Nerdizen: May 2023

Installing Dual Boot Lubuntu & Windows (11) on Dynabook R734/K

Lubuntu is one of official flavour of the most popular Linux distro, Ubuntu. Has a lightweight system yet still aesthetically pleasing look, that’s why I interested in trying it for filling my GNU Not Unix/Linux item on my dual slot tandem with Windows for my Dynabook R734/K laptop.

Nerdizen.xyz — Lubuntu is a Linux distro (GNU/Linux OS) that using LXQT as its desktop environment. Just like its name, it is based on Ubuntu that brings Ubuntu’s vast software libraries yet tring to give more lightweight and faster experience.

On the previous post, I have tried dual booting my Toshiba Dynabook R734/K laptop with the Ubuntu MATE which also is a Ubuntu-based Linux distro. If I can compared it, I kind of like this Lubuntu more because it is still lighweight yet easier to customize the desktop UI.

Overall, with Lubuntu you can still get the full-featured OS we can expect for everyday use with lighweight performance, with the aesthetically eye-pleasing classic desktop environment that will make casual Windows user like me feels at home.

Lubuntu LXQT desktop view on my Dynabook R734/K laptop

Steps installing Lubuntu dual boot alongside Windows

Lubuntu version: 20.04.
Installed OS: Windows 11.
Media booting method: Ventoy.

Installing

Download Lubuntu image file from the official website: Lubuntu download page.
Prepare the Lubuntu image installation media. Here I am using Ventoy to make the Lubuntu image bootable.
Prepare new empty partition on our laptop’s hard drive for the Lubuntu OS will be installed. For example we can use built-in tool on Windows “Disk Info” to easily split and make a new partiton on our hard drive, usually the partition for a Linux distro should have a size around ±40 GB or more recommended. Give the new partition a proper label like “Lubuntu” or something like that so we can easily distinguish it.
It’s a good idea to disconnect all external devices especially storage devices before hand to ease the installation process (avoiding formatting/erasing mistakes).
Enter Dynabook R734/K “Boot Menu” (BIOS menu): Restart laptop, then when the power LED turned on (but the screen not turned on yet), repeatedly press the F12 until it entered the boot menu/BIOS menu.
Now we are in the BIOS Boot Menu. If we haven’t plugged in the Lubuntu installation media (e.g. USB storage stick), now is the time.
The installation media drive should be detected in the Boot Menu list, we can just select it to directly boot into it (In my case here, to the Ventoy boot menu). Alternatively, we can adjust the boot menu to prioritize the installation media so it can boot it automatically if the installation media is detected when we restart the laptop by setting it:
1. On the Boot Menu main menu, choose “Enter Setup”.
2. On the side menu, choose “Advanced”, scroll down and choose → “Change Boot Order”.
3. For example here I use a USB storage stick where Ventoy and the Lubuntu image is in, so make “USB Memory” at the top of the “Boot Priority Options”. Don’t forget to click “OK”.
4. On the side menu, choose “Exit” → “Exit Saving Changes”.
Now in Ventoy boot menu, first we might want to switch to “GRUB2 Mode” (increase compatibility in booting Linux images), press Ctrl+R to switch to GRUB2 Mode. Next, just choose the Lubuntu image (iso) to boot it.
On the Lubuntu image GRUB menu, choose “Start Lubuntu” to run the Lubuntu live image environment, wait until the image check done.
Now we are entering the desktop of Lubuntu live image, just run the “Install Lubuntu …” shortcut on the desktop to run the installation wizard.
Choose the language on the select input on the bottom, then click “Next” button on the bottom to proceed. Proceed with configuring our region (time zone) and keyboard the same way.
Now on the “Partitions” window of the installer. On the first row which is “BIOS”, select the main hard drive of our Dynabook R734/K laptop.
Because we have prepared the partition for the Lubuntu beforehand, then on the select below it choose “Replace a partition”.
The partition list of our hard drive will be listed on the bottom. Select the partition block on the “Current” row where Lubuntu should be installed on by clicking it. Here I am actually replacing (overwriting) the partition that currently has Ubuntu MATE installed in it.
Next on “Boot loader location” below it, normally it should be set to also the one on our main hard drive of our Dynabook R734/K laptop. After everything is configured correctly, click “Next” button on the bottom.
Proceed filling the credentials login like username, password, etc., and click “Next” button on the bottom to proceed.
Now on “Summary” window of the installation wizard, review all configuration. After everything has been checked, click “Install” button on the bottom to begin installing Lubuntu to our hard drive permanently and wait untill the installation process done.
After the installation process done, check the “Restart now” and click the “Done” button on the bottom to restart our Dynabook R734/K laptop automatically.

