Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron
From MSI WInd User wiki
Contents |
Installation Guide Overview:
Installing Hardy Heron on the Wind/Advent 4211 is pretty straightforward. The two main issues are:
- Selecting the correct install CD (or using the Wubi Ubuntu installer from within Windows).
- Setting up Wireless.
With the exception of "Suspend" and "Hibernate" (there is a workaround for suspend that has been confirmed to work - see the Ubuntu 8.04 Tweaks page for details), virtually everything else (sound, hotkeys, shutdown, Compiz, bluetooth) seems to be working out of the box.
Single/Dual/Triple Booting
Each of the installation options listed below will permit the easy installation of a single (Ubuntu) or dual boot (Ubuntu and Windows) system. When you install Ubuntu alongside an existing Windows system, Ubuntu automatically adds the Grub MultiBoot Loader which allows users to access multiple operating systems on one computer. It is also possible to create an alternate dual boot (Ubuntu and Mac OSX) or triple boot system (Ubuntu, Windows, Mac OSX). See the Triple Boot Installation Guide for more detailed information.
After Installation:
After installing Ubuntu and setting up your wireless, visit the Ubuntu 8.04 Tweaks page (Ubuntu 8.04 Post-Installation Guide) for important post-installation suggestions and instructions on how to customize and configure your system.
Installation Options:
Option 1: Install with Wubi Ubuntu Installer
The easiest installation option for Windows versions of the Wind/Advent 4211 is to use the Wubi Ubuntu installer directly from Windows. This will allow you to try out Ubuntu without partitioning your hard drive. HowtoForge.com has written a detailed tutorial for using Wubi.
To then upgrade your Wubi install to a standard Ubuntu system, use the Loopmounted Virtual Partition Manager (LVPM). LVPM allows you to transfer all the data, settings, and applications from your original Wubi install to a dedicated partition. LVPM can be found in Ubuntu under: Applications => System Tools
If, after using LVPM, you get a can't mount partition error, then you will need to edit grub. The LPVM installation has worked, grub just needs to be set to use the correct partiion.
Firstly, to fix grub temporarily so you can get into Ubuntu: Reboot the machine, wait till the menu comes up giving you the list of boot options, make sure the top item is selected, (Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic) then hit e to edit the item.
This will give you an edit screen and stop the boot countdown.
There should be three lines on the screen. Scroll down to the line that says:
root ()/ubuntu/disks
and change it to:
root (hd0,X)
X should be the partition number you transferred Ubuntu to using LVPM minus 1.
e.g. In my case I transferred Ubuntu to sda5, so my line read root (hd0,4)
Once this line is edited, hit Enter to accept the editing, then b to boot.
Ubuntu should now boot up. You can make the changes permanent to fix your boot forever, by making the same changes in /boot/grub/menu.lst
Option 2: Install With Ubuntu 8.04.1 Desktop CD (GUI)
A second installation option is to use an Ubuntu installation CD (or USB Pen Drive).
Note: With the release of Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04.1, it appears that earlier problems installing with the Ubuntu GUI installer have been resolved. If, however, you would prefer to install Ubuntu using a text interface installer, use the "Install with Alternate Desktop CD" instructions in the next section below.
- Download Hardy Heron 8.04.1 (PC (Intelx86) desktop CD) from here: http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04.1/ (Tested and confirmed to work by Malarcy in this forum thread).
- Burn the "ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-i386.iso" image to a CD.
- Optional: You can install Ubuntu on the Wind/Advent 4211 using a USB Pen Drive. To create a bootable live USB Pen Drive, use UNetbootin - The Universal Netbbot Installer OR follow the instructions for creating a Persistent Ubuntu 8.04 USB Pen Drive at PenDriveLinux.com.
- Boot system with F11 pressed and the install media (External USB CD-ROM or USB Pen Drive) connected. When prompted, select the drive containing your Ubuntu 8.04.1 .iso image.
- Click on the "Install" icon on the Live Desktop.
- Optional - Manually Partition Hard Drive: While allowing the Ubuntu Installer to automatically partition your hard drive during installation is acceptable, it can be beneficial to manually edit your partition table. Before getting started, it is recommended that you first review each of the 9 steps below. For additional information about partitioning your hard drive, you may also want to reference this guide.
