Puppy 4.3.1 for Gecko Edubook

For talk and support relating specifically to Puppy derivatives
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pskin
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri 11 Dec 2009, 19:05

Puppy 4.3.1 for Gecko Edubook

#1 Post by pskin »

Hi Everyone,
I have remastered the official pup-431.iso to work with the Norhtec Gecko Edubook.
The file that I have uploaded is not the iso but an
xdelta3 file (about 11MB) , so in order to create the iso you will
need the program xdelta3 and a copy of the official pup-431.iso.
pskin
http://www.teradepot.com/ffuetzvl78sd/R ... k.txt.html
http://www.teradepot.com/mnf83fzva8ma/p ... k.xd3.html
http://www.teradepot.com/gtpl870v2ijw/p ... m.txt.html
Last edited by pskin on Sat 19 Dec 2009, 13:11, edited 1 time in total.

aarf

#2 Post by aarf »

The file pup-431-edubook.xd3 is an xdelta3 patch file from the
official pup-431.iso
to pup-431-edubook.iso.

Using a copy of official pup-431.iso and the program xdelta3 you can easily reconstruct
pup-431-edubook.iso with the command:

xdelta3 -d -s pup-431.iso pup-431-edubook.delta

perhaps you can teach many people here how you did this. no more big iso downloads for small updates will be a very big plus. perhaps even the need for puplet will disappear to be replaced by an xdelta puplet file archive

PS: you need to update the read me to reflect the new file names as well.

eg

Code: Select all

xdelta3 -d -s pup-431.iso pup-431-edubook.x3d
no?

pskin
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri 11 Dec 2009, 19:05

#3 Post by pskin »

PS: you need to update the read me to reflect the new file names as well.
Thanks for spotting that typo. I hope it did not cause any confusion. Fixed.

There is more on xdelta3 on Barry's blog:
http://bkhome.org/blog/?viewDetailed=00752

Barry even wrote a gui for it, which is under "utilities" in the main menu of pup-431.
http://bkhome.org/blog/?viewDetailed=00753

Detailed explanations of xdelta3 can be found in these pages:
http://pupweb.org/wikka/XdeltA
http://code.google.com/p/xdelta/wiki/CommandLineSyntax

One thing to be careful about is that xdelta3 is version 3 of xdelta and the
file formats are incompatible with the old versions (and the command line
syntax is different).

cthisbear
Posts: 4422
Joined: Sun 29 Jan 2006, 22:07
Location: Sydney Australia

#4 Post by cthisbear »

pskin

" I have remastered the official pup-431.iso to work
with the Norhtec Gecko Edubook. "

Excellent Can Do attitude.

Thanks mate.................Chris.

kevin bowers
Posts: 147
Joined: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 20:41

Works well!

#5 Post by kevin bowers »

Using pskin's step-by-step and delta file I now have a fully-functional Puppy install on my Edubook. As I suspected Puppy just leaves the other OSs I've tried on it in the dust.

Barry's GUI returned an error code when I tried it. Possibly it was the typo? I also found it necessary to type in the full path of the filenames:

# xdelta3 -d -s /mnt/sdb1/pup-431.iso /mnt/sdb1/pup-431-edubook.xd3

I had the files on a USB card mounted on /mnt/sdb1.

I have a glitch in the wireless driver that I haven't found yet. DHCP keeps returning a wrong IP address. Using Pwireless's "connect" button fixes it but it sometimes takes 2 or 3 tries. Also Blinky's top light stays lit almost constantly. A large download stopped in the middle but that may have been caused by something else. All in all it's just a minor annoyance for a major benefit!

Many thanks to pskin, Barry, and the Puppy team.

--Kevin

p.s. the command line should be one line, should not have a line break in it. --KB

pskin
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri 11 Dec 2009, 19:05

#6 Post by pskin »

Kevin,
Thanks for testing.
Wireless.
I also had a slight problem with the wifi but found that by issuing the command

Code: Select all

iwconfig ra0 essid <MY_ESSID> 
before attempting DHCP, the connection worked every time. Maybe you can try that and if it works, put the command in a script in /root/Startup.

xdelta3.
I could be wrong but I think the gui version of xdelta3 looks for special suffices
such as .delta for the patch file. Unfortunately I didn't know about the gui until after
I uploaded.
( I had uploaded an earlier version of the file which had the .delta ending but was created
using an old version of xdelta, incompatible with xdelta3, so I had hoped to minimize
confusion by changing the suffix of the replacement. :roll: )
Anyway, try renaming the file if you want to use the gui.

kevin bowers
Posts: 147
Joined: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 20:41

Thanks again

#7 Post by kevin bowers »

I'll surely try the iwconfig fix (probably next weekend). For now I'm quite happy to have Puppy up and running! I don't know when I might need the xdelta3 GUI again (or ever). My usual MO is using these machines, not configuring them, or occasionally repairing a sick one. I stand in awe of you programmers; the BASIC and Fortran I learned in college (never mind how long ago) seems like kindergarten stuff now.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your sharing your efforts, both here and over at PlanetWatt (and where all else?) You're very generous with your time.

