Support FAQ/Software Update, Restore to Factory Default

Software Update, Restore to Factory Default

How can I restore my Give1Get1 XO to its factory configuration?

If you have "upgraded" the software on your laptop, try the recover process: power off your XO, press and hold the 'O' game pad key, then power-on. This should boot from an alternate "disk image" (the one shipped with the machine).

Second, for advanced users only—be prepared to lose all data—try the clean-install procedure to re-flash its entire "disk image" including its operating system.

If you see a "Bad hash at eblock #0" message while performing a clean install, this indicates the image on the USB flash drive is bad. Download the image again, or try a different USB device.

How do I check which version of the operating system I am running?

Please see How to check the OS and firmware versions.

How do I update/upgrade my laptop? Opt out?

Currently two methods for Upgrading the XO are available: online and offline.

To opt out of updates/upgrades to your XO, which occur automatically over the Internet, please see the Update streams page.

After I upgrade my XO it says "Invalid System Date" and won't reboot

If you did a clean install and saw the error message "Invalid System Date" right before your XO unsuccessful rebooting, you have one of two options.

The first option is to continue to try to reboot, sometimes leaving the machine for a while before trying again. Sometimes the problem resolves itself and boots up just fine, like nothing was amiss.

The second option is to look over the Fix Clock wiki and read through the problem and repair options there. This is a fairly technical process, and hopefully the first option above fixes the issue.

If you continue to struggle with this problem, email support at HELP @ LAPTOP.ORG

What's the latest on current software release builds?

See Release notes for the very latest and a history of releases.

Software "Build 656" (Ship.2.2) shipped on most Give1Get1 laptops in March 2008.
Software "Build 653" (Ship.2.1) shipped on most Give1Get1 laptops in January and February of 2008.
Software "Build 650" (Ship.2) shipped on most Give1Get1 laptops in December 2007.

These software environments include the operating system and all built-in applications for now. Click above for summary release notes.

We recommend users update to the latest stable release after consulting its release notes. That release is

13.2.11 || 2020-01-29

To upgrade, back up all critical files to a USB flash drive, and then use Olpc-update to update or the clean-install procedure. Read the Upgrading the XO summary explanation.

Why do I see Build 653/656 on this page? What's the deal with Build 653/656?

Please refer to the section -- After working properly for a while, activities won't load.

How do I recover from a "Disk Full" error?

There are some situations—such as recovering from the "Disk Full" error—that may require you to reflash your XO laptop.

How do I run unofficial/unsigned builds & firmware?

For advanced users/developers only. You will need to download a "developer key". Please follow the process outlined at Activation and Developer Keys.