Resetting PC without factory reset option.

[#1]

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@shutter wrote:

@AWB70  Further experimenting with ZORIN 16 CORE.

I installed a spare HDD into the Toshiba 12inch laptop. then installed ZORIN 16 CORE from a USB stick. using ONLY the touch screen.

 Zorin fourm thread on T100HA; everything working other than sound output muted by default.

I don't know if that T100HA was the 2Gb or 4Gb RAM model or whether it was Zorin Core (GNOME 3.x) or Lite (XFCE).

I've used Linux on a Surface Pro 6 in the past and found vanilla GNOME 3.x / 4x (on Fedora) to be easily the best experience when using a touch device without a physical keyboard. YMMV

[#2]

@AWB70  The hdd had an older version of Mint20.1 on it. with some other files/folders as a standby machine.

When I booted up with the USB stick installed, the install procedure asks if I want to install "alongside linux mint..>" or  wipe the space and install as a fresh install....

so.. I never did any physical formatting of partition work prior to the install.

Personaly, I find Linux Mint  with WINE works well for me.  much prefer it to ZORIN 16 , Although they are both Linux, there are some significant operating differences between the two systems, that need a new learning curve... for example. to "copy" from a usb stick to a "new folder"  on zorin you have to go through  different stages, as there is no "paste" or "paste into folder" option on the "right click"drop down menu. Also you do not get any indication that the "paste" has been successful, unless you try to open the folder to "prove" it has happened !. 

I`ll spend the afternoon doing a new install of Mint 21 and then WINE to give you some figures on the amount of space it takes up on the HDD.

[#3]

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@shutter wrote:

[...]

Personaly, I find Linux Mint  with WINE works well for me.  much prefer it to ZORIN 16 , Although they are both Linux, there are some significant operating differences between the two systems, that need a new learning curve... for example. to "copy" from a usb stick to a "new folder"  on zorin you have to go through  different stages, as there is no "paste" or "paste into folder" option on the "right click"drop down menu.

 GNOME 3.x (as used on Zorin Core) has the 'Paste' and 'Paste Into Folder' option on 'right click' menu (no drop down required).

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Also you do not get any indication that the "paste" has been successful, unless you try to open the folder to "prove" it has happened !. 

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You'll only get a visual cue that a file is being copied (and completed) if it's sufficiently large; choose to drag and drop a file on to a 'new folder' and the 'new folder' will open to to let you drop it.

[#4]

@AWB70  OK..  new install on the 512GB ssd  previously had full install and all docs /files /folders as stand by machine.

Already had Mint 21 downloaded....  used "USB Image Writer" from the menu . to burn the iso to the usb 

Time taken 5 minutes

Put the usb into the Toshiba and booted up. took  1 minute to have a working desktop on the USB "live" o.s.

Clicked the Install icon....  during the install procedure used "Erase Disc and install Mint" option.

From start to finish of the install took 17 minutes

 On completion of the install....

Partition 1  537MB - fat - 530MB free  1.4% full

Partition 2 512GB - ext4 - 429GB free  - 3.8% full

Updated the update manager, and then it showed 175 updates  = 918MB

took 30 mins to download and install... ( due to my connection speed being only 25Mb )

After installing updates.

Partition 1 537MB  - fat  - 529MB free   1.4% full

Partition 2 512GB  -ext4 - 490GB free   - 4.2% full

Installed WINE 8 from this link https://www.linuxcapable.com/how-to-install-wine-on-linux-mint/ 

(incidentally, the writer forgot to inclued a final instruction to configure wine  using a terminal command

wine cfg

This installs a couple of other small sofwares that make installing Windows software easier.

After completion of installing WINE 8   Which took about 15 minutes.

Partition 1 537MB  - fat - 529MB free

Partiion 2 512GB -ext4 - 488GB free - 4.7% full

Regarding "Swap File".... looking at the "File System" folder > Home >  ( user name) it shows there is a 2.1GB  unknown file .

[#5]

Little update, yes it takes me a while to get round to stuff  

On the Windows front, Asus advised that the recovery partition is probably corrupted and advised using the media creation tool to do a fresh install. Problem with that is it requires 8gig of space to carry it out! I probably could get down to that if I started uninstalling built in windows software, I'll probably come back to that later to see if it's dooable.

On the linux front, I've setup Zorin in a VM on my new windows 11 pc just to get a feel for it and it isn't bad. I managed to get a bootable usb going and tried it on the old asus (after some fighting) it actually seems to run a bit smoother from a stick than w10 runs from the SSD!

Problem is when it boots up I need to change the orientation of the screen and change the keyboard layout as the numberlock appears to be on. I don't see an option to make the usb persistant in rufus, is there another way to save these settings so I don't have to change them all again before I boot?

