Chromebooks (Run and install Puppy)

[dancytron]

It's the top row of keys, Google just didn't label them. you just have to count from the left.

On mine, the F2 key is an arrow pointing to the right.

[bigpup]

@dreadling

I just saw your post.

Then I rebooted, held ESC, and pulled the USB once I reached the boot menu. Then I tried booting from the disk. But I found that it doesn't seem to mount my new partitions on boot like I would have expected, so it cannot find the puppy sfs on disk.

You need to not have the USB plugged in and boot from only the internal drive.
It needs to use the boot loader on the internal drive to boot.

Using the boot loader on the USB it is going to only look on the USB for the Bionicpup64 files.
You pulled the USB, so it is not there to use.
Thus the errors you got.

I do not think you actually got Bionicpup64 8.0 completely installed or not correctly installed.

If Bionicpup64 is the only operating system that is going to be on the internal drive.

Start over fresh doing the install.

Boot with the USB and run the programs from it.

Using Gparted program.

Completely delete all that is on the internal drive, because other operating systems set it up the way they want it.

Make a new partition table (gpt type)

That totally deletes everything on the drive.

Now with all UN-allocated space.

Follow these steps for using the Frugalpup_41 installer program
viewtopic.php?t=11171
It is talking about installing to a USB drive, but the same procedure works for any type drive.

Do what it says for partition setup on the drive.

Where and how to do the frugal install.

I think you installed the correct boot loader.

The frugal install needs these files in it:
puppy_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs, vmlinuz, initrd.gz, and zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs.

[wizard]

Acer CB3-532 Chromebook working

The Acer CB3-532:
-15.6 inch screen
-Dual core Celeron N3060 CPU
-2gb ram
-16gb eMMC drive
-better than average audio volume

None of the components can be upgraded, so this model is best suited for light weight versions of Linux such as Puppy. It can do light weight general computing task and web surfing as long as open tabs are kept at a minimum.

Runs BookwormPup64 10.0.7 OOTB with no issues

532-bw64b.jpg (33.72 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

Conversion for Puppy can be done as UEFI Full ROM from mrchromebox.tech or RW_Legacy at chromebook.bitejia.tech.

UEFI Full ROM is probably the best choice and requires removing the write protect screw which is easily accessible on this model as follows
-remove bottom cover (18 screws)
-remove WP screw
-replace bottom cover

write-protect.jpg (39.31 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

Thanks
wizard

[wizard]

mrchromebox.tech RW_Legacy firmware for old EOL Chromebooks

Originally, mrchromebox offered two ways to allow Chromebooks to boot other operating systems:
1. RW_Legacy - keeps ChromeOS on the internal drive and allows Linux (or other) boot from USB.
2. UEFI Full ROM - disables ChromeOS and allows reformatting the internal drive, is more like a "normal" computer. This method also requires disabling the computers write protect.

As posted earlier, mrchromebox decided to no longer offer RW_Legacy firmware support for EOL (end of life) systems and removed that option from the site.

Luckily, the RW_Legacy code was archived on a couple of sites. Forum member @mouldy found this one:
https://chromebook.bitejia.tech:8443/ch ... rw_legacy/

You can read/follow instructions on mrchromebox.tech to determine if your Chromebook is supported and how to get into developer mode and open a terminal shell to do the conversion.

At that point you will need to enter this command in the terminal:

Code: Select all

cd; curl -LOk https://chromebook.bitejia.tech:8443/chromebox-old/firmware-util.sh

Then run:

Code: Select all

sudo bash firmware-util.sh

Easiest way is to put that long string in a text file on a USB flash, then use ChromeOS file manager to open the file and copy and paste the string into the terminal.

To copy:
-double click file in file manager
-highlight string
-right click
-choose: copy

To paste in terminal:
-right click in command line

Alternately, you can download the attached firmware-util.sh file, copy it to a USB flash and use from there.

Note that this procedure may only work for EOL computers that had code when mrchromebox discontinued support, not known if the site is updated as other models reach EOL
Thanks
wizard

[clm1919]

@wizard @mouldy - much thanks to these guys!!!!

