/qr-bootloader

A bootloader whose sole function is to display a fully functioning ASCII QR code on a white background.

Primary LanguageAssembly

The QR Code Bootloader

What is this?

This is a bootloader whose sole function is to display a fully functioning ASCII QR code on a white background. Includes a short Python script which uses asciiqr.com to convert text strings or existing QR codes into code page 437 (or UTF-8) strings or hex values.

What is this written in?

Assembly (NASM) and Python.

What's the point?

None, really. Reawakening the basic knowledge of assembly laying dormant somewhere in my brain for eons.

How do I use this?

  1. Replace qr_string db with your own QR code using ascii.py (optional),
  2. Compile using NASM (or whatever works, I suppose),
  3. Use it as the boot sector on a CD, USB drive, SD card, floppy disk, etc.
  4. Boot from said media,
  5. Scan QR code (optional).

Full output of python ascii.py -h:

usage: ascii.py [-h] [--hex] [-n] [-o FILE] [-s] [--skip-cr] [-u] [--utf8] input

convert qr codes into codepage 437 ascii - uses asciiqr.com

positional arguments:
  input                string to be converted into an ascii qr code

optional arguments:
  -h, --help           show this help message and exit
  --hex                print output as hex values
  -n, --nasm           print output as a nasm-ready string of hex values
  -o FILE, --out FILE  print output to specified file
  -s, --strip          remove newlines
  --skip-cr            do not add carriage return (when -s is not used)
  -u, --url            treat input as a url to an existing qr code
  --utf8               convert to utf-8 instead of codepage 437