Problem installing Icaros Desktop Live! 2.3 on Acer Aspire One ZG5

[stevensondav]

Hi Paolo, thank you for your amazing efforts to make this operating system. I have tried to install 2.3 on an Aspire One ZG5, exactly the model shown in part 1 of Stephen Jone's 3 part series on Youtube. I used a usb CD/DVD drive and boot from it using the bios menu but it always goes to a grub rescue prompt screen. I think the hardware is fine because I am able to install other versions of Icaros Desktop using the same method e.g. 2.2.6. Another small problem is that if I try to do a "full installation", the installer gets frozen when extracting something called "drucken.icon", every time. So I must choose "default installation" instead.
These are not complaints, I just thought it might be useful for you to know, as this laptop is one of the best supported and most recommended for Aros.

Thank you again for Icaros.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Acer Aspire One ZG5 is the best supported machine in terms of hardware, I also have this small laptop.
Make sure that there are no errors when reading the DVD, if necessary try the Icaros desktop Pendrive.

[stevensondav]

Thanks for the quick reply. Like I said I've used the same method that has worked for several other versions of Icaros, before and since trying 2.3. Same CD/DVD drive, same brand and type of DVD-R from the same batch etc. and the disc doesn't look scratched or in any way different than the other ones. Have you managed to install Icaros Desktop Live! 2.3 on your ZG5, or do you only use your own distro? I'm wondering if there will be an update available eventually, from 2.2.8 to 2.3

[AMIGASYSTEM]

I had a doubt for the new core, after your message I wanted to try with a Pendrive where before I had installed my Distribution without finding problems.

My Acer Aspire One ZG5 has its internal HD Broken, as you know it cannot be replaced !

Even if the DVD looks perfect it may be that the CD Player doesn't read it well, on a Virtual machine try to install IcarOS on a Pendrive and then boot your Aspire One from Pendrive.

[stevensondav]

I suppose I will try that. I've killed so many usb sticks doing things like that, that I usually try to find another way. Are you saying that your ZG5 HD was already broken, or have you just found out? If it was, how were you running Aros One on it, through usb? I've got a fair bit of hardware for making a compatible desktop too, I'll set that up soon. I might need to get a network card, but I should be sorted for everything else. Thanks for the advice.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

No it was given to me as a gift with broken HD, I also have a small "Dell Inspiron Mini 910" also well supported, only the Wifi Card does not work.

Why did you kill the Pendrives? It never happens to me!

However you can also use external HD or MemoryCard !

[stevensondav]

Yeah I saw the video of the Dell with audio and graphics working nicely. It looks great. Is it easy to put a compatible wifi card in one of those? I'll use an SD card for the ZG5, I've got some blank ones, so I won't need to back anything up. I don't know how I killed the USB drives, well one of them was for a self-booting linux based amigaOS emulation, which did warn me that it would render the stick useless to be fair! But there have been others that I've used for live media and even with diskpart I can't seem to fix them afterwards and nothing recognises them. Just one of life's mysteries haha!

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Then about the Dell just open a door to replace RAM, Wifi Card and HD, see screenshot made now on my Dell.

Attention SD Card Ports do not Boot from these laptops, you have to use a SD/USB adapter.

Regarding Pendrives, they are not always really Dead:

Pendrives do not install AROS, you only need to delete the Partitions from a Windows/Linux Partition Editor and leave it raw with no partitions.

The Pendrives that do not format anymore and are not really broken can be repaired with the Manufacturer's Tool (low level formatting initialization), in some cases finding these Tools is complicated but if you are lucky you will find them.

[stevensondav]

Okay, SD -> USB it is. Wow that looks MUCH easier than disassembling a ZG5!

[stevensondav]

I managed to fix one of my old usb sticks using diskpart, I'm not sure what I did differently last time but anyway I selected the disk and "clean"ed it and then created a full sized primary partition and left it RAW. Then I used vmware to make an Installation USB drive out of it, following the Icaros manual and one of your old videos about making an installation ON a pen drive with vmware. It worked and I've now got a full installation of 2.3 on the ZG5. So it seems likely that it was some problem between the iso image on the DVD and the external DVD drive. It seems quite an awkward way to install an OS, and quite a barrier to entry especially since most people are even less tech-savvy than me. Maybe there should be an image of the installation pendrive that people could just download and put on a stick using etcher. Bang, done. Then the whole process could be explained very simply. Just a thought. Anyway, thanks again for your advice mate.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

I said it was a problem with the DVD player or the DVD not being burned properly.

The Pendrive image already exists both for IcarOS and for my AROS One, what you have to do is "burn it on Pendrive", after this you will get a Pendriver with AROS Installed.
If you use a bigger Pendrive the unused part will be available to be formatted with another filesystem, for example if you use FAT32 this partition will be visible both on AROS side and on other OS.

On IcarOS but also on my AROS One there is a script created by Paolone that allows you to create a Live Pendrive to use instead of the DVD to install AROS on HD.

[stevensondav]

I know you did. Yes there is an Icaros pendrive image but from what I can find there is only the Lite version. So I don't think you can make an Icaros Live! installer pendrive from that as it just doesn't have all of the needed files on it. So for Icaros Live! you need to follow the instructions on page 34 of the Icaros manual, and use optical media and drives, or the iso and a virtual machine. I will try your distribution also soon, are there any significant differences between it and Icaros? I think it looks a bit better overall, but I know that each has many different themes available.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

On Icaros Lite there are all the files needed to create a Live Pendrive, you must have  Raw Pendrive, no partitions and no bootlader must be present, make sure it is well cleaned otherwise the Pendrive will not boot from the PC .

[stevensondav]

Oh yes I know you can make a live pendrive from Icaros Lite. What I meant is you can't make an installer for Icaros Live!, the full version with all the applications, from the Icaros Lite pendrive image. I have done the install now, it works, I used a virtual machine to do it so that I could use the Live! iso and make an installer pendrive with all of the applications.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Yes I understand but nothing prevents you from taking the missing data from the Full version of Icaros and unpack/copy them on the Lite version you have on your pendrive, maybe on a second FAT32 partition