Support FAQ

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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.

Please consider joining one of the many One Laptop per Child (OLPC) communities created as a result of the Give One Get One laptop program. XO laptops are now arriving across the US and will soon be arriving in Canada!

Getting started

How do I get started? Where is the manual?

The XO laptop design rationale is to encourage kids to discover/learn things by themselves, rather than giving them a fixed set of instructions. However, you can learn about your new XO laptop with our Getting Started Guide. A printable PDF version (17.5MB, be patient downloading!) is also now available.

Many volunteers are also working on a Simplified User Guide -- please check back soon for more updates.

What are the functions of all the keys on the keyboard? Can I type languages other than English?

The XO Keyboard has a number of special keys and keycap symbols, Keyboard Shortcuts, and you can also enter letters from non-English languages.

Can I switch my keyboard to Dvorak layout?

Yes! Please refer to Switching_to_Dvorak

How do I use the Camera?

The Camera can be used with the Record Activity.

Can I attach an external keyboard or mouse?

Most USB keyboards and mice work fine. However, avoid "PalmPilot keyboards," as these use IR (infrared), and "wireless keyboards," as these use Bluetooth—neither of which are supported on the XO laptop.

Is there a stylus for the touchpad?

The touchpad is designed to work with a stylus across the full width of the three panels. (Only the center panel is sensitive to your finger.) A stylus does not ship with the laptop.

Currently, there are no activities that use the stylus. However, in a future software release, the Paint Activity (formerly known as Draw) will work with a stylus.

Why is my touchpad jumpy?

There are three known touchpad issues. A USB mouse is a useful workaround in all three cases.

Why is there no windowing system?

The XO laptop uses a new graphical interface, called Sugar, designed for young children. You can explore the Sugar interface in our Getting Started guide.

How do I access a Linux command prompt?

For a Linux command prompt, run the "Terminal Activity"

How do I change my XO's Nickname? my XO's color on Sugar Views?

Your XO's Nickname and other options can be changed using the Terminal Activity's command line Sugar-Control-Panel.

Can I print from the XO laptop?

For the first shipment of XOs from December 2007, there is no built-in printer support. However, 2 alternatives are available:

1. Documents can be saved to a USB flash drive and printed from another computer. Instructions on how to save and retrieve documents to the USB drive can be found in the section: How do I save or retrieve files from a USB drive or SD (Secure Digital) card? To summarize, insert the USB drive in one of three USB slots on the XO laptop; copy your document from the Journal to the USB drive; insert the USB drive into another computer, and print.
2. Software to enable printing will be added sometime in 2008 with a software upgrade that supports the standard CUPS / IPP protocols. (You can add network printing yourself, in the meantime, if you are in a real pinch and somewhat technically inclined.)

Note: In the developing world, paper is a precious resource, so children store their work on their laptops rather than print it out.

What does "Register" (in Home view) do?

"Register" is for children that are connecting to a School Server, and serves no function for G1G1 recipients.

How do I update/upgrade my laptop?

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

How do I begin to write programs for the XO laptop?

You can find information on how to create your own programs for the XO at Getting started programming.

For those already familiar with both linux and python, the Sugar Activity Tutorial is a step-by-step guide to building a Sugar activity.

Using files and the filesystem

How do I save a file?

Files are saved automatically in the Journal. Access the Journal from the Home View. Select the notebook icon just below the XO character to open the Journal and find the activity or file you need.

For more information about the Journal, see OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Laptop Experience/The Journal.

How do I save or retrieve files from a USB drive or SD (Secure Digital) card?

Complete instructions for using a USB Drive (sometimes known as a flash drive or USB key) can be accessed Here.

How do I delete a file?

Go to the Journal view, which you can access from the Home View. Select the notebook icon just below the XO character to open the Journal.

Find the file to be deleted by scrolling up and down the list.

Move the curser over the file to be deleted and press to select and open a preview of the file.

Press the minus sign at the top of the screen to delete the file.

How do I play sound files?

The eToys activity can play MP3 and Ogg files. After finding such a file in the Journal, click the far right icon (a square in a circle) to start eToys to play it.

To play sound files, you can also try the Watch and Listen activity, a Media Player based on the Helix project. When on the Journal entry for a sound file, click in the middle of the entry, to show the details. On that page, hover the mouse over the square-in-circle icon in the upper right corner of the screen. It should say "Resume", and list the possible activities that you can resume this file with. Click on Watch&Listen. Check for supported codecs you may need to download, if you require proprietary formats.

Activities and software

Questions regarding a specific activity should be directed to the author(s) of the activity.

How do I close an Activity? (program)

Most activities have an "Activity" tab with a close button () found at the top right of the display; select the close tab and press to close the activity.

