Linux Desktop Hacks

Display a GRUB Boot Splash Background #6

Chapter 1, Booting Linux

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HACK

Now run lilo to rebuild the boot record and complete the job:

# lilo -v

Reboot and you should see the LILO boot menu appear in the Konsole area

and the timer appear in the area where the clock was on the panel.

Here’s a summary of the steps to follow to create a LILO boot splash image:

1. Download or create your own 640x480 image.

2. Set the image to have an indexed palette of 255 colors or less.

3. Choose two areas of the image: one for the menu, and one for the timer.

4. If necessary, create rectangles suitable for the menu and timer.

5. Find the coordinates where you will put the menu and timer.

6. Choose the colors for the menu entries, selected menu entries, and

timer, and find the numbers for those colors by selecting the appropri-

ate squares in the Index Palette Colormap.

7. Save the image as a bitmap file and copy it to /boot.

8. Create the appropriate lines in lilo.conf, based on the information

you’ve collected.

9. Run

lilo to rebuild the boot record.

10. Reboot.

HACK

#6

Display a GRUB Boot Splash Background Hack #6

Add a graphical background to your GRUB bootloader.

By default, the GRUB bootloader looks rather bland. It’s a menu in a box

with some instructions below the menu. It is possible, however, to custom-

ize GRUB to display a graphical background. This hack blends nicely with

other custom screen hacks such as