Support FAQ/Software Update, Restore to Factory Default
Software Update, Restore to Factory Default
What's the latest software release?
Be prepared to lose all data—Give1Get1 users are encouraged to upgrade to 2012's Release 12.1.0. Your XO-1 laptop from 2007/2008 will powerfully benefit, with half a decade of software improvements, and the inclusion of the Gnome graphical user interface for older kids. The installation procedure is fast (less than 10 min after you download the correct files to most any USB memory stick) and will reflash your XO laptop's entire "disk image" including the Fedora 17 operating system and a modern Sugar Learning environment. Again, back up all critical files to a USB memory stick!
2013's latest 13.x.x releases are currently a bit slow on XO-1 laptops, but advanced users might want to try these more advance features nonetheless. Users of OLPC's faster/newer XO-1.5, XO-1.75 and XO-4 Touch laptops are strongly encouraged to upgrade to 2013's latest Release 13.
Other options: while Sugar-on-a-Stick by Sugar Labs isn't the most suitable for XO hardware, Dextrose by Activity Central seems increasingly solid and is definitely worth experimenting with.
What were the past releases?
OLPC's Software Releases from 2007 to 2013 are compiled in this comprehensive table. These software environments include the operating system and built-in Sugar Activities. Here is a bit more detail on the most popular Give1Get1 releases from 2007/2008:
Software "Release 8.2.0" (Build 767) and Build 656 shipped on Give1Get1 laptops in November and December of 2008.
Software "Build 656" (Ship.2.2, retroactively named Release 7.1.2) shipped on most Give1Get1 laptops in March 2008.
Software "Build 653" (Ship.2.1, retroactively named Release 7.1.1) shipped on most Give1Get1 laptops in January and February of 2008.
Software "Build 650" (Ship.2, retroactively named Release 7.1.0) shipped on most Give1Get1 laptops in December 2007.
What software release am I running?
Please see How to check the OS and firmware versions. We encourage you to upgrade to the latest software here.
How can I restore my Give1Get1 XO to its factory configuration?
Be prepared to lose all data—Give1Get1 users are encouraged to upgrade to 2012's Release 12.1.0. Your XO-1 laptop from 2007/2008 will powerfully benefit, with half a decade of software improvements. The procedure will reflash its entire "disk image" including the Fedora 17 operating system and a modern Sugar Learning environment.
2013's latest 13.x.x releases are currently a bit slow on XO-1 laptops, but advanced users might want to try these more advance features nonetheless.
The clean-install procedures above are strongly recommended. If however you have "upgraded" the software on your laptop, and things have gone wrong, you may 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).
In general, 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. Avoid certain brands of USB flash drives that still have a few compatibility kinks we're working on.
Finally, for advanced users only—be prepared to lose all data—consider installing the highly experimental "Sugar on a Stick" onto your XO-1.
How do I update/upgrade my laptop? Opt out?
The "factory" clean-install procedure above is strongly recommended. Currently two methods for Upgrading the XO are available: online and offline.
To opt out of updates/upgrades to your XO, which may occur automatically over the Internet for critical fixes, please see the Update streams page.
(XO Software Release 8.2.0 Release Notes include concise instructions for October 2008's release, shipped to 2008 G1G1 supporters.)
How do I install a custom suite of Activities on every XO in a small deployment?
Let's say you want to add a few Sugar Activities and make a new software build, that can be easily installed in-country on each XO laptop in a small deployment. In the past (Release 11.3.1 and other releases prior to 2012) this was as easy as dropping the Activities into the "bundles" folder of a USB Customization Stick.
However there's good news in 2013: James Cameron has provided a great new recipe for microdeployments. Please consider joining the Unleash Kids and Support Gang mailing lists if you want to work with other volunteers doing the same!
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 was unsuccessful in 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
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.
Where do I get Support for Fedora?
While Linux Fedora is not itself supported by OLPC, outside of our Sugar learning environment, here are some great resources to check out including forums and irc-based Live Chat:
http://fedorafaq.org
http://fedoraforum.org
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate