Installing Linux on an Awful Windows CE Netbook

[@MichaelMJD]

Thanks again to boot.dev for sponsoring! Head over to sponsr.is/bootdev_MichaelMJD and use my code MICHAELMJD to get 25% off your first payment. That’s 25% off your first month or your first year, depending on the subscription you choose.

[@ArmedBread]

Ooh

[@ArmedBread]

Hiii

[@zenvio]

kool

[@txe1nd]

Heyyyy

[@ThisisWin11PESE-dr5yw]

Michael u the best ever!

[@duplicake4054]

Action retro: Buys Sylvania Windows CE Netbook Michael MJD: Buys Sylvania Windows CE Netbook Action retro: Installs Debian Michael MJD: Installs Debian & Arch

[@arlandi]

they really shows how 'useful' this little guy can be.

[@duplicake4054]

@@arlandi Yeah he has tux spies all over Action Retro's house

[@ThatOneWindowsFan]

I remember Action Retro did a video on the touchscreen iMac G3, then MJD doing a video about it a few months later.

[@MichaelMJD]

@@ThatOneWindowsFannot a few months! We published those videos on the same weekend. Certainly a crazy coincidence.

[@EvilTurkeySlices]

@@MichaelMJDgreat minds think alike.

[@medec10667]

Fun fact, in most desktops, you can move windows by clicking and dragging anywhere while holding a key. It's usually ALT or the Windows/Super key by default. Lifesaver with some of these old netbooks. The days of Windows XP letting you really make it look *awful*, but awful your own way, is the kind of fun that's missing these days.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Windows 9X was the peak of window frame cuatomisability :) you could go to obnoxiously large text sizes just like this, AND it’d scale the window icons perfectly because they’re technically a font (unlike in LXDE here). Windows XP had a ton of downloadable themes, but much less customisation within each one. 9X totally rivalled these early Linux days in ridiculousness! But maybe it’s just that I grew up with 98, and XP was my teen OS…

[@_..-.._..-.._]

@@kaitlyn__L Huh. I was 13 when xp came out (2001) so my whole life it’s seemed new and fresh. I don’t mind win 8 & 10 but XP is still my fave. 95 & 98 would’ve been cooler to me if my family hadn’t had such crappy desktops with those OSs

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@_..-.._..-.._ I really dislike 8 and 10, 7 was the last good one after XP in my opinion. I still think of XP as new and shiny, and much like 2000 it was far more stable! But 9X is the cozy one for me, even though mine came on a low-mid range Aldi computer :) low power, crashed games a lot, but I changed the colour scheme and fonts weekly!

[@RemyJustice97]

​@@kaitlyn__LI miss the aesthetics of 9x and XP so much. One of my work PCs is still running win7, so I set up a classic theme and made it all cute and purple because why not. It's so much nicer to look at than all the Win11 machines

[@FreeFireFull]

The most notable thing is just how much better the performance is with Linux, compared to the built-in Windows CE

[@arnox4554]

Wish he tried AntiX though. I swear that thing will run on a toaster WHILE STILL BEING ACCESSIBLE AND USABLE. The MX developers in general are absolute pros.

[@steelplasma256]

@arnox4554 Michael clearly stated it's very limited by it's 800MHz ARM WM8650 SOC AntiX is x86 and this ARM nettop is not x86 compatible at all.

[@IkarusKommt]

It is easy to have better performance by doing nothing.

[@bakary_gassama]

@MichaelMJD You should try installing Android on this device, the WM8650 works with both Windows CE and Android, and you might get it a bit more usable with that.

[@meetoo594]

I have one of these with Android preinstalled from the factory. Its not Sylvania branded but its the same machine, in a fetching red no less. Anyhoo, the performance in Android is pretty bad, web browsing is painful and crashy and the Android version is so old there isnt much you can do with it. I might go the opposite route and put windows ce on it if thats even possible from the sd card slot.

[@KirnGill]

@@meetoo594 The Android SKUs of this board usually have 256MB of RAM instead of the 128MB of the Windows CE SKUs; you might end up with a better Windows CE version of this machine that way!

[@meetoo594]

@@KirnGill that's good to know, I'm going to give it a go as I quite like how dinky the machine is.

