Hi,

I just purchased a new Acer Aspire f5-573G-53SJ with Linux online and received it today, and when I first tried to turn it on I am getting a screen telling me:

The complete licensing terms can be found in the root directory.
Please type "less /GPL and "Less /copyright to view.
If the system does not get any action every 15 minutes, the system will shut down
Acer linux v2.00.3003 (Linpus Linux LiveCD Edition v9.3 b161206 Root@localhost.

I'm brand new to using Linux and probably have a below average computer knowledge, so I'm not sure what steps to take to get it to work.

So far I have tried to input "startx" as recommended in a different thread (Command not found), and I also tried to inset the disc that came in the box with no effect.

Any Suggestions? Thanks!

Welcome to the forums!

In my opinion, Linpus is a "garbage" version/distribution of Linux, and you would be much happier getting rid of Linpus and installing a user-friendly operating system, such as Linux Mint. (Or with Windows, if that's what you are more familiar with.)

If you trust Linpus, and want to keep using Linpus, then I suppose your best bet is to place your faith in the system and type the commands it is telling you to type. (Keep in mind that Linux is case-sensitive, so typing "Less /copyright" is not the same thing as typing "less /copyright" for example.)

I'm sure that Acer's paid support staff would be willing and able to answer any questions you might have about your new purchase. If the computer did not arrive to you in functional/usable condition, then I'd like to think you'd be entitled to a replacement or refund.

Here are some past discussions of Linpus on Acer, you can read for more information:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...s-lite-669864/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...linpus-668641/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...us-4175529168/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-5741z-871098/

that maybe a setting in your BIOS to shut down after a period of time, or within your linux system itself under power management to shut down after a period of time.

that program so do that probability not even installed. It most likely was suppose to be setup for a gui login screen instead. I think it is called xinit if I remember correctly.

what do you mean by inset the disc? insert ? you mean?

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I'd be happy to use a different operating system that works and is easy to use ("Linpus" was just the one that came with it). Am I able to change the operating system without getting into the actual desktop (I currently haven't been able to get past the screen I mentioned in the OP). If so, would that allow me to set up the new laptop and begin using it?

The very first screen that appears when I turn the laptop on has two options: "Linpus" and "create a bootable usb disk".

And yes sorry BW, I meant I tried to insert the disc that came with the laptop but it didn't do anything.

I really appreciate the replies, I'd definitely be completely lost on my own.

Edit: This is a link to the Laptop: I bought it in Thailand online.

http://www.lazada.co.th/acer-aspire-...r-8236115.html

"send it back warranty"

if you install something different on it.

question will it work with whatever hard ware you have on it?

if no will you be able to put back what was on it before and be able to send it back for get all of your money back or will you be stuck with a laptop that is a good paper weight now?

you can create a usb stick of a different Linux Distor to see if that will work on the hardware you got in it first.

but you got a have access to a system that will allow you to create such a usb stick.

Get and install MX-16 overwriting the whole hard drive. Read the directions on how to put it on a USB thumb drive or a DVD disc and then install. When it installs it will set everything up for you that everything will be working on the first boot without using the terminal at all. https://mxlinux.org/

That looks like a very nice spec laptop. It should run any flavor or "distro" of Linux no problem! The only minor cause for concern is the Nvidia graphics. Nvidia has good Linux support, no worries. But, worst case, you may need to boot to low-graphics mode, and then install a driver. No big deal.

You can experiment with different Linux "distros" by writing their .iso disk images to USB thumb drives and booting them in "live" mode. This is a safe and easy way to test-drive Linux. Once you've tested a distro in "live" mode (it recognizes your hardware, the interface is user-friendly, the software applications you need are available, etc.) then you can choose to install the operating system to the Acer's hard drive, replacing Linpus.

You can read a comparison of the top distros at www.distrowatch.com. I personally use and recommend Linux Mint. Here is an article comparing the top 10: http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

Thanks guys, doesn't sound too difficult to get going and I appreciate all the help and information! I'll have a look at some of the recommendations this afternoon, and will also check out Mint and a few others.

One last question, if I were to choose to purchase Windows (This is the system i'm most comfortable with) would I have any issues in putting it on this specific laptop in a similar way to changing from Linpus (i.e inserting the disk or USB when starting up and going from there). Hoping it would be quite easy and wouldn't have any issues in doing so (Still not completely decided between Linux or windows).

Cheers!

cznsnowy91,

As has been recommended above, on another computer you can download and burn to DVD or USB drive an ISO image for a particular Linux distribution, such as Linux Mint (MATE or Xfce) 64 bit, MX-16, Ubuntu, Debian etc.