I can confirm what wizard posted above worked on my Lenovo ThinkPad 11e/Yoga Chromebook (G3) [Braswel/Ultima]

At that point you will need to enter this command in the terminal:

Code: Select all

cd; curl -LOk https://chromebook.bitejia.tech:8443/chromebox-old/firmware-util.sh

this took me SEVERAL tries - i kept getting failures. I tried the web address in firefox on another machine and it too, took SEVERAL attempts (and a warning that the site was possibly unsafe (certificates and all that) -don't give up

Then run:

Code: Select all

sudo bash firmware-util.sh

once connected this worked - but a LOT slower than when I had done it previously - again -don't give up

everything else went as normal (check the mrchromebox site for details - see wizard's post above)

sadly my puppy USB didn't work (black screen - although I only waited 10 minutes...it's late) - will do the more details thing tomorrow hopefully.

But the Debian12 Live-USB booted - everything seems to work (including sound). Too tired to play with WiFi, i forget how right now under D12.

Tomorrow, after students will try puppy again (or EasyOS). LongDayMeGoBedNow

Thanks again @wizard and @mouldy

[clm1919]

grrrr - give a dog a bone....

decided to put the puppy linux usb in as i got ready for bed - heck, almost climbed into the bed, but remembered the Yoga was still on...

I came back to turn it off - and it was fully booted....sound works. I'll play with it tomorrow....seriously....MeGoPassOutNow

[clm1919]

@wizard , @mouldy , @bigpup , @mikewalsh ,@mikeslr , @ozsouth - Thanks to all for being so welcoming and helpfull since i first posted here.

Don't know how I managed it (while the coffee was still brewing) but the Lenovo ThinkPad 11e/Yoga Chromebook (G3) [Braswel/Ultima] is now booting and running completely off a full size 32GB SDcard (Fat32/Ext4). The ChromeOS still works off internal.

sound and wifi all detected and configured out-of-the-box (well, 40 character passwords are tricky not to typo when you can't see what typing - and are not caffeinated, 3rd times a charm).

The only hitch is barrier won't connect - but I've been down that road before and solved it.

If my 1st experience with puppy (with the chromebook that shall now be known as PITA) was this easy.....sadly i never would have met you guys.
Thanks PITA!

and thanks again to all above.

[wizard]

@clm1919

Code: Select all

cd; curl -LOk https://chromebook.bitejia.tech:8443/chromebox-old/firmware-util.sh

this took me SEVERAL tries - i kept getting failures. I tried the web address in firefox on another machine and it too, took SEVERAL attempts (and a warning that the site was possibly unsafe (certificates and all that) -don't give up

Keep in mind that code line is run in a terminal and it just downloads the file: firmware-util.sh. Probably would have been faster to have just used the firmware-util.sh file I attached to my original post from August 2.

Thanks
wizard

[clm1919]

Thanks for that advice - I did download the firmware file as a backup.

But caveman me follow directions - not know how magic word "curl" works. - Simpler to just do wut caveman do b4.

In all seriousness - thanks again. I agree, the site https://chromebook.bitejia.tech isn't very responsive (but it DOES work...eventually). Advice for anyone else that wants to try this on EOL chromebooks: just download the file attachment from wizards post above

[clm1919]

I asked the amazing Mr. @wizard about getting the yoga screen to rotate so i could use it in "tent mode"

Code: Select all

xrandr -o inverted

to turn 180 degrees

Code: Select all

xrandr -o normal

return to normal mode.

I added them to my LinuxCheatSheet.txt file

Thanks Wizard!

[clm1919]

As requested - yogapuppy posing in front of a map of Brooklyn in tent mode
-------------------------

Smile	Cheese	Selfie
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I never was any good at taking pictures....even when we used 35mm film
I'll try to get higher quality later - maybe update.

PS - barrier works OK over wifi as long as you aren't watching videos

[clm1919]

******warning - Rambling story below updated pics***********
-------------------------
I was a little disatisfied with the quality of images i sent to myself via google voice from the smarphone. So here are some (slightly) higher quality versions - why greyscale? because it's cool.

