From e14a0c21e9c0caa1cf63844d3b1629756f2d2953 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lennart Poettering Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2020 11:18:56 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] man: document how to get the boot menu with zero time-out Fixes: #15125 --- man/systemd-boot.xml | 15 +++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/man/systemd-boot.xml b/man/systemd-boot.xml index 8c64aa21e4..dacd49cd7b 100644 --- a/man/systemd-boot.xml +++ b/man/systemd-boot.xml @@ -176,8 +176,8 @@ - The following keys may be used during bootup or in the boot menu to - directly boot a specific entry: + The following keys may be pressed during bootup or in the boot menu to directly boot a specific + entry: @@ -214,6 +214,17 @@ + The boot menu is shown when a non-zero menu timeout has been configured. If the menu timeout has + been set to zero, it is sufficient to press any key — before the boot loader initializes — to bring up + the boot menu, except for the keys listed immediately above as they directly boot into the selected boot + menu item. Note that depending on the firmware implementation the time window where key presses are + accepted before the boot loader initializes might be short. If the window is missed, reboot and try + again, possibly pressing a suitable key (e.g. the space bar) continuously; on most systems it should be + possible to hit the time window after a few attempts. To avoid this problem, consider setting a non-zero + timeout, thus showing the boot menu unconditionally. Some desktop environments might offer an option to + directly boot into the boot menu, to avoid the problem altogether. Alternatively, use the command line + systemctl reboot --boot-loader-menu=0 from the shell. + In the editor, most keys simply insert themselves, but the following keys may be used to perform additional actions: