THIS GUIDE IS DEPRECATED
THIS IS BETTER https://github.com/natinusala/painless-linux

This guide will show you how to boot Linux on your Switch from a Windows PC. If you're on Linux, you can directly use the shofel2_linux repository.

Credits :

• @kombos for the pre-built binaries
• @rajkosto for TegraRcmSmash and Windows imx_usb binaries
• Fail0verflow for their Linux port

What you'll need :

• A Switch
• A Windows PC
• Another SD card of at least 8Gb
  • you can use the same SD card that you already have on your Switch but be careful when partitioning !
• A USB A-to-C or C-to-C cable to plug your Switch into your PC

Step 1 : installing the driver

1. Get your Switch in RCM mode and plug it into your PC
   • It should appear as "APX" in Windows
2. Download and run the Zadig Driver Installer from here : https://zadig.akeo.ie/
3. In the list, choose the device "APX"
   • If it's not showing up, check "List all devices" in the options
4. At the right end of the green arrow, choose "libusbK (v3.0.7.0)"
5. Click on the big "Install driver" button

Step 2 : creating the root filesystem

Yes, this is still necessary. Yes, this will always be.

Open my another guide and follow the "Building the rootfs" section.
On Windows you'll have to use a IMG file and burn it with Etcher, or find a way to create an ext4 partition by hand (good luck with that).
I recommend the latest LXDE image which has the correct format for Etcher - it's a zip containing a bin, flash the .bin using Etcher.

You should be left with a SD card with two partitions on it.

Step 3 : a whole bunch of downloads

1. Download and extract this : https://github.com/SoulCipher/shofel2_linux/archive/master.zip
2. Download this : https://files.sshnuke.net/TegraRcmSmash1101.zip
3. Extract the executable for your architecture in the shofel2_linux-master folder
4. Download this : https://github.com/rajkosto/imx_usb_loader/releases/download/08daaa/imx_usb.zip
5. Extract the executable and DLL in the shofel2_linux-master folder
6. Download this : http://launchmycraft.fr/boot_linux.bat
7. Put it in the shofel2_linux-master folder

This is what you should have in the linux_shofel2-master folder before continuing :

Step 4 : actually booting Linux

1. Put your Switch in RCM mode and plug it in your PC
2. Go in the shofel2_linux-master folder and open boot_linux.bat
3. It wasn't that hard, wasn't it ?

 

[tomhanks69]

What, regarding the rootfs ?

indeed

 

[H1B1Esquire]

Wow, with all of these great guides, we're going to have trouble deciding which to sticky.

Good job, 10/10.

 

[natinusala]

Wow, with all of these great guides, we're going to have trouble deciding which to sticky.

Good job, 10/10.

Hehe yeah, sorry about that. I'll release a all-in-one solution in about thirty minutes to centralize everything so that we can abandon the other threads and only use one.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

indeed

Well that's not my fault if Windows can't mount ext4 partitions in 2018

 

[Miqote]

If you provide a bin like you did for the Arch Linux build, we don't need to :3

 

[Sonicbrawler]

If you provide a bin like you did for the Arch Linux build, we don't need to :3

pretty sure you would still need to to edit the proper file to get wifi to work.

 

[natinusala]

Grab it while it's hot : https://github.com/natinusala/painless-linux

 

[Sonicbrawler]

Dope!

 

[Mach]

Nice, you are the man of Linux on Switch now ! , Much obliged

 

[NorthHopper]

Grab it while it's hot

I tried this and the windows-boot.bat terminal gives me the error: "Win32 error 31 during post-smash op" then just says done. Any clue as to what's gone wrong? I attached a screenshot of the terminal if that helps.
EDIT: Nevermind, tried again and it works, but does the Win32 error mean anything?

 

[natinusala]

It means that Windows lost the connection to the USB device, which is normal because we exited RCM mode abruptly.

 

[NorthHopper]

It means that Windows lost the connection to the USB device, which is normal because we exited RCM mode abruptly.

Thanks for the quick response, but now I'm having a separate issue. I get Linux with scrolling text but I don't go back into RCM mode, rather am left with a screen where the last three lines say:

[   22.669788] mmc0: tuning execution failed: -84
[   22.676541] mmc0: error -84 whilst initialising SD card
[  183.268612] random: crng init done

Any clue here?

 

[natinusala]

Is it a 128Gb SD card ?

 

[NorthHopper]

Is it a 128Gb SD card ?

No, 32gb

 

[MuppetPaster]

After endless trys i finally got it to work. Turns out that neither my two SanDisk 16gb nor my Intenso 16gb card works - with these cards i got everytime "waiting for root device mmcblk0p2". So i tried it - with the new image, the old was to big for this card - a 8gb noName Card. It works instantly. Anobody else who has trouble with 16gb cards or do only the SanDisk/Intenso Cards have this problem?

Thanks for the great work...

 

[kevandkkim]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rO8XmusLBG6UnB2FfRp13_cL6t_0CsOM/view?usp=sharing link is hot

 

[Miqote]

pretty sure you would still need to to edit the proper file to get wifi to work.

My "If you provide a bin like you did for the Arch Linux build, we don't need to :3" was in response to "Well that's not my fault if Windows can't mount ext4 partitions in 2018 "

Also, I didn't need to edit any file for it to work - I just set up WiFi on the switch itself and it worked fine.

 

[natinusala]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rO8XmusLBG6UnB2FfRp13_cL6t_0CsOM/view?usp=sharing link is hot

Thank you so much !

 

[tomhanks69]

?

 

[Mach]

Painless Linux is Crashing on certain apps on my switch.

 

[tomhanks69]

giving a go