Smile	Cheese	Selfie
Smile_GreyScale_01_750px.png (530.03 KiB) Viewed 1885 times	Cheese_GreyScale_01_700pix.png (472.61 KiB) Viewed 1885 times	Selfie_GreyScale_01_700x.png (500.38 KiB) Viewed 1885 times

@mikewalsh
Obligatory rambling story - So the emailed files were too big to attach. So i just downloaded Gimp on my non-chromebook linux laptop and "got to work". An hour later i was pondering how I could burn Gimp in effigy!!! It's analogous to my "return to linux" - everything is information overload with too many "shiny objects" distracting me.

SO... I did the entire process in m-paint on the YogaPuppy chromebook. Took some doing, and i grumbled about the LACK of options (that i knew how to use but couldn't find in m-paint).... another parallel with my odyssy through various linux distro's and desktops.

In the end I finally got them to "good enough" - the results are above. I miss Appleworks 5.

[wizard]

@clm1919

files were too big to attach. So i just downloaded Gimp on my non-chromebook linux laptop and "got to work"

Puppy, just use mtPaint:
-Image>Scale Canvas

Then save as .jpg

wizard

[clm1919]

@wizard

files were too big to attach. So i just downloaded Gimp on my non-chromebook linux laptop and "got to work"

Puppy, just use mtPaint:
-Image>Scale Canvas

heh, yeah, that's what i ended up doing. I was trying to remove color data and set the png greyscale to 8 bit - and a few other "tricks" i used to know how to do. But every distro/app/DM likes to do things a little bit differently (which is fine, good even) - which makes every switch a bit of a RE-learning curve. And for me all this stuff is at least a decade out of date as well. Seriously, Photophop 3 wasn't that complicated....geez, was that 30 years ago????

Quote bigpup

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be older.
This is not what I expected "

[mikewalsh]

@clm1919 :-

Heh. Graphic design has always been a big hobby of mine.

I treated myself to a copy of Photoshop CS2, back in the day (20+ years ago). This was back when you COULD still buy it outright, as opposed to Adobe's current model of renting the ability to use it online via a monthly subscription!

Around the same time, I started exploring the GIMP, too. This was under Win XP. The Windows port of GIMP was always "buggy" as hell, yet I persevered with it. When I moved to Linux a decade ago, I was amazed to find that the native Linux port was a totally different kettle of fish; smooth, responsive & very powerful.

In the intervening 20-odd years, I've spent so much time with both of them that it's like second nature to me by now. I've reached the stage where I can switch apps mid-project and just carry straight on with whatever I was doing. Sure, the work-flow's a BIT different.....but not by much. And they're both raster graphics editors, so essentially they're doing the same job.....which is why I can't understand these folks that are always whingeing about being used to one means you can't use the other..!

Moral of the story? Never be afraid to use multiple apps, across platforms, to do what you want to achieve. That's what they're there for, after all.

Mike.

[dancytron]

As a possible use for the 2gb of ram machines with broken sound, they could probably work as thin clients (or in other words, screen, touchpad and keyboard) for an android phone using scrcpy and use the phone or the phone's bluetooth for audio.

viewtopic.php?t=10838 and Oscartalks made a .pet file.

[bigpup]

With a version of Puppy Linux on my HP 14 ChromeBook.

Even if sound did not work.

It is still a very good overall laptop computer.
Does everything as well as my more powerful normal Intel CPU laptops.

Using the latest version of BookwormPup64 10.0.7 on it.
Sound is working normally, with out me having to do anything, but boot using BookwormPup64.
sound is fully supported in BookwormPup64.

Highly recommend this version of Puppy Linux for any ChromeBooks.

[wizard]

@bigpup
@dancytron

If booting BW64, don't forget that even if internal audio won't work, bluetooth audio speakers/headphones probably will.

Thanks
wizard

[clm1919]

@bigpup @mikeslr

I decided I needed to take some time to "try other things" - and then I saw this auction on ebay.....

Bought an "as is - no refunds, no returns" small lot of 4 school surplus chromebooks- missing keys, bad keyboards, cracked/scrathed screens....
...but with confirmed firmware and account unlocked.

Seemed like a fun project to try - it's Braswell, like YogaPuppy, so IF it was possible to cobble together the parts into a working machine then linux shouldn't be another PITA.