[@knotrocket4825]

Too bad Arch had no networking, I wanted to see you attempt to install 13 years of Arch updates even though you already knew it won't boot after.

[@knotrocket4825]

The theme did make up for it though

[@user-no2brb6t376gg]

true

[@R0ck4x3]

I mean that's assuming it wouldn't just brick the system mid update, which it probably would given the specs of this thing.

[@dokichokei]

He could have used a USB NIC

[@reid4625]

are you sure you want to go trough 13 years of Arch updates? it'll take far longer than the Windows 1 to Windows 10 update saga, and I don't mean this lightly

[@minecraftaccount-kz4yn]

bro took "i use arch BTW" to a whole next level

[@minecraftaccount-kz4yn]

yes i liked my own comment

[@markusTegelane]

​@@minecraftaccount-kz4ynwhy tho?

[@minecraftaccount-kz4yn]

@@markusTegelane idk for adsense maybe?

[@user-no2brb6t376gg]

yea why tell us

[@ThatOneWindowsFan]

@@user-no2brb6t376gg for the lolz

[@nizarkayous416]

Of course it has to be Arch BTW

[@JacksonGaming092]

You mean Zubuntu?

[@OrdinaryDoommarine]

wish it was mint

[@txe1nd]

lol of course

[@borderlinecoree]

why havent anyone made a distro named "bombuntu"

[@eobardthawnemcoc]

​@@OrdinaryDoommarinetoo much bloat

[@projectcafe_]

glad to have helped find the debian for this thing!

[@laylabranom5494]

Compiling from scratch is the gentoo way. Arch is a bunch of pre-built binaries but you have to do a lot of configuration and setup.

[@jan_harald]

nowdays gentoo has prebuilt binary packages too ;P

[@123sleepygamer]

Not only does Arch have an install script/tool that makes it super easy, just use Archcraft, it's minimal, simple, super customizable, and fast way to throw up an arch Arch system.

[@SeralyneYT]

Hi! Resident Arch Elitist here! I take offense to that statement, we do not compile all our software from source. What are we, Gentoo?

[@soyuzrocket69]

I mean, michael is a windows user.

[@SeralyneYT]

@@soyuzrocket69 I had hoped I didn’t need a /jk on there hahaha.

[@HackManJay]

as a fellow arch elitist. I fear no man but that thing... [gentoo] It scares me...

[@soyuzrocket69]

@@HackManJay I use gentoo and artix (arch linux but without systemd)

[@HackManJay]

@@soyuzrocket69 i wanna change my init system to runit on arch but it'll break for sure lol

[@Sithhy]

29:08 - Michael being played by Tux

[@Mario583a]

This wouldn't've happened with Xenia.

[@softwarelivre2389]

Michael got Tux'ed.

[@user-no2brb6t376gg]

lol cool l guess

[@The_Boctor]

Is that Tux or Crux?

[@ThatOneWindowsFan]

Ah yes. My 2 favorite distros. Arch and *_DEEBIAN_*

[@jurviz]

Hi! Everyone calls my girlfriend Deeb. It's short for Deeborah.

[@thepinktreeclub]

dEeebian*

[@kaiden_aka_forevrr]

i know its kinda common to imagine youtubers collabing but i think that a michael mjd and action retro collab will be both entertaining and amazing lol

[@casualamber]

I suggest running TinyCore Linux on that CE laptop. the installation ISO is 17mb (not joking) The minimum requirements is 15mb for both RAM & memory + 21mb for storage. It ‪really lives up to it's name.

[@jan_harald]

alpine linux is much more useful, while being pretty small, but tinycore is definitely very tiny tinycore repo is full of very old and often somewhat-broken packages, and not all that many packages, and it's got a lot of other quirks...

[@robsquared2]

Today we bring a hapless computer kicking and screaming into the 2010s.

