Installing EndeavourOS Cassini on a PineBook Pro

ARM Installation
1

Hi

I seem to understand that EndeavourOS now officially supports the PineBook Pro.

I’m kind of familiar with installing an Arch Arm distribution on an external device for the PineBook Pro (https://www.lorenzobettini.it/2022/12/installing-arch-linux-on-a-pinebook-pro-external-storage/). Still, I don’t understand the procedure for installing EndeavourOS on a PineBook Pro.

I found this https://arm.endeavouros.com/pine64/ that, in the end, refers to this other page https://arm.endeavouros.com/endeavouros-arm-install/ and I don’t understand whether some of these pages are stale or not.

In particular, the page https://arm.endeavouros.com/pine64/ mentions “Boot the installer in ms-dos/MBR mode, not UEFI otherwise”; so this must be done on a standard PC? Not PineBook Pro? That page also says

The hardware described over here is untested by us but should work in theory. The instructions are coming from the Archlinux ARM wiki, we just placed it over here for your convenience.

Thanks in advance

2

This is the old method.
New method is here:
https://arm.endeavouros.com/latest-release-and-download/

The method is same as the other arm devices we support i.e. odroid and raspberry pi

1 Like
3

Thanks!
I look forward to trying that and providing feedback! :slight_smile:

4

Since the latest update of Manjaro, the PineBook Pro does not boot anymore (the boot laoder starts and finds Manjaro, but then nothing else happens and the screen stays blank).

So I decided to give https://arm.endeavouros.com/latest-release-and-download/ a try. I’ve used method 3 to create a USB stick with the installer from an existing EndeavourOS installation (PC, not PineBook Pro). The script terminates successfully and I unmounted the USB stick.

I seem to understand that now I put the USB stick on the PineBook Pro and boot it to start the actual installer but the boot loader on PineBook Pro insists on trying to boot Manjaro, it does not detect anything in the USB stick… Is there any particular procedure to force PineBook pro to boot from the USB stick? Or did I miss anything?

Thanks in advance

1 Like
5

Pinebook treats the eMMc as the primary boot device.
So it is still trying to use uboot on Manjaro (I’ve read their forums and they say there is an issue there) and not the towboot on the USB stick.

There are two ways for you to boot using USB stick:

  1. Remove the eMMc from your Pinebook
  2. Flip the eMMc boot switch

Both methods would entail removing the back cover of Pinebook Pro

6

Actually, last month I was able to install Arch Linux Arm into a USB stick and on an SD card and boot from them

7

Moreover, if I remove the eMMC, how can I install EndeavourOS on it?
Concerning, flipping the eMMC boot switch (I didn’t find any documentation about that), would that allow me to install EndeavourOS on eMMC anyway?
Thanks in advance

8

If you remove the eMMc, if you an eMMc to USB adapter (like the one I have) you can burn the image to eMMc directly and boot off it

9

so you say if want boot from usb on PBP you need do this ?

only way ? :thinking:

10

Sorry, I still don’t understand: the USB I created with method 3 creates an installer or an installation?

If I have such an adapter, how can I use the USB I created to install it on the eMMC?

11

Not the only way but Manjaro messed up their uboot it is not detecting other devices anymore.

PBP has eMMc as priority so you always boot from that first.

12

wow!! i never take back off to install on emmc . never flip switcch . i can install lot OS over last few year . only time i remove back was replace eMMc .

13

The method 3 will enable you to boot into a calamares installer which will install :enos: directly to the USB stick you have burned it on. But it won’t install on the eMMc which is located inside the PBP

To install on that eMMc, you have to

  1. remove it first from PBP
  2. Attach it an eMMc adapter
  3. Now stick the adapter to a computer
  4. eMMc shows up as a storage device, now you can burn the image to it
  5. Place the eMMc back in the PBP
  6. Boot from it and complete the installation using calamares
14

Yeah, I also don’t remove, but we didn’t ship bad package.

15

How do you install OS directly to eMMc without removing it?

16

install system on sd card . boot that ( my boot sd card over emmc) old model sd have priority then do arch install to emmc

guess new device got screw by Manjaro :rofl:

17

New model eMMc have priority.

1 Like
18

bad move … that pointless. ( i know why )

then i would open back , flip switch . boot off sd card then wipe emmc . also flash spi so you can boot from what want

Edit so no need for adapter. if want point click then use adapter ( learn nothing )

PBP what i read total mess . shame wonderful device , i use day use for two year .

19

mine is an older one (December 2020) so I could boot from USB and SD, until Manjaro broke uboot :sleepy:

So I guess I can only try and remove eMMC. In that respect, do you have any guide to start with? I never opened the PineBook Pro

20

Thanks! I’ll try this solution once I get the adapter. After all, I seem to understand there’s no other way to solve the disaster made by Manjaro.

If, hopefully, everything goes fine with this approach, will EndeavourOS also fix the boot loader? After the hopeful fix, will I be able to boot the PineBook Pro also from external SD or USB?