Re: [SLUG] Help with a weird problem, please
Have you tried putting the HD in another PC and booting it? Check PC BIOS for boot options/swap drive cables etc - will the CDROM boot with the HD detached/unplugged? Have been through similar myself. PS has the BIOS been corrupted? I tried to flash a BIOS on an old PC recently and it failed and will no longer boot (obviously!)? just some thoughts. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Help with a weird problem, please
Hi all, This may be very obvious but you need to set the bios to boot off the cd or usb. Also some hard disks have to be set in the bios to compatible mode or whatever... been a while now. Just have a look for options in the BIOS for HDDs. Also pull the drive out and put it back in again. Could be a loose cable? Ben On 17/02/2012 10:12 PM, Eason Mai wrote: Hi Edwin, Does your client's computer support booting from USB? If yes, you can make a live Linux on USB, then try boot from it, good luck. Eason Mai --- :)@ RHCE/CCNA Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:30:28 +1100 From: edw...@netsensecomputers.com.au To: slug@slug.org.au Subject: [SLUG] Help with a weird problem, please Hi, I know a few of you will think I'm off-topic, but I have a customer's Vista box here that won't boot. (ducking now ...) So I tried loading a Ubuntu live CD, then a Knoppix LiveCD. then plugging in a USB DVD drive and trying Ubuntu again as well as Puppy - and all had variants of the same error message, which can be summarised as being unable to mount the CD image and therefore unable to proceed. Most of the information on the web indicated that this often relates to a corrupt ISO image or one that's burned at too high a speed for the drive to read properly, but having tried three different distros (all of which I've used multiple times in other PCs) and two different drives, that seems pretty unlikely. On the assumption that RAM problems may also prevent the mounting of a drive on a live CD, I also checked the RAM, with no errors resulting. Can anyone suggest what's going on? NetSense Computers logoRegards, Edwin Humphries Mobile: 0419 233 051 NetSense Computers (Ironstone Technology Pty Ltd) 79 Barney St (P. O. Box 423), Kiama, NSW, 2533 Phone: +61 (0)2 4233 2285 Fax: +61 (0)2 4233 2781 Web: http://www.netsensecomputers.com.au -- This email is intended for the named addressee/s only and may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not a named addressee please delete it and notify the sender. -- "/At every moment he beholdeth a wondrous world, a new creation, and goeth from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness./" Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys "./.. humans are interesting. With all the wonders there are in the Universe, they invented boredom./" Terry Pratchet, Hogfather "/The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed./" Albert Einstein /"Stuff your eyes with wonder ... live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories./" Ray Bradbury -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Help with a weird problem, please
Edwin. Could it be the BIOS is set to only boot UEFI OSs? Otherwise I'd say it was a hardware failure. Regars, Peter Barker On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:30:28 PM you wrote: > Hi, > > I know a few of you will think I'm off-topic, but I have a customer's > Vista box here that won't boot. (ducking now ...) > > So I tried loading a Ubuntu live CD, then a Knoppix LiveCD. then > plugging in a USB DVD drive and trying Ubuntu again as well as Puppy - > and all had variants of the same error message, which can be summarised > as being unable to mount the CD image and therefore unable to proceed. > > Most of the information on the web indicated that this often relates to > a corrupt ISO image or one that's burned at too high a speed for the > drive to read properly, but having tried three different distros (all of > which I've used multiple times in other PCs) and two different drives, > that seems pretty unlikely. > > On the assumption that RAM problems may also prevent the mounting of a > drive on a live CD, I also checked the RAM, with no errors resulting. > > Can anyone suggest what's going on? > > NetSense Computers logoRegards, > Edwin Humphries > Mobile: 0419 233 051 > NetSense Computers (Ironstone Technology Pty Ltd) > 79 Barney St (P. O. Box 423), Kiama, NSW, 2533 > Phone: +61 (0)2 4233 2285 > Fax: +61 (0)2 4233 2781 > Web: http://www.netsensecomputers.com.au > > -- > This email is intended for the named addressee/s only and may contain > confidential or privileged information. If you are not a named addressee > please delete it and notify the sender. > -- > > "/At every moment he beholdeth a wondrous world, a new creation, and > goeth from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works > of the Lord of Oneness./" Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys > "./.. humans are interesting. With all the wonders there are in the > Universe, they invented boredom./" Terry Pratchet, Hogfather > "/The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is > the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a > stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as > good as dead: his eyes are closed./" Albert Einstein > /"Stuff your eyes with wonder ... live as if you'd drop dead in ten > seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid > for in factories./" Ray Bradbury -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
RE: [SLUG] Help with a weird problem, please