The only other issue I've came across so far is when the tablet is removed from the keyboard although the screen orientation is right the touching of the screen appears to be inverted if that makes sense?

[#6]

@AWB70 

1..  Why not install ZORIN on the USB stick... and you can use it "live" from that.

Also you will have available the Linux "Usb Image Writer" software in the "menu". 

2. from this page..... https://ubunlog.com/en/rufus-3-7-beta-te-permite-crear-un-live-usb-de-ubuntu-con-almacenamiento-pers...

it mentions making "persistence" in item 8 below ...

How to create an Ubuntu / Debian Live USB with persistent storage with Rufus 3.7 or later

IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that we are going to use a version of Rufus in beta, so we must test it to create a USB with persistent storage of an Ubuntu / Debian installation that is not working because it could present a fault. The steps to follow are below:

1. We get an ISO of any Ubuntu / Debian based version. As well it is assumed that works with other operating systems.
2. From a Windows computer, we access this link.
3. In the "Downloads" section, we click on "Other versions.
4. We downloaded Rufus 3.7 beta (the direct link today is this).
5. We execute the downloaded file and accept the warning message.
6. In "Device", we choose our pendrive.
7. In "Boot choice", we choose the ISO we want to use. A new option will appear.
8. We indicate the size that we will give to our persistent hard disk. The maximum is 5GB in FAT32, which is recommended.
9. It is recommended that we choose GPT in "Partition scheme" and in "Target system" it will depend on whether we use BIOS or UEFI.
10. If we want, we label the USB, like Ubuntu 19.04.
11. We can also (recommended) format the pendrive. By default it already does.
12. Finally, we click on START and wait. Once the process is finished, our pendrive should work on any computer with BIOS or UEFI, depending on what we have chosen.

Maybe it takes a while to create the flash drive, but you know, it's Windows.

The content of the article adheres to our principles of editorial ethics. To report an error click here.

Full path to article: ubunlog » Ubuntu » Rufus 3.7 beta allows you to create an Ubuntu Live USB with persistent storage ... from Windows

Not sure what they meant by "hard drive" in item 8 above... perhaps a "typo" or a mis-reference to the usb memory being used "like" a hard drive, in the "live" operation usage of the USB O.S. 

[#7]

Thanks buddy, I'll have a go at that. I only have one 32g usb stick with a micro usb connector on (has a normal usb connection on the other end) I think that's where booting from the stick became problematic for me. The screen or tablet if you like has a micro usb connection on it whereas the normal usb connection is built into the keyboard which I suspect doesn't work until things have booted up so I couldn't get bios to recognise the usb stick without it being plugged into the micro usb on the tablet.

Also, I can't get into the bios for some reason, think I managed it once by fluke. Everything I've read says hold down volume down and power button but that didn't work for me, I once did that a pressed some random f keys for good measure and it did work (possi9bly F2) but like I say didn't recognise the USB.

The best way I've found was to let W10 load up,  go to "reset this PC", then I get the option to boot into uefi usb which then works.

Thinking about it what I may do is take the 32gig stick to work and create the bootable media using the Zorin I have in the VM. I think the MS version of Rufus I used was 4.1. or 4.7 and I couldn't see the option for making it persistent, It also wouldn't let me update the usb due to lack of space although I believe you can't update it even with persistent mode,maybe that's just the kernel though. I would have thought 32g would have been enough to create an updated stick?

Anyway, plan is to see how things go running from a live stick and if all's well maybe install it. I'm planning to try and make a w10 installation stick as well for good measure so if I ever want to sell the device I could roll it back if needs be. 

Might even see what the light version of mint uses resource wise and give that a crack.

[#8]

(28) Linux Tips - Install Full ZorinOS on a USB Drive (2023) - YouTube that seems like pretty much the way to do this.

[#9]

@AWB70  That video.... good find !...early on in the video, it does say you need 2 USB sticks !..   ( at 1:44 )which is, self evident if you download the live version onto the first, you will need a 2nd USB to make it a permanent install that you can use as a "mobile" computer !.  So get yourself a good quality, hi-speed 32 or 64 GB USB stick for the "real thing" ! ! ! .

As for the "standard usb" and the phone/micro OTG usb.... you need one of these !

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171380585472?

I use one on my tablet and on my phone, to use a full size 32GB usb stick. no problem !.

For my tablet set up. with a tablet usb keyboard.  I have a wired adapter from OTG to female USB. this runs to a 4 port USB block.   (  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385737014862?  ) from there, I run the keyboard, mouse, and any USB`s. ( even have a small adapter for micro sd cards that can be plugged in) , either to usb or OTG, 

Long time since I had to get into the BIOS on the tablet.  but I do remember the volume & power buttons together. I think there was another way, using a couple of other keys, possibly holding down power button and repeat pressing on F8 or F10 or Escape. 