For most activities, the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl-q or Ctrl-Esc can also close the activity (Esc is the key).

Alternatively, return to the Home view by pressing the "Home" key (). Hover the cursor over the activity icon to bring up a menu; press "Stop" to end the activity.

How do I download and run Activities? (programs)

There are many Activities the community has developed for download. From the Browser activity on the XO laptop, go to Activities and click on the .xo file within to download and install the activity to your laptop. When it is finished installing, click OK. Press the Home key () (fifth key from the upper left) to see the taskbar.

Scroll the taskbar to the right (by clicking on the arrow ) until you see the icon for the activity; click on it to start.

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

Is Internet required, or are Activities included?

The XO laptop does not require Internet access to be used. The XO laptop comes with more than 20 Activities (programs) and many more are freely downloadable. See this page for a quick introduction to introduction to pre-loaded Activities on the XO laptop. Start any of these Activities from the Activity taskbar at the bottom of the Home View.

I can't find the icon for Read Activity. How do I read PDF files?

The Read activity does not have an icon; it automatically loads when you click on a .pdf file, either through the web browser (Browse Activity) or from a USB stick (Journal Activity).

How do I bookmark a website and browse it later?

1. Open the Browse activity and go to the website you'd like to bookmark.
2. Click the star (☆) in the upper-right corner to bookmark the website.
3. Close (Stop) the Browse activity.
4. Open your Journal activity.
5. Click on the Browse icon at the very top of the list entries; this is a record of the Browse activity in which you just made a bookmark. You will be taken to the detailed view of the entry.
6. For later reference, rename the session by typing in the field just to the right of the Browse icon; it should say "Browse Activity", but you can rename it to refer to your bookmark.
7. Click the "Resume" icon at the upper-right corner.
8. The Browse activity starts again and takes you to the bookmarked page.

A shortcut would be to resume the Browse activity associated with this bookmark without going to the detail view: just click on the "Resume" icon on the far right of the Browse entry that you have renamed (in Step 6) above in the primary Journal 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 environment is new and different from traditional PCs and Macs. We hope you will 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. If there are other ways we can promote OLPC's worldwide learning community, please let us know.

How do I take a screenshot?

Press Alt+1 at the same time. Go to the Journal. The screenshot should be the first item in the Journal. You can copy the screenshot to the clipboard, and open it with the Browse, Paint, or Etoys activity.

After working properly for a while, activities won't load

There is a known bug in build 650 (the build shipped with all G1G1 laptops), which can result in activities working fine the first few times they are loaded; but on subsequent boots, the activities may not load.

There is a fix in build 653. If you have this problem please try upgrading to 653, following the Upgrade Instructions.

Connectivity and the Internet

I am on Google, but the browser then tells me "search failed"!

When the Browse activity is launched, it displays a page with a Google logo and a search box. This page is stored locally in the XO, and it does not indicate that the XO is connected to the Internet. Please check How can I access the Internet for how to connect to the Internet.

How can I access the Internet?

Our Connectivity Quick Start Guide will answer most questions about Internet Connectivity

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

Give1Get1 donors can activate their T-Mobile offer when their XO is confirmed received.

Is there an email program?

You can use the Gmail activity to access your email, if you have a @gmail.com account; or you can simply use Browse to access most any web-based email program.

Can I use a wired Ethernet connection?

Yes, you can connect to a wired Internet connection; use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter.

Note: XO laptops were intentionally designed for children in developing nations, where it is faster and less expensive to introduce wireless connections, rather than a traditional telecom infrastructure.

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; there isn't much need for dedicated network hardware. The laptops do the heavy lifting, rather than the traditional hierarchical network of hubs/switches/routers.

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

How do I disable wireless when flying?

To disable wireless when flying, use the Terminal Activity command Sugar-Control-Panel.

Can XO laptops share an Internet connection?

At the moment, an XO laptop cannot be on both the Internet and on the mesh network at the same time with a default laptop configuration. This ability will hopefully be re-enabled by default in the future; until then, School Servers can server as Mesh Portals, and further details can be found on the Mesh Network Details page.

Give1Get1: Shipment & Donor Services

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

When will my laptop ship?

Give1Get1 holiday shipping/delivery time estimates are here.

What is OLPC's tax exempt info?

Our US tax-exempt EIN (Employer ID Number) is towards the bottom of the Give1Get1 Donor Services FAQ.

What is the warranty info? RMA process?

Our 30-day Warranty is described in the Give1Get1 Terms & Conditions. To exchange your hardware, apply for a Return Merchandise Authorization by following our RMA process.

All Give1Get1 "customer service" questions need to be directed to Donor Services. You can contact Donor Services by calling 800-201-7144 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, or email "service at laptopgiving.org".

