📚 Trouble with Syslinux PXEBOOT: Need Help Combining EFI and Legacy Modes

Hi guys,

I created a small batch file for deploying Syslinux PXEBOOT for WDS. It works partially; I am able to boot in EFI mode, and Syslinux shows up. I can also boot into Blancco, the Ubuntu installer, and load a Windows ISO, but I am unable to use the first menu.

As you can see in the script, nearly all files are copied from efi64, and probably this is the issue. When the client is booted in EFI mode, it uses EFI files and interpreters. Therefore, when selecting "Windows Deployment Services," nothing happens. At this moment, Legacy mode also doesn't work.

Is there any way to combine both EFI and Legacy modes? What should I do to make the first entry work in EFI mode?

​

:: Download syslinux version 6.03

echo Downloading syslinux-6.03...

powershell -Command "Invoke-WebRequest https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/syslinux-6.03.zip -OutFile syslinux-6.03.zip"

:: Extract files from the syslinux archive

echo Extracting syslinux-6.03...

powershell Expand-Archive -Path "syslinux-6.03.zip" -DestinationPath "syslinux-6.03"

:: Copy EFI syslinux files for x64

​

net stop wdsserver

​

copy "syslinux-6.03\bios\core\pxelinux.0" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\pxelinux.0"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\efi\syslinux.efi" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\syslinux.efi"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\elflink\ldlinux\ldlinux.e64" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\ldlinux.e64"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\elflink\ldlinux\ldlinux.e32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\ldlinux.e32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\bios\com32\elflink\ldlinux\ldlinux.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\ldlinux.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\menu\menu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\menu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\menu\vesamenu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\vesamenu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\chain\chain.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\chain.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\modules\reboot.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\reboot.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\modules\poweroff.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\poweroff.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\lib\libcom32.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libcom32.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\libutil\libutil.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libutil.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\modules\linux.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\linux.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\cmenu\libmenu\libmenu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libmenu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\gpllib\libgpl.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libgpl.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi64\com32\lua\src\liblua.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\liblua.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\bios\memdisk\memdisk" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\memdisk"

​

:: Copy EFI syslinux files for x86

​

copy "syslinux-6.03\bios\core\pxelinux.0" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\pxelinux.0"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\efi\syslinux.efi" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\syslinux.efi"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\elflink\ldlinux\ldlinux.e32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\ldlinux.e32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\bios\com32\elflink\ldlinux\ldlinux.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\ldlinux.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\menu\menu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\menu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\menu\vesamenu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\vesamenu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\chain\chain.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\chain.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\modules\reboot.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\reboot.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\modules\poweroff.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\poweroff.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\lib\libcom32.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\libcom32.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\libutil\libutil.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\libutil.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\modules\linux.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\linux.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\cmenu\libmenu\libmenu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\libmenu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\gpllib\libgpl.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\libgpl.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\efi32\com32\lua\src\liblua.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\liblua.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.03\bios\memdisk\memdisk" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\memdisk"

​

:: Rename files

​

echo Renaming files...

​

copy /y c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\pxeboot.n12 c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\pxeboot.0

copy /y c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\abortpxe.com c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\abortpxe.0

copy /y c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x86\pxeboot.n12 c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\pxeboot.0

copy /y c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x86\abortpxe.com c:\remoteinstall\boot\x86\abortpxe.0

​

::

​

rem Create the "pxelinux.cfg" and "Images1" folders in the location c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64

mkdir "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\pxelinux.cfg"

mkdir "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\Images1"

​

rem Create the "default" file inside the "pxelinux.cfg" folder with the desired content

(

echo DEFAULT vesamenu.c32

echo PROMPT 0

echo NOESCAPE 0

echo ALLOWOPTIONS 1

echo REM Timeout in units of 1/10 s

echo TIMEOUT 300

echo MENU MARGIN 10

echo MENU ROWS 16

echo MENU TABMSGROW 21

echo MENU TIMEOUTROW 26

echo MENU COLOR BORDER 30;44 #20ffffff #00000000 none

echo MENU COLOR SCROLLBAR 30;44 #20ffffff #00000000 none

echo MENU COLOR TITLE 0 #ffffffff #00000000 none

echo MENU COLOR SEL 30;47 #40000000 #20ffffff

echo MENU TITLE PXE Boot Menu

echo REM ---

echo LABEL wds

echo MENU LABEL Windows Deployment Services

echo KERNEL pxeboot.0

echo REM ---

echo LABEL Blancco

echo MENU LABEL Blancco

echo LINUX memdisk

echo INITRD bde.ISO

echo APPEND iso

echo REM ---

echo REM ---

echo LABEL "Windows TEST"

echo MENU LABEL "Windows Test"

echo linux memdisk

echo initrd ISO/Windows10_DE_20H1.iso

echo append iso raw

echo REM ---

echo LABEL "Ubuntu Server 22.04"

echo kernel /Linux/UbuntuServer2204/casper/vmlinuz

echo append root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=1.1.1.1:/volume4/pxe/Linux/UbuntuServer2204 initrd=/Linux/UbuntuServer2204/casper/initrd ip=dhcp

echo REM ---

echo REM ---

echo LABEL "Memtest86 6.3."

echo kernel memdisk

echo INITRD Linux/ISO/Memtest86-4.3.7.iso

echo APPEND iso raw

echo REM ---

echo LABEL Abort

echo MENU LABEL AbortPXE

echo Kernel abortpxe.0

echo REM ---

echo LABEL local

echo MENU DEFAULT

echo MENU LABEL Boot from Harddisk

echo LOCALBOOT 0

echo Type 0x80

) > "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\pxelinux.cfg\default"

​

rem Create a symlink in the location c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x86 to the "pxelinux.cfg" folder

mklink /D "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x86\pxelinux.cfg" "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\pxelinux.cfg"

mklink /D "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x86\Images1" "c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\Images1"

​

:: Set the server boot program

​

echo Setting PXE default path...

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x86\pxelinux.0 /architecture:x86

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x64\pxelinux.0 /architecture:x64

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x86\pxelinux.0 /architecture:x86

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x64\pxelinux.0 /architecture:x64

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x64\syslinux.efi /architecture:x64UEFI

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x64\syslinux.efi /architecture:x64UEFI

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x86\syslinux.efi /architecture:x86UEFI

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x86\syslinux.efi /architecture:x86UEFI

​

rem Restart the WDS service to apply the changes

net start wdsserver

​

echo The WDS service has been restarted. Please check the WDS console for the changes to take effect.

pause