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When Tails OS boots, you can press tab to modify the startup options. Is there any way I can save an iso with these options already set? It's a real pain to have to press tab and set them up every time. Surely there must be a better way?

Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
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BubbleMonster
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5 Answers5

5

There's actually another way to do it by remounting the live disk as writable 

mount -o remount -w /lib/live/mount/medium

and then editing the live config file corresponding to your architecture (either live.cfg, live486.cfg or liveamd64.cfg) under /lib/live/mount/medium/syslinux
more info here

don_crissti
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user9882
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    Trying to follow the link I got "**This subreddit was banned due to being unmoderated.**". Please don't add links as answers! – U. Windl Sep 06 '21 at 21:16
  • I did `sudo mount -o remount -w /lib/live/mount/medium` but configuration files located in `/lib/live/mount/medium/syslinux` are still read only ... – Naja Nov 09 '21 at 08:59
  • @U.Windl - The info in the link is somewhat outdated, but can still be found here: http://web.archive.org/web/20200317040754/https://www.reddit.com/r/sohhlz/wiki/index/tails-usb-fixed-disk – ChrisW Aug 01 '22 at 11:13
  • The main files to edit for Syslinux on Tails 5.3 are now: `live.cfg` on 32 bit and `live64.cfg` on 64 bit systems. The mount command in a root terminal still works the same and the path for syslinux has not changed. – ChrisW Aug 01 '22 at 16:03
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Chainload the ISO's bootloader using syslinux, then you can add all the extra parameters you need. Use the actual contents of the syslinux directory in the ISO as a base.

There are many examples online. Check Create a GNU/Linux multiboot USB-Stick (Live USB) with Syslinux chainloading (now only available in the web-archive).

AdminBee
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dawud
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2

This path is incorrect for Tails. Actually I believe that the actual config files are here

/lib/live/mount/medium/EFI/BOOT which I have changed live.cfg and live64.cfg and this works. Re-boot and inspect the config file and see your changes.

Prvt_Yadav
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Stephen
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1

Tails 4.5 uses grub: Path to change grub boot options: /lib/live/mount/medium/efi/debian

Mr hashrate
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  • I notice that this answer is only slightly different from [Stephen's](https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/448951/117549); can you explain why the /debian directory is preferred to /BOOT as mentioned in their answer? – Jeff Schaller Apr 12 '20 at 01:23
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    In tails 4.5 there are two boot options: syslinux or grub https://tails.boum.org/doc/advanced_topics/boot_options/index.en.html Grub is the new one. So syslinux: /lib/live/mount/medium/EFI/BOOT (live.cfg & live64.cfg) Grub: /lib/live/mount/medium/efi/debian (grub.cfg) – Mr hashrate Apr 13 '20 at 09:18
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The following steps worked for me on Tails 4.5. In my case I have a 2015 MacBook Pro that I wanted to use Tails 4.5 on but kept getting a partially garbled desktop menu, except when I added the below boot option to Grub settings

intel_iommu=off

(Above boot option was taken from the instructions under "Graphics corruption in Tor Browser and Thunderbird" here)

Anyway the steps I followed were:

  1. Started Tails with the admin password activated
  2. In Applications > System Tools > Root Terminal, entered the command lines
sudo mount -o remount -w /lib/live/mount/medium
sudo nano /lib/live/mount/medium/efi/debian/grub.cfg

  1. The grub.cfg file has 3 separate sections with a line that starts with linux /live/vmlinuz initrd=/live. I added a space and that boot option at the end of each of these lines and saved the file.

  2. Rebooted to machine to test.

alec
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