My screen has a couple discolored pixels

We regret that our warranty does not provide for replacement laptops in this case, where just a few pixels are imperfect, in keeping with One Laptop per Child's mission to build the best all-around low-cost laptop for the Developing World.

How do I test my keyboard for sticky/broken keys?

Test your keyboard by running the firmware diagnostics. See Cheat codes. Holding the rocker (button below the speaker) to the left, while powering on, will get you into these diagnostics. The keyboard diagnostic will come up pretty soon, if you exit various earlier diagnostics by hitting the Escape key. This lets you see very easily what the computer is seeing as you press or release each key. Any "sticky" key would be visible in light blue on the screen as if a finger was still pressing it.

The touchpad and stylus area can also be tested in the same diagnostic.

Finally, if you've genuinely confirmed your keyboard is damaged, after multiple reboots -- check your warranty if you need to apply for a possible return.

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?

The Give1Get1 laptop does not ship with any human powered device or solar panel. These devices are designed to support the XO laptops shipping to developing countries. Future peripheral availability is discussed on the Product News page.

Solar panels: The manufacturer of the solar panels may make them available to the US, Canada, and beyond in 2008.

How can I donate 100+ laptops?

Contact "givemany AT laptop.org" or call 800-379-7017. Basic cost/quantity details are here. For government inquiries only, contact "countries AT laptop.org"

For smaller international rollouts, please work with others on the grassroots mailing list.

Where should I donate my laptop?

If you want to donate your own laptop, consider joining others in donating to a local school or group where kids can learn together, in a well-supported environment. OLPC encourages individuals to initiate their own regional community groups and charities such as the Middletown Childrens Project.

OLPC's grassroots mailing list is a great place to find others who will work with you here.

If you choose to make contacts directly with the developing world, consider ideas like this one in India.

Where has my 2nd laptop been donated?

As of early January 2008, OLPC is preparing 10,000 machines for Mongolia, and 1000 each for Haiti, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Cambodia. Further details of the Give1Get1 program's matching donations forthcoming.

Other software

Software on this list is not supported by OLPC. Some software is Free and Open Source Software and supported by its own User Community. Other software does not meet the OLPC standard of Software Freedom.

Installation of software not tested with Sugar may inhibit performance of your XO and will take up memory from Journal Activity space.

How do I install Adobe Flash? How do I set up my XO for WebKinz or other Adobe Flash sites?

Give1Get1 XO laptops come with an open source flash player, Gnash. Adobe Flash can also be installed.

Can I install Sun's Java? Other commercial software?

Installing Sun's Java might work but is NOT supported by OLPC—see this summary of Restricted Formats.

Can I install Skype?

There is a community effort to enable Skype on the XO.

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

Currently, Microsoft Windows cannot be loaded on the XO laptop. The XO laptop has a GNU/Linux based Operating System and features its own programs that are 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 read Microsoft Word or Excel documents on my XO laptop?

You may open the Browse activity and use Google Docs to read Word and Excel documents. Also consider the Write activity to open Word documents.

Similarly for .rtf files, AbiWord is an open source application you can download.

Can I install AOL dialup software, or AIM?

Neither AOL Dialup nor AIM Messenger are supported on the XO by OLPC. The Chat Activity is a Sugar Activity for communications. The best way to use the AIM network or other chat networks is to use the free online service Meebo within Browse.

What antivirus & firewall security software is available?

Out of the box, your XO laptop is "safer than" your PC -- threats to Linux are rare.

Advanced users may be interested in Linux's free open source antivirus (ClamAV) and firewall (iptables) software, but these are NOT supported by OLPC.

How can I protect my children from objectionable content?

If you would not allow your children to have access to the internet from a PC, then carefully consider giving them access to the internet with the XO laptop. If you feel reasonably safe accessing the internet with a PC, then you can feel reasonably safe accessing the internet with the XO.

The best thing you can do to keep your children safe is to participate in their education. For example, explain to them the kinds of threats they may encounter online and appropriate behavior, don't give out personal information such as an address, phone number, etc. over the Internet.

Finally, there are possible 3rd party solutions, such as http://DansGuardian.org, emerging as part of One Laptop per Child's Uruguay rollout. OLPC is also exploring options for future client-side filtering.

Power, suspending, and hardware

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

See also Does my laptop come with a hand crank? Solar panels?

In addition to plugging the laptop into an electrical outlet (110-240 volts AC), 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, generally using only 5-10 percent of the average wattage of a standard laptop.

See our overall discussion of Battery and power requirements. For more formal specs, see Hardware 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 properly inserted and the power adapter is plugged into the XO laptop and the electrical outlet.

