ntloader/docs/menu.md

Getting Started

Extract ntloader and initrd.cpio onto the disk, and modify the bootloader menu to boot Windows from a FAT/NTFS/exFAT partition.

GRUB 2 (>= 2.12)

menuentry "Boot Windows NT6+ WIM" {
    search -s -f /path/to/ntloader
    search -s dev -f /path/to/winpe.wim
    probe -s dev_uuid -u $dev
    if [ "${grub_platform}" = "efi" ]; then
        linux /path/to/ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid} wim=/path/to/winpe.wim
        initrd /path/to/initrd.cpio
    else
        linux16 /ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid} wim=/path/to/winpe.wim
        initrd16 /initrd.cpio
   fi;
}

menuentry "Boot Windows NT6+ VHD/VHDx" {
    search -s -f /path/to/ntloader
    search -s dev -f /path/to/windows.vhd
    probe -s dev_uuid -u $dev
    if [ "${grub_platform}" = "efi" ]; then
        linux /path/to/ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid} vhd=/path/to/windows.vhd
        initrd /path/to/initrd.cpio
    else
        linux16 /ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid} vhd=/path/to/windows.vhd
        initrd16 /initrd.cpio
   fi;
}

menuentry "Boot Windows NT6+ on (hdx,y)" {
    search -s -f /path/to/ntloader
    probe -s dev_uuid -u (hdx,y)
    if [ "${grub_platform}" = "efi" ]; then
        linux /path/to/ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid}
        initrd /path/to/initrd.cpio
    else
        linux16 /ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid}
        initrd16 /initrd.cpio
   fi;
}

GRUB 2 (< 2.12)

In UEFI, the chainloader command should be used to load ntloader and pass the path to initrd.cpio to it.
⚠️ GRUB 2 cannot properly handle command lines containing non-ASCII characters, so file names must not include non-ASCII characters.
⚠️ ntloader and initrd.cpio must be on the same ESP partition.

menuentry "Boot Windows NT6+ WIM" {
    search -s -f /path/to/ntloader
    search -s dev -f /path/to/winpe.wim
    probe -s dev_uuid -u $dev
    if [ "${grub_platform}" = "efi" ]; then
        chainloader /path/to/ntloader initrd=/path/to/initrd.cpio uuid=${dev_uuid} wim=/path/to/winpe.wim
    else
        linux16 /ntloader uuid=${dev_uuid} wim=/path/to/winpe.wim
        initrd16 /initrd.cpio
   fi;
}

GRUB4DOS / GRUB4EFI

Use the kernel command to load ntloader.

title Boot Windows NT6+ WIM
find --set-root /path/to/winpe.wim
uuid ()
find --set-root /path/to/ntloader
kernel /path/to/ntloader uuid=%?_UUID% wim=/path/to/winpe.wim
initrd /path/to/initrd.cpio

rEFInd

Use the fsuuid.exe tool to obtain the UUID of the partition where the WIM/VHD is located, and replace PASTE_UUID_HERE in the menu below with the obtained UUID.
⚠️ ntloader and initrd.cpio must be on the same ESP partition.

menuentry "Boot Windows NT6+ VHD/VHDx" {
    loader /path/to/ntloader
    initrd /path/to/initrd.cpio
    options "uuid=PASTE_UUID_HERE vhd=/path/to/windows.vhd"
}

limine

Use the fsuuid.exe tool to obtain the UUID of the partition where the WIM/VHD is located, and replace PASTE_UUID_HERE in the menu below with the obtained UUID.
⚠️ ntloader and initrd.cpio must be on the same ESP partition.
⚠️ Only UEFI is supported.

/Boot Windows NT6+ VHD/VHDx
    protocol: efi
    path: boot():/path/to/ntloader
    cmdline: uuid=PASTE_UUID_HERE vhd=/path/to/windows.vhd initrd=/path/to/initrd.cpio