Acer Aspire One D250? EasyPeasy, Crunchbang, or Phalanx linux?

nooby · 11-21-2009, 11:50 AM

EDIT after finally solving my problem

Two distros work for me but they have to come from Linux.Exton.net

I don't publish this to promote him or anything. I don't know him at all. I am only very thankful for the fact that he managed to produce something that worked for me and my set up AAO D250 out of the box.

Here is link to he .iso
http://ftp.se.linux.org/distribution...2mb-091101.iso

His Swedish version of Ubuntu 9.10
And here is the other that worked.

http://ftp.se.linux.org/distribution...0mb-091119.iso
His Swedish version of Linux Mint that is based on Ubuntu too.

I tested every free download he had that could be done without giving out ones email address. So maybe the two or three that demand this also works? I have no idea.

Very many of his distros totally failed to even get to the wallpaper. Many many of them just hanged on my AAO D250.
But these two worked like wonder.

Here is the background.

Problem is that I am a newbie? Noobie or complete idiot when it comes to computers.

I fail to get which distro to chose for my Acer Netbook Aspire One AAO D250 whom I bought a week ago.

What I need is something that works with the hardware and that knows codex and flash and youtube and such. A helpful forum that knows these distros would help too.

I tested at least 10 to 20 different distros and failed to find one that lived up to my criteria.

Wired and wireless should work out of the box. It should be able to mount the HDD of my Win 7 Starter and to do NTFS and it should do Youtube and Streaming video from TV stations out of the box.

Then I heard of a Swedish guy Exton.

Whom make special editions of english Linux to help those Swedes who prefer to do computing in Swedish and he also prepare with latest software additions and that helped me find an Ubuntu that worked for my latest bought Netbook AAO D250.

I have not tested everything but wired and wifi and NTFS and youtube and Streaming video on SVT.se did work.

That is a real bonus. What I have not tested is to save changes or to install things or updates. He has a forum in Swedish too to help us out. So all kudos to him if he happen to read this. http://linux.exton.net/

linus72 · 11-21-2009, 01:21 PM

I made Phalanx-9.04 for netbooks and low-ram computers
its ubuntu-9.04 with flash 10, lots of network tools, opera 10, chromium, firefox openoffice writer,etc
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Syste...DE-52442.shtml

Crunchbang is nice too
haven't tried easyPeasy yet...

SalixOS, a slackware 13 based XFCE systm is nice too

Ultimate Edition 2.3/2.4 is got everything!
http://ultimateedition.info/

note that I made Phalanx to run off USB no problems
you can put Phalanx on usb with Unetbootin
and it installs to hard drive just like any other Ubuntu

nooby · 11-21-2009, 05:53 PM

I want it to run in memory from the USB and to not install at all.

Is your phalanx a live USB distro or only an installer that can not run as a Live versions is supposed to?

People often misunderstand us noobies because we don't know the code words you guys use.

I guess from your comment that Crunchbang is better than Easypeasy or otherwise you had tested that one before Crunchbang?

Are phlanx optimsed to not write to the USB other than very important things.

The distros I asked about are optimised that way if I get it. Puppy Linux are also set up like that. That is very important. Usual Linux write very often to teh HDD and if oen just move them over to USB then they continue to write as often and destroy the USB very fast.

It is very late at night here so I log out now. Read your answer not before some 10 hours from now.

linus72 · 11-21-2009, 06:34 PM

well
There are Differences in HOW each distro saves to USB; that being Frugal installs..

Like Puppy only writes back to the USB when you shutdown or prompt it to save..

Slax I think writs to it alot maybe?

Ubuntu/Debian write to it frequently
BUT, with BOTH debian and Ubuntu they have "snapshots"
wherein they only save at shutdown or when you want
like Puppy
http://live.debian.net/manual/html/persistence.html

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

PartedMagic-4.6 is a good Light-weight distro
that has firefox and flash
but no pkg manager..
it saves only when you ask it to

so, Phalanx-9.04 can run in snapshot mode
or in reg persistent mode

nooby · 11-22-2009, 06:48 AM

Your the expert compared to me.

Don't you also remember that there is a difference on these things.

Sure you could set things to only save at shut down but would it not still write small things every minute for hours as a kind of house keeping.

So not a whole save at all but constant adding to something. Log or Database or housekeeping file something.

That is how I vagely remember what the usual linux distros does because they are used to be on a HDD that don't mind such and when these SSD arrived and they realized how short life they could be if one write to them each minute then they had to find solutions to it.

So your version doesn't do such then?

Why am I interested in EasyPeasy or Crunchbang linux distro?

Go to Distrowatch and look.

Puppy among the seven most downloaded distros
crunchbanhg at 26 and Easypeasy at 36 and Phalanx nowhere to be found in DW.

Maybe it is too new. Would it not be better for me to try the other three first.
Why should I go for an unknown like Phalanx apart from you being generous taking time to share your enthusiasm for it.

How it is better than the known versions. If yours that much better than them how come it is not even mentioned on DW?

Don't get me wrong now. I am a noob and have no way to discern what works and not.