DistroWatch:
http://distrowatch.com/

Boot the laptop using the DVD or USB drive and then choose Try (not Install).

This will give you some idea of what to expect from that Linux distribution.

There are plenty of reviews such as these:
http://www.linuxandubuntu.com/home/8...ew-linux-users

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/b...stro-2016.html

Once you have decided which Linux distro you prefer, then choose Install.

Later, choose Something Else and create 3 partitions:

sda1 for root (/)………..about 25GB
sda2 for swap …………2GB
sda3 for home (/home) ….remainder of hard drive.

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=122276

I recommend that you try Linux first before spending money on Windows.

Normally Windows would be installed first on a “dual-boot” installation with Linux installed afterwards.

1 members found this post helpful.

you could if that thing has a DVD bay see if it also allows you to rip it out and slap a hdd in place of it.

pick up an inexpensive HDD whatever size you think you'll need, > 30GB a internal case (caddy) for the hdd and install whatever other OS you'd want to give a try separately.

But plunking down 300 Plus us $ is a lot for an OS just because.

you could pick up a inexpensive 32GB SDD about 20$ usa eaby install linux ... but that's limit your resources for data storage on your Laptop.

created a USB full install of a Linux Distro and use that until you figure out what to do .. some Distro's of Linux are able to be fully installed onto a USB Stick. Just need two usb Sticks and use your laptop as portal to allow the data to pass through it unto the other usb stick during the installation process.

"yes every body it can be done" I've done it a few time already. A couple of different ways, that way being the most logical due to no working Linux OS.

My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that Acer sells a similar model with Windows pre-installed. This gives me hope/optimism that a Windows install would not be a problem. Perhaps if you contacted Acer, they could sell you a Windows restore disk with all the drivers and so forth included?

Did you do this, each one type exactly as shown and scrolled through to see if it would boot any further?

Hi Beachboy,

Thanks alot for this post. I followed all your steps and think I am almost up and running with Mint.

When I did the partition steps:
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=122276

I inputed them all correctly and as I clicked install now I got the message: The partition table format in use on your disks normally requires you to create a separate partition for boot loader code. This partition should be marked for use as “EFI BOOT PARTITION” and should be at least 35 MB in size. Note that this is not the same as a partition mounted on /boot. If you do not go back to the partitioning menu and correct this error, bootloader installation may fail later, although it may still be possible to install the boot loader to a partition.

Should I go ahead and reduce my home partition by 35mb and create the extra one they are telling me too? Paranoid about making a mistake and having to struggle to correct it later .

If anyone else is knowledgeable on this subject please let me know!

Thank you

edit: Another guide didn't mention partitioning and instead said this: Erase disk and install Linux Mint" should be the choice for beginners who already have backed up important data from the computer

Is this another option or is partitioning better?

cznsnowy91,

Yes, using GParted, I would create an extra 200MiB partition for ESP as advised below.

Extract from:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI


Creating an EFI System Partition
If you are manually partitioning your disk in the Ubuntu installer, you need to make sure you have an EFI System Partition (ESP) set up. This partition holds EFI-mode boot loaders and related files.

If your disk already contains an ESP (eg if your computer had Windows 8 preinstalled), it can be used for Ubuntu too. Do not format it. It is strongly recommended to have only 1 ESP per disk.

An ESP can be created via a recent version of GParted (the Gparted version included in the 12.04 disk is OK), and must have the following attributes:

Mount point: /boot/efi (remark: if you use the manual partitioning ("Something else"), the difference is that you will have to set the /boot/efi mount point to the UEFI partition)

Size: minimum 100Mib. (200MiB recommended).
Type: FAT32
Other: needs a "boot" flag.


IMO it is better to have a separate HOME (/home) partition, hence 3 partitions as opposed to the 2 partitions used by the auto-partitioner (only root and swap). A separate /home is preferable as you will probably see later.

I know you are NOT doing a dual-boot at the moment, just Linux Mint alone, but it may help you understand about the /boot/efi partition from illustrations here:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/d...-8-ubuntu.html

I hope this helps.

Sorry to bother you so much but I'm a little confused about this Gparted part. Do I burn the Gparted iso image to the same USB drive I put Mint on to create an "ESP" and then boot up and start the download again? After that I would recreate all the partitions saving 200MiB to create "EFI BOOT PARTITION" type Fat32? Attempted to read the links but got confused with some of the terminology