This tutorial may also be the same whether we are using another Windows version like Windows 7, 8.1, etc., and/or with another Ubuntu-based Linux distro, though maybe there will be minor differences in the OS installation wizard UI.

Installing Lubuntu dual boot Windows (11) on my Dynabook R734/K laptop video on Youtube

Installing Bliss OS Multiboot alongside Linux & Windows on Dynabook R734/K Laptop

SiDaryadi Comment /Tech android-x86 android-x86 os linux tutorial toshiba dynabook r734/k toshiba dynabook r734/k tutorial

After dual booting my Toshiba Dynabook R734/K laptop with GNU/Linux and Windows, my thirst of curiosity is not drained yet and now it brings me to multiboot my laptop by adding more Operating System to the hard drive it, how about an Android PC! And from few names, my choice as my first Android PC experience on my Dynabook R734/K laptop falls to Bliss OS.

Nerdizen.xyz — Bliss or Bliss ROM is a well known name, at least for me on years ago when I just got my first Android smartphone as a to-go name if we are looking for a good custom ROM on Android. But other than smatphone, one of popular Bliss project is the Bliss OS for PC.

Bliss OS for PC is a customized Android on PC experience based on the ancestor of most (if not all) Android PC projects today, the Android X86 project.

While the original Android X86 project is bringing the stock, pure Android experience for PC users, Bliss OS and its massive community made the user experience to be more “PC-able” ????, bringing the popular Android and its apps & games ecosystem with more PC productivities built-in.

Steps Installing Bliss OS Android PC on Toshiba Dynabook R734/K (Manual partitioning)

My Environment:

Bliss OS version: 11.13. Link: Download Bliss OS v. 11.13 and older at Sourceforge.
Installed OS: Ubuntu MATE 20 & Windows 10.
Media booting method: Ventoy.

