Ubuntu on an X10 Netbook..

[Boff]

Hi, I'm struggling to get Ubuntu or any Linux distro working on my new X10, I've been on Live Chat with Gavin trying to sort it out but in the end he just seemed to give up and eventually disappeared leaving me hanging, this was shortly after I had typed out the full list of BIOS settings at his request..

He did say at one point that Novatech don't support Linux on their computers but I'm sure that a lot of those sold without OS are destined for that fate?

The netbook itself looks great and there were no obvious faults or issues out of the box.

Anyway this is a summary of what I've tried:

I have used two USB sticks, one brand new, and have reformatted after each attempt, I use the Universal USB Installer to put the .iso on the stick.

Ubuntu 10.10 - I tried installing both the desktop and notebook versions, F11 would bring up the boot menu but neither version would boot (even as LiveUSB) for more than a couple of seconds before stopping completely during the scrolling text without any obvious error message.

Ubuntu 10.04 - I again tried desktop and notebook versions, this time they both ran live from the USB stick but when I tried to install to HD they both got to 30% file transfer (after the setup screens for time zone etc) before failing with the Errno 5 error message - Input/output error, likely cause a faulty CD/DVD or faulty hard drive.

Xubuntu 10.10 - as per Ubuntu 10.04, failed in the same way in the same place during file transfer.

I have run the SMART hard drive diagnostic tool while in LiveUSB mode but it gave the HD a clean bill of health.

I'm starting to get fed up now, can anyone offer any suggestions? :mad:

[system7]

The current Novatech X10 is an Intel Atom N455 system, AFAIK.

I would try Ubuntu Netbook on it:
http://www.ubuntu.com/netbook

Or get with the program and try the latest Froyo Android 2.2 release which is familiar to mobile phone users:
http://www.android-x86.org/releases/release_2_2

It doesn't take long to download and burn these distros. The issue may be creating a USB stick correctly:
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

Be interested in how you get on here. Very interested in Android. :D

[Boff]

Thanks for the reply, I'm intrigued by the Android suggestion as I already have an Android phone, might be a bit strange without the touchscreen though.
As to your other points, yes it is an Atom N455 system with 1 Gb Ram; as I said earlier I'm using the Universal USB Installer program which is the one Ubuntu feature on their download site so I'd be a bit surprised if it wasn't doing what it was supposed to be. And I've tried both 10.10 and 10.04 versions of Ubunto Netbook with the results described.
Cheers

[system7]

I gotta tell you I tried Android on my PC the other night, but it wasn't having it. :td:

I don't think Google are ready to take on Microsoft yet on PCs. But they certainly have got it working on a lot of Netbooks like the similar Asus Eee PC. I would love to try this myself. Have a go! :D

[Boff]

Well whatever the problem is it isn't to do with the X10 hard drive because I've just installed a full version of Debian desktop without any problems, guess there must be a compatibility problem somewhere between the Ubuntu installer and the hardware.. Decided I don't like Debian so will keep looking, may look at Android when I'm feeling adventurous..

Edit: I've done some more reading up and will download and try the Alternate Ubuntu installer tonight, it seems to be less choosy about hardware and from the screenshot I saw it looks very similar to the Debian installer which worked first time. Fingers crossed..

[rjs1064]

I bought an x10 for my son and put first mint 10, which seemed to have issues with the wireless, then ubuntu 10.10 which has worked fine. I did have some problems to start with which turned out to be down to the usb image. If you can, try using another computer to burn the stick.
Novatech seem to be very unfriendly to linux though, which is a shame.

[system7]

I think we need to be careful in using the term Novatech X10 which covers a plethora of models of varying hardware over the years. :)

For sure most X86 Linux distros have a historical origin in Workstations which used SCSI hard drives and RISC processors. IDE was always a peculiarly PC oriented solution, and it may be that setting the bios to IDE compatibility mode may cure some isues with the AHCI/SATA hard drive successor to IDE.

With Linux, IMO, you then move on to considering the rest of the hardware beyond the CPU and memory. Including power saving modes. The more standard, the better. If the current X10 was really an Asus Eee PC in disguise, things would be simple. It's plainly not. :D

[rjs1064]

only bought my sons' in november, they may have changed them since then.
atom n450 nm10 chipset 1gb ram wlan 802.11 b/g/n .

[system7]

FWIW, I checked out the situation on netbooks and Google Android It really doesn't work well on a keyboard, so back to Ubuntu!


Laptops and netbooks Review
Toshiba AC100 review
Can Tosh's Android-powered netbook do enough to convince us?

