Pinebook Pro- configuration aborts setting keyboard layout

[scroall]

I have gotten to various places in the initial setup by messing around with different keys/combos (I got to enter a username, got to enter my full name at one point) but I haven't been able to get to a point where anything is permanently improved, and never past entering a password for the account, blank or otherwise.

I've tried burning a newer Manjaro image to microsd, but either the images I burn weren't created correctly, the PBP isn't recognizing the card reader, or the boot order is not set to prioritize the microSD slot, as I've read in a number of places it is meant to do.

I'm not sure when the next time will be that I can spend any significant time sorting this out. Tomorrow, for sure, I need to spend a few hours helping my mom dig out of the digital clutter my dad left behind.

I knew when I bought the PBP that there might be issues, and I was prepared for that. I've managed to get various flavours of linux running on all manner of discarded Macs and PCs, so I figured I would be able to work through whatever came my way. But this has left me pretty deflated. I can't even get this thing to sort-of work

I'll try to revisit it in a few days...