Adventures with new lappie + Win8

[kooliepup]

New laptop/notebook thingy.
EFI nonsense.
Evil O/S.

Ran EvilO/S.
Well, it had to install itself before I could run it.
Couldn't find anything in it that I could use (read: worth using).

Sorted the EFI.
Now runs Puppy and everything else worth running.

For expediency, saved 3 screenshots from Puppy to NTFS/Win save partition, and later copied them to SD card.

Day 2.
Wanted to check if there was ANYTHING that was worth keeping Win8 for.
The stupid thing went immediately into Recovery mode, hard drive activity for 45 minutes while I went and had breakfast, no messages.
It apparently couldn't handle having the 3 .jpgs put on its save partition.
Switched it off. Went out.

Came home, tried Evil O/S again. Worked.
Checked again for anything to justify keeping it.
NOTHING, axcept an option to uninstall it, and return machine to factory condition.
The only thing worth using, so I used it.

Everything supposedly removed. I checked, using Puppy.
It's all still there.

Decided to see what happened if I tried to boot it again.
It started to install Evil O/S again. Switched it off.

Re-partitioned drive.
All gone.
Happy now.

That's the fastest I have ever removed Windows from a new machine.

[jpeps]

Let's hope you didn't pay more for it than for a laptop without an OS to begin with. Every OS has its advantages and disadvantages.

[splot]

"The Windows Logo is a .........."

Um, where?
Oh, I see it. The one with the wheels.

[infromthepound]

"The Windows Logo is a .........."

Um, where?
Oh, I see it. The one with the wheels.

And a high speed arrow pointing to it...

[rcrsn51]

Sorted the EFI.

Did you disable it and switch to legacy BIOS mode?

For the benefit of other Win8 refugees, could you please explain how you did it?

[kooliepup]

"The Windows Logo is a .........."

Um, where?
Oh, I see it. The one with the wheels.

And Improper use of keyboard?
The mind boggles.
There must be a law against that.


@rcrsn51

Quote:
Sorted the EFI.

Did you disable it and switch to legacy BIOS mode?

For the benefit of other Win8 refugees, could you please explain how you did it?

For the benefit of ppl who want to keep Windows, but use other OSs, it should be pointed out that disabling EFI will prevent using Windows.
(stating ths obvious, of course).

I didn't disable it, in case something worthwhile comes out using EFI in the future, and not trusting that it could be turned back on in the future.

The most difficult part of this for me was to find how to get into the settings.
On this ASUS it is.. hold ESC key while pressing ON key.

Disable Fast Boot.
Disable Secure Boot.
Enable Launch CSM.
Set Drive boot order.
Done.

I also kept the small EFI partition and ASUS support files in case needed in the future.

[Ted Dog]

First thing I did was learn how to remove HD from my new netbook with the win8 pollution on it. Then used a DVD of FatDog64 and legacy boot mode. The new netbook has a larger screen and appears more pixelated then my 1024x600 netbook that it replaced. This is my third Windows machine that never had windows installed/ran on it.
Once you go puppylinux run-in-ram everything else seems SO slow!

[rcrsn51]

Disable Fast Boot.
Disable Secure Boot.
Enable Launch CSM.
Set Drive boot order.

Thanks.

[jabu2]

Maybe this topic is not so off-topic - with many getting gizmos with Win8 pre-installed, it looks like an increasingly common issue/problem ?

And when contributors like TedDog, rcnrsn51 and KP get involved, it certainly makes one's ears prick up?

It is a bit cryptic at the moment (does Ted Dog mean that he physically removes the HDD before doing anything with his new machines? deciding about the EFI ? ).

Can someone give us strugglers a set of straightforward instructions, please, before we brick something.

Maybe a new clean thread under "new users" ?

No hurry, and thanks in advance for anything.....

[Ted Dog]

Yes Ted Dog physically removes HD before powering up new equipment, and tests machine without it! Only after I understand hardware to I even attempt to start machine with windows in it. I found nothing compeling about the last two versions of windows to even attempt to use them. I played with win8 at free beta stage. on a virtual box

[Ted Dog]

This is the trick to get lowest cost computer, ones that are a tad underpowered and people try windows on it and complain until manufacturer drops the price to the basement. As long as there is not a true issue with the hardware, its time to scarf it up, unless the linux crowd gets to loud and drives the price up again. The lowest price for the netbook was at 200 dollars but price rose into upper 200 low 300s before I jumped on it. Thanks to linuxheads snapping them up after Christmas.

[Ted Dog]

Also, best to not begin with windows starting its install process, the drive image compresses better, since Vista all new Harddrives are zero filled first and recovery partition and prepared partition are almost identical so the whole drive image compresses well.

Also can't find a non-OS version, and linux version pre install are old and fixed price for its lifespan, generally poorly rated machine with windows are the best bet, after, confirming no lingering unsupported linux driver issues.

[jpeps]

Also can't find a non-OS version, and linux version pre install are old and fixed price for its lifespan, generally poorly rated machine with windows are the best bet, after, confirming no lingering unsupported linux driver issues.

I've found them real cheap locally on Craig's List in the East Bay, California. Fortunately, you don't need much power to run Puppy, so can usually find something that works great for around $100 or less.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/PC-Laptops-Netb ... %20no%20os

[gcmartin]

Maybe this topic is not so off-topic - with many getting gizmos with Win8 pre-installed, it looks like an increasingly common issue/problem ? .... Maybe a new clean thread under "new users" ?

No hurry, and thanks in advance for anything.

I have to agree with this poster; speciifically that this is not off-target.

In fact, in this thread, we have reliable information of 2 approaches to starting a PC, bypassing its Windows installation.

