This post is mostly about installation of the operating system. Install the latest and greatest Ubuntu on old trusty netbook (currently version 18.04 as of this post.)
This netbook has Xandros linux installed by default. If you like all the functionality and dont care about keeping your netbook updated and dont care about security, as you're going to be using the netbook for unimportant stuff, by all means just keep Xandros, it's got lots of stuff on small storage. Also enables you to use the Chinese keyboard on the eeepc out of the box.
If you want an updated version of linux and updated browser, as well as Libreoffice word processor and spreadsheet. continue.
eeePC 701 4gb SSD, ram can be upgraded to 2GB. There's an SD card slot which can give you more storage space than the 4gb SSD. The processor has no PAE flag. So loading a regular installation image/disc of Ubuntu will produce an error. Besides regular ubuntu, even Lubuntu installs wont fit on the 4GB SSD. (You wont have to worry about this if you install into an SD or microsd with SD size adapter of a large capacity)
Installation in this post only uses the 4GB SSD, with Ubuntu 18.04 minimal install, mini.iso.
Skill level: not basic. But this post strives to be as basic as possible, though time constraints keep it from being detailed.
Here goes:
This netbook has Xandros linux installed by default. If you like all the functionality and dont care about keeping your netbook updated and dont care about security, as you're going to be using the netbook for unimportant stuff, by all means just keep Xandros, it's got lots of stuff on small storage. Also enables you to use the Chinese keyboard on the eeepc out of the box.
If you want an updated version of linux and updated browser, as well as Libreoffice word processor and spreadsheet. continue.
eeePC 701 4gb SSD, ram can be upgraded to 2GB. There's an SD card slot which can give you more storage space than the 4gb SSD. The processor has no PAE flag. So loading a regular installation image/disc of Ubuntu will produce an error. Besides regular ubuntu, even Lubuntu installs wont fit on the 4GB SSD. (You wont have to worry about this if you install into an SD or microsd with SD size adapter of a large capacity)
Installation in this post only uses the 4GB SSD, with Ubuntu 18.04 minimal install, mini.iso.
Skill level: not basic. But this post strives to be as basic as possible, though time constraints keep it from being detailed.
Here goes:
- Backup everything you need in the eeepc to a usb connected storage
- Download mini.iso. from here: that's the 32 bit version. Article: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/Documentation/MinimalInstall
- Put the mini.iso on a USB. On windows you can use rufus. Or unetbootin in other platforms. In Ubuntu, just use the Startup Disk Creator.
- On the eeePC, boot from the USB that you made.
- You might need to go into the BIOS (press F2 right at the start as indicated on the screen), and set the OS install option to [Start], might also be unnecessary
- exit bios (save changes)
- press ESC right at the start of netbook bootup
- select the startup USB you made using Startup Disk Creator or rufus or unetbootin and the mini.iso image.
- When it boots up, use your arrow keys on the keyboard to move the selection to Advanced options (press enter) then Command Line Expert Install. (you can probably just use Command-line Install as most of the options we will use are the default ones), DON'T press enter on your selection, press TAB instead as we need to add a flag
5. add the forcepae flag to the end of the entry. It should look like the above. "forcepae -- forcepae", two times, leave the pre-existing ---, if it is there.
6. Press Enter
7. Follow all the prompts and make the most applicable choices you can, if you need more info regarding a selection, just search online, as lots of people go through the installation. Usually just use the default (dont change what is already selected), the following are most of what you would need to do in the command-line expert install, others just select default
8. After all that is done, and it says it is finished, you can then reset the eeepc.
9. this time boot from the 4gb ssd where you just installed the operating system.
10. if you did everything correctly above, you will be met by an ubuntu linux commandline login.
