Keyboard freeze fix for os 650-656

NOTE: The contents of this page are not set in stone, and are subject to change! This page is a draft in active flux ... Please leave suggestions on the talk page.

As noted in <trac>10597</trac>, XOs running builds os650, os653 and os656 will encounter a touchpad and keyboard freeze as of January 2011, unless their firmware was updated.

This page documents a quick fix that will restore normal operation. The quick fix updates the XO firmware to the oldest version that doesn't have the problem; Q2D14.

Also, it is strongly recommended to upgrade to the latest release of the OLPC OS, which will fix other security and stability issues.

Quick fix

You will need:

• A USB drive (memory stick) of at least 16 MB capacity
• A computer other than the XO, which is connected to the Internet
• External power for the XO (a wall outlet and the XO AC adapter)
• 10 minutes

1. Prepare USB drive

Using the computer that is connected to the internet, prepare the USB drive using the instructions in the appropriate section below.

a. Microsoft Windows

• insert the USB drive,
• create a folder boot on the USB drive,
• download http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/q2d14/bootfw.zip to the boot folder on the USB drive,
• eject the USB drive,
• go to the Upgrade Firmware section on this page.

b. Mac OS X

• insert the USB drive,
• switch tasks to Finder, display the USB drive, notice the name of the USB drive,
• create a folder boot on the USB drive,
• control-click on this link, select Download Linked File As ..., and a Save As dialog will appear,
• change Where to the name of the USB drive, usually Untitled, then click on the boot folder, then click on Save, the dialog will go away,
• switch tasks to Finder, display the USB drive,
• eject the USB drive,
• go to the Upgrade Firmware section on this page.

c. Linux - GNOME and Firefox

• insert the USB drive,
• create a boot folder on the USB drive,
• click on this link, and a dialog window will appear asking you what you want done with the download,
• save the download to the USB drive in the boot folder,
• close the Downloads window,
• eject the USB drive,
• go to the Upgrade Firmware section on this page.

d. Linux - Terminal

cd /media/DRIVE
mkdir boot
cd boot
wget http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/q2d14/bootfw.zip
umount /media/DRIVE

• go to the Upgrade Firmware section just below

2. Upgrade Firmware

Once you have prepared the USB drive above, you should:

• make sure the XO is "plugged in" and running on external power (from the AC adapter or another acceptable DC source),
• make sure the XO battery is in place and locked,
• insert the USB drive into the XO,
• turn on the XO.

The upgrade process will begin, with several messages displayed, then the XO will automatically restart. Wait for the XO to restart, then:

• turn off the XO,
• remove the power cord,
• remove the battery,
• wait a few seconds (with all power disconnected),
• remove the USB drive,
• insert the battery, and plug the power cord back in,
• start the XO.

You should test that the laptop now works normally.

Troubleshooting

If the USB drive seems to be ignored by the XO,

• try again with the X game key held down when you turn on the XO, (affects XOs with developer key installed or security disabled),
• check that the USB drive meets these conditions:
  • it has a boot folder,
  • there is a file bootfw.zip in the boot folder,
  • the partition type of the USB drive is "DOS MBR" rather than "GPT".
• if you are not sure about the partition type, and all else fails, try using a different USB drive.
• check the firmware version; the USB drive will be ignored if the firmware version on the XO is equal to or later than Q2D14,

Long-term fix: upgrade to Release 10.1

After applying the above fix, unless you have a specific reason to be using os 650-656 (for instance, compatibility with a group of other machines with the same build), a system upgrade is strongly recommended. The latest releases are faster and offer many security and stability fixes.

The latest 10.1.3 Candidate Release is very solid, and expected to be released around Jan 14, 2011. Follow the installation instructions, and be sure to reconnect the external power source AND battery while installing. This OLPC OS release (like many others) includes a firmware upgrade necessary to support the newer OS build.

You might also prefer the latest 10.1.2 Stable Release announced Aug 30, 2010.

Regardless, be sure to backup any pictures, music, and other data-containing journal entries found on the XO-1 onto USB or SD media prior to upgrading. You will lose data which was not backed up as part of the installation process, as it is not possible to run "olpc-update" to directly get to 10.1.3 from os 650-656.