Linpus Lite - how to install it on a USB stick ?

I am a TOTAL Linux Noob ! Been playing with Windows since the early 90s, bought a AA1 with Linpus and whilst playing I've messed up my install and I need to install Linpus again.

I've used this forum and many others to get to where I am now... and now I'm totally stuck !!!

I've downloaded the iso and used unetbootin-windows-307.exe to install it on a 2GB stick.

When I try to boot I get 4 options
1. Using the Default the AA1 boots and shows the loading icon and the Caps Lock led flashes - it goes no further... only way to get it to do anything is to press and hold the power button.
2. livecd option produces the following info...
starting Linux Live scripts <http@//www.linus-live.org>
* starting squashfs support
* starting aufs support with nwkq=16 and brs=1
* creating /dev entries for block devices
* looking for data directory
* starting PCMCIA CardBus support
* waiting for PCMCIA devices...
Fatal error occured - linpus data not found.
You are maby using an unsupported boot device (eg SCSI or old PCMCIA).
Workaround: Copy the directory linpus from your boot device to an IDE/SATA disk, eg. to /mnt/hda1/linpus or C:\linpus. Then try to boot again.
* Something went wrong and we can't continue. This should never happen
* Please reboot your computer with Ctrl+Alt+Delete...
#
3. install starts with the linpus screen then rapidly scrolls through all sorts of text too quick for me to read or stop and after several things saying they can't load it ends up telling me the following...
"modprobe: FATAL: Could not load /lib/modules/2.6.20.1-litearima.modules.dep: No such file or directory"
and it just sits there not doing anything more... until I press C/A/D when it goes through things quickly again and eventually reboots...
4. harddisk goes through all sorts again and ends up stopping again at the above modprobe........... and does nothing until I reboot using C/A/D

I've also tried to install Ubuntu UNR from the stick after putting on using flashnul and when I try to boot it returns 'boot error'

I have no USB DVD drive to try to install from a CD - but that's another story !

Any suggestions as to how I manage to get Linux of some sort installed on my AA1 I'll be VERY grateful
Don't forget I'll need leading VERY gently through all steps if you don't mind

TIA

Nick

 

Firstly: get the Linpus Recovery Disk and use that to make a proper rescue stick. Try that. You can find downloads here:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=acer+l ... =firefox-a

- see the first three links.


Then, if that fails:

You don't say where you get your Linpus from and whether you had updated your BIOS. (Software that sits underneath even the OS, which the OS has to be compatible with.) If you've downloaded Linpus it could be that it wants a newer BIOS than you have.

My best suggestion: Check the BIOS number in the F2 startup screen, see if you are behind, then look up how to update the BIOS on this forum, do it, then put the latest Linpus Lite on.

If that doesn't work then follow the instructions on the Kuki Linux site and install Kuki. Stay away from UNR, I'd say - it runs like treacle and died when I tried to update. Kuki will run directly from the USB without even an install, btw.

Btw there is a "System Restore" forum here - look through that and How-To. No one will give you better instructions than are already there, but do ask for more troubleshooting if things go wrong. Oh - MAKE SURE YOUR MACHINE IS PLUGGED INTO MAINS POWER WHEN UPDATING THE BIOS!

Also, I'd wait and see if anyone comes up with anything more specific before flashing the BIOS, especially if you're not very techy. In the meantime you could run Kuki (or Crunchbang) from a USB pen. If flashing the BIOS scares you then you could try to install Kuki before updating your BIOS.

 

I've had a look at kuki on the USB and like it a lot - in fact MUCH more than Linpus !

I've gone the whole hog and installed kuki over the top of my wrecked version of Linpus and am now going to play...

Whilst I'm on, I bet it's going to be something really simple too, whilst trying to connect to my wifi network I couldn't get past being told that it was aquiring the ip address... yes I've double treble checked everything... any thoughts ?

TIA

Nick

 

Kuki is very nice, ***but don't forget this is a pre-release version***. Backup your vital files. I managed to make my Kuki crash to the point of needing re-installing playing with the GUI options.

Is this a Kuki or Linpus problem? You're saying that Kuki can't find your wireless? If so, install the optional Kuki aka sickboy kernal with Acer specific hardware support.

Or install Crunchbang Linux - having used it and Kuki, I'd say that Crunch is more stable, works perfectly out of the box, and has excellent config options. Tip: download via torrent and check the MD5 (google this if you don't know what I mean) and then install when running Crunch from the usb pen.

 

Ok thanks for the info, there's a few things I like about the layout/interface of kuki over Linpus...
Now running kuki quite ok after I realised that was trying to put the key for the wireless router into the text part of the access rather than the binary... now on line through kuki

Lots more things to learn and questions to ask... I'll be doing that on the kuki forum though...

Nick

 

I have the same problem. I have created a recovery USB using both the DVD itself and through unetbootin - both times when I boot from the USB I get the aspire one flash screen and it just freezes!
I did manage to install Kuki but I really want to install linpus linux as I am selling my aspire one and have advertised it as having linpus linux.
I have also updated my BIOS to the latest version, I cant believe its this hard!

Has anyone had similar problems to me and managed to overcome them? OR anyone have any other suggestions???