Linux On Yepo 737A

YEPO_737A.md

Yepo 737A + Linux

• Boot Menu F2 or Del

• Boot Device Menu F7

• WARNING: Dont change the OS from Windows to "Intel Linux" on the BIOS. Doing that causes the screen to not startup at BIOS time making impossible to enter into it again (requires to drain the battery and press power button several times to reset the settings)

Observation of functional distributions:

• Debian 10
• Ubuntu 18.04
• Archlinux
• Solus OS

Live USB

From Linux

• Format USB (FAT32 + MBR Partition Table)
  • (Optional) Use gparted
• Copy ISO with dd bs=4M if=/path/to/iso of=/dev/sdX && sync
• Boot
  • If doesn't boot, try a newer iso (see Grub bug below) or use something like reFIND
• Install
  • Don't forget ~100MB for a EFI System Partition (ESP)

From Windows

Use Rufus.

• MBR for BIOS or UEFI

Issues

• Getting a working (u)efi usb stick
  • Worked out of the box with:
    • Archlinux
    • Solus OS
    • Debian 10
    • Ubuntu 18.04
  • If your ISO fails, use reFIND or see frub fix below.
• Grub fails to boot (happens with old Grub like on Debian 9).
  • Fixes:
    • https://medium.com/@pawitp/grub-2-issue-on-intel-n4200-97c12d4db8af
    • https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/grub.git/commit/?id=446794de8da4329ea532cbee4ca877bcafd0e534
• Touchpad not working or partially working
  • Fixes:
    • https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1728244
    • https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=199821
    • https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/10597519
• Wifi is slow (Realtek RTL8723BU 0bda:b720)

  • Fix: use vendor driver instead of mainline one.

    a. First establish internet connection by other means, for example by ethernet cable.

    b. Launch a terminal window. (You can launch a terminal window like this: Click)

    c. Copy/paste the following command line into the terminal, in order to install the required build packages (the building tools with which you're going to build the driver):

    sudo apt-get install git build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)
    

    d. Download the driver packages by means of git, with this command (use copy/paste):

    git clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8723bu
    

    Are the driver packages no longer available on github.com? Then get the driver packages from here (driver as it was on May 2, 2018). Then unpack the zipped file in your home folder, because it's a compressed folder. Don't unpack it in the subfolder Downloads, because then the ensuing terminal commands won't work.

    e. Now you're going to disable a line in the makefile of the new driver, because without this hack, two instances of the wireless chipset will show in Network Manager (which would of course be bizarre and useless). The command below is one line; make sure you copy/paste it, in order to avoid typing errors:

    sed -i 's/EXTRA_CFLAGS += -DCONFIG_CONCURRENT_MODE/#EXTRA_CFLAGS += -DCONFIG_CONCURRENT_MODE/g' ~/rtl8723bu/Makefile
    

    Press Enter.

    f. Now compile the required kernel module from the driver packages. Copy/paste this line into the terminal, in order to enter the folder with the driver packages:

    cd rtl8723bu
    

    And then run this command:

    make
    

    g. Finally, install the compiled module with this command:

    sudo make install
    

    h. Reboot your computer.

    i. Your wifi should work well now: click on the icon of Network Manager in the system tray, in order to see the available wireless networks.

from Windows to "Intel Linux" on the BIOS. Doing that causes the screen to not startup at BIOS time

Just connect a second HDMI monitor to your Yepo 737A, and you will be able to reach BIOS, and even install Linux (Linux Mint in my case) without Rufus.