- During installation, choose "Manually edit partition table."
- Select the partition you want to resize and press Enter.
- Select "Size" and press Enter.
- Select "Yes" and press Enter.
- Type a new size in Gigabytes for your partition. On the Wind/Advent 4211, it's recommended you free up AT LEAST 15 GB of free space for your Ubuntu install (see number 8 below for more info/suggestions on partition sizing). Press Enter when happy with your changes. It may take some time to apply the changes.
- Create a "swap" partition. It should be 1-2 times the amount of RAM you have (1000-2000MB). Swap helps with memory management and multi-tasking--you can read more about swap partitions (also called "Paging") here.
- Create a root "/" partition (Ext3) for your Ubuntu installation (5-10GB). This will be where the Ubuntu OS and applications live.
- Create a "/home" partition (Ext3) for your user files (this should be at least 5-10GB though you could opt to make it bigger--keep reading for more info). Creating a "/home" partition will allow you to reinstall Ubuntu and/or do a clean install (instead of an upgrade) when a new version of Ubuntu comes along. One option when sizing this partition is to make "/home" serve as a shared partition between Ubuntu and Windows. To later read and write to this Ext3 partition from Windows, simply install Ext2 Installable File System for Windows.
- Select "Finish partitioning and write changes to disk".
Note: If you opted to install Ubuntu with a USB Pen Drive, afterwards you will need to edit /etc/fstab and make sure that /media/cdrom0 points to the CD drive and not to the USB stick.
Open /etc/fstab for editing:
sudo gedit /etc/fstab
Find a line like this (usually the last line): /dev/sdXX /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
and comment it out by placing a # at the beginning (or simply delete it).
Save the file, and you’re done. (Thanks to bas-r)
Option 3: Install With Ubuntu 8.04.1 "Alternate Desktop CD" (No GUI)
Another method of installing Hardy Heron on the Wind/Advent is to to use the Ubuntu 8.04.1 "alternative install CD." Note: Using this method will allow you to install Ubuntu on the Wind/Advent using a faster installer (with a text interface rather than a GUI).
- Download the Ubuntu 8.04.1 "alternative install CD here: http://www.ubuntu.com and choosing "Download" (Click "Download" and remember to check the "alternate desktop CD" box).
- Burn the "ubuntu-8.04.1-alternative-i386.iso" image to a CD.
- Optional: You can install Ubuntu on the Wind/Advent 4211 using a USB Pen Drive. To create a bootable live USB Pen Drive, use UNetbootin - The Universal Netbbot Installer OR follow the instructions for creating a Persistent Ubuntu 8.04 USB Pen Drive at PenDriveLinux.com. Note: Some users have reported difficulties installing the Alternate Desktop CD using a USB Pen Drive. You may want to use a CD-ROM instead or follow Installation Options 1 or 2 listed above.
- Boot system with F11 pressed and the install media (External USB CD-ROM Drive or USB Pen Drive) connected. When prompted, select the drive containing your Ubuntu 8.04.1 .iso image.
- To be on the safe side, you should only install the base system and afterwards check the network connection from bash (visit http://ubuntuguide.org for instructions).
After base system install (about 250mb), you should login as root:
- sudo su
- passwd => choose good root password.
- exit
- logout
- root => your root password.
After login (root):
- apt-get update
- apt-get dist-upgrade
- (reboot if necessary)
Choose one of the three (installs with latest updates, if no network then it tries to acquire packets from install media):
- apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
- apt-get install kubuntu-desktop
- apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
after everything goes according to plan:
- shutdown -r now
After reboot, you should be in the Ubuntu GUI login screen.
Note: If you opted to install Ubuntu with a USB Pen Drive, afterwards you will need to edit /etc/fstab and make sure that /media/cdrom0 points to the CD drive and not to the USB stick.
Open /etc/fstab for editing:
sudo gedit /etc/fstab
Find a line like this (usually the last line): /dev/sdXX /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
and comment it out by placing a # at the beginning (or simply delete it).
Save the file, and you’re done.
