09-20-2020, 12:43 PM
I'm sorry that this is turning out to be a bad experience for you. I know how it feels when you feel like a purchase wasn't worth it or a good deal. That sucks...
However... being a 'linux newbie' I don't think you should have pulled the eMMC at all... your first problem was simply that you didn't know the proper login user name, which you setup.
I know it may feel like the OS/Pinebook Pro did that to you; but... you entered a username, had you typed it in correctly Manjaro would have logged you right in.. in fact, even if you didn't know it there were ways at finding it out - but we're beyond that now.
I think NOW, you can burn any PBP image that you like to an SD Card and boot via SD. I would suggest Manjaro because its what is supported at shipping.
Here are PBP OSes:
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=..._Downloads
You would download one, again I'd use Manjaro, and then use Balena Etcher to burn this to an SD card.
After you burn it to an SD card, insert to the PBP and get logged into Manjaro. Then, Manjaro has an applicaiton that will flash the OS to your eMMC. (Doing what you originally asked, to make the device as it was the day it shipped.)
The name of that command, which I just learned about, is:
manjaro-arm-flasher
You can find this in the add software application - or pamac - in the Manjaro GUI...
I haven't flashed this over yet, but assume that its pretty straightforward. I was given a link to a thread on Manjaro forums discussing it, tho:
https://forum.manjaro.org/t/manjaro-arm-flasher/26002
DO note that you need to unmount the eMMC first, before running manjaro-arm-flasher... in that manjaro.org forum thread, they discuss this at length.
I'm sorry your events have created issues - TBH I'm having issues right now with my BBS server on Raspberry Pi and trying to get it to boot from USB/SSD drive instead of an SD Card. I updated the eeprom, using the NEW way in raspi-config... copied over the SD card to SSD and rebooted. It was an utter failure; all the systemctl events were failing, and it wouldn't boot into GUI. Then, I flashed over a STOCK raspberry pi os to the SSD and it booted, but had errors and was running stupid slow; long story short, I hadn't updated my system with sudo apt upgrade before, and it ended up being USER ERROR...
I know that sucks to hear, but if we get rid of USER ERROR, these devices perform. Let me know if you get beyond this issue. You CAN get manjaro on that eMMC just like it was on day 1 - and I hope you have a better experience.
Mine was the opposite with PBP. I turned it on and got logged into Manjaro... fine.
Then I flashed some OSes to SD Card and have been playing around with different ones... everything went easily.
I haven't opened the case yet, and don't plan to until way later... for me, the PBP is less of a tinker toy and more of an ARM based laptop to be used and compatible WITH my tinker toys. (Raspberry Pi projects, etc.)
Do let us know if you iron out your PBP issues. I think these devices are nice, and hate hearing a negative experience. Sorry.
However... being a 'linux newbie' I don't think you should have pulled the eMMC at all... your first problem was simply that you didn't know the proper login user name, which you setup.
I know it may feel like the OS/Pinebook Pro did that to you; but... you entered a username, had you typed it in correctly Manjaro would have logged you right in.. in fact, even if you didn't know it there were ways at finding it out - but we're beyond that now.
I think NOW, you can burn any PBP image that you like to an SD Card and boot via SD. I would suggest Manjaro because its what is supported at shipping.
Here are PBP OSes:
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=..._Downloads
You would download one, again I'd use Manjaro, and then use Balena Etcher to burn this to an SD card.
After you burn it to an SD card, insert to the PBP and get logged into Manjaro. Then, Manjaro has an applicaiton that will flash the OS to your eMMC. (Doing what you originally asked, to make the device as it was the day it shipped.)
The name of that command, which I just learned about, is:
manjaro-arm-flasher
You can find this in the add software application - or pamac - in the Manjaro GUI...
I haven't flashed this over yet, but assume that its pretty straightforward. I was given a link to a thread on Manjaro forums discussing it, tho:
https://forum.manjaro.org/t/manjaro-arm-flasher/26002
DO note that you need to unmount the eMMC first, before running manjaro-arm-flasher... in that manjaro.org forum thread, they discuss this at length.
I'm sorry your events have created issues - TBH I'm having issues right now with my BBS server on Raspberry Pi and trying to get it to boot from USB/SSD drive instead of an SD Card. I updated the eeprom, using the NEW way in raspi-config... copied over the SD card to SSD and rebooted. It was an utter failure; all the systemctl events were failing, and it wouldn't boot into GUI. Then, I flashed over a STOCK raspberry pi os to the SSD and it booted, but had errors and was running stupid slow; long story short, I hadn't updated my system with sudo apt upgrade before, and it ended up being USER ERROR...
I know that sucks to hear, but if we get rid of USER ERROR, these devices perform. Let me know if you get beyond this issue. You CAN get manjaro on that eMMC just like it was on day 1 - and I hope you have a better experience.
Mine was the opposite with PBP. I turned it on and got logged into Manjaro... fine.
Then I flashed some OSes to SD Card and have been playing around with different ones... everything went easily.
I haven't opened the case yet, and don't plan to until way later... for me, the PBP is less of a tinker toy and more of an ARM based laptop to be used and compatible WITH my tinker toys. (Raspberry Pi projects, etc.)
Do let us know if you iron out your PBP issues. I think these devices are nice, and hate hearing a negative experience. Sorry.
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pAULIE42o
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/s
pAULIE42o
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/s