[Pipo X7] OS - Linux

[no_spam_for_me]

I had done some useful extracts from [Freaktab Developer Review] Pipo X7 Windows 8.1 TV Box by rrileypm

I don't no if its any help or not but I no that Linuxium (Ian Morrison) has got Ubuntu 14.10 up and running on the meegopad https://plus.google.com/+IanMORRISON/posts/JcYDGALYhy5

I had no trouble booting 64-bit ubuntu 14.10 using a method described by Linuxium here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-but4zM3pM_9A4COpqpk2XigDn16j-ZKUjHDzCRbkvY

(Permission is required for some reason).

Unfortunately, wi-fi is not recognized at all by linux (I don't even see a device anywhere), but ethernet works fine.
Here is the output of lsusb and lspci:

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0781:5567 SanDisk Corp. Cruzer Blade
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05e3:0608 Genesys Logic, Inc. USB-2.0 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0a46:1269 Davicom Semiconductor, Inc.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series SoC Transaction Register (rev 0f)00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics & Display (rev 0f)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series USB xHCI (rev 0f)
00:1a.0 Encryption controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Trusted Execution Engine (rev 0f)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Power Control Unit (rev 0f)

One more problem under linux: audio doesn't work. This is much worse than lack of Wi-Fi...

The document, including the reasons for why "permission is required", is on my G+ post here https://plus.google.com/109451178006...ts/2CvzasQT7nB where I have also included some performance statistics and comparisons. I also show the device successfully dual-booting here https://plus.google.com/109451178006...ts/HGyy9P79ZUm.

For the sake of completeness, I'll reprint my explanation here:
Prior to purchasing this device I confirmed with the seller that it worked with Windows, Android and Linux.
After weeks of being promised that the device would be shipped "tomorrow", I finally received it. Only to find that Windows is not activated, there is no dual-boot Android and Linux isn't available.
I paid USD 160 for this device back in October. $110 for the base device plus $10 for the 2G RAM version plus $30 for shipping and a further $10 for payment fees.
Unfortunately discussions with the supplier are farcical. They now say it is an "hdmi stick with windows system but without license". Regarding Android they say "we prefer you can test windows 8.1 system" and for Linux the response is "linux supported but our buttom still not finished so now it cannot be installed linux at the moment". I also asked them how to re-install Windows after I corrupted my device however the instructions they sent do not work.
So why have I made my instructions for installing Linux private?
Firstly I don't feel particularly benevolent to Chinese device manufacturers and sellers who continually leverage my work for their profit without any recognition, donations or even a thanks.
Secondly I don't want people to randomly try some instructions on the spur of the moment and then corrupt their device when there are no working recovery solutions available at the moment.
Thirdly I put effort and time into writing and testing the instructions. In the past I've had no visibility of how many people are actually interested in things I've done. Certainly if donations are to go on then I'm wasting my time.
Hence the document is private, but freely available to anyone who asks for it in the hope that they are genuinely interested, know what they are doing, and perhaps even thankful for it.

First thanks a lot for your work, it's really appreciated, even if not always acknowledged.

Many of the negative reasons you wrote about Meego don't apply to X7:
- It's clearly marketed as Windows only, anyone buying it for Linux is doing so at his own risk
- The windows is activated
- It's only ~100$
- The manufacturer is a decently big company with lots of products
- Once you boot to Linux liveCD, you can save an image of original mmcblk0 to a hard drive for recovery purposes, maybe it should be suggested in your instructions.

[linuxium]

I had done some useful extracts from [Freaktab Developer Review] Pipo X7 Windows 8.1 TV Box by rrileypm

Just FYI, unfortunately I cannot afford to buy the Pipo X7 and Pipo don't want to provide me one so I won't be developing anything for this device as I have nothing to test on.

[phinc]

Just FYI, unfortunately I cannot afford to buy the Pipo X7 and Pipo don't want to provide me one so I won't be developing anything for this device as I have nothing to test on.

That's definately a bad decision of pipo. It would definately boost sales if you did your linux magic on the x7 . Maybe rrileypm can ask his friend at pipo if he could send you one...

