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.

G1G1 laptops can be manually updated over the Internet, using the procedures outlined in the olpc-update article, or offline with a USB device as in clean-install procedure. Laptops running a stable build will automatically be updated over the Internet, shortly after each new stable release. Here are some of the expected features of Update.1 targeted for late January 2008.

You can revert back to the previous version if an update goes wrong if you use the olpc-update method, using the Circle booting procedure on the Cheat codes page. Advanced users will also be able to explicitly opt out in advance of all updates.

Finally in school situations, the teacher or administrator would be able to control the update process, perhaps so that updates don't happen until the end of a semester (This functionality is implemented, but the school server tools to actually administer groups of laptops aren't yet ready in early 2008, check School server for more).

New OS images include newer firmware. If you'd like to upgrade the firmware alone , please refer to Upgrading Firmware. -->

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.