Support FAQ

Where do I get Support?

Click Support for an extensive list of documentation, live chat support, interactive web forums, regional user groups and repair options.

OLPC urges you to consider joining our many One Laptop per Child communities currently sprouting all over, as a result of Give1Get1 laptop shipments now arriving across the US and Canada!

Getting started

How do I get started?

Learn about your new XO laptop with our Getting Started guide: http://laptop.org/start

What are the functions of all the keys on the keyboard?

A detailed description of the keyboard's keys can be found within: http://laptop.org/laptop/start/keyboard.shtml

Further details on Keyboard Shortcuts.

Can I attach an external keyboard?

All USB keyboards should work fine. Just avoid "PalmPilot keyboards" as these use IR (Infrared), and also avoid "wireless keyboards" as these use Bluetooth, neither of which are supported.

Is there a Caps Lock?

There is no Caps Lock key. There will however be a way to engage Caps Lock behavior within the Write activity, in an upcoming release.

Is there a stylus for the touchpad?

The touchpad was designed to be able to work with a stylus, across all its full width (3 panels), but the laptop does not ship with a stylus.

Currently there are no activities that use the stylus. The Paint Activity (formerly known as Draw) will work with a stylus in the next software update.

Why is my touchpad jumpy?

If the mouse is not following your finger on the touchpad or if it jumps to the corners when you touch the touchpad, please try the recalibration procedure (the four finger salute):

hold down the three keys at one time: the upper left, upper right, and lower right of the keyboard

add the fourth key, lower left, as the last one pressed and then release them all.

If this doesn't help, try removing all power (adapter and battery) for 10 seconds; then power the laptop back on. Do not touch the touchpad while it is powering up.

How do I access a Linux command prompt?

To get to a Linux command prompt, run the "Terminal Activity". This is the pre-installed program with the "$_" icon in the Activities taskbar at the very bottom of your Home View. You'll likely need to scroll the Activities taskbar (at the bottom of your screen) to the right.

Or, you can also get to a root (system administrator) prompt by hitting Ctrl-Alt-Neighborhood, where the Neighborhood key is the one with a circle of 8 small dots, as summarized within Keyboard Shortcuts and illustrated here. Then type in username "root" and (generally) leave the password blank. BEWARE: as user 'root' you now have full control to destroy all software!

How do I change my machine's Nickname?

Launch your XO laptop's Terminal activity, by starting from the Home View and then scrolling the Activity taskbar (along the bottom of your screen) to the right. Look for the Terminal icon, which is the one that contains "$_" within a rectangle. Click it once to launch.

When you arrive at Terminal's text-based command prompt, type the following just for kicks:

   sugar-control-panel                            (hit 'Enter' to run)
   sugar-control-panel -l                         (hit 'Enter' to list parameters)

Finally, to change your machine's nick, run:

   sugar-control-panel -s nick MY-NEW-NICKNAME    (hit 'Enter')

Bonus: a few extra tips on running sugar-control-panel.

Can I print from the XO laptop?

At the time of first shipments (December 2007), there is no printer support on the laptop. You can save your documents to a USB flash drive and print from another computer. We expect to add printer support sometime in 2008, with a software upgrade that supports the standard CUPS / IPP protocols.

How do I get started writing programs for the XO laptop?

Get started in developing your own programs for the XO at this Getting started programming wiki page.

Connectivity and the Internet

How do I get online?

First you must have wireless internet nearby, and verify the network name (SSID) and its password if it has one.

Then carefully follow the instructions at: http://laptop.org/laptop/start/connecting.shtml

If your wireless internet requires WPA security, we regret it's not yet supported through the graphical user interface, as of mid-December 2007. If however you're a knowledgeable Linux user, here are instructions for manually setting up WPA. Less experienced users will be better off waiting for the next stable releases of the XO software environment, which you'll be able to upgrade by end of December 2007.

How do Give1Get1 donors access their free year of T-Mobile wireless internet?

Donors will be receiving an email with a PIN access code and instructions shortly, starting Monday December 17th, 2007. Details about accessing T-Mobile hotspots across the country are here and here. (Note: this will not provide access in your home, unless perhaps you live directly next to a business with a T-Mobile hotspot!)