11. Log in with your username and password
12. You should get the commandline after you log in; Do command: [$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y]
(Note; $ marks command line prompt, you dont need to type that, just the words after it, you also do not need type the brackets [ ])
13. Install the following:
$ apt-get install xorg xfce4 firefox libreoffice-writer libreoffice-calc
14. also type: apt-get clean
15 Now run update-alternatives to set the x-session-manager to xfce4-session,
type: $ update-alternatives --config x-session-manager
Sorry for not being able to separate code / commands, seems to be no way to do it on this CMS/blog.
16. Now type
$ startx
and you should get an xfce gui
if not reboot, login and type startx on commandline
16. Now to get touchpad tap-to-click working, you need to install:
$ sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
17. to get a battery indicator on your panel
$ sudo apt install xfce4-battery-plugin
18. There are two panels on xfce, the one on top with the word Apllications and the one below with the buttons to commonly used apps. right click on the top one and select Panel->Panel Preferences.
19. On the options Automatically Hide The Panel: , select, "Intelligently", then press ALT+F4 on your keyboard to close the preferences window.
This will give you more screen space when you open windows. To make the panels appear, just slide your mouse pointer to the top edge or the bottom middle edge of the screen.
Tips: you can hold ALT and drag anywhere on a window to move it if you cant access the title bar.
Optional:
20. If you want the netbook to bootup to a graphical interface, install lightdm.
$ sudo apt install lightdm
If this doesn't work for you when you bootup into lightdm, or to revert to startx on commandline, press CTRL+ALT+F1 on the lightdm login, login to commmand line and type:
$ sudo apt remove lightdm
Sources:
6. Press Enter
7. Follow all the prompts and make the most applicable choices you can, if you need more info regarding a selection, just search online, as lots of people go through the installation. Usually just use the default (dont change what is already selected), the following are most of what you would need to do in the command-line expert install, others just select default
- enter what you want to name your computer
- select either your wifi card or ethernet wired port on the selection, whichever you are connected to
- if you select wifi, you need to select your wifi network id, as well as enter your wifi password
- also since you have backed up your files in the eeepc
8. After all that is done, and it says it is finished, you can then reset the eeepc.
9. this time boot from the 4gb ssd where you just installed the operating system.
10. if you did everything correctly above, you will be met by an ubuntu linux commandline login.
11. Log in with your username and password
12. You should get the commandline after you log in; Do command: [$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y]
(Note; $ marks command line prompt, you dont need to type that, just the words after it, you also do not need type the brackets [ ])
13. Install the following:
$ apt-get install xorg xfce4 firefox libreoffice-writer libreoffice-calc
14. also type: apt-get clean
15 Now run update-alternatives to set the x-session-manager to xfce4-session,
type: $ update-alternatives --config x-session-manager
Sorry for not being able to separate code / commands, seems to be no way to do it on this CMS/blog.
16. Now type
$ startx
and you should get an xfce gui
if not reboot, login and type startx on commandline
16. Now to get touchpad tap-to-click working, you need to install:
$ sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
17. to get a battery indicator on your panel
$ sudo apt install xfce4-battery-plugin
18. There are two panels on xfce, the one on top with the word Apllications and the one below with the buttons to commonly used apps. right click on the top one and select Panel->Panel Preferences.
19. On the options Automatically Hide The Panel: , select, "Intelligently", then press ALT+F4 on your keyboard to close the preferences window.
This will give you more screen space when you open windows. To make the panels appear, just slide your mouse pointer to the top edge or the bottom middle edge of the screen.
Tips: you can hold ALT and drag anywhere on a window to move it if you cant access the title bar.
Optional:
20. If you want the netbook to bootup to a graphical interface, install lightdm.
$ sudo apt install lightdm
If this doesn't work for you when you bootup into lightdm, or to revert to startx on commandline, press CTRL+ALT+F1 on the lightdm login, login to commmand line and type:
$ sudo apt remove lightdm
Sources:
- https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/Documentation/MinimalInstall
- https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE
- https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-desktop-74/linux-for-a-wyse-z90d7-thin-client-4gb-hd-2gb-ram-4175612519/
- https://devuan.org/os/documentation/dev1fanboy/minimal-xfce-install
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