[@Gruntzilla94]

In most Linux Desktop Environments if you hold down ALT and then click anywhere in the window and drag you can move the window without having to click and drag on the title bar. This can help the next time you have a window that's too large for the screen.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

Me: "Mom, can we get a Linux laptop?" Mom: "We've got a Linux laptop at home!" ** the Linux laptop at home **

[@rizzing_mogger]

i laughed so hard i pooped my ass

[@undefinedCat]

honestly, it's just better to buy an actual netbook and not this "smartbook" thingy

[@GabriellSimic]

oh youve never seen a topless arch setup have you

[@whoami_parrot]

🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

[@KennethSturgess-g7h]

DEB Ian: correct. DEEB ian: incorrect

[@jan_harald]

deep john

[@sillypinkmoth]

shallow nate

[@d_sanu]

Deborah or Debbie

[@TheHangarHobbit]

It amazes me how well stock Debian runs on damn near anything. I have one of the AMD based EEE PCs that I wanted to keep usable since it was given to me by my late father and even Lubuntu ran like ass on it but with Debian with XFCE? Purrs like a kitten, even has no issues with 720p YT in 2024 with H264ify which is kinda nuts considering how weak those old netbook CPUs were even when new.

[@PinkAgaricus]

lol I read the Eee PC in DankPods (Wade's) voice. "Let's bring out the EeeeeePeeeCeee!" If Michael has one he should try it on an older EeePC.

[@riannaremmi3542]

"cuz i hope you guys think like that about me" you dont even know for how long i actually thing how cool all the stuff you do

[@RetroGamerOG_]

The name “internet device” reminds me of my Nokia n810 but it had debian

[@jonathanthegoober]

That sounds cool. I should do that with my Nokia.

[@KanokYT]

I remember owning both the N800 and N810, along with the N900. All were using a customized version of Debian called Maemo. WOW do I miss those devices...

[@RetroGamerOG_]

@@KanokYT I never heard of the n900

[@user-no2brb6t376gg]

i remember that sound in nokia n810 in the good old days

[@KanokYT]

@@RetroGamerOG_ It was the phone version of the N800/810. Had the slide-out keyboard and everything. Look up Nokia N900. It's pretty awesome. Linux on the go on a phone and it worked really well!

[@jamesonthehills]

surprised you actually got it running tbh. people used to flash old versions of android on these things

[@wibblewarp]

I had one of these for a single week. It was really only useful for note taking on WordPad and at the end of the week the battery failed. Brilliant device. Mine was unbranded and I identified it as the same device by the clamshell chassis, keyboard and power button placement

[@zavaraninoveuhorky]

The bezzel of that thing is bigger than the actual screen

[@thereal_oooooowawsgt]

You got me installing windows vista on a pc lol

[@cameronbosch1213]

3:30 Could that be because Arch switched to systemd in late 2012?

[@alphatheprotogen]

the arch btw folder is preety funny ngl

[@exiavaganza]

It's mandatory to do so, otherwise Arch btw will refuse to boot.

[@Fennek_Fox_20]

Speaking about arch... Uwuntu strikes back! Meet Nyarch!

[@TheVideoGameReject]

I love these videos so much. I need more gaming tests on these devices running linux too. I'm really interested in how much of a difference Linux makes on the system

[@LuneLovehearn]

so you finally gave Arch Linux a try. Now, the next challenge is "updating Arch installation but everything goes wrong" video. I wonder if you can update it to present day, based on the rolling release nature of Arch. now, both Arch and Debian made that device way more responsive, and if it were running a modern updated distro, you could even get more apps and test it even further, to push it to it's limits.

[@jan_harald]

if you can't get the proper drivers then...just get a normal usb adapter! there's plenty of usb ethernet and usb wifi adapters, and those should work just fine I also quite doubt that newer arch wouldn't work because of "boot process", it may possibly need slight fiddling, but I'm fairly sure it will just work

[@philtkaswahl2124]

Sylvania Laptop Thing: "Please... let me die."

[@d_sanu]

gimme 2nd chance

[@Roaddawg1271]

HELLO MIKE DID YOU LOOK IN DISTROWATCH FOR OTHER VERSIONS? THANKS FOR THE VIDEOS

[@woldemunster9244]

THANKS DAWG!

[@CRYPTiCEXiLE]

i just left debian sid and instal back arch on 3 computers after 18 years using arch linux i love this OS the best :)

[@AddiJay2397]

Michael really got us with that “I use arch btw” when throwing that SD card at the laptop.