Have you used it on a Acer D250 or got reports back from those who have?

linus72 · 11-22-2009, 06:55 AM

well
I just made Phalanx about 2 weeks ago so dont expect to see it on DW

The snapshot mode of persistence I was speaking of DOES NOT write to USB at all
until you tell it to or when you reboot/shutdown

Listen; I've got 2 USB's, both Kingston
a 2GB & 4GB

Since Jan when I joined here
I have put HUNDREDS of distros on those 2 usbs
I have used all forms of persistence
incl slax, ubunt, debian, puppy, all of them

My usb's have been formatted fat32/fat16, ext/ext3, deleted many times
I have dropped them, got them dirty
etc etc

Not a burp from either one
not an error
nothing
their Bulletproof
and their CHEAP

Your worrying about nothing...

Maybe you should rool your own?
thats what I do
thats what Phalanx is

I just suggessted Phalanx because I add things 90% of distros dont add
flash 10
chromium browser
opera browser
ubuntu-restricted-extras
etc

and; I have installed Phalanx-9.04 on my old
Toshiba 7000CT 160MB ram lappy!

nooby · 11-22-2009, 06:57 AM

Searching the net I found this comment from you on P.

Quote:

it has Plop bootmanager, that will boot your usb,usb-cdrom, etc
even on computers that wont boot from usb,etc

Enjoy Phalanx-9.04-LXDE!
Maker: Linus72

Could you tell me more about Plop boot manager?

I have win 7 starter. I can not change the partitions.

What I can do is to hold the F12 key in and then choose to load the USB stick instead of the HDD.

That way I should be able to load any live CD on a USB stick hopefully?

How does the Plop work?

nooby · 11-22-2009, 07:00 AM

Oops sorry, I had no intention to make you feel looked down on.

As I sad, I thank you for being generous to take time to help me out.

I could not know it was two weeks old.

So how does the Plop thing work? Is it on the USB stick or on HDD?

Quote:

I have installed Phalanx-9.04 on my old
Toshiba 7000CT 160MB ram lappy!

Yes that is impressive indeed.

don't get me wrong. I appreciate your suggestions very much but try to get the implications of being one of the first to try it out.

oh found a link now

http://multidistro.com/downloads/current/read.txt

linus72 · 11-22-2009, 07:03 AM

Plop is great and I often include it in all my cd's

it doesn't install to MBR or anything
its very small, about 50+kb

its made to boot usb,usb-cdroms,etc on computers that dont have BIOS support
for that

you can put it on cd,usb, or even hdd too

and, if you install a linux distro to your hd and boot with grub or lilo
you can add Plop to the grub/lilo menu and bypass the F12 thing

you can add it to windows boot menu too
but I dont have any windows so dont know how

do you have a distro installed to HD?

nooby · 11-22-2009, 07:10 AM

Very interesting that Plop bootmanager you done there. Thanks indeed.

I bought the computer from the store and the warranty say that I have to keep the win 7 starter OS for two years or the warranty get breached.

So I will only use linux on USB or in frugal install where you have the image or iso on the HDD in same partition as the win 7 os and change the menu.lst like this

Quote:

######################################################
# GvR Sept 30th 2004
color black/cyan yellow/cyan
timeout=20
default=0

title Puppy Linux 4.00 added applications
kernel (hd0,0)/puppy400/vmlinuz PMEDIA=satahd PDEV1=sda1 psubdir=puppy400 keyb=se
initrd (hd0,0)/puppy400/initrd.gz

That way the partitions stay the same but windows os never get loaded and one can save the NTFS drive file system on the HDD.

linus72 · 11-22-2009, 07:15 AM

Wait
so, you have Grub installed?
Is Puppy installed within Windows?

nooby · 11-22-2009, 07:21 AM

No it is not really Grub. I rewrite the menulist in windows XP on the desktop because a guy at Puppy forum described how to do it. Some two years ago.

I don't trust it is the regular Grub at all because that one does things automatically at install and what I have is really frugal.

I have a folder in Windows named puppy400 and in it there is a file named initrd.gz and that one loads the rest of Puppy if I get it.

I barely get what goes on obviously. Grub is more elaborated things with partitions is it not?

nooby · 11-22-2009, 07:23 AM

On the Acer Aspire one d 250 there is only win 7 starter os

the puppy is on a AOPEN desktop shoebox computer which has a DVD so it is easy to use DVD live linux on that one.

This thread is about getting linux on a usb thumb due to Acer have no CD or DVD

I don't trust that Win 7 Starter has a menu list file that I can make changes into to allow frugal loading.

linus72 · 11-22-2009, 07:28 AM

I didnt know one could do that wwith windows menu...

well, you can see if it'll boot plop too

here is entry for plop "plpbt" executable

Code:

title PLOP
kernel (hd0,0)/puppy400/plpbt

so, put it in the puppy400 folder

and here is the plpbt executable I include in all my downloads
it works from cd, usb,hdd

link> plpbt

here is isolinux/extlinux/syslinux entry for plpbt

Code:

label plpbt
menu label PLOP
kernel /boot/plpbt

so, download it and see if the first menu entry above works
it should

nooby · 11-22-2009, 07:32 AM

Thanks indeed but I have to understand more first.
I have no puppy folder in the Acer Aspire One D250.

Your Phalanx does write to Fat32 and to Ext3 as I get it.

Most likely my win 7 starter use NTFS formation instead so Puppy can read and write to that one.

That is why I will not do as you suggest before I know if your P linux does trusty NTFS.

OOPS forget to ask you. The file to download is for Linux machines.

I must use linux when I create the USB install, if I am in windows it get corrupt or don't work.

I have to get a unetbootin for windows instead.