--Kevin

kevin bowers
Posts: 147
Joined: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 20:41

Alternative to iwconfig fix

#8 Post by kevin bowers »

Sorry, I couldn't get the iwconfig essid fix to work with any sort of reliability, unless I did it manually after bootup was complete. Fooling around, though, I came up with this alternative which seems to work every time, and also should work automatically with any open network--you don't have to give it the essid:

1) put a link to /usr/local/autoconnect/run-ac.sh in /root/startup (just drag & drop, then click "link-relative").

Reboot now, and after bootup you can watch a pretty blue box connect. On my Edubook it takes 3 tries to do it; on a P4 it gets it the first time and then tries twice more to make sure. Then it puts up a yellow AC-status box, telling you signal strength and informing you that if you close that box it will disconnect. I didn't like that part so:

2) Open /usr/local/autoconnect/run-ac.sh as text. Comment out the last 2 lines (Put a # sign at the beginning). As so:
#rxvt -bg green -geometry43X5 -e ./AC_status.sh
#ifconfig $INTERFACE down

Now it boots and connects, the blue box goes away and you're ready to rock!

Hope this saves somebody the hours I spent cussing at the cute little white box!

--Kevin

judland
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu 14 Jan 2010, 03:48
Location: Sask., Canada
Contact:

#9 Post by judland »

I just tried this build on my new Edubook, but I still couldn't get any sound from the sound chip.

I followed all of the instructions on creating the ISO, and it seemed to have worked as it was supposed to... eve the md5sum looked correct. I burned the new ISO to a CD and booted up the Edubook with it.

I got to my Puppy Desktop, but no sound. Have I missed something (is there a setting in the CMOS that I should have changed)?

I'll have to give it another go over the weekend.

kevin bowers
Posts: 147
Joined: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 20:41

Sound problems?

#10 Post by kevin bowers »

I had no problems with the sound, it "woofed" at me during the first bootup (as it finished configuring ALSA). I don't know of a BIOS setting that might make a difference, but there's a small text file on the "Drivers" CD that came with the Edubook that tells you how to set the BIOS to install XP; I used that for everything.
Couple of things to try: run through Puppy's ALSA sound wizard; maybe that's all it will take. Or just open a mixer GUI or alsamixer and make sure sound isn't muted.
Are you using the Edubook's internal speakers or headphones or?? You might have a problem with the external device. Have you tried any other OS? As far as I know the sound has been configured on Windows XP, wattOS (not yet on RC1 but beta3 works with a kernel fix), and Puppy 4.3.1.
I hope for your sake they didn't change the chipset on you; you might e-mail Norhtec to find that out.
Good luck and keep us posted,
Kevin

judland
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu 14 Jan 2010, 03:48
Location: Sask., Canada
Contact:

Puppy Sound Problems

#11 Post by judland »

Well, I e-mailed Norhtec and Michael replied to me. He recommended that I try using the Puppy ISO file found on their Deviceonchip.com website. So I did. Still no sound on my EduBook.

I burned the ISO from the Deviceonchip website to a CD twice, so I know I'm using the right image. I'm also sure the ISO file was downloaded correctly (here's the MD5SUM output I get: http://www.virtualsky.net/blogpics/my_pup_md5sum.txt )

I'm not sure if this matters or not, but when booting up Puppy, I noticed this error message I have not seen before. I'm not sure what "bad EIP" means. http://www.virtualsky.net/blogpics/P1000781.JPG

Also, when Puppy starts the Xsession and asks me to choose a keyboard configuration, I get the message "lp loaded but no devices could be found". Not sure what that means.

And just for more information, here's the printout from "lsmod" after Puppy boots up... http://www.virtualsky.net/blogpics/my_lsmod_out.txt

I don't know if any of this means anything, but that's where I'm at. For what ever reason, this Edubook does not have sound support, even though I'm told by everone - even the PC's maker - that this version of Puppy does have sound on the Edubook. :?

pskin
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri 11 Dec 2009, 19:05

Sound problems

#12 Post by pskin »

As you can tell from the md5sum, the iso you have downloaded from
deviceonchip.com is correct and exactly the same
as the one you created from the link at the top of this thread.

The messages about
bad EIP and
"lp loaded but no devices could be found"
appear also on my edubook, but my sound is working.

The lsmod output seems to show that some of the sound modules are not loaded.
Apparently, the kernel cannot find/load the modules at the critical time.