Welcome AcerPuppy01 to the pack!! (Acer Chromebook R11 C738T - 4gb/16gb Braswell/Cyan) running BookwormPup64_10.0.7 (edited)

used the legacy firmware update that @mouldy and @wizard posted earlier

everything worked like a charm. Booting off a 32gb SD card (4.4 GB Fat32 boot / 25.3GB ext4) - ChromeOS intact on the 16GB internal.

touch screen works better than YogaPuppy (so far) - although not when screen is rotated (notice LXterminal w/ commands in picture - thanks again Wizard)
-------------------------

Smile	Cheese	Selfie
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@mikewalsh - thanks for encouraging me to "play with pictures" - used gimp, all done in a few minutes - it's all comming back to me now.

Some might notice that the "N" key is missing - this was the best keyboard of the lot, i just haven't gotten arround to pulling keys off and switching.

Barrier works better than YogaPuppy over wifi (long as you aren't watching ads on youtube, i mean content) - it's hiding on desktop 2.

My hopes are high, but tempered - if all goes well, and i can get a working Linux (not crippled ChromeOS) version of Zoom to work under Puppy , then I might have a gift for one of my nieces.

More testing on the hardware and general usage are needed though.

[bigpup]

@clm1919
what Puppy version did you use?

Please add that info to the above post.

[mikewalsh]

@clm1919 :-

My hopes are high, but tempered - if all goes well, and i can get a working Linux (not crippled ChromeOS) version Zoom to work under Puppy , then I might have a gift for one of my nieces.

Does it HAVE to be Zoom? I only ask because although I used to produce a Puppy-portable version of this, I quit keeping it updated when the size of the app ballooned from around 200 MB to over half-a-gigabyte.....which for a video chat app is absolutely frickin' ridiculous.

I also used to produce a portable version of Jitsi Meet, but that too fell by the wayside when Jitsi moved to a weird sign-in model.....where you had to obtain "approval" from a "moderator" before you could enter your own call! You can become your own moderator, but this only works in the web-app; the portable version is incapable of connecting with the authenticating agent.

There's a ton of video-chat apps out there, mostly on-line; Google Meet, Jitsi Meet, M$ Teams (there's a Linux build of this, but the webapp makes more sense, because the Teams app - like it's 'nephew', Skype - has moved to a Snap package ONLY); Skype itself; Cisco's Webex; Wire (from Wire GMbh in Switzerland).......there's tons more, but these few are the most hassle-free.

I make copious use of the ability that's baked-in to the Chromium-based browsers (this includes Chrome itself, which as many people are aware, is simply another Chromium 'clone') that permits opening a web-page in its own, dedicated window. If you set this up correctly, you can then open each 'webapp' via its own Menu entry, without running the main browser. And you're right about the Zoom webapp; it really IS absolutely useless.....the 'lag' is pronounced, the audio is dreadful and the picture quality is rubbish.

They want you using the desktop client.....all 675 MB of it!

I keep a launcher on the desktop which, when clicked, brings up a wee YAD-based GUI allowing me to access half-a-dozen of these videochat webapps:-

[Click to view:-]

I've put together a short video clip, just to demonstrate the use of browser 'webapps' AS individual desktop clients. I did a tutorial for this, way back in 2017, shortly after joining BleepingComputer. (Got made a mod over there, too, right at the beginning of COVID, in early 2020, but that's another story all by itself....)

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums ... ng-chrome/

Here's that video clip for ya. I'm just attempting to show here how versatile Linux can be, and how there's usually workarounds for most things (with some determination, and a smattering of research):-

Hope this gives you renewed determination to figure out a way through the 'maze'!

Mike.

[clm1919]

@mikewalsh

Enjoyed the video, very informative - binged a few more of your vids during "coffee+oatmeal" time.

Does it HAVE to be Zoom?

Sadly it's what my relatives and my job use. I've used other things but at least attempting to get Zoom to work would be simpler than "herding the cats" away from the app they know how to use. If zoom isn't viable on these machines - it'll still be less work than trying to get everyone to switch apps.

Some of my relatives even "attended" their religious services during the Covid years with Zoom - it's what THEY already know how to use. (I hope they never see this, but....my family isn't particularly computer savvy....)

While i don't love Zoom (or any monolithic app/service) and I like having alternatives - if I want to chat with the family (and perhaps get some of them to try Linux) then I have to use Zoom Platform for some things. (like work...)