1.) Installing Bliss OS

Download Bliss OS image file from the official website: Bliss OS for PC download
Prepare the Bliss OS installation media. Here I am using Ventoy to turn the Bliss OS image file (iso) into a bootable media.
Prepare new empty partition for where the Bliss OS will be installed. For example on Linux, we can use a GUI app “GParted” to easily split and make a new partition on our hard disk. Typically the space needed for an Android PC should be at least ±32 GB or more recommended, and give it label like “Bliss OS” to make sure we can distinguish it.
It’s a good idea to disconnect all external devices especially storage devices beforehand to ease the installation process (avoiding formatting/erasing mistakes)
Enter Dynabook R734/K “Boot Menu” (BIOS menu): Restart laptop, then when the power LED turned on (but the screen not turned on yet), repeatedly press the F12 until it entered the Boot Menu/BIOS menu.
Now we are in the BIOS Boot Menu. If we haven’t plugged in the Bliss OS installation media (e.g. USB storage stick), now is the time.
The installation media drive should be detected in the boot menu, we can just select it to directly boot into it (In my case here, to the Ventoy boot menu). Alternatively, we can adjust the boot menu to prioritize the installation media so it can boot automatically if the installation media is detected when we restart the laptop by setting it:
1. On the Boot Menu main menu, choose “Enter Setup”.
2. On the side menu, choose “Advanced”, scroll down and choose → “Change Boot Order”.
3. For example here I use a USB storage stick where Ventoy installed and the Bliss OS image file placed, so make “USB Memory” at the top of the “Boot Priority Options”. Don’t forget to click “OK”.
4. On the side menu, choose “Exit” → “Exit Saving Changes”.
Now in Ventoy menu, first we gotta configure some things to the Ventoy before booting the Bliss OS image:
1. Enable “Text mode”: Press F7.
2. Switch to “GRUB2 mode”: Press Ctrl+R.
Next, just select the Bliss OS image file from the Ventoy menu to boot the live media.
After the Bliss OS GRUB menu is appeared, just select “Bliss OS … Installation” from the list to run the Bliss OS installation wizard.
Now we are in Bliss OS installation wizard, first select the partition where Bliss OS will be installed. Before, I have made an empty partition of 20 GB positioned third on my hard disk, so in my case it should be sda3.
Next, select the partition format. Select ext4 to make the partition as native filesystem for Bliss OS.
After partition formatting, “Skip” the GRUB bootloader installation because we will add Bliss OS manually later to the already installed GRUB bootloader.
Then choose whether the Bliss OS /system directory should be writable. If you feel adventurous just like me, choose “Yes”. Wait until the installation done.
After done, we won’t boot the newly installed Bliss OS yet, but we will add it first to the installed GRUB bootloader, in my case alongside installed Ubuntu MATE and Windows 10. Restart and boot our Dynabook R734/K laptop back to BIOS Boot Menu (see step 5 above), unplug the installation media, reorder the boot priority back to prioritize hard drive (see step 7 above), then reboot to Linux OS (in my case Ubuntu MATE).

2.) Adding Bliss OS to GRUB bootloader

OS used: Ubuntu MATE 20, with superuser access.
App used: Grub Customizer.

Steps:

Launch Grub Customizer app.
Click “Paper plus” icon on the toolbar of Grub customizer to add new boot entry to the GRUB.
On the “Name” input, fill it with proper name, which is Bliss OS.
On the “Type” select, choose “Other”.
Next, on the “Boot sequence” textarea, fill it with the boot script which I got originally from the Android X86 project (this Bliss OS based on) with a little bit adjustment:

set root='(hd0,3)'linux /bliss-x86-11.13/kernel quiet root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.selinux=permissive acpi_sleep=s3_bios,s3_mode SRC=/bliss-x86-11.13initrd /bliss-x86-11.13/initrd.img

0: It is the hard disk position where the Bliss OS installed, in my case I only have one hard disk, 0 means it is the first/main hard disk.
3: It is the partition number where the Bliss OS installed.
bliss-x86-11.13: The directory created at the root of partition when Bliss OS is installed, where the Bliss OS files resides. And yeah, it looks like it is formed of a combination of the OS build name and the version. We can get this value easily by browsing to the partition where Bliss OS installed using file manager.

Click “OK”, then click “Save” on the toolbar to save the boot entry to the GRUB bootloader.
Restart our PC. The next time we reboot our Dynabook R734/K laptop, we should see the Bliss OS entry we just added in the GRUB bootloader menu.

Bliss OS 11.13 homescreen on my Dynabook R734/K laptop

Bliss OS “lockscreen swipe” issue workaround

When I tried the Bliss OS v. 11.13 on my Dynabook R734/K laptop, there is an annoying thing when I try to unlock the screen. The stock Android by default use swipe up gesture to unlock the screen, but apparently the result is a little bit different when it comes to using mouse.

But at the end, thankfully I can find a quick workaround to solve the issue when it comes to unlocking the screen using mouse using the following ways:

“Swipe down” the status bar, then click the “Gear” icon to instantly go to Settings menu.
If there are notification, we can click it to instantly take us to te related menu of the notification.

After the screen has been unlocked, we can then configure the lockscreen method for example changing it to unlock by PIN, etc., or disable it at all.

