#1 2025-07-21 18:50:10

Durhammer

Member

Registered: 2025-01-05

Posts: 13

Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

This is somewhat of a cosmetic thing, but I'd like to see my brand spanking gnu BunsenLabs distro in my grub menu with a name like "BunsenLabs GNU...." rather than "Debian GNU...." Is that possible without breaking anything? (I saw the grub.cfg file warnings, for ex.)

At one point, I had multiple "Debian GNU..." distros installed, and it could get confusing!

Last edited by Durhammer (2025-07-27 14:06:49)

johnraff

nullglob

From: Nagoya, Japan

Registered: 2015-09-09

Posts: 12,652

Website

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

Install bunsen-os-release
That should be enough, but if you've still got multiple systems installed then you need to make sure that BunsenLabs' grub configs are taking priority. Try the above package first.

---

...elevator in the Brain Hotel, broken down but just as well...
( a boring Japan blog (currently paused), now on Bluesky, there's also some GitStuff )

Introduction to the Bunsenlabs Boron Desktop

Durhammer

Member

Registered: 2025-01-05

Posts: 13

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

Thanks, John (@johnraff)!

I took the plunge on the master distro's grub.cfg file and ignored the warning. Works like a charm -- probably until I have to do a boot repair....

I suppose I could try editing the individual distros' grub.cfg files to see what happens when I DO do a boot repair, but then I might have to re-edit the master distro's config file again. Might do it anyway just to learn.

Solving.

unklar

Back to the roots 1.9

From: #! BL

Registered: 2015-10-31

Posts: 2,695

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

^Manually editing grub.cfg is generally not a good idea, because all changes will be lost when a new grub package or kernel is installed.

This is what 40_custom is for. Here, you can make individual changes to improve the readability of the Grub main screen.
Here is an example from my “storm and stress period”    as a multi-user in /etc/grub.d/40_custom

#!/bin/sh
exec tail -n +3 $0
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries.  Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment.  Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
menuentry 'labwc-dog (auf /dev/sda7)' {
	set root='hd0,msdos7'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'archlinux (auf /dev/sdb5)' {
	set root='hd1,msdos5'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'nox-dk (auf /dev/sdb7)' {
	set root='hd1,msdos7'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'lilidog22 (auf /dev/sdb8)' {
	set root='hd1,msdos8'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'riogrande (auf /dev/sdb9)' {
	set root='hd1,msdos9'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'nox-labwc (auf /dev/sdc5)' {
	set root='hd2,msdos5'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'pecos (auf /dev/sdc6)' {
	set root='hd2,msdos6'
	configfile /boot/grub/grub.cfg
}
menuentry 'nwg-iso (auf /dev/sdc1)' {
        insmod fat
	set root='hd2,msdos1'
        search --no-floppy --set=root --fs-uuid 4317-A9DF
        configfile /grub/grub.cfg
}

With UEFI, it can be/is completely different. 

greenjeans

Member

Registered: 2025-01-18

Posts: 239

Website

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

You shouldn't have to modify the grub config file, just ensure the correct os-release file is installed for BL, then go to the partition that's got control of grub and run update-grub. Unless i'm missing something here.

johnraff

nullglob

From: Nagoya, Japan

Registered: 2015-09-09

Posts: 12,652

Website

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

^I think that's correct. In fact just installing bunsen-os-release should be enough, because it runs update-grub as part of the installation.

In fact I'd rather like to know if installing that package doesn't change the grub menu item to "BunsenLabs".

EDIT: although, as @greenjeans pointed out, bets are off if another partition's installed system is controlling grub.

It's possible for the current BL installation to take over grub, though. I'll look it up and post if anyone's interested.

Last edited by johnraff (2025-07-29 02:05:28)

---

...elevator in the Brain Hotel, broken down but just as well...
( a boring Japan blog (currently paused), now on Bluesky, there's also some GitStuff )

Introduction to the Bunsenlabs Boron Desktop

Durhammer

Member

Registered: 2025-01-05

Posts: 13

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

Fascinating, Captain.

(1) The bunsen-os-release package sounds useful, nay necessary (?). Why is/was it not a part of the initial installation?

(2) Catch-22 -- seems it (and most anything else, including my necessary acpi-call-dkms package) cannot be installed due to GPG errors. I thought that was going to be fixed on July 21?

(3) Thanks for beating this UN-dead horse!  I love it!!  Keep it up!!!

Last edited by Durhammer (2025-07-29 23:57:25)

johnraff

nullglob

From: Nagoya, Japan

Registered: 2015-09-09

Posts: 12,652

Website

Re: Make grub menu show "BunsenLabs" rather than "Debian GNU" [SOLVED]

1) It is part of the default installation.

2) If you mean this issue:
https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=9471
then it has been fixed, but you have to do something too (see post #2).

But that only affected the BunsenLabs repository anyway, so should not affect Debian packages like acpi-call-dkms

---

...elevator in the Brain Hotel, broken down but just as well...
( a boring Japan blog (currently paused), now on Bluesky, there's also some GitStuff )

Introduction to the Bunsenlabs Boron Desktop