Hi Edwin, Does your client's computer support booting from USB? If yes, you can make a live Linux on USB, then try boot from it, good luck. Eason Mai --- :)@ RHCE/CCNA Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:30:28 +1100 From: edw...@netsensecomputers.com.au To: slug@slug.org.au Subject: [SLUG] Help with a weird problem, please Hi, I know a few of you will think I'm off-topic, but I have a customer's Vista box here that won't boot. (ducking now ...) So I tried loading a Ubuntu live CD, then a Knoppix LiveCD. then plugging in a USB DVD drive and trying Ubuntu again as well as Puppy - and all had variants of the same error message, which can be summarised as being unable to mount the CD image and therefore unable to proceed. Most of the information on the web indicated that this often relates to a corrupt ISO image or one that's burned at too high a speed for the drive to read properly, but having tried three different distros (all of which I've used multiple times in other PCs) and two different drives, that seems pretty unlikely. On the assumption that RAM problems may also prevent the mounting of a drive on a live CD, I also checked the RAM, with no errors resulting. Can anyone suggest what's going on? NetSense Computers logoRegards, Edwin Humphries Mobile: 0419 233 051 NetSense Computers (Ironstone Technology Pty Ltd) 79 Barney St (P. O. Box 423), Kiama, NSW, 2533 Phone: +61 (0)2 4233 2285 Fax: +61 (0)2 4233 2781 Web: http://www.netsensecomputers.com.au -- This email is intended for the named addressee/s only and may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not a named addressee please delete it and notify the sender. -- "/At every moment he beholdeth a wondrous world, a new creation, and goeth from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness./" Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys "./.. humans are interesting. With all the wonders there are in the Universe, they invented boredom./" Terry Pratchet, Hogfather "/The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed./" Albert Einstein /"Stuff your eyes with wonder ... live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories./" Ray Bradbury -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Hacking "Hackable Android Pads"
I have a transistor serial port.. Yeah they are cool. If its SOC that means the serial port is actually inside the processor itself like an AVR. Just have to find out which pins they are ie RX/TX. First step for me is tracking down which pins they are. As for the kernel, it must be problematic for an outsider to do. Getting a bog standard debian to run is still quite a good achievement. Im just thinking of using these cheap pads and redoing the cases. The whole pad computer w Lcd comes to the same price as the lcd alone. Case was easy to open. I can't remember right now how. I think a small - driver at a strategic point on the case released a clip. I'll try find out what it was later. On 2/17/12, Christopher Barnes wrote: > > I don't really know too much about ARM based devices and dev boards but from > what I've seen most of them have the same basic features - at least 1 serial > port, Card reader, eeprom flashed with boot-loader, and the ARM processor in > an SOC (System On Chip) configuration. > > If you are lucky the system board will have the serial port brought out to a > header or Vias that you can attach the wires to. > > In my case there were vias but they weren't labelled. I found a web article > a guy wrote who had a similar netbook and who had determined which vias were > tx, rx, ground. > > If your unlucky in that the serial port HASN'T been brought out onto the > system board you'll have to get the datasheet for the proc and identify the > serial pins that way. > > A PC serial port (RS232) can run voltages anywhere from 10volts to 50volts > from what I remember which is why we use the RS232 to lvTTL converter. > > LvTTL is low voltage (3.3volt) Transisitor to Transistor Logic. > > > I've got some schematics to make such a converter - pretty basic, couple of > caps, couple of transistors, couple of resistors. > > But I'd recommend buying one of the nokia sync cables because you can be > fairly certain its going to work. > > The last one I bought was about $5 with free shipping. An ebay search for > "Nokia CA-42" should give you a few local options. > > As for butchering it, I've got a link somewhere. ill dig it up and send to > you. Its really easy. > > > One question I've got, can you see any obvious ways to open the tablet? > > A guy I work with bought a cheap one off ebay, couldn't workout how to open > it without destroying it. > > > And another question, what do you want to hack it to do? > > > The only thing I don't like about these devices is you can't really just run > the netinstall of debian, or you can't run a stock standard linux kernel > because of device drivers and other board specific stuff. > > You need to use kernel compiled for the board which peeves me off because I > still haven't found any up to date kernels, and the kernels lack things I'd > really like - like the prerequisites for IPSec VPN, more supported > filesystems, etc > > I was able to get my hands on the manufacturers source thanks to GPL > obligations but I'm a total amature at taking someone elses device driver > source and integrating it into a recent kernel source. > > > Anyway, really interested to see how you go hacking it. > > One word of advice, if you get on to the console, take a full backup before > you start changing anything. Just dump the raw data via tftp somewhere safe > so you can dump it back on to the tab if you mess up. > > If the previous owner of my netbook had done that it probably would have > saved me about 2 solid months of searching for compatible boot loaders and > android images. > > Sent from my BlackBerry > > -Original Message- > From: David Lyon > Sender: slug-boun...@slug.org.au > Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:42:05 > To: SLUG > Subject: Re: [SLUG] Hacking "Hackable Android Pads" > > That's very interesting information. Perhaps because I half understand > what you're talking about. > > I bought an ARM development board and it exposes the exact same > serial console on boot. So many the Arm boards work like this? > > So I would be looking for two pins on the processor ? > > I'm up to speed with running a 5v serial line. But aren't those processors > a bit lower? as in 2.7v or something? > > Thanks for the leads. Fantastic. > > On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Christopher Barnes < > chris.p.bar...