Installing Bliss OS Multiboot with Windows 10 & Ubuntu MATE on Dynabook R734/K video on Youtube

Installing Dual Boot Ubuntu Mate 20 & Windows on Dynabook R734/K Laptop (Manual Partitioning)

SiDaryadi Comment /Tech linux distro linux tutorial toshiba dynabook r734/k toshiba dynabook r734/k tutorial

Ubuntu MATE is one of few Ubuntu official distro flavours. Said as one one of good customizable Linux distro while being lighter than original Ubuntu, that’s why I want to tried it on my Dynabook R734/K laptop.

Nerdizen.xyz — Have known about the beauty of GNU/Linux OS around 2 years ago, I was addicted to try various Linux distros (GNU/Linux OS distribution) created by various Linux communities. And my second ever Linux distro is when I dual booting the Ubuntu MATE 20.04 with installed Windows on my Toshiba Dynabook R734/K laptop.

Steps Installing dual boot Ubuntu Mate and Windows on Toshiba Dynabook R734/K (Manual partitioning)

Download Ubuntu MATE image for AMD64 (64 bit) processor at the official website: Ubuntu MATE download release
Prepare the Ubuntu Mate installation media. Here I am using Ventoy to make the Ubuntu Mate image file (iso) bootable.
Prepare new empty partition for where the Ubuntu MATE will be installed. We can use Windows built-in tools on the “Disk Info” to split and make new partition on our hard drive, typically the space needed for Ubuntu MATE should be at least ±32 GB or more recommended, and give it label like “Ubuntu MATE” to make sure we can distinguish it.
It’s a good idea to disconnect all external devices especially storage devices before hand to ease the installation process (avoiding formatting/erasing mistakes).
Enter Dynabook R734/K “Boot Menu” (BIOS menu): Restart laptop, then when the power LED turned on (but the screen not turned on yet), repeatedly press the F12 until it entered the boot menu/BIOS menu.
Now we are in the BIOS Boot Menu. If we haven’t plugged in the Ubuntu Mate installation media (e.g. USB storage stick), now is the time.
The installation media drive should be detected in the boot menu, we can just select it to directly boot into it (In my case here, to the Ventoy boot menu). Alternatively, we can adjust the boot menu to prioritize the installation media so it can boot automatically if the installation media is detected when we restart the laptop by setting it:
1. On the Boot Menu main menu, choose “Enter Setup”.
2. On the side menu, choose “Advanced”, scroll down and choose → “Change Boot Order”.
3. For example here I use a USB storage stick where Ventoy and the Ubuntu MATE image installed, so make “USB Memory” at the top of the “Boot Priority Options”. Don’t forget to click “OK”.
4. On the side menu, choose “Exit” → “Exit Saving Changes”.
Now in Ventoy boot menu, first we might want to switch to “GRUB2 Mode” (increase compatibility in booting Linux images), press Ctrl+R to switch to GRUB2 Mode. Next, just choose the Ubuntu MATE image file (iso) to run the Ubuntu MATE live boot environment.
On the Ubuntu Mate GRUB menu, we might want to choose “Try Ubuntu MATE without installing” to enter the live boot environment to test run it first before installing it permanently to our hard drive.
After we entered Ubuntu MATE desktop in the boot live environment, click on the shortcut on the desktop “Install Ubuntu MATE…” to begin the installation process.
Follow the installation wizard configuring language, keyboard, connect to network (optional), and softwares installation options.
“Installation type” window: Here I am gonna use the manual method, so tick “Something else” option.
After Continue, we will be presented the storage partitions list. First on the bottom, “Device for bootloader installation” typically this should be the main hard disk of our laptop where the laptop bootloader exist. In my case, there is only one hardisk so it should be /dev/sda (also by looking from the disk name).
Now on the main table of partition list, we choose the partition where the Ubuntu MATE will be installed. In my case, I have prepared an empty partition around ±40 GB, and it is the second partition made I have splitted using Windows partition tool, it is the /dev/sda2.
Right click on the partition we choose for Ubuntu MATE to be installed, then click “Change”:
- On the “Use as” section, choose “Ext4 journaling file system”.
- On the “Mount point” section, choose /.
- Tick “Format the partition”.
- Click “OK” to save the changes, wait a while for the formatting partition system.
After the partition changes options have been made, select the partition again by left click it and then click “Install Now” button on the bottom to begin the Ubuntu MATE installation process.
Continue following the installation wizard configuring the rest like location, creating login credentials, etc., and waiting the installation process done.
After the installation has been completed, click “Restart Now” to restart the laptop.
Now the laptop should be boot into GRUB bootloader, we can choose the operating system to boot. In my case, it is either “Ubuntu” which is the newly installed Ubuntu MATE or the old friend Windows 10.