For the cost of these used chromebooks (granted, a lot of TIME has gone into repairing the hardware and me re-learning Linux) it seems like making a few "smart monitors" and (maybe) "zoom-tops" might be an -IN- to get some people to TRY linux... and stop feeling like they need a new fruit-box that can costs as much as my rent....

[mikewalsh]

@clm1919 :-

Yeah. That's rather what I thought you'd say!

Zoom has, unfortunately, become ubiquitous in the way that Skype once was. It's THE app that everybody wants. In my case, the Windows-using, non-"tech-savvy" members of my family all religiously stuck with Skype, because it's what THEY were used to, so the webapp suffices for me. Zoom largely got adopted by the "millennials" and 30-somethings.....folks young enough to be happy to make the switch. And Zoom went overboard with a MASSIVE advertising campaign during the early years of COVID, ensuring that they got a huge "takeup", of course. Most of OUR family are all 55-60+ - the Skype users, anyway. The younger members are all avid Zoom users, which mean they don't keep in touch with the older generation hardly at all.

Back when it was "only" a couple of hundred MB in size, Zoom worked like a charm. Then some bright spark got the idea to almost treble the size by adding the Electron framework into what was already a perfectly functional app. Now it's almost 700 MB in size, and, well; I'm sorry, but I really can't justify this as a 'Puppy-friendly' app any longer.

Given its popularity - plus the fact that the Electron framework is based around the Chromium browser anyway - I really don't understand why they haven't put more development time into sorting out the bugs in the webapp version, given that Chrome IS the world's most popular browser, and it should - in theory - work seamlessly. But they seem laser-focused on the desktop client ONLY, assuming - of course! - that everybody and his dog MUST be running Windows.

That's an attitude prevalent throughout the software development world, unfortunately. Everyone is obsessed with gaining "Windows certification"....

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

@clm1919 :-

I've just been re-visiting the Zoom "webapp".....for the first time in well over a year. I was quite surprised by what I found..! It used to be absolutely awful. However:-

I reckon they've been getting a LOT of complaints about the web-client, and have finally decided it was time to pull their fingers out & do something about it. Whatever they HAVE done, well; it's completely transformed the web version.

====================================

The calling-interface has been thoroughly redesigned & spruced-up. It LOOKS more modern than it did. There was never anything wrong with the initial 'Home' GUI, but the actual call interface has needed a tidy-up for a while.

Gone is the video lag. It's beautifully responsive now, and at long last lets my Logitech c920 HD 'Pro' webcam show its true abilities; the quality is 10 times better, too. Easily on a par with the Windoze version. There's now the option in the Video settings panel to choose your renderer; WebGL, WebGL2 or you can let the app itself decide which works best on your setup. I find WebGL2 gives slightly worse video quality, but it's more responsive and closer to "real-time".

Audio, too, is improved no end; gone are all those crackles & whispering clicks I used to hear in the background all the time previously. There's nowhere near as much lag here, either.....the overall quality appears much improved.

====================================

TBH, there 's NOW nothing to distinguish either 'client' from the other; desktop OR web, you could swap between 'em mid-call.......and I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference.

It really has changed out of all recognition. I'd happily recommend it, since the average browser size is around 250-300 MB.......whereas the desktop Linux client is well over double that. And the browser is a lot more versatile, since it can be used for so much more stuff..!

It is one HELL of an improvement. I'm impressed..!

Mike.

[clm1919]

I've only done a little testing w/ the zoom app under linux (both puppy and Debian 12) and one problem I keep running into is the share-screen window going "solid black" when attempting to annotate - This only happens on the annotator's screen, the annotations go through normally to other participants.

The only (temporary) fix I've found so far is to install and run

Code: Select all

xcompmgr -c -l0 -t0 -r0 -o.00

Sometimes i have to run it multiple times in the same session - but again - only limited testing.

But as all know here - that's just me "banging rocks" - I got the "magic words" here

<edit> removed comment on screen tearing under zoom - want to test more (with notes) <edit>

[clm1919]

Another Chromebook added to the pack: Acer Chromebook Spin 512 Touch 4GB/32GB - R851TN-C3ET)

this is a Gemini/N4120 /Sparky360 Board

RW_Legacy - Board is still supported by MrChromebox script at time of writing.