[noggin]

Or if a couple of us here fancied sharing the purchase to get one to linuxium

[no_spam_for_me]

FYI

CNX Software have just linked to a live image for the Meegopad T01 of Ubuntu 14.10. It appears that some stuff is still missing driver support - but could be worth a try on the Pipo as well?

http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/01/19/install-ubuntu-14-10-on-meegopad-t01-with-a-live-iso/

(Apologies if posting this in both the Meegopad and Pipo X7 subforums is against protocol)

*EDIT* Plus details on wifi driver installation here? http://www.armtvtech.com/armtvtechfo...?f=574&t=79716

[Jim_D]

Yesterday I've been playing with my PiPO X7, first making a full backup of the internal storage with Clonezilla, and afterwards installing Ubuntu on the eMMC. This all went perfectly, except the point of getting it to boot from the internal EFI. I copied over the same GRUB EFI binary I used to boot from my USB stick, and GRUB booted succesfully, and after some fiddling it would try to start Ubuntu, but it never succeeded in that. First it was complaining about the command `[' not being found. It seems the EFI binary of GRUB (or at least the 32 bits EFI binary) doesn't support if statements in the grub.cfg file. I removed those, and manually created a grub.cfg without all the if statements. When trying to boot it now, at one point it just freezes, it gives no textual output, so I have nothing to debug...

Anyone got any further than that?

Edit: this was the official Ubuntu 14.10 image, not the live image for the MeegoPad T01.

[no_spam_for_me]

Clonezilla...
The Ubuntu-Based AMD64 version (http://clonezilla.org/downloads/down...ch=alternative) ???

[Jim_D]

Clonezilla...
The Ubuntu-Based AMD64 version (http://clonezilla.org/downloads/down...ch=alternative) ???

No, I used the current stable release, the Debian-based i686-pae version.

[Finless]

Gearbest, Geekbuying, or other vendors!

Just FYI, unfortunately I cannot afford to buy the Pipo X7 and Pipo don't want to provide me one so I won't be developing anything for this device as I have nothing to test on.

Forget Pipo... Lets try another way.

Gearbest, Geekbuying, or any other vendor here, want some brownie points?

Any chance you can send linuxium a X7 for Linux development?

Bob

[Flumpster]

Forget Pipo... Lets try another way.

Gearbest, Geekbuying, or any other vendor here, want some brownie points?

Any chance you can send linuxium a X7 for Linux development?

Bob

I'm still waiting for mine and I was the only person on the dev team who was interested in these baytrail chips originally lol. I even turned down other boxes and said I would wait for this. Sods law.

[doublea]

If you're able to post a Donate link, I'm in for $10 and I'm sure another 10 users would be up to doing the same to get you a box.

Just FYI, unfortunately I cannot afford to buy the Pipo X7 and Pipo don't want to provide me one so I won't be developing anything for this device as I have nothing to test on.

[doublea]

Audio Hardware IDs

The baytrail chipset does has some kind of integrated audio support, but I don't think it is used on the X7 for the front audio jack.

Here is the Intel Device ID:
Intel SST Audio Device (WDM)
Device ID is: 8086:0F28

However, I suspect the audio jack is using a realtek chip, as there is this:
Realtek I2S Audio Codec
10EC:5640

It may actually be 10EC:5642 as that appears in the BIOS. There is an ALSA driver out there for RT5639/40/42 if someone wants to try with one of the IDs: 10EC:5640 or 10EC:5642.

[rrileypm]

If you're able to post a Donate link, I'm in for $10 and I'm sure another 10 users would be up to doing the same to get you a box.

That's right, Linuxium....If you post your Paypal link...I'll spot you $10 or so. We really need to get you one of these boxes.

[noggin]

That's right, Linuxium....If you post your Paypal link...I'll spot you $10 or so. We really need to get you one of these boxes.

Me too.

[Jim_D]

I've been able to succesfully install Ubuntu, but never got it to boot from the internal EFI. I can get it to boot from the USB EFI, when just copying the Ubuntu section from the grub.cfg from the Ubuntu install to my USB... On the internal EFI, GRUB boots properly, but it just refuses to boot Ubuntu, it freezes when trying to boot, without any error messages to go on... I tried the grub-efi-ia32 package as well as a copy of the bootia32.efi used on my USB stick (which works when loaded from USB), but both of them had the same problem, it just freezes. If anyone has a clue, or wants to know how I got this far, let me know. Linuxium's guide for the MeegoPad is a great start of course.

I haven't been playing with any drivers (e.g. sound) yet, because I first wanted to make it boot properly, without needing a USB stick.