My Linux Practice

Watch me brick my PC!

Hey! Here are my goals learning Linux:

  • Do Linux From Scratch
  • Master “The Linux Command Line” by William Shotts
  • Get the LPI “Linux Essentials” cert
  • Install Arch btw

My third Linux machine

In November 2024, I bought a $140 Minisforum miniPC just for Linux From Scratch. I joke that I’m taking bets on how long it will take me to brick it.

Documenting stuff

I found myself documenting what I was doing (or trying to do) with Linux From Scratch so closely that I thought WHY DON’T I POST IT??!

  • Downloading GParted Live
    by Heidi
    gparted-live-1.6.0-10-amd64.iso – 550 MB Downloaded checksums.txt and checksums.txt.gpg Verified ISO Verified iso using “How to verify a downloaded file” as I post this I don’t know where that particular piece of paper is or what I did. I hate checksums. I got more used to them later in LFS chapter 3.2. Testing executables gpg, md5sum,… Read more: Downloading GParted Live
  • Installing balena Etcher
    by Heidi
    balenaEtcher-linux-64-1.19.25.zip – 14 MB To remind myself what I did with it: Appimage in Home Run it by opening its folder, click on balena-etcher
  • Uname
    by Heidi
    Practicing the uname command: uname Linuxuname -m x86_64 x86_64 meaning Intel or AMD 64-bit. I guess the Numbat mininPC is Intel. Trying it out on my Mac mini M1: uname -m ARM64
  • The UNetbootin rabbit hole
    by Heidi
    The GParted website was really insistent about using UNetbootin to flash the GParted Live USB (even though I felt that Balena Etcher must be equivalent). UNetbootin won’t install for Ubuntu 24.04. I tried this stuff: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gezkovacs/ppasudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install unetbootin I learn about the error message here: https://itsfoss.com/repository-does-not-have-release-file-error-ubuntu/ I could use the… Read more: The UNetbootin rabbit hole
  • Hold snaps forever
    by Heidi
    I’m pretty sure the weird stalling on Firefox (that is, when I’m actually trying to use the Numbat computer) is from snaps downloading themselves in the background without any notification. I did this: snap refresh –hold-forever “Auto-refresh of all snaps held indefinitely” TG For whatever reason, I don’t think snaps auto-download on the Fossa miniPC,… Read more: Hold snaps forever
  • SecureBoot, snaps, and planning
    by Heidi
    SecureBoot Secure boot is already disabled: sudo mokutil –sb-state “SecureBoot disabled” Was it never on or did I unintentionally disable it when clicking around in the BIOS? On 11/29, I used the mokutil command on the Focal Fossa miniPC. That too has “SecureBoot disabled.” The Fossa’s platform is “in setup mode,” which is supposed to… Read more: SecureBoot, snaps, and planning
  • Tests and flailing
    by Heidi
    Partitions I tried to reinstall Ubuntu to create an LFS partition at that point, but I couldn’t (again) figure out the manual partitioning. I’ll make a GParted Live USB to make the partition, I guess. Audio / Visual I tested out the audio, video, and webcam – all fine. Secure boot I could not find… Read more: Tests and flailing
  • Installing Ubuntu over Windows
    by Heidi
    This is the first time I’ve successfully installed Linux. (Once I tried to install Ubuntu on an old Mac mini but failed. My other miniPCs had Ubuntu pre-installed.) I’m wiping the Windows 10 that came with the miniPC. My LFS host machine will be Ubuntu and LFS will go on a separate partition. I didn’t… Read more: Installing Ubuntu over Windows
  • Making the USB Drive
    by Heidi
    I used Balena Etcher on the Focal Fossa miniPC to flash the Ubuntu file onto the black Lexar USB drive. I looked at the ISO file. It contained the directories: boot, casper, dists, EFI, install, pool preseed, ubuntu; and the files boot.catalog and md5sum.txt
  • Downloading Ubuntu
    by Heidi
    I downloaded Ubuntu 24.04 overnight using one of my other Linux miniPCs, the Minisforum Kodlix GN41 that has Focal Fossa Ubuntu. It was 5.8 GB and, because I have DSL, took 11 hours. In my records it doesn’t look like I checked the md5sum.
  • Just for Linux From Scratch
    by Heidi
    Here’s what I ordered from Amazon, $140.84 including tax: MINISFORUM GK41 Mini PC Celeron ProcessorJ4125 Quad Core( up to 2.7GHz),8GB DDR4 256GB SSD Mini Desktop Computer4X USB 3.0 Ports, 2X Gigabit Ethernet, 4K@60Hz Output, Dual Wi-Fi I want this project on a totally separate computer. And, I couldn’t use one of the miniPCs that I… Read more: Just for Linux From Scratch