Linux Linpus Lite - What do I do!?
 

Hi guys, first of all i'm a complete newbie to linux so bear with me please xD
So today I just got a new Acer laptop (nitro 5) that came by delivery, while it seemed all was okay the PC came with Linpus Linux Lite (it was supposed to come with Endless), which I had no idea existed before today.
Basically I just want to know how to get to somewhere I can download or install a new linux (like ubuntu or something) while I'm waiting to get windows.
The problem is, booting the PC I get stuck on this code line "(root@localhost/#" and I don't really know what to do. I saw online that I should change a uefi option to legacy but that's not available for me, it only has the UEFI option.
Remember, I just need to know how to get a different linux in there, either by CD/USB/download.
If anyone can help me I'd really aprecciate it guys. Any more info needed just ask.

Example: download and install Mint. When you google beginner-friendly linux, you find alternatives e.g. https://itsfoss.com/best-linux-beginners/.

The “code line” you get is actually a command prompt. If Linpus Lite is supposed to boot into a GUI, something failed. The Linpus web site is remarkably unhelpful; you seem to do the right thing replacing the OS.

You can turn "Linpus Lite" into a proper distro and continue from there. Actually I got an Acer laptop with "Endless OS" just recently, and it is quite an improvement to Linupus Lite which was the standard before. But for me Endless was useless as Linpus was as well. But at least I can extract configs and hardware info from there before I go on to install something else. It is also good to not scare GNU/Linux newbies or prospects with the terrifying Linpus Lite.

With Linpus you need to bring up your network manually in the command line. This is alot easier if you connect a LAN cable.

Will show you a list of available network devices.
Or whatever the name of the lan card you find in there, or wireless also, will bring up that network card. Whatever the name is, you need to adapt all the commands to that name, eth0 is just an example.

For LAN you can then simply assign a DHCP to bring the device online.

Will assign IP and such and ready your network card to use. It could also be dhclient or another dhcp handler. Now you can use the internet. You can check this by doing a ping request to some network.

It should show a list of fullfilled requests if you are connected to the internet.

Linpus uses a package manager called "Yum". You can simply install software with this. I have never used Yum, but I assume you must update first.

Correct me if I am wrong anyone.

Then you simply need to install something useful with Yum afterwards. If you do:
It should fetch the excellent KDE desktop and ALL packages KDE depends on, which will be alot with Linpus Lite. This will be a good thing, it will build a fully usable distro just by selecting one package. You should then say "yes" to any dependencies.

Once this is done you can reboot your computer for everything to go in an automatic way, or you can manually start kde with the startx command.

I would highly recommend you forget about Windows and try GNU/Linux as your system. If you can manage to build Linpus Lite, you should be able to manage to install another GNU/Linux distro as well. Personally I can recommend Mageia as a user friendly alternative and far better than Ubuntu. IMO it is better for newbies and it is far more powerful and flexible than Ubuntu in addition.

Anyways, I wish you good luck..

Ooh and, yah.. If there is no ethernet card, only wireless, then bad luck, bringing up the network from the command line will be alot more difficult.

You will need all the below tools to make it happen, and I am not sure they are included in Linpus Lite.
You will need to use the ifconfig wlan0 up command first, as decribed above, then:

You need to note down the essid of your wireless network there, then:
The first one is hex key and the second one is ascii key version. So, whatever type of key you use, you need to use the appropriate one of those two commands.

then dhcpcd or dhclient wlan0 as described above.

This works for WEP networks, so you can change your wireless to WEP temporarily, or follow a longer and more complicated procedure for WPA networks.

https://www.linux.com/learn/how-conf...-linux-desktop
https://linuxconfig.org/connect-to-w...x-command-line

It doesn't come with a GUI. It's really a poor decision of Acer to ship Linpus Lite with their "Linux PC's" except to people who know what they are doing. For everyone else it is just scary and terrifying. Not sure if Acer did this on purpose. But anyways, they did change this and now ship with "Endless OS" instead of Linpus. It is not a good GNU/Linux distro, but at least it has everything needed to start using the computer immediately, including a GUI.

That is so sick. Do they actually advertise this as a "Linux system" ?.

