From OLPC

If only it were this easy

There is no cheat code or OpenFirmware command for installing an OS image to an SD card on an XO-1, though there is for an XO-1.5. This document explains how make a bootable SD card with Release 10.1.3 (Build 860) on an XO-1.

[edit] Before you Begin

• This procedure will erase any data stored on the XO-1.
• This procedure will erase any data stored on the SD card.
• Do not execute these instructions on battery power.
• This procedure requires the SD card to be partitioned.
  Disk partitioning is beyond the scope of this document.
• The SD will be formatted as an ext3 filesystem.
  This is not an optimal arrangement for SD cards.
• Refrain from altering the volume label.
  /boot/olpc.fth expects it to be "OLPCRoot".
• Children should get permission from a parent, guardian, teacher, and/or Linux guru before attempting this procedure.
  Adult supervision is not required, but it is highly recommended.

[edit] Requirements

• An XO-1
• A USB drive with ≥1GB capacity and formatted as FAT-32
• An SD card with at least 1GB of storage capacity
• A Developer's key ("Dev Key")
• Internet access

[edit] Procedure

[edit] Pre-Installation

1. Back up your data!
   I take no responsibility for preventable data loss.
2. Download build 860 and its associated filesystem information:
   • os860.img (604MB)
   • os860.img.fs.zip (398KB)
3. Copy os860.img, os860.img.fs.zip, and your Dev Key to the root directory of the USB drive
4. Rename os860.img.fs.zip to fs.zip

[edit] First Phase

1. Shut down the XO-1.
2. If there is an SD card in the SD card slot, eject it now.
3. Insert the USB drive.
4. Hold down all four game keys (✓ + ◻ + O + ×) while pressing the power button.
   Keep all four game keys depressed until the XO-1 prompts you otherwise (see illustration).

Release 10.1.3 will now "automagically" be installed to the XO-1's internal storage. When it finishes, the XO-1 will restart. Wait until you are presented with the "Name" screen (see illustration) before starting the second phase.

The second phase can't begin until you see this on your screen

[edit] Second Phase

1. Drop into a console.
   ♦ ctrl + ♢ alt + f1
2. Drop runlevels.
   /sbin/init 3
3. Insert the SD card into the SD slot.
   If you have not partitioned the SD card, do so now. See the 10.1.2 Bootable SD note for more information.
4. Initialize a filesystem on the SD card.
   mkfs.ext3 -L OLPCRoot /dev/mmcblk0p1
5. Create a mount point for the SD card.
   mkdir /mnt/sd
6. Mount the SD card.
   mount -t ext3 /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt/sd
7. Copy the files from the pristine build directory to the SD card.
   This can take as long as three hours. Have patience.
   cp -pr /versions/pristine/860/* /mnt/sd/.
8. Copy your Dev Key to the SD card now
   cp /mnt/usb/develop.sig /mnt/sd/security/develop.sig
9. Create the home directory.
   mkdir -p /mnt/sd/home/olpc
10. Change ownership of the home directory.
    chown -R olpc:olpc /mnt/sd/home/olpc
11. Unmount the SD card.
    umount /mnt/sd
12. Remove the SD card's mount point.
    rmdir /mnt/sd

Release 10.1.3 has now been grafted onto the SD card. shutdown -r now and your XO-1 should reboot from the SD card.