[@elrickking9293]

I have one, the battery inflated but I was thinking that I could build raspberry pi inside this case it looks perfect

[@rustkitty]

3:55 This is high double quality bait. I will admire it from a distance.

[@BOplaid]

13:06 "galculator" That's the most clever thing I've ever heard

[@Otto500206]

Only MJD would something like this...

[@killerpokemon]

Or druaga1

[@sedrosken831]

The "QT V4L2 Test Utility" is abbreviated. V4L2 unpacks to Video4Linux2 and Qt is the application framework it uses as opposed to GTK. Essentially, it's a test for whatever webcam you happen to have available.

[@KirnGill]

I got one of these off eBay during COVID for shits and giggles. I recently got the Enlyze CeGCC toolchain up and running to build code for Windows CE ARM and I've been testing builds of my "readexe" tool on it. I've done Debian. But I came to this video for the thumbnail: Arch Linux on this thing.

[@JamesnLollify]

Great minds think alike again, Michael and Action Retro doing the same video

[@RAIN_2001]

Proud to say Michael MJD is so cool!

[@АмогусАмогусович-т7ъ]

Can you make video about SamyGo with 2008-2014 TVs?

[@YuNherd]

this is a nice follow up, thanks man

[@CFWhitman]

It's conceivable that if the repository for this architecture has been kept up that you could gradually update Debian to the latest version. You'd have to do it a version at a time, even if it worked.

[@KoopaKid660]

Interesting to see old Linux versions. I personally first used Linux with Ubuntu 16.04 on my Chromebook.

[@MarkRayers]

MICHAEL UPLOADED!!! QUICK LET ME USE THE ARCHTOP SO I CAN WATCH IT

[@icollided]

Crazy! I didn't know that you could overwrite embedded OS without some crazy firmware flashing thing.

[@georgeh6856]

If you cannot get the built-in wifi to work under Linux, you could try using a USB wifi dongle. I used to do that years ago sometimes when I would troubleshoot people's Windows machines. I would boot into Linux and then install a USB wifi dongle I knew worked under Linux. That might even allow you to get online temporarily to do updates or to manually find the driver you need for the built-in wifi more easily. Probably not worth doing if it is USB 1, though.

[@doorknob60]

This reminds me of the first laptop I had in high school, I got it cheap in like 2010. It was a Compaq laptop from around 2000 probably. It came with Windows 98. But in 2010-2011, 98 wasn't the most useful. I upgraded the RAM to its max supported 192 MB. I installed Debian with LXDE on it, UI looked just like here, something I haven't seen in probably a decade. And it worked fine for web browsing and I could play RuneScape on it.

[@MathematicsStudent]

Did anyone notice how much snappier this machine was when running Linux than when running Windows CE?

[@xXAce_TnTXx]

man.. These videos bring me right to bliss!

[@WhiteTornadoGaming]

I'm new to this channel. I get the most joy from fixing and building PCs. Would you consider trying a multi-boot os install with as many os as possible? MS-DOS, 98, 2000, ME, NT, XP, REACTOS, and maybe a few other windows or just a Linux. I am wanting to make a usb flash drive with multiple os setup on it. I started watching your channel when I found the ReactOS video. I searched the software and used VirtualBox to install it. As expected there were 2 drivers that wouldn't install. I don't have a $5 Windows 98 PC that I can use for purposes of for the fun of it. I just don't have a powerful enough Host system to run a big multi boot virtual machine

[@randomazzy11]

as an arch linux user we do not compile our kernels manually (mostly)

[@deltara2106]

27:47 I'd absolutely love a video. One of my favorite games is Tetris and I play it competitively.

[@OfficialGamer_]

Who agrees that watching MichaelMJD makes you a little smarter

[@PatrickBaptist]

LOL I had one of these $20 CL deal off someone that expected it was a laptop, they were dying to get rid of it and I just liked I could play mp3s and low quality videos from it, it would connect to my wifi but the internet browser was fully useless. Really it seems wince is better on it than linux, mine had a crappy speaker but it was loud enough to listen to anywhere in a room, mine was silver and not black. I'd still have it but one day it wouldn't turn back on anymore, tried a new adapter and that didn't work so I let my kids take it apart and enjoy it from there.

