Operating system switch

This is a project that can help you automatically switch the operating system on your personal computer. With it, you can quickly switch between Windows and Linux during the use of the computer, without using the mouse and keyboard.

这是一个可以帮助你在个人电脑上自由切换操作系统的项目。该项目可以通过拨动开关（不使用鼠标键盘）快速切换Windows和Linux系统。支持关机状态下切换和系统运行时切换。 (详细中文简介在项目文件夹中)

Get a hardware

• This project provides a switch model file, and the physical effect of the model is shown in the figure below，and the design files and bill of materials for the switch are placed in the hardware folder.

• An easier way to obtain hardware is to buy a minimal system board online, connect PA6 to a mechanical switch through a cable, and then connect the system board to the computer through a USB cable.

Building firmware with stm32f1xx

Firmware of 'operating system switch'

Thanks for stecman, the firmware of hardware are refer from his work "hw-boot-selection". The project address is https://github.com/stecman/hw-boot-selection.git

• (Required) On Linux, you'll need gcc-arm-none-eabi and python installed to build and openocd to flash. Such as this:

  sudo apt install gcc-arm-none-eabi
  sudo apt install openocd
  

• (Optional) You can update the library named libopencm3, or just use the version in the directory. The details you can reference with stecman's project. And you only need to replace the 'src' directory.

• (Required) You can use following command to build and flash the firmware, before you do that, make sure you have a jlink or stlink to connect the device with your computer.

Building

cd Firmware\ for\ the\ Hardware/hw-os-selection
# Build the firmware with stm32f103c6t6
 make   
 # Flash with a J-Link programmer connected by SWD
make flash 
# Flash with an ST-Link programmer connected by SWD
make flash PROGRAMMER=stlink

Attention

• the default mcu is stm32f103c6t6, if you use other stm32f1xx chip, such as stm32f103c8t6 ,you can use : make DEVICE=stm32f103c8t6
• Until now, the project only supported the series of stm32f1xx.
• The other series of chips are temporarily unable to provide support because the author does not have the relevant hardware, but you can try to replace them with F1 series chips from manufacturers such as GD32 and CK32.

Build environment on PC

On Linux

• First we need to modify system's GRUB configuration to look for and read from this device during boot.

    cd scripts
    sudo cp ./os_switch_linux/01_bootswitch /etc/grub.d/
    sudo chmod +x /etc/grub.d/01_bootswitch
    sudo update-grub

• Second we need to create a script to monitor the data changes of USB devices during system operation.

     cp ./os_switch_linux/os_switch_bash  ~
    

• Third, we should let the monitoring script start automatically when booting up.

In Ubuntu, you need find "Startup Applications Preference", and add the script to the application list.
In other system, 

On Windows

• To run a python script, you need python psutil StringIOetc.

• Copy the directory os_switch_windows to C disk root directory.

• Create a shortcut of os_switch.vbs

• Move the shortcut to the Startup directory

  • run Windows+R and input shell:startup to the windows

  • copy the shortcut to the startup directory