Yes. It only comes with Linux standard base I think and some few additional stuffs.

It's a very good buy for non-Windows people though.

Welcome to the forums!

Linpus is garbage; you got scammed. (Use the forum Search feature and you'll see dozens of people have fallen for this trick over the last decade.) My recommendation is to demand a refund and exchange your Acer for a fully-operational computer, such as the Windows 10 version of the Nitro 5 for example. As a consumer, you deserve a functional, usable laptop from the seller.

Sorry about the rant. If on the other hand, you decide to keep the computer and go "full speed ahead" with Ubuntu, here are the easy instructions: https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

I recommend you try Ubuntu in "live" mode for a couple of weeks. Live mode means running from a USB stick or DVD, without installing to or modifying the laptop's internal drive. This means the hard drive will stay factory-fresh, in case you decide to return the laptop or need to send it in for warranty service. While you are in live mode, extensively test two important things: Number one, does all your hardware work correctly? Test your wifi, bluetooth, video acceleration, webcam, suspend/resume, printer/scanner, and any other hardware features that are important to you. Number two, do you like Linux after using it for a couple of weeks?

Ubuntu is a very popular choice for beginners (it was my first too) but there are lots of other good distributions or "distros", like Mint that was mentioned above. "Distro hopping" (trying a whole bunch of Linuxes to find the one you like best) is a popular rite of passage. ;)

One final thought is that, if you are going to set up a "dual boot" install (choose between Linux or Windows each time you boot the computer) then it is often easier to install Windows first, and Linux second.

Good luck whatever you decide. We are here to support you. :)

Don't listen to snowpine. When you get an Acer PC with Linpus, you save about €50-€100 just from not having to pay a Microsoft fee. Equivilant PC's that come with Windows always cost that much more, or they have other hardware that is that much cheaper, but comes with Windows.

You can do alot with that PC if you want, but you need an appropriate GNU/Linux operating system. You can MAKE Linpus Lite into one by building it, or you can install another Linux distro on it.

Ubuntu is in my opinion a poor choice. A better choice could be something like Mageia which is also user friendly (more so than Ubuntu IMO) and very powerful for non-newbies as well (unlike Ubuntu IMO). Running a Live distro is not a good option for most people.

One of the advantages of buying an Acer "Linux" PC, is that you know that all the hardware will work with the Linux Kernel, which again means that all your hardware should and will work with almost all Linux distributions, perhaps except those that does not have non-free components.

It appears it's almost impossible to get a major commercial laptop without Windows in Aus. Acer seem to offer them on it's (Aus) site, but when you enter your address, the shop locator comes up empty. And our prices are crazy compared to elsewhere.
I'm in the market for a 13" ultrabook replacement for my better half - might be time to look at a refurb I can just scrub.

The name itself is not extremely inspiring.

I've not used Linpus but pretty much everything I've read about it over the years has been negative and my understanding is that it does NOT come with a graphical user interface. When you see the root prompt (root@localhost/#) try typing in: startx (all lower case, then hit the Enter key) or init 5 (hit the enter key). If you get something like command not found or no positive results, then you should follow the instructions above by zeebra to try to get online so you can download some other OS.

Hi guys, thank you to all that tried to help. As I said I'm a huge newbie in this so trying to mess inside the linpus just scares me. Is there any way I can download another linux on my old laptop and "pass" it to this new acer? I think it would be easier to me. If so, can anyone help me do it by writing some instructions or something? Remember that you re explaining this to a complete idiot when it comes to this.
Again, thank you all!

My dude I appreciate the long and detailed
answer but Im just to much of a noob to even try, I would probably f*** up something xD

Sorry for the consecutive posts but just wanted to say that a friend suggested making a bootable usb drive with ubuntu or even Windows. Would this work? I do get the option of running a bootable usb when the linpus starts.I already have an iso. file of windows 10 pro, don't know if its preferable or not. I just want to make the acer work, doesn't really matter if it's windows or any linux tbh

Yes a bootable dive is how almost everybody installs Linux. You'll find tons of instructions for booting and installing Ubuntu and Mint. The installer is fairly easy to understand. You'll see an option to wipe the hard drive and install.

Let us know how it turns out.