If both the battery and power lights are on (just below your screen, to the right),

• 

  Power button

and the laptop won't start when the power button is pushed, this may indicate a minor problem with the embedded controller (EC). Remove all power sources (take the battery out and remove the power adapter; wait 10 seconds to allow it to reset; and power up your XO laptop. Confirm your laptop turns on and boots. If your XO laptop does not turn on or boot, it may be damaged.

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

How do I power off the XO laptop?

From the Home View, move the pointer over the XO symbol at the center of your screen, and press "Shutdown."

Or depress the power button briefly until the green power light goes off.

• 

  Power button

How long does the battery last?

Battery life is approximately 3 to 6 hours, depending on which Activities are used. Battery life may be increased to 10 hours or longer with the next software release, expected in early February 2008.

Is my battery OK? Why does it say "discharging" when plugged in?

The vast majority of reported battery issues are not in fact hardware problems, but rather software problems. This is because December 2007's Build 650 has a couple bugs which commonly leads to false reporting in the Home view, as to the actual amount of battery life.

These software bugs (#4208, #4401) will be fixed shortly, in an upcoming release.

If however your battery does not retain any charge at all, consider applying for an RMA return.

How do I put an XO laptop to sleep?

The sleep feature is not enabled in software provided on XOs shipped starting December 2007 in the Give1Get1 program. A software upgrade early in 2008 will support suspend/resume sleep features, for much improved battery life.

How much memory/disk is built in?

The XO laptop has 256MB of dynamic RAM memory, as well as 1024MB (1GB) of flash memory.

Note: The flash memory acts as the hard disk. Original specifications are outlined here.

How should I use the SD card slot?

The SD card slot is hidden on the edge of the unit under the power button. It is not intended for casual use, but intended for (semi)permanent augmentation of flash storage on the system. To try to keep water and dust out of the main unit, it has a rubber seal that makes it difficult to extract the SD card.

As a result, we recommend using the USB ports for casual transient storage expansion or moving files from computer to computer.

Troubleshooting (Advanced) & Repair

My XO laptop won't play sound

If there is no sound when you boot the XO laptop; or you are unable to record voice from the Record activity, you may have a broken component—like the speaker. If you confirm sound is completely broken, call or email Donor Services at 800-201-7144, open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm Eastern time—or email "service at laptopgiving.org".

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

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

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

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

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

If you have "upgraded" the software on your laptop, try the recover process: hold 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 its operating system and Activities.

If you see a "Bad hash at eblock #0" message while performing these "Activated Upgrade" steps, this indicates your image on the USB key is bad. Download the image again, or try a different USB key.

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. Please follow the instructions here.

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.

Or you may simply want to Upgrade Firmware.

How do I obtain replacement parts, EG. batteries and chargers? Repair?

Replacement batteries and power cords (chargers) will be available in early 2008. We hope to arrange for the sale of replacement screens, touchpads and keyboards as well. Check our Maintenance/Repair pages for other emerging post-Warranty options.

Do NOT remove the watch battery on the mother board if you disassemble your machine; prior to the Q2D07 version of firmware, this can result in the computer becoming unusable, due to a bug in our anti-theft firmware implementation. G1G1 systems do not have the anti-theft system enabled.

Does opening my laptop void the warranty?

Yes, but your warrente expires after 30 days anyway. In fact you may want to disassemble your own XO laptop to explore its components, AT YOUR OWN RISK—for example, the screen connector and keyboard internals are very easy to break!

Do NOT remove the watch battery on the motherboard if you disassemble your machine—prior to the Q2D07 version of firmware, this can result in the computer becoming "bricked" or unusable!

We regret that spare parts are not yet available as of early January 2008.

How do I set the date and time on my laptop?

You may set the date and time as follows:

1. Connect to the Internet. (For details, see How can I access the Internet? )
2. Open a Linux prompt. (For details, see How do I access a Linux command prompt? Note that unless you are an advanced user, you should use the Terminal Activity button to open the prompt.)
3. Log in as "root". Assuming you are using the Terminal Activity program, you can log in as root by typing "su -" at the command prompt and pressing the Enter key. Note that as user "root" you have the ability to destroy all software on the XO, so you should end your session as soon as you successfully change the date and time.
4. At the command prompt, enter the following commands:
   /usr/sbin/ntpdate time.nist.gov
/usr/sbin/hwclock --systohc
5. Press the Enter key after each. In response to the ntpdate command, if it successfully contacts this US government official time server, the system will output a line of data displaying the correct date and time.
6. Click the X in the upper right corner of the screen to log out and close the Terminal Activity program.

How to set the timezone on my laptop

You can set the timezone by opening the "Terminal Activity"'s Sugar-Control-Panel command.

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

Instructions are found on the How to check the OS and firmware versions page in the wiki.