Netbook OS Swap.

[miller-brandon]

Hello,
Allright i have this xihama netbook, that runs ce. how would i go about changing that to puppy linux. Reason for swapping is that nothing works for the ce, and i figured puppy would be a small enough alternative. The netbook has 128m ddr. 2gb flash. and a 533mhz arm processor. It also slightly scares me that when i got the pc it was already registered to someone. This computer does not boot to bios, or enter anything that resembles a normal bios. It does however have a pre desktop boot bar which i am assuming acts as a similiar bios feature. ive tried entering bios by using f2 but nothing seems to work. Thanks for any information

 

[bmouring]

This /. article and the ensuing discussion pretty well sum up the main issue with such an effort: there's no real standardization in terms of bringing these devices up from powerup and, hence, no convenient place to hook into the boot process with existing software (e.g. u-boot). Further, a quick search of the manufacturer and "linux" didn't turn up any helpful links in terms of where/how to hook in and how to install that hook.

 

[audiovoodoo]

Windows CE - Closed Environment. Think of any CE device more as a phone than a PC, it's a much similar architecture. CE devices make sense in some markets but were never a good idea as lightweight PC replacements. Some of the brand name ones might have options to upgrade to Win7 CE but even then the numbers will be few.

Win8 ARM will be interesting to watch, will we see another CE situation with the tablets? People are already realising that a two year contract on Android and only getting one update to the OS in the first 6 months can leave you with a real problem and a need to turn to XDA forums.

 

[Ijack]

Installing Linux on any of these sort of ARM devices is something of an adventure that should only be embarked on by those who know what they are doing. A good knowledge of hardware and a facility with a soldering iron helps. There's a more than 50% chance that you will brick the device, so be sure you know how to rescue it from such a state.

Basically, I am saying if you have to ask then don't try it.