The trials of trying to install Linux distros while being not very technical
This evening I spurned a very tempting social invitation to stay home and install a new OS on my eeee. Oh how I wish I hadn't...
Decide to try eeebuntu, which, like yesterday's Xubuntu, claims its wireless "works out of the box"
Can only find torrent of eeebuntu.
Macbook has no torrent client.
Download torrent client.
Torrent eeebuntu.iso
Try to burn to CD. Is too big.
Decide is quicker to investigate possible existence of DVD burner by inserting DVD than by looking up specs.
Discover CD drive ignores DVDs. Cannot get DVD out without restarting computer.
Find utility for making bootable USB sticks without having to burn a CD of the .iso.
Utility only comes in Windows and Linux flavours.
Download Linux flavour.
Can't bear to restart Macbook into Xubuntu, so transfer utlity to eee via USB stick.
Xandros (currently running on the eee) won't recognise the installer.
Restart eee with Xubuntu (still on SD card from yesterday)
Realise after trial and error that program needs to be given permission to run.
GUI for permissions is all ghosted.
Fire up terminal window.
Spend ages working out where program is to give it permission to run.
Start live-USB utility.
Transfer .iso from Macbook to eee via USB stick.
Try to put the .iso somewhere I will later be able to find it.
Forget to clean up USB stick, so first attempt to make it bootable fails for lack of space.
Clean up USB stick.
Attempt to make stick bootable appears to work.
Restart eee and attempt to boot from stick.
"Invalid system disk error".
Restart eee with Xubuntu.
Try to run bootable-USB utility again.
Have to set permission again.
Cannot remember how to get to location of utility. Find recognisable location and move utility into it with GUI.
Give utility permission to run.
"7z not found. This is required for either install mode. Install the "p7zip-full package or your distribution's equivalent" (ignored this first time round. Wonder if it matters.)
Search for p7zip-full.
Find instructions for downloading.
Follow instructions.
Remember that the reason I'm doing this whole thing in the first place is absence of internet connection to eee under anything other than Xandros.
Go in search of ethernet cable.
Find ethernet cable and plug eee into router. Nothing.
Restart eee. Still no connection.
Give up on zip thing. Try to rerun bootable-USB-making utility. Can't find it. Suspect it's vanished.
Gradually achieve fragments of understanding of Linux file structures.
Cannot do anything because SD card is full.
Suspect multiple versions of .iso files and bootable-USB-utilities hiding all over the place.
Realise have no idea how to move (as opposed to copy) files.
Files recalcitrantly refuse to be deleted in the GUI.
Dredge "rm" command from memory. Use it.
Rerun bootable-USB-making utility.
Detect no extra options which I missed.
USB stick fails again to be bootable.
Hug Macbook. Cry.
(Occasions of restarting eee in different OSes always feature at least two attempts, as I get the timing of holding the escape key wrong. Booting Ubuntu is much slower than booting Xandros.)
It's possible I'm not cut out for this :-(
Decide to try eeebuntu, which, like yesterday's Xubuntu, claims its wireless "works out of the box"
Can only find torrent of eeebuntu.
Macbook has no torrent client.
Download torrent client.
Torrent eeebuntu.iso
Try to burn to CD. Is too big.
Decide is quicker to investigate possible existence of DVD burner by inserting DVD than by looking up specs.
Discover CD drive ignores DVDs. Cannot get DVD out without restarting computer.
Find utility for making bootable USB sticks without having to burn a CD of the .iso.
Utility only comes in Windows and Linux flavours.
Download Linux flavour.
Can't bear to restart Macbook into Xubuntu, so transfer utlity to eee via USB stick.
Xandros (currently running on the eee) won't recognise the installer.
Restart eee with Xubuntu (still on SD card from yesterday)
Realise after trial and error that program needs to be given permission to run.
GUI for permissions is all ghosted.
Fire up terminal window.
Spend ages working out where program is to give it permission to run.
Start live-USB utility.
Transfer .iso from Macbook to eee via USB stick.
Try to put the .iso somewhere I will later be able to find it.
Forget to clean up USB stick, so first attempt to make it bootable fails for lack of space.
Clean up USB stick.
Attempt to make stick bootable appears to work.
Restart eee and attempt to boot from stick.
"Invalid system disk error".
Restart eee with Xubuntu.
Try to run bootable-USB utility again.
Have to set permission again.
Cannot remember how to get to location of utility. Find recognisable location and move utility into it with GUI.
Give utility permission to run.
"7z not found. This is required for either install mode. Install the "p7zip-full package or your distribution's equivalent" (ignored this first time round. Wonder if it matters.)
Search for p7zip-full.
Find instructions for downloading.
Follow instructions.
Remember that the reason I'm doing this whole thing in the first place is absence of internet connection to eee under anything other than Xandros.
Go in search of ethernet cable.
Find ethernet cable and plug eee into router. Nothing.
Restart eee. Still no connection.
Give up on zip thing. Try to rerun bootable-USB-making utility. Can't find it. Suspect it's vanished.
Gradually achieve fragments of understanding of Linux file structures.
Cannot do anything because SD card is full.
Suspect multiple versions of .iso files and bootable-USB-utilities hiding all over the place.
Realise have no idea how to move (as opposed to copy) files.
Files recalcitrantly refuse to be deleted in the GUI.
Dredge "rm" command from memory. Use it.
Rerun bootable-USB-making utility.
Detect no extra options which I missed.
USB stick fails again to be bootable.
Hug Macbook. Cry.
(Occasions of restarting eee in different OSes always feature at least two attempts, as I get the timing of holding the escape key wrong. Booting Ubuntu is much slower than booting Xandros.)
It's possible I'm not cut out for this :-(