This tutorial may also be the same whether we are using another Windows version like Windows 7, 8.1 etc. and/or with another Ubuntu-based Linux distro.

Ubuntu MATE quick review on my Toshiba Dynabook R734/K laptop

Ubuntu MATE 20.04 desktop overview on my Dynabook R734/K

Version: 20.04

As a newbie to GNU/Linux desktop operating system world, my first ever Linux desktop is Linux Mint. And because that, I think I will always compare any other Linux distro I will try and use in the future with the first experience, Linux Mint. Ubuntu MATE just like it’s name, uses MATE desktop unlike Linux Mint that uses Cinnamon desktop.

As a Linux newbie, the first impression for me in judging a Linux distro will be how it looks. And it’s not that bad, but on first impression Ubuntu MATE just somehow more cluttered, like panel icons have incosistent sizes. It also seems harder or not so flexible to customize the desktop UI or.

While the performance on my Toshiba Dynabook R734/K laptop, I think it is a little bit snappier than Cinnamon’s Linux Mint.

Installing Dual Boot Ubuntu Mate 20 & Windows on Dynabook R734/K (Manual Partitioning Method) video on Youtube

Corvus OS Android 12 GSI (Generic System Image) Download + Review

SiDaryadi Comment /Tech android gsi

Known populars as a ‘Gaming ROM’, Corvus OS became one of top project amongst custom ROMs in the Android community. Now you too, can try it on your Project Treble-supported Android devices with the GSI build!

Nerdizen.xyz — Unlike AncientOS Android 12L GSI I have posted before, Corvus OS is a ROM that is focused more towards features rather than massive Android UI overhauling. People also seems synomized the word of “gaming” and Corvus OS.

Maybe it’s because Corvus OS has features that enrich gaming experience on Android device and help Android gamers with plenty features on gaming activity, or it has performance tweak in mind over customization features? It came back to each other as how we use an Android device is different from person to person.

Corvus OS Android 12 GSI info

Quick settings tiles Corvus OS Android 12 GSI

Corvus Settings Corvus OS Android 12 GSI

original ROM	Corvus OS
GSI maintainer	RickyCheung@Sourceforge
android version	Android 12
partition style	AB
architecture	ARM64 / A64 (Binder)
tested devices	• ASUS ZenFone Live L2 – using Android 9.0 VNDK Lite vendor

Quick Review of Corvus OS Android 12L GSI by Tipz Team Builds

Corvus OS Android 12 GSI quick tour video on ASUS ZenFone Live L2

Note: The one I have tested running well on my ASUS ZenFone Live L2 Android phone is the older version v. S3.2. I haven’t tested the newer version v. S4.0 so far.

From videos or on social medias, I saw many people said and relates Corvus OS as a gaming ROM. Perhaps, people judge it by features that prebuilt that ease the android gamers, or the ROM is build by prioritizing performance? Perhaps the earlier is closer to why Corvus OS is synomized with ‘gaming’, because they even have special section in the customization features called “Gaming Space”.

But me personally, I rarely play games on my Android phones these days so the only thing I can say about Corvus OS is it is one of well crafted ROM built with many features and some little sweet modifications to the core AOSP system UI.

Bugs

Note that this Corvus OS is GSI, every devices may have less or more bugs depends on device models.

Corvus OS v. s4.0:

Status Bar network traffic does not run well ^*.

[*]: Bugs found on my ASUS ZenFone Live L2

How to install Corvus OS Android 12 Generic System Image (GSI)