Screen orientation on the tablet.... have you got a  " Lock Screen" icon, or a setting "Auto Rotate" on/off slider .

[#10]

@shutter 

"early on in the video, it does say you need 2 USB sticks"

Surely having zorin in a vm negates the need for one of the sticks no? Creating the boot disc in there to the usb I intend to use?

Regarding USB, I currently use a 32gig stick with micro/standard ends on depending on which way you open it. The tablet itself has three ways to connect, micro usb or usb C built into the tablet and a further standard USB port as part of the detachable keyboard, don't think it's blue so I'm guessing it's quite a slow one. Like I mentioned though this goes into the keyboard and I don't think the keyboard gets recognised until the os starts, possibly needs drivers, I could be wrong though.

Not sure if maybe getting a usb c stick might yield better results for transfer speeds as whichever stick I buy will always be bottle necked by the machine itself. There's also a micro SD card slot on there which I currently use for extra storage for the W10

I found some info that says, "The keyboard dock offers just one USB 2.0 port on its right side, and does not include batteries or extra features. We would have preferred a USB 3.0 port to 2.0, but you can still take advantage of USB 3.0 devices with an adapter for the USB-C port"

As for the keyboard, I think this connects to the tablet via the pins on its own docking mechanism as oppose to being USB.

"Screen orientation on the tablet.... have you got a " Lock Screen" icon, or a setting "Auto Rotate" on/off slider" 

Something I'll have to look in to once I get everything else up and running, the issue I had was I could change the display to the correct rotation in Zorin display settings but when using the tablet as a tablet if I touched the screen in the bottom left corner it thought I was touching the screen in the bottom right.

[#11]

@AWB70  ok. understand about ZORIN in the VM... not sure if that would work, for making the "2nd" usb though.. Never tried that.  but the video does say that you need to get the fastest USB stick possible ( assuming you are very rich , of course  ! ! !  ) . as the speed of operation of the O.S. from the USB will be throttled by the speed of the usb..perhaps have a look on ebay and see what is on offer,

USB connection and keyboard connection.... you said.

The tablet itself has three ways to connect, micro usb or usb C built into the tablet and a further standard USB port as part of the detachable keyboard,

So, to eliminate the "no  USB until the O.S. and keyboard are detected" bit... I would suggest using one of the adapters I mentioned plugged in to the tablet itself, and that should work... ( maybe your USB with the micro OTG end is not compatible   - although I would expect it to be compatible... ! ( some recharge cables only have 2 connection out of 4 and cannot be used for file transfer ...)  some info on the question of a 5th connection, on this page 

https://superuser.com/questions/1733367/is-a-cable-between-two-otg-devices-5-wires

referring to the "ID" connection.

"The fifth pin, typically labeled with the ID signal, is always an input.
The system with the OTG port has to use this ID input to determine if this USB connection will be as a USB host, or if this USB connection will be a USB device (aka gadget).

there follows some detailed information after that.

[#12]

The reason for two usb sticks is one is required to boot into the installation media, the other is to install a working (i.e. normal) OS on to it.
If you try to install on the usb using a different device it won’t configure it correctly as it can’t see the hardware. You may well end up with a broken installation when trying it out on the target device.

[#13]

Lo again, so I took the plunge on this one and installed Zorin lite on to the transformer book. Have to say it was more from necessity, my first plan was to see if I did a clean install of win10 it might have improved performance but as @Baldrick1 pointed out maybe they haven't kept the drivers up to date, I couldn't install the network driver which sort of left me stuck. Even after installing I was back to 20gig used.

So now I have Zorin installed and sort of running, only taking up about 10 gig of space and going quite well other than the no sound issues previously mentioned, I've tried the solutions which were linked earlier in the post, one from the troubleshooting part of github and one from the Zorin forums with no luck but I think this is dooable! if I can make any sense of Zorin forum post. 

I encountered the exact same thing if I unmute everything in alsamixer I get whistling noise through the speakers but I don't think the poster English was their first language and it's hard to tell what they did next off the images they posted.

Make any sense to anyone else?

[#14]

Voices on and then voices off? Odd.

So, what sound device is this here? Output from inxi --audio?

[#15]

Yeah that is odd hence me thinking not first language.

Output....

Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium Processor x5-E8000/J3xxx/N3xxx Series
  Imaging Unit
  driver: N/A
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.15.0-78-generic

There appears to be some variations of sound cards on the T100  mines is the HA variant, in the other post I linked the answer seems to be for the A version and the answer for the HA version is linked to a google group which no longer exists.