This is speculation, but I wonder if it is related to your method of booting.
I am assuming from your posts that you have an external CDrom drive from
which you are booting.

My suggestion is to install from the iso onto a usb memory stick (There are several ways to do this. I find the program UNETBOOTIN to be very convenient for this purpose.)
Then you can boot the usb stiick from one of the external usb ports (after
going into the SETUP /cmos to choose the boot device.)

Alternatively, if you have an SD card in the machine, you could try installing onto
that card and seeing if the sound works.

As I say, these are just guesses, but perhaps worth a try.

Good luck.

judland
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu 14 Jan 2010, 03:48
Location: Sask., Canada
Contact:

#13 Post by judland »

Thanks, pskin, yes I am trying to boot from an external CD drive.

I'll try what you suggest. Thank you!

kevin bowers
Posts: 147
Joined: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 20:41

One more suggestion

#14 Post by kevin bowers »

In the Drivers CD that came with your Edubook is a text file that tells you how to set the BIOS to install Windows XP. I found that if I didn't have the USB speed correct it wouldn't boot some distros at all. Probably not your problem but...
--Kevin

judland
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Location: Sask., Canada
Contact:

#15 Post by judland »

BINGO!

That was it... strangely enough. If I put the ISO onto a USB device and booted from that, I got sound.

Strange. I never had that problem before. But thank you for the suggestion! I'll be sure to mention this little tid-bit in my review of the Edubook (in case others experience the same issue)

Thanks again! :D

pskin
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri 11 Dec 2009, 19:05

#16 Post by pskin »

Great.
Here's some more good news for edubook owners. Barry Kauler is getting one (or two)
so I think future puppy support is going to be excellent.
http://bkhome.org/blog/?viewDetailed=01346

judland
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu 14 Jan 2010, 03:48
Location: Sask., Canada
Contact:

#17 Post by judland »

Great! If that is the case, then this will probably also mean good support for Norhtec's "Surfboard" PC, too (having the same DeviceonChip system and all)!

more on the Surfboard

User avatar
BarryK
Puppy Master
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Location: Perth, Western Australia
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#18 Post by BarryK »

Guys,
The "bad EIP" is due to the APM kernel module crashing when it loads.

I have reported on my blog how to fix this. The Flash BIOS needs to be upgraded, and I am developing a way for this to be easily done. I have posted some preliminary instructions for setup booting with GRUB4DOS, with a fat partition running FreeDOS, with the required msdos utility to do the Flash BIOS upgrade.

http://bkhome.org/blog/?viewDetailed=01383

Someone posted that they bought the Gecko with Windows XP installed. I would very much like to communicate with that person. I want to know if it powers-down properly. All the Linuxes that I have tested, which are WattOS and Puppy 431 both provided by Norhtec, plus X-Linux from DMP (the manufacturers of the Gecko), will shutdown to "System halted" message on the screen, and I then have to hold down the power switch for 4 seconds to get it to power off.

If XP does power off properly, then at least I will know it is possible, and can work toward achieving that on Linux.
[url]https://bkhome.org/news/[/url]

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Aitch
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Joined: Wed 04 Apr 2007, 15:57
Location: Chatham, Kent, UK

#19 Post by Aitch »

Hi guys

As a new owner of an Edubook, I haven't tried your methods yet....

I posted just the other day in Joe's Slaxer_Pup thread, that it failed to load, though pupeee 4.2, turbopup, & puppy 4..31 all load OK - well, to a desktop
I also suspected it was a usb/speed/delay issue

I also get spat off the net/browser crashes a lot [wired lan] - anyone else getting that?

I also seem to get a display OK, despite Xorg reporting using 1280x1200, despite requesting 600??
Kevin Bowers wrote:.....but there's a small text file on the "Drivers" CD that came with the Edubook that tells you how to set the BIOS to install XP
Kevin, I didn't get a drivers CD with mine, can you post the text file, please

Early days yet awhile, and I'm busy trying to recover a crashed 200Gb hard drive, with loads of useful stuff on it, from my desktop box.....

Barry

Mine has XP installed, no shutdown problems

Thanks for the tips, do you know what Bios version is needed for the update?

Review here :D

http://www.liliputing.com/2010/01/norht ... ke-it.html

Aitch :)

kevin bowers
Posts: 147
Joined: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 20:41

BIOS settings, Poweroff

#20 Post by kevin bowers »

Here is the text from the "Drivers" CD:

Set BIOS for install Windows from USB CD-ROM


1. Load Optimal Defaults


2. Load Failsafe Defaults


3. Onboard IDE Operate Mode = Native Mode


4. USB 2.0 Controller Mode = FullSpeed

Yes, Barry, Windows XP shuts off the power automatically on the Gecko. Feel free to contact me anytime I can help anybody:
kevinthefixer@hotmail.com.

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