Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[Sky Aisling]

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this.
Please advise if there is a more appropriate posting place.
Thank you.

Booting Linux instead of Windows 8 *bricks* some Samsung laptops

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/02/booting-linux-instead-of-windows-8-bricks-some-samsung-laptops/

[Bligh]

There is a blurb on tuxmachines today.
h-online.com: On Thursday morning, Linus Torvalds merged two changes into the main Linux development tree which mean that the samsung-laptop kernel driver will no longer be activated when Linux is booted via UEFI (1, 2). This should resolve the problem of some Samsung laptops being irreparably damaged when Linux is booted using UEFI.
Cheers

[Sky Aisling]

Thanks, Bligh

I saw that also.

[nooby]

Good that Linus T. acted upon it but too late for those
unfortunate to not suspect such could happen.

[nooby]

Is it only on Samsung?

I thought of buying this Acer they build under their
Packard Bell trade name. A kind of Sister Company. ?

http://www.elgiganten.se/product/datorer-tillbehor/barbar-dator/PBNXC1FED012/MoreInfo

Text in Swedish the google search for it give priority to
Sweden so fail to find what it is named in AngloAmerican countries.

It have Win 8 and Intel Celeron 1000M CPU 4GB of DRAM
and are 64bit architecture and it has 500GB HD
but maybe that one is not NTFS due to the Win 8
using other format now?

Most likely it has the famous UEFI boot thing?

It does not cost much some 3000SEK
which is very cheap for that much computer?

Now can one install puppy frugally on it?
Would it allow me to boot with a dual boot
Grup4DOS maybe ?

Would it get bricked if one try?

Should I start a thread in Beginners?
I have to buy it within say 24 hours so
hope somebody can give advice or else
it get sold out fast.

[8-bit]

If the laptop/desktop has a CD/DVD-rw drive, it seems like one could boot a multisession version of Puppy and save back to the CD/DVD without bricking the PC.
Am I wrong in that thinking?
Or will UEFI allow the media to boot at all?

I have a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7 64bit and I am able to boot a Puppy DVD and use it with no problems.
But I do not know if it uses UEFI.
How would one check the laptop to see if it does?

[nooby]

I am too lazy to find out.
But I made a phone call
to the biggest chain that sell
computers among other things

elgiganten.se and they are selling
a Packard Bell Easy Note TE
that is 64Bit and Intel 1000M CPU
with 4gb RAM and ms win8
and the typical answer from them
was that one lose the warranty if one
change anything on the computer.

they had not even heard of UEFI
so not very encouraging.

I will wait and only buy when the
android computers without fan comes along.

Maybe an ASUS Nexus 7 if that one
could be run as a kind of "desktop in disguise
to connect keyboard and mouse and external
big Screen and so on. nexus 7 seems to allow
that one root it and install linux? I know too little

[Flash]

According to this article, just booting Linux from a live CD will brick late model Samsung laptops with UEFI BIOS. This would include multisession Puppies.

Supposedly, Samsung is already working on a fix. No word on whether they will fix bricked laptops for free.

[nooby]

Yes but did not Linus Torvalds also for the Linux Foundation
in the kernel the drivers? I reas somewhere that he saw to it
that they tried to fix it but that it is next upgrade of the Linux Kernel

But I have a poor memory and are not good at searching for such text