Lenovo Ideapad 100S-11IBY won't boot a Puppy Install

[gyrog]

I had left the Lenovo on for a while and came back to it having a screen saver on with a logon
root@puppypc30316. I don't know who that is. I had to force a shutdown to get out of it. Should I be concerned about it?

Puppy automatically generates a random "Hostname" and you are runninng as "root", so that is you.
There is a default passwod but I forget what it is.

You can disable the screen saver from the menu:
Desktop->Display Control->Screen Saver->Disable

[wizard]

@gyrog

There is a default passwod but I forget what it is.

Only default password I know is: woofwoof

wizard

[JusGellin]

I did a frugal install like you suggested but I must not be doing it quite right.
First I did the normal install on the main Lenovo drive - Repartitioned it again giving part 1 FAT32 bootable, part 2 ext4 with folder for installed puppy. This booted fine like normal.
I then made one patition on the sd card drive as ext4 and installed puppy to it. Then I selected the boot to use part 1 on the main drive. When I rebooted, it tried to go to the sd card partition, but failed to find the drive like before.
Like this:
error: no such device 9034bee7-..... which was the SD card uuid
Loading vmlinuz
error: file '/SAV2/vmlinuz' not found
Loading initrd.gz

But when it used the frugal boot, it didn't put both drives on it. So I went back and redid boot to the main, which it only put the main boot on it this time.

Now when I boot up with the sd card, it gives this error:

puppy.jpg (98.59 KiB) Viewed 649 times

If I remove the sd it boots up fine on the main drive

[JusGellin]

I wanted to clarify:

Now when I boot up with the sd card, it gives this error:

I was just booting the main drive with the sd card inserted and then I booted without the sd card in place.

[gyrog]

@JusGellin, you are not doing anything wrong, on this hardware, with this grub2,
booting from the internal drive works,
booting from the micro SDcard doesn't work.
Leave the micro SDcard for data.

There is one other "unbelievable" thing about this hardware, (at least mine).
The kernel does not always detect the drives in the same order.
While mmcblk1 is usually the internal drive, sometimes mmcblk2 is the internal drive, and mmcblk1 is the micro SDcard.
So LABEL your partitions, and always reference them by their LABEL or UUID.

[gyrog]

Only default password I know is: woofwoof

I think you may be right.

[JusGellin]

@JusGellin
My drives change the naming also.

[bigpup]

I did a frugal install like you suggested but I must not be doing it quite right.
First I did the normal install on the main Lenovo drive - Repartitioned it again giving part 1 FAT32 bootable, part 2 ext4 with folder for installed puppy. This booted fine like normal.
I then made one patition on the sd card drive as ext4 and installed puppy to it. Then I selected the boot to use part 1 on the main drive. When I rebooted, it tried to go to the sd card partition, but failed to find the drive like before.

When doing an install to the SD card do not do anything on the internal drive.
The install on the SD card is a completely separate drive and keep it that way.
Do not do anything to the internal drive that is already setup with a working boot loader for what is on that drive!

The two drives are completely separate drives and setup for what is on them with a separate boot loader for booting what is on the specific drive.

Each drive has a Puppy frugal install.
A separate boot loader on it to boot that Puppy install.
You do not use the boot loader on one drive to boot what is on the other drive.

The SD card needs to be setup with two partitions.

Maybe this step by step will help yo do it correctly using Frugalpup Installer.

Use Gparted program.
Setup the SD card with 2 partitions.
First one, small 300MB, fat32 format, flagged boot and esp. (location for boot loader files, boot partition)
Rest of drive, whatever other partition(s), but one ext3 or 4 format. (location to put frugal installs)
(this is UEFI standard requirement, and some computers, look for a fat32 partition, for boot loader files)

Run Frugalpup Installer main program.
On the main window are selection buttons.
Select the Puppy button, to do the install.
Go through install process, selecting to install to the ext formatted partition.
Note:
When selecting the partition to install to.
A window pops up, giving option to make a directory, to put the frugal install in.
I make this directory and usually name it, the name of the Puppy version.
Carefully read that windows info.
Press enter, makes the directory, not the OK button.
complete the install.

