fun with Grub

Hey, I was wondering if there was a way to change the background pictures for the suse grub? I like the “pretty” grub look with the startup options box for boot parameters, just wondering how to change the background pic. Also, I was wondering if there was a way to change the look of splash, other then verbose quiet showtps? I like the verbose with the picture background, nice touch, just wondering how to get that at default&how to change background, colors. Just trying to spruce up the PC. Thanks.

Hello Murdoc_of_PUTS,

Have a look here, it should answer your question:
SDB:Gfxboot - openSUSE
Personally I like to extract the message cpio archive make my changes and compress it again, but this is way simpler.

Not sure what you are trying to do, but I recommend you have a look under
**/etc/bootsplash/themes/
**It should contain all the bootsplash theme settings.
If I was you make a backup before starting to modify both GRUB and the bootsplash.

Good luck!:wink:

As an adition to the usefull post from Edward_Iii I want to add that you may want to consider the changing of three different things that you see after another, but are strictly different:
. Grub,
. Kernel bootsplash,
. gdm/kdm login screen.

On 2011-03-15 15:36, Murdoc of PUTS wrote:
> Hey, I was wondering if there was a way to change the background
> pictures for the suse grub?

Yes.

Just look here for people talking about a christmas or penguin boot theme,
about any december.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

Thanks alot, I piddled with the grub loader(menu and background). Now how do I edit the login screen and the backdrop for when it’s loading the sys in verbose?

Hello Murdoc_of_PUTS,

The login screen depends on which session manager you use.
If you use KDM, then you can easily change it by starting System Settings->Advanced->Login Manager.
A new window will appear, select the theme tab, there you should be able to set the theme.

If you use GDM I’m afraid I don’t know how to do that.

Those images should be under /etc/bootsplash/themes.
Have a look in the openSUSE theme folder and under images.
Those with the silent- prefix are for the silent mode.

Good luck!:wink:

On 2011-03-19 09:06, Edward Iii wrote:

> If you use GDM I’m afraid I don’t know how to do that.

Control panel of the gdm user.
Details on request.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

robin_listas:
yes, details please…as I’m using gnome
Edward_lii:
Yes, there are the background themes/pictures in the /bootsplash/ and I could go through and change the name of each and every one of the pictures until I found the one it uses, and then just hard change(copy another picture over and change it to what ever it’s called-like I did with the Grub) however, I’d like to be able to change it easier/better than that. Thanks though for the advice on kdm, I’ll remember that when I put that on…later

On 2011-03-22 21:06, Murdoc of PUTS wrote:
>
> robin_listas:
> yes, details please…as I’m using gnome

Code:

~> su -
Password
~# gnomesu --user=gdm --command=“dbus-launch gnome-appearance-properties”

Then change whatever you want.

> http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2010-05/msg01064.html

Other method

> http://lizards.opensuse.org/2010/07/25/how-to-change-gdm-backgroundwallpaper/

The basic idea is becoming the user “gdm”, and start the application that
would change what you want for a normal user. I remember we discussed this
in some detail some months back, somewhere, but I’m unable to locate it.

Another trick is launching gnome-session-properties, like in the first
paragraph. This controls what applications run in the gdm session and…
Oops, I forgot what now.

The funny thing is that a while back I wanted to control the users listed
in the GDM prompt. I asked about it here:

> http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/install-boot-login/449438-how-can-i-control-users-listed-gdm.html

with no valid answer at the time. The thing is that I managed to do it,
there was a trick that made it easy: but I neglected to make a note of it
and now I don’t remember how I did it. :frowning:

…]

Perhaps I found it!

Code:

~> su -
Password
~# gnomesu --user=gdm --command=“dbus-launch gconf-editor”

One of the menu entries is “list recent keys”, so I got the one I used last
time:

key name: /apps/gdm/simple-greeter/disable_user_list
key owner: gdm-simple-greeter
description: Do not show known users in the login window

so… that’s what I did last time :slight_smile:


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

Hello Murdoc_of_PUTS,

I understand why you want it change it better.
And luckily it’s quite easy, you just make a new folder in **/etc/bootsplash/**themes with the name of your theme.
I recommend you copy over the content of the openSUSE folder.

There’s one thing you need to change before you theme can be used.
In the config folder you’ll see multiple config files for different resolutions.
Edit the one that is used and change the paths to image to the path of your theme.
In most cases changing openSUSE into <theme name>.

And now you only need to change which bootsplash is used.
To do this start YaST->System->/etc/sysconfig Editor.
A new window will appear, you need to change System->Boot->Theme.
Change it from openSUSE to the name of your theme.

Good luck!:wink:

robin
this didn’t work…I get
no protocol specified
no protocol specified
** (gconf-editor:27890): CRITICAL **: Failed to parse arguments: Cannot open display:

edward
ok, So I tried this, all of the config files point to the new theme folder, I changed all of the pictures so I could see it it worked (just wrote the res on the side). It didn’t, I’m still getting the old background picture. Also changed the sys boot theme. It shows that it’s changed, but it doesn’t do anything. Am I doing something wrong?

ok, so this is starting to work, gradually through the boot process :0)

two things

  1. if you edit any of the images, you have to have the bootsplash-aaaaxbbbbb.jpg or silent-aaaaxbbbb.jpg file name, or there’s an error. Also, if your using gimp-- when you save it go into advanced and select the 2x2x1x1x1x1 (lowest size) option [mandatory], and drop the quality down to around 50 (I know that value worked, I don’t know what others will work)
  2. you have to run mkinitrd as root --if you only changed one setting you can use mkinitrd -s aaaaxbbbb to only load that one. you have to do this after you change anything, or it won’t load what you changed.

now on the the user login screen…

On 2011-03-23 21:36, Murdoc of PUTS wrote:
>
> robin
> this didn’t work…I get
> no protocol specified

You have to put the command sequence you use with the results you get. I
don’t know what you did.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)