Pinebook Pro & PinePhone shipping progress (2020)

[nathanielwheeler]

OP post updated.

@Luke 

will you come out to clarify that having manjaro installed on the pinebook pro is a standard thing as advertised or is it a non-essential ? 

can i have the expectation that manjaro will be installed when i power up my device upon received?

Yes, you absolutely should have received a unit with Manjaro preinstalled. I have believe that during QA your original PBP was deemed somehow faulty or not up-to the standard and exchanged for one kept in storage (we keep a handful of units for RMA from each production). Those units were not flashed with Manjaro however, as they were produced previously - in January if memory serves me right.

As for resolving the situation: Manjaro offers an installer that will allow you to flash their default OS image to eMMC using a SD card in a matter of minutes - link. 

If you require assistance with this process, please join the chats and someone will walk you though the required steps. Alternatively, you're welcome to join Manjaro ARM forums and submit your query there.

Apologies for the situation.

Just got my Pinebook Pro in, multiple days ahead of schedule!  The only thing that has so far upset me with it is that it is installed with Debian/MATE, when I was really excited for pre-installed KDE Manjaro.

i thought that manjaro was promised when the order was make.. another screw up by the factory after stringent QC?

so sad to hear this ..

I thought this was the case as well. I'm afraid I haven't been having the easiest time installing Manjaro myself either.  There isn't a real bootloader, not an interactive one anyway, and it prefers microSD card installation and won't recognize a USB image unless it's perfectly formatted.  I'm going through the frustrating process of erasing my raspbian OS from my only microSD and installing the recommended image on it.

Oh, and don't even try the Pine64 installer, it hasn't been updated in 2 years, and the Manjaro KDE URL hasn't even been updated within it.

This sucks.

I think @Luke might wanna explain this?

Please don't try to come up with something like its open software, the fun is doing it yourself.. I mean we have been very tolerant with the delayed delivery so that you guys can get your issue solved but looks like the issue is still not solved completely, I'm keeping my fingers cross as I haven't received my device yet.

Are you paying the workers at the factory so that they can sleep on their job? 

And yes I'm a consumer, I pay for my device I expect it to be how it was promised when I placed my order. 


Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

Update: I have successfully booted Manjaro KDE from a microSD card (stolen from my Raspberry Pi, RIP).  I think I was expecting it to be like it was when I installed Manjaro on my old desktop, where there was an installation utility to actually transfer it from the USB to the actual hard drive.  No luck here.  I will be putting up a question on the Manjaro ARM forums asking for how to replace the default OS, because at the moment I am stuck leaving the microSD card perpetually in my PBP.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank @wils91 and @Luke for their helpful words and advice.

---

I just realized that I did a dumb when I was making that microSD card, using the eMMC installer by Manjaro ARM, I did so on my desktop Manjaro.  However, when that system finished flashing that installer image to my microSD, for some bizarre reason, manjaro thought it would be a good idea to immediately run that installer...on the microSD.  So I of course, without thinking, did what I was prompted and installed over the installer.

In my defense, this was at about 1am in the morning.

Anyway, the moral of the story is: don't install OS's tired kids!