When it gets back to the main Frugalpup window.
Select the boot button.
Select the location (partition) of the frugal install, on the SD card. (this tells it to look on this partition for Puppy installs to make boot menu entries for)
Select the first small 300MB partition on the SD card, as location to install the boot loader. (may need to scroll the selection window)
Select the boot loader type.
UEFI
mbr ->legacy bios boot
both

For your install put both boot loaders on the SD card.

The UEFI will also install the needed files, to support secure boot enabled in UEFI.

When you first boot on a UEFI computer, with secure boot enabled.
A process will start, to allow you to install the Puppy security key, to the computer.
It will add this Puppy key, to the other ones, loaded on the computer.

When complete the SD card will have at least two partitions.
1st one with a boot loader and all it's needed files setup to boot what is on the SD card.
Another partition with the Puppy frugal install.

When you boot with the SD card selected as the boot device to boot from.
(I am assuming you can select what device to boot from)
It's boot loader starts booting the computer and loading the Puppy files on it.

The internal drive is not used to do anything.

---

If you did this correctly and the computer will not boot to a working desktop.
OK.
This computer cannot boot from a SD card.

[JusGellin]

@bigpup
From my working Puppy Linux main drive I followed your instructions as exact as I could.
The only differences from what I have ever tried before was:

Select the location (partition) of the frugal install, on the SD card.

I usually selected the folder I made to the install. This time I just selected the partition

When you first boot on a UEFI computer, with secure boot enabled.

I had this disabled always before. This time I enabled it.
I followed your detailed instruction for the puppy install for the two sd partitions and the boot for the sd card

Then I rebooted. The menu just had one selection that came up. Once this was selected the display turned blank for
a length of time and then a message came up saying it couldn't find the sd card drive (I labeled it so I could identify it as the sd
card drive) but it wouldn't boot.
I removed the sd card and tried booting again. This messed up the boot for the main drive because now it keeps looking
for the sd card instead of the main drive.
thanks,
JusGellin

[bigpup]

Well, it seems that this computer is not able to boot from a SD card.
I was only trying to make sure you had a SD card correctly setup to be able to boot from it.

just change the bios boot device setting to the internal drive as first device to boot from.

Right now it seems you have the SD card as first boot device.

That info about booting with secure boot enabled was info on what will happen to get a computer to be able to boot Puppy if secure boot is enabled.
Sorry if you understood it as you have to enable it.

Disable secure boot so the setup you have on the internal drive can boot again.

I do not think you ever installed on the internal drive everything needed to have secure boot enabled.

With secure boot disabled.
You could try booting with the SD card install to see if that changed anything.
Some UEFI bios versions will only allow booting from plug in devices if secure boot is disabled.

I can only provide info on what may work for your computer.
There are so many versions of the UEFI bios in computers.
Over the years it has changed how it works, plus manufactures of computers can change how it works for their computers.
Plus there was a lot of it should work this way not that way.
So depending on what version of UEFI bios is in the computer is going to control what works or how to make it work.

To eliminate a lot of possible issues.
For booting Puppy Linux.
Disable secure boot.

[gyrog]

I've uploaded 'lenovo-kernel-6.1.69d.tar' to https://www.mediafire.com/folder/j73n7spw7c72f/kernels.
'lenovo-kernel-6.1.69d.tar' is compiled in woof-ce by the same mechanism used to produce the kernel for Bookworm64.
So this is what we can expect if/when Bookworm64 10.0.5 is released. It should work "out of the box".
It works on my Lenovo.

My current critera for "works" is it must boot, and it must show the battery satus icon in the task-bar.
I have also deleted the kernels that don't meet this "works" critera.

[JusGellin]

It works on my Lenovo the same.
Thanks,
JusGellin

[gyrog]

@JusGellin,
Great news.
You are welcome.
Thanks for testing.

[JusGellin]

@gyrog

Did you need to change these settings that you mentioned in one of the files and recompile it?

Note:
The following is my current set of kernel config parametes, (for those who might be interested).

