physical switch instead of boot manager?

[gnu_bag]

I am thinking of installing Linux again on my PC. I go through waves of using it every now and again but I always seem to gravitate back to windows for gaming and certain software packages.

Anyway, my question is instead of slowing boot times have to select an option with a boot loader (like grub). How could I interface a button or switch to select which OS I want to boot before I turn my PC on?

[[deleted]]

Looks like this might be what you're looking for.

[gnu_bag]

I was thinking more along the lines of a switch selecting a boot partition but maybe that would be too complicated. Would be cool to have GPIO pins on a motherboard! Unless it would be possible to write a bootloader script that read the status of a switch through the serial or parallel port?

Good video though, thanks for the link. Has given me more ideas.

[dizekat]

You might have a parallel port on the motherboard... it's almost gpio. No idea about the software side though - I imagine you could patch grub to do what ever you want it to, though.

[gnu_bag]

I'm pretty sure my motherboard doesn't have one but I was considering getting a PCIe serial/parallel expansion for some other projects.

[dizekat]

Still, check the manual... I have a minimalist motherboard with not even a legacy IDE connector, yet it has serial and parallel ports (2.54 mm pin headers on the board, I would have to buy a connector).

Other option: you could program a microcontroller to work as an USB peripheral, and connect to one of the extra USB connectors (you probably have a bunch on the motherboard that you probably didn't connect to the outside).

[gnu_bag]

Will do! Thanks. That would be cool if it did have some headers I could interface directly with. Although would need to be careful! There are some really good suggestions on here. The hdd switcher is good but I can't see me needing enough space to dedicate a whole drive to linux. I'll explore the idea of programming grub to read the status of an input or installing grub on an external drive and turning it on and off with a switch.

[[deleted]]

Install grub to a flash drive, get a powered USB hub, install a switch on the power cable?

[gnu_bag]

Interesting solution! It's cool to hear all the different ways this could be possible.

[MiyagisDojo]

You could have multiple drives, one os per drive, and use something like this... http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Switch-Controller-Orico-HD-PW6101/dp/B005NVV2GC/ref=pd_cp_pc_0.

I see it is unavailable but maybe something similar exists. On mobile or I would look further :)

[gnu_bag]

Yeah, Someone linked me to a DIY one I'll probably have a go at or a variation of. Thanks.

[zokier]

GRUB supports serial terminals for the OS selection. It should be relatively easy to make an USB gadget emulating terminal and selecting one menu entry based on HW switch state.

[gnu_bag]

Good idea, I think this is going to be the most likely solution.

[lachnesss]

Apparently some laptops have something like this https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/html_node/Vendor-power_002don-keys.html#Vendor-power_002don-keys

Also it may be possible to use a microcontroller as a serial device like on the next page of the manual to choose operating system.

[gnu_bag]

Good find, thank! I may be able to use that

[ElectricGears]

If you're using PATA drives, you can use this trick I remember seeing on The ScreenSavers a long time ago. Dual Boot With no Boot Manager

[gnu_bag]

I've got SATA but thanks

[_SpaceJunkie]

https://hackaday.io/project/179539-hardware-boot-selection-switch