The Good News: Almost everything works out of the box (OtB)
Bad - except touchscreen (and sound...of course ).

DualBooting ChromeOS (internal) / BookwormPup64_10.0.7 (pny64GB microSDcard)

If anyone wants more info or pics, I'll add to this post, or make another. (although it looks almost the same as the R11 model)

************************************
NOTES: it boots to a different Legacy screen than the others I've used (coreboot)
I have been muddling through it (puppy ISO booted / frugal installed and now boots fine from Fat32/ext4 partitioned microSD card)

Cant get a working Debian12 SD card to boot (but the card works in every other machine tested....probably me not knowing how to configure corebook.

-Linux MINT/xfce has VERY GOOD sound OtB from either a liveUSB or my Ventoy SD card -
(Celeron/Pentium SIlver Processor High Definition Audio - profile: "Play and record HIFI quality Music")
Haven't tried to actually install Mint - just testing OtB sound possibilities.

[clm1919]

So it's been a while. I've been using Linux for almost all non-work stuff for a few months now.

While barrier isn't a perfect KVM software package, it seems to work about 95% of the time and I now regularly run a PC laptop with two chromebooks for work.

For non work i run 2 or sometimes 3 chromebooks.

I thought I'd "go nuts" and take of pic of a crazy day using all five fully working Chromebooks
.
Yoga Puppy - (Lenovo Yoga 11e (Gen3) - running BookwormPup64_10.0.7
TWO acer R11 (also running BookwormPup64_10.0.7)
one acer R11 running CrunchBangPlusPlus (#!++)
PITA (hp14G5) running Debian12/LXDE <---Barrier Server, controlling others (with usb-c ethernet and wireless mouse)

Five_Chromebooks_two_thirds_annotated_scaled.webp (376.66 KiB) Viewed 627 times

I also posted a higher quality non-annotated version here

still struggling to tame coreboot on the Acer 512 spins (a few posts back), but Puppy linux helped me cheat and now the puppy-grub boots when i select the USB/SD card - and i put the debian grub into the menu using some of the puppy tools.

I hope to post a "tutorial" with some screenshots....once I fully understand how I did it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry, no rambling story this time - maybe next time
@mikewalsh how did i do with my GIMP skills (compared to original)?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(EDIT: oops, pic shows Yoga G#, sticky shift key and poor quality control - must increase rum ration of video editing team - should be Yoga G3 - guess rambling story anyway

[clm1919]

Haven't had much time to "play" with my linux-books lately. Have been using one as my non-work "daily-driver" but no time for projects.

But after putting in a few hours into this project I was motivated to "blog" about it

<edit>Maybe this should have gone in "hardware" but this is the thread where I mentioned the Chromebook before </edit>

I thought I had some time today to look into the "sticky keys" on an Acer R11 Chromebook (C738T), not the one that @wizard patiently guided me into making into a server. (edited to fix "mention")

Hopefully some people will be "warned" about buying used (school) chromebooks.....others might get a chuckle.

Long story short = you can't "take the keyboard out" - it's integrated into the upper part of the case. Not a "quick job".

when a seller say's "some keys don't work/are missing"

- well...missing keys are easy to replace (if you have a closet of junk useful spare parts).

-sometimes dis-assembly and a quick blast of air fixes a lot of these problems (yeah...nope)

- sometimes they keys just need a little cleaning...and sometimes a bit more...

is_that_lead.webp (256.4 KiB) Viewed 223 times

Yes, that's a piece of "lead" from a mechanical pencil. Taking the spacebar out was a pain. I needed a pair of needle tweezers to unclip the supporting metal clips.

kid_with_a_cat.webp (270.98 KiB) Viewed 223 times

you can see the clips on the "alt" key, i had to completely remove the wires before removing the key....this was a lesson in humility and poor time management.

I decided that this "simple clean job" was going to take a LOT more time that I had this morning (and the documentary i was watching was over) so it got packed up and put back in the closet...which is when THIS fell off the shelf and hit me on the head.

I'm looking at you @mikewalsh remember these days?

