Show HN:Linux2Win Auto-detect Linux disks, project Ext2/3/4 as Windows folders

A modern, high-performance C++20 / CMake solution that automatically detects Linux disks & USBs (when inserted or already present), validates and parses Linux data partitions (Ext2/3/4), strictly excludes boot/system/swap partitions, protects write safety with read-only enforcement, and projects data partitions as native Windows folders using Windows Projected File System (ProjFS).

1. Automatic Disk & Hotplug Monitoring :

• Detects all existing physical drives (PhysicalDrive0 ..PhysicalDriveN ).
• Listens in real-time for USB and external disk insertion and removal via Win32 WM_DEVICECHANGE device interface hooks.

2. Detects all existing physical drives (
3. Strict Data-Only Partition Filtering :

• Automatically inspects GPT and MBR partition tables.
• Allowed Data Partitions : Linux Filesystem Data, Linux/home , Linux Root (x86_64 ,arm64 ,x86 ),/srv ,/var , and user data partitions.
• Excluded Partitions : EFI System Partitions (ESP), BIOS Boot, Linux/boot , Linux Swap, Microsoft Reserved (MSR), Microsoft Recovery.

4. Zero-Dependency Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 Engine :

• Built-in, self-contained parser supporting 64-bit block addressing, extents trees, directory hash/linear entries, fast & regular symlinks, and inode table parsing.

5. Native Windows Explorer Integration (ProjFS) :

• Projects the Linux filesystem directly into C:\LinuxDisks\Disk<N>_Part<M> using the Windows Projected File System.
• Standard Windows Explorer operations: double-click to open files, view properties, drag-and-drop, and copy files/folders directly to Windows drives.

6. Projects the Linux filesystem directly into
7. Enforced Read-Only Safety :

• Drive handles opened strictly in GENERIC_READ mode withFILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE .
• File attributes tagged with FILE_ATTRIBUTE_READONLY .
• All write, modify, truncate, and delete operations are blocked (ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED ).

8. Drive handles opened strictly in
9. Memory-Resident Background Daemon & System Tray :

• Runs quietly in the notification area with a sleek context menu.
• Interactive permission prompt asking user consent for Windows startup.
• Desktop balloon notifications when Linux partitions are mounted or unmounted.

Linux2Win provides an integrated Windows Setup Wizard (linux2win_setup.exe):

1. Interactive Startup Permission : Asks for permission to load on Windows startup in memory-resident background mode.
2. Explorer Shortcuts : Automatically creates desktop and Start Menu shortcuts toC:\LinuxDisks .
3. ProjFS Feature Activator : Enables the Windows Projected File System feature if not active.
4. Clean Uninstallation : Registers with WindowsAdd or Remove Programs and generatesuninstall.exe .

.\linux2win.exe scan

.\linux2win.exe monitor

.\linux2win.exe auto

.\linux2win.exe mount <disk_index> <partition_number> [target_folder]
.\linux2win.exe mount 1 2 C:\LinuxDisks\Drive1_Part2

.\linux2win.exe ls <disk_index> <partition_number> [path]
.\linux2win.exe ls 1 2 /home/user

.\linux2win.exe cat <disk_index> <partition_number> <file_path>

.\linux2win.exe export <disk_index> <partition_number> <linux_path> <windows_target_dir>
.\linux2win.exe export 1 2 /etc/fstab C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop

• Visual Studio 2022 (with MSVC C++20 toolchain)
• CMake 3.20+
• Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11

git clone https://github.com/APS-PPR-2016/Linux2Win.git
cd Linux2Win

cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64

cmake --build build --config Release

cd build
ctest -C Release --output-on-failure

cpack -C Release -G ZIP

If you find Linux2Win useful, please consider supporting the project:

This project is licensed under the MIT License.