Additional Installation Options
Install Netbook Remix
Once Ubuntu is installed, you may also decide to install Ubuntu Netbook Remix by following these instructions: https://launchpad.net/netbook-remix
Note: Netbook Remix is still VERY buggy and not recommended for novice users.
Installation Notes:
First add the Remix repository to your sources.list file. In a terminal type:
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Add the following 2 lines to the bottom of the sources.list file:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/netbook-remix-team/ubuntu hardy main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/netbook-remix-team/ubuntu hardy main
Save and close and then update your sources.list:
sudo apt-get update
Install the following packages:
sudo apt-get install go-home-applet sudo apt-get install window-picker-applet sudo apt-get install maximus sudo apt-get install human-netbook-theme sudo apt-get install ume-launcher sudo apt-get install ume-config-netbook
Note: The ume-config-netbook package doesn't seem to be available to install. ?
After the packages have installed, do the following:
- Delete the bottom panel.
- Setup top panel with the following: GoHomeApplet|WindowPickerApplet|NotificationArea|MixerApplet|Clock
- Select the "Human Netbook Theme" in System → Preferences → Apperance
- Add "maximus" to autostart: System → Preferences → Sessions
- Make sure Compiz is disabled: System → Preferences → Appearance → Visual Effects - none
- Logout and back in again.
Install XFCE
XFCE is a lightweight desktop environment for unix-like operating systems. It aims to be fast and lightweight, while still being visually appealing and easy to use. Installing the XFCE desktop environment has been simplified with the creation of a meta-package, which is a simple package containing a longer list of required packages. To install the XFCE environment, open a terminal and type:
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
When the packages have finished installing, log out of your current Ubuntu session (Control + Alt + Backspace).
Click on "Options" at the bottom left of your log in screen and then click "Select a Session." Choose "Xfce Session" and then click the "Change Session" button.
Choose Xfce as the default or, to just try out the Xfce desktop environment, select "Just for this session."
Log in and enjoy.
For more info about Xfce, visit Xfce.org and Xubuntu.org.
Note: To uninstall XFCE, simply use:
sudo apt-get remove xubuntu-desktop sudo apt-get autoremove
Suspend & Hard Drive
See "Fixing Suspend & Hard Drive Clicking" section in Ubuntu 8.04 Tweaks for more info.
Wireless:
Wireless on Windows versions of the Wind/Advent 4211 does not work out of the box with Ubuntu 8.04.1 (there is no native wireless support due to the wireless card chipset used: RTL8187SE). The supplied Realtek card has also been reported to cause problems in Windows. You can, however, use one of the three methods below to get your wireless up and running.
Option 1: Replacing the Supplied Wireless Card
If you would like to have native support for wireless under Ubuntu 8.04.1, your best option at this point is to replace the supplied Realtech RTL8187SE wireless card. If you choose one of the fully supported cards below, wireless with Ubuntu 8.04.1 (and Windows XP) should work out of the box. Note: Depending on where you live and/or how you interpret the MSI Wind/Advent 4211 warranty documentation, this procedure "may" technically void your warranty. User discretion is advised.
To date, two cards are fully supported and have been confirmed to work "out of the box" with Ubuntu 8.04.1 (and Windows XP) on the Wind/Advent 4211:
- The Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (recommended) is available new for under $30.
- The Atheros GN-WI01GT is available new for around $30.
Other cards have been reported to work as well, though installing additional drivers "may" be necessary.
- The Dell 1390 Wireless Card is reported to work (you just need to enable the restricted drivers: System => Administration => Restricted Drivers Manager) and is available new for around $30. This is a good choice for those wanting to triple boot (Ubuntu, Windows, Mac OSX). See the Triple Boot Installation Guide for detailed instructions and more information.
- The Dell 1490 Wireless Card is reported to work (you just need to enable the restricted drivers: System => Administration => Restricted Drivers Manager) and is available new for around $40. This is also a good choice for those wanting to triple boot (Ubuntu, Windows, Mac OSX). See the Triple Boot Installation Guide for detailed instructions and more information.
- The Atheros AR5006EGS or AR2424-chip is available new for around $25. Note: This Atheros card may not work with the Wind/Ubuntu out of the box because of lack of support by the regular Madwifi drivers. However, when using very new drivers, it is supposed to work.