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> I don't know about these tablet devices but I once had to "hack" a little >> android netbook because it had been bricked. >> >> If the tabs are anything like this netbook then its generally not too >> hard. >> >> >> This netbook was an ARM based system with about 128meg ram and 2gig >> onboard Nand flash for storage. >> >> >> In a nut shell I had to get a RS232 to lvTTL converter - FT232 chips do >> this or there's old nokia USB sync cables you can butcher. >> >> Had to find the serial port pin-out on the system board and solder the >> serial converter wires onto it. >> >> That gave me access to the netbooks serial console. >> >> I was then able to g
Re: [SLUG] Hacking "Hackable Android Pads"
I don't really know too much about ARM based devices and dev boards but from what I've seen most of them have the same basic features - at least 1 serial port, Card reader, eeprom flashed with boot-loader, and the ARM processor in an SOC (System On Chip) configuration. If you are lucky the system board will have the serial port brought out to a header or Vias that you can attach the wires to. In my case there were vias but they weren't labelled. I found a web article a guy wrote who had a similar netbook and who had determined which vias were tx, rx, ground. If your unlucky in that the serial port HASN'T been brought out onto the system board you'll have to get the datasheet for the proc and identify the serial pins that way. A PC serial port (RS232) can run voltages anywhere from 10volts to 50volts from what I remember which is why we use the RS232 to lvTTL converter. LvTTL is low voltage (3.3volt) Transisitor to Transistor Logic. I've got some schematics to make such a converter - pretty basic, couple of caps, couple of transistors, couple of resistors. But I'd recommend buying one of the nokia sync cables because you can be fairly certain its going to work. The last one I bought was about $5 with free shipping. An ebay search for "Nokia CA-42" should give you a few local options. As for butchering it, I've got a link somewhere. ill dig it up and send to you. Its really easy. One question I've got, can you see any obvious ways to open the tablet? A guy I work with bought a cheap one off ebay, couldn't workout how to open it without destroying it. And another question, what do you want to hack it to do? The only thing I don't like about these devices is you can't really just run the netinstall of debian, or you can't run a stock standard linux kernel because of device drivers and other board specific stuff. You need to use kernel compiled for the board which peeves me off because I still haven't found any up to date kernels, and the kernels lack things I'd really like - like the prerequisites for IPSec VPN, more supported filesystems, etc I was able to get my hands on the manufacturers source thanks to GPL obligations but I'm a total amature at taking someone elses device driver source and integrating it into a recent kernel source. Anyway, really interested to see how you go hacking it. One word of advice, if you get on to the console, take a full backup before you start changing anything. Just dump the raw data via tftp somewhere safe so you can dump it back on to the tab if you mess up. If the previous owner of my netbook had done that it probably would have saved me about 2 solid months of searching for compatible boot loaders and android images. Sent from my BlackBerry -Original Message- From: David Lyon Sender: slug-boun...@slug.org.au Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:42:05 To: SLUG Subject: Re: [SLUG] Hacking "Hackable Android Pads" That's very interesting information. Perhaps because I half understand what you're talking about. I bought an ARM development board and it exposes the exact same serial console on boot. So many the Arm boards work like this? So I would be looking for two pins on the processor ? I'm up to speed with running a 5v serial line. But aren't those processors a bit lower? as in 2.7v or something? Thanks for the leads. Fantastic. On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Christopher Barnes < chris.p.bar...@gmail.com> wrote: > I don't know about these tablet devices but I once had to "hack" a little > android netbook because it had been bricked. > > If the tabs are anything like this netbook then its generally not too hard. > > > This netbook was an ARM based system with about 128meg ram and 2gig > onboard Nand flash for storage. > > > In a nut shell I had to get a RS232 to lvTTL converter - FT232 chips do > this or there's old nokia USB sync cables you can butcher. > > Had to find the serial port pin-out on the system board and solder the > serial converter wires onto it. > > That gave me access to the netbooks serial console. > > I was then able to get access to the boot loader on the device (uBoot). > > From there I could manipulate boot settings, i could boot from SD card, > boot from TFTP, copy a new kernel into the onboard flash, change the boot > splash, etc. > > > Finding good working android images was the hard part because the > manufacturer didn't publish any android images so I had to rely on images > people had dumped from their devices. > > And due to significant hardware differences they didn't really work well - > no sound, or no mouse, or no wifi, etc. > > In the end I dumped Debian on it and used an android kernel to boot it. > > --Original Message-- > From: David Lyon > Sender: slug-boun...@slug.org.au > To: SLUG > Subject: [SLUG] Hacking "Hackable Android Pads" > Sent: Feb 17, 2012 2:02 PM > > There's lots of inexpensive Android Tablets. Junk? perhaps: > > - http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?Search