Because of the threaded approaches in the forum, information on this topic usually ends with a scattered set of threads with differing titiles, with approaches which, reasonably, should be in one document and it should be specific to both the BIOS-POST approaches and the PUPs to be used.

This would make stepping into any PUP a breeze.

Puppy has always had information about this topic when there was only one type of BIOS format used to start OSes. It was really a no-brainer as there was only one. What has happened in recent times is a NEW BIOS approach which not only offers updates for the peripheral that recent/future systems have, but also it OFFERS BRANDING of the PC for a specific OS. Apple wants this for xphones, xPads, xPC, servers: Microsoft wants this for xphones, xPads, xPC, servers: Sony wants this for xphones, xPads, xPC, xGames; Samsung wants this for xphones, xPads, xPC, and so on and so on. Thus, one can think of this new BIOS as an approach to "lock" (or brand) any device to a specific vendor OS.

And, in Linux community, including Puppy, there is much activity is wrestling with the most reasonable approach that Linux must do to address this manufacturer's changes. This for us can be thought of as un-locking (or re-branding) the PCs for PUP use, as well.

For newer PCs, servers, and xPCs this will require a little more understanding that many in the Windows/Apple community will never see.

Again, this is not "off-topic". And it highlights the need for Puppy document(s) to not just show approaches, but, to provide simple language for newbie understanding of this beginner's step to using PUPs without the mess which un-informed persons can get and the frustration which we should expect.

We are in a new era of computing!

[bark_bark_bark]

We are in a new era of computing!

The old era was better.

[jpeps]

We are in a new era of computing!

The old era was better.

Yeah, Can't imagine why anyone would even consider new technologies

(written from my Nexus7 using a bluetooth keyboard)

[starhawk]

I have one of these.

I was extremely excited when I bought it, but, now that I've used it, I think I got about my money's worth and not any more. (I paid $17 for the unit, including shipping. Thank you eBay!)

The keyboard is truly horrendous (even ignoring the fact that the layout is very odd since IBM's computers hadn't quite established a standard keyboard yet), but the display is actually somehow even worse -- 32*16 characters, white on green display, and oh by the way the background has a sort of 'waterfall effect' -- it's slightly darker in some places than it is in others, and the spots that are light/dark change and wiggle around.

Oh, and the interface isn't very intuitive either. It's by far the worst BASIC editor I've had the privilege of using, and I've used three or four... to delete a line, you type the line number and then [ENTER]. The fact that you can delete lines is very handy, because once you've gone to the next line (or three) you cannot go back!

BTW, this computer is two years older than me. I'll be 27 in late June.

bark_bark_bark, I think you and I will have to respectfully disagree, at least with regards to entry-level systems.

[Ted Dog]

save your self 17 dollars here it is as a browser emulation in javascript

http://mc-10.com/

[starhawk]

Too late. Besides, if I'm going to experience the Good Old Days I'd like to do it on period hardware. LOL.

I have to admit that I'm quite fond of my 1992-ish nostalgia box... but that's new enough to be an IBM clone...

AMD386SX/SXL 20MHz
4meg RAM
WD Caviar 2250 HDD (IIRC) -- original (still works!) is a Quantum 85meg model
ISA HDD + I/O controller card (forget make/model)
ISA Sertek S521 sound card + CD-ROM controller
ISA VGA card (forget make/model)
CD-ROM drive
Floppy drive
Windows 3.11

Still using the original screen, too -- Samsung CVL-4955. 12" CRT, ~10" viewable area. Datestamp "DEC1991".

System was purchased in March of 1992, as I understand -- it was a birthday present from my father to my mother (they divorced two years later, NOT because of the computer). It was purchased from a local company in Raleigh NC (I live about an hour from there). My father is now friends with the owner of that still-in-operation business, some two decades later (he was not, when the computer was purchased).

The system, which I now call simply "The Old 386" or "The 386", has been through at least three complete teardown/rebuild cycle and twice that number of drive controller cards (!) although I never did figure out why it likes to munch on those in particular... w/e it still works and it works well for its age. It's actually almost stock right now -- it originally had only the floppy drive and HDD -- specifically, an 85mb Quantum ProDrive ELS model -- a 250w power supply (the replacement is a cheaper Athena Power unit that's 300w according to the label -- I wouldn't want to test it!) and Windows 3.1 rather than 3.11 (the principle difference being that 3.11 has some primitive form of networking capability integrated with it). Somewhere (maybe) is the 14.4kbps parallel port modem that I have for it.

The printer is a story in and of itself -- or, well, was. It was a SEIKOSHA MP-1300AI. Like Seiko, the watch company, only they made printers too (back in the day). Dot matrix. Screeched like an owl in the woods. I would've kept it if I could've found a new ribbon cartridge for it that wasn't in eg Zaire or New Zealand. Unfortunately, literally nobody in the US stocked or could get a cartridge for me, so out went the printer. Maybe someday I'll find a local person with a dot matrix printer that's operable enough to be a replacement for the Seikosha. (Not likely!)

[kooliepup]

Following requests for it, and a bit surprised that nobody has yet done it, I have started a UEFI HOWTO thread here.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 458#704458

and in answer to earlier query as to buying at a bare metal price:
This machine is an ASUS X55A for $299. 500GB, 4GB, USB3, 15.6".
It conforms to TedDog's advice as to how to buy a machine that is everything you need for Puppy.
It is lower-spec than my other current Compaq which runs the heaviest distros, but it out-performs it, has a full keyboard, and is a really nice machine to use.
I bought it solely for internet use at the moment, using remastered CD, but useable for 'normal' things later, if required.

Grab one before they run out.