Parameters to enablle booting:
CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_ACPI=y
CONFIG_MMC_SDHCI_PLTFM=y
CONFIG_MMC_WBSD=y

Parameters to enable battery reporting:
CONFIG_AXP288_CHARGER=m
CONFIG_AXP288_FUEL_GAUGE=m
CONFIG_EXTCON_AXP288=m
CONFIG_AXP288_ADC=m

[gyrog]

@JusGellin
No, I have not changed any of them, these are still my list of required kernel config lines.
Before I compile a kernel, I make sure that those config lines are present in the DOTconfig file.

The thing about the Bookworm64 kernel, is that these have now been included in the woof-ce code that generates it,
so we can expect them to be included in any future Bookworm64 release.

[mouldy]

I have one of these old Lenovo cloudbooks. It was not a pleasant computer. Its big thing was it wouldnt boot unless battery held a charge. Just plugging in power supply would not let it power on and boot.

As to booting an sdcard. Never tried as they stick out on from slot on most of these cloudbooks. But will mention recently ran across a youtube video of somebody removing the wifi card in an HP Stream using an adapter with cable, to install a true SSD. However not all Streams are created equal. Some, especially later 14in versions, the bios could see this new SSD and boot from it. Older ones unlikely, but again somebody found a work around, they installed rEFInd on the internal eMMC and it found and booted the added SSD. And for those needing wifi, they suggested a usb wifi adapter. Just saying if rEFInd could boot from SSD installed like that, it should be able to find the sdcard? And yea these were specifically engineered to be CLOUDBOOKS, they didnt want people upgrading them into something practical with storage. The idea was to make you rent storage in the cloud and use online apps.

Now if I remember that Lenovo had most minimal bios you can imagine, and really cantankerous one at that. But I did boot linux from usb drive on it no problem. Use a real SSD connected via usb and its at least as good as the slower internal eMMC. Those eMMC drives can be quite wonky especially with some age.

[mouldy]

I saw my old my old 100S and couple Acer Aspire One Cloudbooks, none of which I had booted in long time. I actually found the original power supply for the Lenovo and let it charge for a while. It booted into 32bit version win10. It was one of those that could only boot 32bit win10 but could boot 64bit linux. Only reason it had win10 was I remembered you couldnt install linux to that internal drive. Well not and have it reliably boot. Had to boot from usb with linux.

I had forgotten, had spent some time cleaning up and locking down win10 back when I used it, but gosh the apps were old. I also remembered why it no longer got used, keyboard and trackpad dead, I mean dead mechanically as they dont work in bios either, assume bad ribbon or something internally. I had no problem booting PrimeOS (android 11) from USB thumbdrive. Didnt mess any more with it.

Then booted the similar Acer cloudbooks. Well tried. Both had some old corrupted version Slacko. One booted to a black screen with only tray showing. I could boot from usb on the one, but the eMMC funky so an install wouldnt boot. Oddly tried and finally succeeded installing Tiny10, a very pruned down version win10. It would boot from internal drive. No idea why it and not UEFI linux/android. The other, took while to figure out it wouldnt let me turn off secure boot until I set up an administrator password in the bios. But the eMMC really bad on this one. Finally in legacy mode got FossaPup installed so it would boot from internal drive. Only cause in default frugal form it takes up very little space. I think there is an area of the eMMC that is completely unusable. Cause even Tiny10 windows wouldnt install on this thing. And the keyboard has some bad keys.

So honestly probably avoid some of these little cheapo cloudbooks unless either extremely cheap or giveaways. Oh, batteries wouldnt charge on either Acer which kinda defeats the point of tiny cloudbook, and new battery is around $40 for these. Yea they unfortunately never got cheaper like lot laptop batteries do. Unlike the Lenovo these will run completely off wall charger. Lot more powerful laptops with lot cheaper replacement batteries out there for similar money. But if you dont mind usb mouse/keyboard you can get online with modern browser with these... Yea not much to brag about. I personally avoid all eMMC drive computers UNLESS there is also a way to install an internal SSD.