Our Score 2.5

Last reviewed: 2010-10-06October 6th 2010

While nearly all netbooks feature Windows XP or 7, with the AC100 Toshiba has implemented Google's Android operating system (OS), hoping to harness the usability and web-friendliness of the platform.

For the uninitiated Android is usually found on smartphones, such as the HTC Desire. It's designed specifically to be used with touchscreen devices, which is why many manufacturers, such as Samsung with the Galaxy Tab, are implementing them on tablet devices, and is widely considered to be one of the most intuitive operating systems around.

Unfortunately Toshiba hasn't been that successful in porting Android over to the AC100, and the end result is dodgy usability with a very half-baked feel about it.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/toshiba-ac100-721195/review?artc_pg=3#ixzz1EQYy4RwK

[Lorem-Ipsum]

For sure most X86 Linux distros have a historical origin in Workstations which used SCSI hard drives and RISC processors. IDE was always a peculiarly PC oriented solution, and it may be that setting the bios to IDE compatibility mode may cure some isues with the AHCI/SATA hard drive successor to IDE.


AHCI and SATA work great now in linux. In fact they work better than IDE drives.

Personally for a netbook I would be looking at using crunchbang linux (http://crunchbanglinux.org/) as its very lightweight, (based on debian running the openbox window manager) or if you are confident with linux, maybe using something like arch linux.

[Boff]

Personally for a netbook I would be looking at using crunchbang linux (http://crunchbanglinux.org/) as its very lightweight, (based on debian running the openbox window manager) or if you are confident with linux, maybe using something like arch linux.

That's the problem, I was looking to get confident with linux by installing and using it, however every version except one I have tried has failed to install for a variety of reasons (which I've now lost track of to be honest). I'll have a look at crunchbang but I'm not going to hold my breath, the hardware in my X10 seems fundamentally incompatible with linux for some reason which I can't fathom. According to the sticker underneath the model is a MAL-91013N but a Google search on that finds nothing at all so I'm none the wiser.

The only version I've got running properly is Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook but the screen resolution is horrible (800x600 at best). I was able to upgrade it to 9.10 which was a great improvement in appearance but the wi-fi immediately stopped working and (not being confident in linux) I couldn't find a way to fix it, so I'm back with 9.04 for now.

I've tried all these versions, with the exception of Ubuntu 9.04 they have all either failed to install or they do but something crucial (like wireless networking) fails to work:

Debian live 2010 xfce
Jolicloud
PCLinuxOS
Ubuntu 9.04 desktop & netbook, 9.10 netbook, 10.04 desktop & netbook, 10.10 netbook
Meego
Xubuntu 10.10 desktop & alternate

I'm starting to wonder whether to get a cheap external usb cd drive and try that way but part of me doesn't want to spend more money when the usb install should do exactly the same thing?

[candtalan]

An install to an external drive has various complications and it is something which I would avoid if it was me. (even if it worked)

You may know that new offerings of portable stuff such as laptops and netbooks are the most problematic for GNU/Linux to catch up with because hardware tends to be customised for manufacture, and, as in this range of hardware, internals are also changed probably without much formality over time. Live CD or Live USB is the most convenient test initially of course. Also increasing the possible problem index is the fact that new models may not yet have been seen by (GNU/Linux) developers. If the particular model is not a high volume one, then perhaps never.

The support in ubuntuforums is usually pretty good, and it will be worth some patient questions there, and offering detailed information as and when requested in discussion.

It would be most comfortable to try to begin GNU/Linux with an easy ride, and most PCs in the world will give you that (!) I have a house half full of PCs others have discarded and almost without exception they all are good with Ubuntu. None if them are 'new products' though.

PS: keep in mind possible stuff about 'nomodset' in any ubuntu forums discussion

[Boff]

Update - crunchbang installed successfully but I had no wireless connectivity. I did some more reading and found out how to identify the wireless adaptor make & model (Ralink RT2870) which led me to this page via Google -
http://linuxforums.org.uk/hardware-compatibility/ralink-rt2870-based-usb-wireless-n-adapters-(ubuntu)/
It appears from that that two drivers are loaded for the same device which causes conflict, as described I blacklisted one of them and rebooted and voila, a fully functional netbook at last! Thanks to all who offered help & advice, fingers crossed it keeps working..

[system7]

Ralink wireless rings a bell. In fact we've been through Ubuntu on an X10 recently. :D

The trick on an X10 is to enable the wireless with Fn+F2 before you load Ubuntu:
http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23786&highlight=ralink