aol/trusty-boot-key: Set up a flash drive to "multi-boot" OS images from a menu. - Codeberg.org
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Set up a flash drive to "multi-boot" OS images from a menu.
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Army of Light
c3360d864d
enh: add screen shots
2026-07-14 05:25:05 -07:00
docs
A fresh start.
2026-07-13 22:06:21 -07:00
grub
fix: fedora issues
2026-07-14 04:48:21 -07:00
images
enh: add screen shots
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themes/trusty
A fresh start.
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.gitignore
A fresh start.
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_config.sh
fix: fedora issues
2026-07-14 04:48:21 -07:00
_error_checks.sh
make shellcheck happy
2026-07-14 04:00:58 -07:00
_lib.sh
fix: more grub issues on arch
2026-07-14 03:55:26 -07:00
generate-cfg.sh
enh: allow video mode change, make simple theme default
2026-07-13 22:28:28 -07:00
LICENSE
A fresh start.
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README.md
enh: add screen shots
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setup-drive.sh
fix: more grub issues on arch
2026-07-14 03:55:26 -07:00
update-tbk.sh
fix: fedora issues
2026-07-14 04:48:21 -07:00
README.md
Trusty Boot Key - TBK
"Submitted for your approval, a Trusty Boot Key—with all GPL¹ code…"—Rod Serling
Need a "trusty boot key" to load operating systems?<br>A USB flash-drive for troubleshooting and experimentation?<br>Read on.
The theme and fonts still need work, but you get the idea.<br>Other themes are easy to install as well.
[1] If you're one of those folks that worries about the GPL—no need.<br>This is an application and has no affect on other projects.
Rationale
We were quite impressed with the ease of use of Ventoy,<br>but dismayed by its<br>security posture,<br>especially in light of the not-so recent<br>xz backdoor<br>fiasco.<br>No bad news as of yet,<br>but its hard to imagine a better way to install low-level malware across the<br>globe. :-/
While looking around for a "Safe-Toy" alternative,<br>we found a number of projects attempting to bring comparable ease of use to a<br>GRUB multi-boot system on a similar removable drive.
But the projects were hard to grok.<br>Complicated menus,<br>clunky, redundant code,<br>abandoned/archived repos,<br>and tons of info about BIOS this, MBR, GRUB 1.0, and 16-bit that…
Huh,<br>what is this, 1996? Haha.<br>(These were already hitting their limits during the Clinton Administration.)
Support
UEFI (firmware)
GPT partition table
amd64 architecture
That's it.<br>A.k.a. a modern P.C.<br>To simplify development and docs we've removed everything related to ancient<br>BIOS, MBR, and twenty years since we had one of those in the house.<br>There's still a late 2013 MBP running acceptably here,<br>with UEFI and 64-bit support,<br>currently pushing thirteen years old.
If you're a vintage computing enthusiast on a souped-up 486/DX9,<br>fine—this project isn't for you.<br>Otherwise,<br>there are likely free computers offered thru your local craigstlist meeting the<br>~2010 specs listed above,<br>sometimes even left on a sidewalk or trash-bins in larger cities.<br>If you're willing to spend upwards of perhaps… ~$250?<br>One could probably find something more formidable from the last decade.
ARM, R-V?
While it's possible we could support ARM64 or even RISC-V systems in the future,<br>there are none of those laying around handy at the moment.<br>Oh wait, there is an RPi 4 in a drawer nearby…<br>Unsure how to get started on that however,<br>and there's still a lot to do.
Operating Systems
Everything Linux seems to work,<br>although on older images you may have to write some kernel parameters into a<br>support file.<br>We've done that work for loopback.cfg-compatibles and a few very popular other<br>distros,<br>but will need your help for the more obscure ones.<br>See contributing below.
Windows, BSD?
These aren't able to work from a .iso loopback device.<br>Some folks say that creating a partition and unpacking the .iso there works.
Update: Tried Windows 10 and the installer starts up, although with an error.<br>See the customization section later on.
How does it work?
First, we'll help you create a removable drive with a layout like so:
╭───────┬──────────────────╮<br>│ ESP │ Data Zone ---> │<br>╰───────┴──────────────────╯
What you see above is a disk diagram,<br>cut in two (or more) parts.<br>(Well, a unit of storage perhaps—they<br>don't look like frisbees internally any longer.)
We can divide a storage device into sections according to function,<br>each optimized for its needs.<br>In this situation each section is called a "partition,"<br>and nearly always contains a "file-system" to catalog the files.<br>These different filesystems have tradeoffs of their own,<br>typically relating to both functionality and compatibility.
The first partition above is the "E.S.P.,"<br>a recursive acronym that expands to the<br>"E.F.I"...