GRUB Legacy question

I'm trying to compile grub (legacy) so that the nbgrub image,
when downloaded and run by Etherboot:

1) by default configures a network adapter and downloads
  a menu.lst via tftp


and if the tftp download of menu.lst fails


2) attempts to boot the os installed on a local hard drive



If I use nbgrub from a compile using "--enable-diskless" and
"--enable-<identifier appropriat for NIC>", the PC I'm using
runs Etherboot, downloads nbgrub, and nbgrub downloads menu.lst,
all without a problem. (And, as expected, if menu.lst is not
available from my tftp server, nbgrub eventually presents a
"grub>" command-line prompt.)


If I use nbgrub from a compile using "--enable-diskless",
"--enable-<identifier appropriat for NIC>", and
"--enable-preset-menu=<FILE>" where <FILE> is


hiddenmenu
dhcp --with-configfile
default 0
timeout 3

title Local IDE Drive
rootnoverify (hd0)
chainloader +1
boot


The following are true:


1) when Etherboot downloads and runs nbgrub, networking is
  configured, but nbgrub just loops, printing the following:

Address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Netmask: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Server: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Gateway: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
TFTP error 2 (Access violation)
Address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Netmask: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Server: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Gateway: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
TFTP error 2 (Access violation)
.
.
.
<repeat>


2) if menu.lst is unavailable via tftp, nbgrub responds
  with "TFTP error 2 (Access violation)", then the timeout
  timer counts down to zero, and nbgrub boots from the
  local drive (as I would like it to do)


Am I trying to do something that isn't possible? I spent some
time trying to determine what the default preset menu is that's
used in nbgrub. Anyone know where/how that is set and what
values are used?


Tom Carpenter