What is Tow‑Boot?

Tow‑Boot is a user‑friendly U‑Boot variant that aims to eliminate bootloader surprises by flattening board‑specific quirks and providing a standardized menu interface. It installs firmware, boots your OS, and that’s it.(`simple and boring`, `BIOS‑like experience`) :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Supported Devices

Supported = regularly tested; Best effort = likely functional; Experimental/Pi = included but possibly finicky. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Installation Methods

Choose your path based on hardware architecture:

• Dedicated Storage (SPI/eMMC) – Recommended. Use the menu-driven installer from images like spi.installer.img or mmcboot.installer.img. Follow prompts to flash firmware and reboot. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• Shared Storage – Advanced. Flash the shared.disk-image.img, adjust partitions (like via sfdisk), boot, and keep your OS installer from rewriting partition tables. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
• Serial Console – On headless ARM boards, use 115200 baud over tools like screen or picocom. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Latest Release Highlights

The most recent release, **2023.07‑007**, brings automated GitHub Actions builds, new board support, and platform improvements.

• Board additions: LibreComputer amlS905xCc, Orange Pi PC2, ALL‑H3‑CC H5, NanoPi M1 & M1 Plus. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
• Updated dependencies: U‑Boot → 2023.07, TF‑A → 2.9, build tooling via Nix. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
• Feature upgrades: uSWID support added; proper power-off on Rockchip devices. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Browse the full release artifacts—including per-board images—on the official GitHub Releases page.

Quick Links & Community

• Official Tow‑Boot Site
• Getting Started Guide
• Complete Device Support List
• GitHub Releases
• Source Code on GitHub