Lets_Do_The_Timewarp_Again.webp (451.97 KiB) Viewed 223 times

[mikewalsh]

@clm1919 :-

Coo, rather. Yup, that takes me back more than a few years, for sure. There probably aren't too many who remember the days when AMD, Intel AND VIA all used the same sockets (and chipsets). All you had to do if you fancied a change was to simply swap the CPU. That was it; nowt else required.

Reminds me of what I did back when I had the elderly Compaq desktop. It came with a single-core AMD Athlon 64.....a 3200+. After a bit, I discovered that the dual-core X2 - up to and including a specific model; the 4400+, I believe - would run in the exact same Socket 939 socket; barring a BIOS update, to add support for the second core, you were "good to go". So:-

=======================

.....we did the BIOS update here in Puppy. I haven't had a Windows machine in the house for a very long time, so one of the guys from the old forum - a guy named Keisha - (anybody else remember Keisha?) - who'd spent a few years working in a computer repair shop - volunteered to walk me through the process.

We did a bit of research on the Arch wiki, and discovered the "flashrom" utility, custom built for exactly this task......along with beautifully presented & extensive examples of exactly how to use it. That took care of the "how", though getting hold of the actual BIOS update itself proved to be a bloody nightmare..!

The old desktop rig was assembled, by the Compaq guys, during the final days of the transitional period following the HP buyout & takeover in the latter half of 2004. Seems it was one of the final batches assembled using all genuine Compaq components, including Rubycon and Nichicon capacitor upgrades to the motherboards. Only the best for Compaq.....one of the most innovative and forward-looking manufacturers of their time.

(The quoted caps are probably single-handedly responsible for that machine lasting nearly 17 years, before eventually giving up the ghost.)

.....and here's where the "fun" began. NOT!!!

Compaq always used MSI boards. When HP bought the firm out, because they always built their own boards, they refused to support or even recognise any board from the previous Compaq operation. Keisha did some in-depth research on the MSI site, and discovered an almost identical board; same sockets, chipsets, same everything. Even looked the same. Only difference was where my board had only two SATA ports, this one had four SATA ports.....but all the important stuff matched. Since a BIOS update for my 'non-existent', "ghost" mobo would never be forthcoming from HP, we snagged the BIOS upgrade for this near-identical MSI board and used that instead..!

The actual ROM chip re-write was very straight-forward, and went through without a hitch.....no "bricking", I was pleased to report at the time. Aside from an interesting half-hour or so following re-boot - for some reason, the supplied BIOS upgrade file was in a 'locked' condition, so I spent 20 minutes or so feverishly hunting down the appropriate BIOS password simply so's I could finally shut the fans off, which were roaring away at full throttle! - everything behaved itself impeccably after that.

==================================

Ever afterwards, whenever you performed a system specs query, it reported NOT the motherboard which was fitted, but the "other" one we "borrowed" the BIOS update from..... Aside from that, I was very happy with the upgrade; for the princely sum of £7.34p off eBay for the X2 3800+ itself, I significantly improved that old Compaq's performance. The only real bottleneck was the ancient DDR1 RAM; max of 400 Mhz clock speed, and an overall mobo max of just 4 GB.....

Nothing I could do about that. 'Twas the hardware generation it hailed from, and short of a system rebuild with all-new everything, it was immutable & unchanging.

It was an invaluable experience though, I'll give it that! Every Linux geek should perform at least ONE BIOS/UEFI upgrade outside of Windoze..... They don't know they're born these days. Every mobo has a dedicated upgrade sub-system built-in; under Windows, you simply run an .exe file.......and the motherboard sub-system does everything for you...!!

Mike.

[clm1919]

@mikewalsh

Coo, rather. Yup, that takes me back more than a few years, for sure. There probably aren't too many who remember the days when AMD, Intel AND VIA all used the same sockets (and chipsets). All you had to do if you fancied a change was to simply swap the CPU. That was it; nowt else required.

I had socket 7 cpu's from Intel, IBM, Cyrix, IDT, and AMD....ah the "good old days" - yes bios flashing and hitting the 4 gig barrier (and having to create ramdisks with the extra ram because some 32 bit OS's would only "see" 2.5 gigs...)...flippies, CD's, DvD's...Zips, superdisks....

nostalgia, sure good times? youbetcha! - miss it? nope. (well, the different companies sharing sockets and relative ease up upgrades...yes...)