1
 
# If DEFMENU=0 then the '0 Set default menu entry and timeout' menu item in the Main menu will not be listed
set DEFMENU=0
 
# WINCOUNT variable will cause all the \_ISO\Windows ISOs to always be enumerated on a FASTLOAD boot
set WINCOUNT=1
 
# If NOF7HD is set then the 'Boot from HDD0 F7' menu entry is suppressed in all menus
set NOF7HD=1
 
# If the NOF8B is set then the Windows menu will not display 'F8 Back to Main Menu' 
set NOF8B=1
 
# if NOF8MAIN is set then no F8 Main menu entry will be available
set NOF8MAIN=1
 
# If NOF9R is set then the 'F9 Reboot menu' item will not be listed in any menu (remember to change HELPTEXT too)
set NOF9R=1
 
# If NOF10H is set then the 'F10 Power Off/Halt' menu item will not be listed in any menu (remember to change HELPTEXT too)
set NOF10H=1
 
# Don't display the F1 HELP entry in the Main menu
set NOF1=1
 
# NO FASTLOAD MENU - If you don't want the user to see the Main Menu entry to enable or disable FASTLOAD
set NOFLDMNU=1
 
# NOWMENU causes a Windows Install sub-sub menu to return back to the Main menu rather than return to the Windows Install menu
set NOWMENU=1
 
# NOWINMAIN cause the Windows Main Menu entry to be suppressed (even if there are \_ISO\WINDOWS\xxx\yyy.ISO files present
set NOWINMAIN=1
 
# If DEFMENU=0 then the '0 Set default menu entry and timeout' menu item in the Main menu will not be listed
set DEFMENU=0
 
# If NOF7HD is set then the 'Boot from HDD0 F7' menu entry is suppressed in all menus
set NOF7HD=1
 
# If the NOF8B is set then the Windows menu will not display 'F8 Back to Main Menu' 
set NOF8B=1
 
# if NOF8MAIN is set then no F8 Main menu entry will be available
set NOF8MAIN=1
 
# If NOF9R is set then the 'F9 Reboot menu' item will not be listed in any menu (remember to change HELPTEXT too)
set NOF9R=1
 
# If NOF10H is set then the 'F10 Power Off/Halt' menu item will not be listed in any menu (remember to change HELPTEXT too)
set NOF10H=1
 
# Don't display the F1 HELP entry in the Main menu
set NOF1=1
 
# NO FASTLOAD MENU - If you don't want the user to see the Main Menu entry to enable or disable FASTLOAD
set NOFLDMNU=1
 
# NOWINMAIN cause the Windows Main Menu entry to be suppressed (even if there are \_ISO\WINDOWS\xxx\yyy.ISO files present
set NOWINMAIN=1

 

Adding global hotkeys to MyE2B.cfg

Instead of defining menu entries for common functions such as F1, F7, F8, F9 and F10, you can define these function keys as global hotkeys in your MyE2B.cfg file.

The hotkeys will then work from any menu or sub-menu (unless the same hotkey is redefined by a new menu entry).

Examples of Global hotkeys can be found in the \_ISO\Sample_MyE2B.cfg file.

 

Adding replacement .mnu files

If you want to change the position of the E2B menu entries (e.g. Set default menu, F1, F7-F10), it is best to use the NOxxxx variables to disable the default E2B entries and add in your own replacement .mnu files.

The \_ISO\docs\Sample mnu Files\E2B Menus folder contains useful examples:

  • $$F01_Help_Menu_F1.mnu
  • $$F07_Boot_HDD_F7.mnu
  • $$F08_Back_to_Main_Menu_F8.mnu
  • $$F09_Reboot_F9.mnu
  • $$F10_Power_Off_F10.mnu
  • $$SetDefaultMenuandTimeout.mnu
  • A_BlankMenuEntry.mnu

These files can be copied to any menu folder and renamed so they will appear in that menu in the desired order.

If you wish, you can combine the .mnu files into one single .mnu file (which should load faster than multiple small files).

 

Changing the menu entry order

Menu entries are displayed in alphabetical order.

You can use sort prefix overrides (_nnn_) if using E2B v1.A9 or later - the entries below will appear in the same order in a menu:

_100_Ubuntu 64-bit with persistence.isopersist64
_105_Linux Mint 32-bit.isodef
_108_Linux Mint 64-bit.isodef64
_120_A_BlankMenuEntry.mnu
_130_Help_Menu_F1.mnu
_140_A_BlankMenuEntry.mnu
_835_Reboot_F9.mnu
_899_F10_Power_Off_F10.mnu
_999_ZZSubMenuAll.mnu*

*The ZZSubMenuAll.mnu file will still be responsible for the sub-menu entries, so rename it to _999_ZZSubMenuAll.mnu. If you update E2B in future, you will need to delete the ZZSubMenuAll.mnu file again.

Note that the payload files will be listed in the menu without the override prefix (or file extension if you ensure EXTOFF is set), e.g.:

Ubuntu 64-bit with persistence
Linux Mint 32-bit
Linux Mint 64-bit

Tip: If you do not want the DOS and UTILITIES menu entries listed in the Main menu, simply delete the \_ISO\DOS and \_ISO\UTILITIES folder.

 

Sub-Menus

The order that the sub-menus are listed in is pre-set by the ZZSubMenuAll.mnu file. You can rename this file and edit it to change the order if you wish.

Note: If you edit this file, you MUST rename it, otherwise it will be overwritten when you next update E2B.

You can also make new sub-menu folders using \_ISO\SUB_MENU_Maker.cmd.

 

Changing the text in the menu entries

Most E2B menu entries use a $$$STR string keyword which is converted into the correct string for the current menu language.

If you want to change the text that is listed in the menu headings or menu entries, then I suggest that you make a new 'language' for your E2B.

e.g. copy whatever language folder you are using (e.g. \_ISO\docs\e2b\grub\SPANISH) to a new folder (e.g. \_ISO\docs\grub\PACO) and then change your language to 'PACO' using  set LANG=PACO in your MyE2B.cfg file. You can then edit the \_ISO\docs\e2b\grub\PACO\STRINGS.txt file and change any of the default E2B menu entries or menu headings, etc.