- The Atheros AR5008X is supported by the 'trunk' drivers of madwifi.
Transplant Procedure: The actual "transplant procedure" is very straightforward and only takes a few minutes to complete. You may want to start by watching this video tutorial.
- Remove all the exposed screws on the bottom (including the one under the warranty void sticker), and use a fingernail around the perimeter to release the plastic clips. Note: You may find it easier to unlatch the rear portion first, lift up the left side, and wiggling the right side free. To clear the VGA port on the right side you need to slide the bottom half in that direction, instead of lifting directly up. Once the plastic shell is removed you have full access to any component that could be swapped out.
- Disconnect the antenna cables and remove the supplied Realtek card.
- Insert your new card and plug in the antenna cables. Replace the plastic shell.
- Reboot into Ubuntu. If you chose to install one of the fully supported wireless cards, the system will automatically detect and (if needed) download the necessary wireless card driver.
Wireless/Bluetooth Toggle:
To toggle wireless on or off, press Fn + F11 a few times until the light comes on and the icon appears on the toolbar. Note: This toggle also turns on/off Bluetooth (should your MSI not have Bluetooth on your Wind, the corresponding LED will never switch on and only Wifi will be affected).
Option 2: Compiling Drivers for the Supplied Wireless Card
Note 1: This fix is confirmed to work for WEP (64 bit) and WPA Personal though some users have reported problems (particularly with WPA Enterprise), including dropped networks and system freezes requiring a reboot. For up to date information and help, try visiting this forum thread.
Note 2: Keep in mind that future updates (e.g with Update Manager) of the kernel will likely require you to rebuild the drivers and put them in a new folder for that kernel. You might want to uncheck kernel upgrades on the update manager program in order to keep your drivers running smoothly, or otherwise repeat the procedure detailed below after the upgrade.
First, you need a proper build environment with the appropriate kernel headers. This is done fairly easily:
sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`
Next, download and unpack the modified driver sources:
wget http://launchpadlibrarian.net/16098501/rtl8187se_linux_26.1016.0716.2008.tar.gz tar xvzf rtl8187se_linux_26.1016.0716.2008.tar.gz
Now build them:
cd rtl8187se_linux_26.1016.0716.2008 ./makedrv
Now, assuming everything compiled without errors, try starting it all up using the wlan0up script. This will insert the appropriate modules and enable the wireless device. You should then be able to use it with Ubuntu's network manager.
sudo ./wlan0up
To map all of the new modules so the wireless drivers are accessible at boot, you will want to copy all of the .ko files (see list below) into: /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/
(in ieee80211)
- ieee80211_crypt-rtl.ko
- ieee80211_crypt_wep-rtl.ko
- ieee80211_crypt_tkip-rtl.ko
- ieee80211_crypt_ccmp-rtl.ko
- ieee80211-rtl.ko
(in rtl8185)
- r8180.ko
This can be done (from within the base folder of the uncompressed driver files) by using:
sudo cp -r ieee80211/*.ko /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ sudo cp rtl8185/r8180.ko /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/
Lastly, you should run:
sudo depmod -a sudo modprobe r8180
Although the Wifi toggle key (Fn + F11) will work as expected, Ubuntu's network manager applet won't realize that you toggled off the wireless card for a little while.
Option 3: Use an External WiFi USB Adapter
This option avoids any potential warranty issues and is plug-n-play: use an external USB WiFi adapter with out-of-the-box support in Ubuntu 8.04.1, and plug it into one of the Wind's USB ports. Although not strictly necessary while in Ubuntu, the built-in WiFi should be turned off by using the Wifi toggle key (Fn + F11) until the built-in WiFi indicator light goes out.
List of external USB WiFi adapters known to work with Ubuntu 8.04.1 (incomplete - please update):
- MyEssential G USB Adapter, model ME1001-USB
Suggested After-Installation Tweaks:
Once you have installed Ubuntu and have wireless up and running, you will want to start configuring and customizing your system. The Ubuntu 8.04 Tweaks page (Ubuntu 8.04 Post-Installation Guide) provides a number of important suggestions and resources.