Can I use a wired ethernet connection?

Yes, you can connect to a wired internet connection as well, with a ESB-to-Ethernet adapter.

How do I find my wireless MAC address and IP address?

1 - First start the 'Terminal' activity from the Home View. You may have to scroll the icons along the bottom of the screen to the right (within the Activities taskbar) to find the one labeled 'Terminal'. This is the one with the "$_" icon inside a rectangle.

2 - Type in the following command, then hit Enter:
/sbin/ifconfig -a

3 - The hardware MAC address can be found in the first line, marked eth0. After you've connected your XO laptop to a wireless network, your IP address can be found in the line right after that.

How do I set proxy settings?

In the initial Give1Get version of the software (Build 650) there is no user interface to change web browser proxy settings, due to the problem with displaying pop-up windows. There is an [outstanding bug (#2910)] on this.

What exactly is a mesh network?

A mesh network allows nearby XO laptops to talk to one another directly (wirelessly) without the need for a traditional Internet Service Provider.

This feature makes very rural deployments (say, Nigeria) practical, because we don't need much dedicated network hardware: the laptops are doing the heavy lifting, rather than traditional hierarchical network of hubs/switches/routers.

Try the mesh demo here, to see how a mesh can connect to the Internet.

Give1Get1: Shipment & Donor Services

When will my laptop ship? What is tax exempt info? Warranty info? RMA Process?

Give1Get1 holiday shipping/delivery time estimates are here.
Our US tax-exempt EIN (Employer ID Number) is towards the bottom of the Give1Get1 Donor Services FAQ.
Our 30-day warranty is described in the Terms & Conditions.
For returns, follow our RMA process if you need a Return Merchandise Authorization.

All Give1Get1 "customer service" questions should be directed to Donor Services at 800-201-7144, open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm Eastern time—or email "service at laptopgiving.org".

What if my Give1Get1 laptop was lost or stolen in transit?

File a lost or stolen package claim immediately with FedEx, by calling 800-GO-FEDEX. They will work with you and the credit card company to find the problem.

Does my laptop come with a hand crank? Solar Panels?

No. The Give1Get1 laptop does not ship with any human powered device. Such devices are being designed for the developing countries, not for the Give One Get One program. However, future peripheral availability is discussed on the Product News page.

SOLAR PANELS: Our priority with solar panels is the developing world. The manufacturer of these panels may make them available to the US, Canada and beyond in 2008.

Activities and software

How do I download and run Activities? (programs)

There are many Activities the community has developed for download. Just click on the .xo file within Activities to download the activity into your laptop's Journal. Open the Journal, clicking on the Activity to install it and run.

All activities on the laptop have been developed in the open-source community, mostly by volunteers. OLPC encourages all laptop owners to contribute to this effort if they like.

How do I close an Activity? (program)

Activities that have been developed for the XO, generally have an 'activity' tab and an 'X' button along the top to make it easy to close.

If that is not available, switch to the Home view, pressing the 'Home' key (5th key from the left along the top row). Pause your mouse over the activity and choose 'Stop'.

The keyboard shortcut Ctrl-q should also generally work.

Is Internet required, or are Activities included?

The XO laptop does not require Internet access to be used. In fact it comes with more than 20 Activities (programs) and many more are freely downloadable. Take a look at this quick intro to built-in Activities. Start any of these Activities from the Activity taskbar at the bottom of the Home View.

How do I learn the XO software environment?

One Laptop per Child's XO software environment uses the Sugar graphical user interface on top of the Linux operating system. This is very new and different from traditional PCs and Macs, and we hope you'll not only "learn by doing" at http://laptop.org/start but also seek out others to collaborate with you in the learning process—taking the initiative to join/form users groups both online and in the real world. Any others ways we can welcome you to OLPC's worldwide learning community, please let us know.

How do I change Proxy settings of the Browser?

In this version of software, 650, there is no user interface to change webbrowser proxy settings due to the problem with displaying pop up windows (bug trac #2910).

Using files and the filesystem

How do I save a file?

Files are saved automatically in the Journal. You can get to the Journal from the Home View. Click on the notebook icon just below the XO character to open the Journal and find the activity or file you were working on.

For more on the purpose of the Journal, see OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Laptop Experience/The Journal.

How do I save or retrieve files from a USB drive?

Insert the USB drive. Go to the Journal view to see the USB icon in the lower left. To save a file from the journal to the USB drive, click on the Journal item and drag it to the USB icon. To retrieve a file from the USB drive, click on the USB icon first, drag the item from the USB drive to the journal icon. Or, if you're Linux-inclined, the USB drive's filesystem is automatically mounted under /media.

How do I play sound files?

To play sound files like MP3's, try the Watch and Listen activity, a Media Player based on the Helix project. Check for supported codecs you may need to download, if you require proprietary formats.

Other software

Can I install Adobe Flash Player?

Give1Get1 XO laptops come with an open source flash player, Gnash. Flash files are not played by default when you visit a website; you have to click on the flash window to request that it load.

You can install Adobe Flash, which plays a larger variety of Flash pages; to do so, follow the instructions on our Adobe Flash page. You will still need to click on flash windows in order for them to run.

Can I load Microsoft Windows or my own software onto the XO laptop?

Currently, Microsoft Windows cannot be loaded onto the laptop. The XO laptop has a GNU/Linux based Operating System and features its own programs, specifically designed for children. There are thousands of software developers around the world currently developing content for the XO. For more information, visit Activities.

Can I install AOL dialup software, or AIM?

Sorry AOL dialup software is not actively supported. If you're technically-oriented and eager for a challenge, you may explore Googling "AOL Linux" if you also own a USB modem, and if you're willing to seriously explore this installation process, at your own risk.

Similarly, for AOL Instant Messenger, we regret it's not actively supported. While there are probably ways to install it (in Terminal mode, using your XO laptop's underlying Red Hat/Fedora operating system) you will need to be technically very savvy, and research others' past Linux work here.

Power and suspending

What kinds of power sources can I use with the XO laptop?

In addition to plugging the laptop into an electrical outlet (110-240 volts AC), the XO laptop can be powered by solar energy and human energy with pull cords and hand cranks. The XO laptop can take a DC input ranging from 11 volts to 40 volts, a range that’s far more flexible than most portable devices. The XO laptop is remarkably energy efficient, using only 5-10 percent of the average wattage of a standard laptop. For formal specifications, Hardware specification#Specifications.

My XO laptop won't power on

Carefully read the power/battery issues at: http://laptop.org/start/troubleshooting.shtml

Ensure the battery is inserted and the power cord is plugged in.

If both the battery and power lights are definitely on (just below your screen, to the right) yet the laptop still won't start up when you push the power button, this may be a minor problem with the embedded controller (EC). If so, remove all power (extracting battery and power cord/charger), and wait 10 seconds to allow it to reset. Then, power up your XO laptop to confirm the screen comes on, and the laptop proceeds to boot.

If your XO laptop was damaged on receipt, call Donor Services at 800-201-7144 within 30 days, to exchange it. They are open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm Eastern time. You can email them using the address "service at laptopgiving.org". For warranty information, check the Give1Get1 program's Terms & Conditions, along with its Donor Services FAQ.

How do I power off the XO laptop?

From the Home View, pause your mouse over the XO symbol at the center of your screen, and click on 'Shutdown'.

How do I put an XO laptop to sleep?

We didn't enable the sleep features in the initial December 2007 Give1Get1 build; they weren't ready. We expect a software upgrade early in 2008 that will support putting your laptop into sleep mode.

Troubleshooting (Advanced)

My XO laptop won't play sound

Do you hear any sound at all when you boot the computer? Are you able to record voice from the Record activity?

If the laptop boots up properly, but you don't get any sound at all, this could be a broken component—like the speaker. If you confirm sound is completely broken, you might want to ask Donor Services (800-201-7144, service@laptopgiving.org) for a replacement.

What's the latest on the current software release? (Build 650)

Details of "Build 650" of our software environment, as shipped on all Give1Get1 laptops as of December 2007, are found in the General Release Notes. (This software environment includes the operating system and all built-in applications.)

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

First, try the recover process: Try holding the 'O' game pad key during boot. 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 upgrading the activated laptop to re-flash its entire "disk image" including both its operating system and its Activities.