[@1400Lines]

after installing the network driver, did you enable and start it on systemctl?

[@rigues]

Even a 12 year old Linux distro is better than that abomination of Windows CE. Put LTris, Kobo Deluxe and Frozen Bubble on this machine and I'm a happy penguin.

[@jwoody8815]

Linux would certainly be for more useful that Windows CE thats for sure. And BTW, you ARE cool.

[@new_simsons]

Linux on the wii? That sounds interesting. Do you have a link to that video?

[@ysfchn]

See the linked cards in (i) button showing up in the right top.

[@Gadgetman1989]

Anytime I hear anything about windows CE i think of the original windows phone the HTC T-Mobile wing/HTC Herald iirc the name right, love your videos dude

[@edwardseth1230]

if this has a USB 2.0 port or a mini USB 2.0 you can use a mini usb to USB 2.0 cable adapter and install any outside thumb dual band wifi adapter on it.. ugreen has some.

[@corbinnickle440]

You should back up the Windows CE install

[@wileysneak]

kinda curious if its possible to just update the kernel image (only) and maybe get better hardware support for networking

[@Turbo187KillerB]

Old Linux was brutal. We've come so far.

[@MarcosCodas]

Heck yes. Subbed. Totally my kind of nonsense!

[@MichaelMJD]

Thanks for subscribing!

[@grantschilb8019]

Michael MJD is one of the OGs, welcome to the community

[@courtneymertz4596]

MJD is finally installing Arch Linux for the first time ever!

[@tinkering_geek]

I just gotta know, is MJD in anyway related to the CRD. You guys sound identical and share common interest. But clearly different setups. A brother maybe?

[@inversion66]

I love how big the SD card is compared to the little thing.

[@anon-55-t2x]

uhhhh

[@MelonGamessYT]

Plssss more Michael everything goes wrongggg

[@WhiteTornadoGaming]

I second this.

[@MelonGamessYT]

@@WhiteTornadoGaming yesssssss

[@WhiteTornadoGaming]

@@MelonGamessYT I just found this channel the other day and I really like it. I subbed too

[@MelonGamessYT]

@@WhiteTornadoGaming he's a cool yt

[@s00774]

install gentoo on it, cya in 3 weeks :)

[@SockyNoob]

Gentoo isn't as bad as it's made out to be from what I remember friends telling me. A lot more work, but not necessarily hard.

[@user-no2brb6t376gg]

yes it isnt bad tbh you can install it too if your too scared install it on a vm

[@s00774]

@@SockyNoob i use gentoo on the daily :) its as easy as arch, just more lengthy. on my modern system it takes about 10 hours to compile everything on -O3

[@jan_harald]

to be fair, gentoo does have binary packages now so it wouldn't take 3 weeks, if you're a normal person and don't feel the need to recompile absolutely everything, lol at the point you do feel the need, tho, then it'll probably take at least a day just to configure the kernel ;P

[@MoonlightEmbrace]

NCommander’s Radioactive Hotdog Stand making an unexpected cameo appearance lol

[@bramweinreder2346]

Lubuntu also works pretty nice on those netbooks. Use the latest LTS that still works on 32 bit.

[@manuel.dignani]

You can always use a USB wifi adapter, like a realtek that almost always works with Arch

[@SamFlador]

Debian FTW Currently running Devuan Ceres (unstable) with Liquorix kernel, it's nice

[@pom.bo.]

honestly if i had to use such a netbook id just slap an sd card with a frugal puppy installation in it and be done, seems like a good use for it

[@moelester7527]

For some reason I'm actually more used to hearing the names of programs and other Arch Linux terms in an Australian accent, but I don't know exactly why.

[@lmanders2]

Lxde is a different desktop environment from xfce which is what xubuntu uses. Lubuntu is lxde.

Ahh Arch Linux, very good, I hope nothing goes wro....oh wait

[@frodddd]

Im trying to switch to linux, any good tips? (The hardware is gonna be a 2011 macbook air)

[@amoledzeppelin]

Alpine is the way.

[@Weezerfier]

You should have updated debian on it and see how it would run. A missed opportunity.

[@jzrn_n0]

thanks mjd, you deliver even though you’re not pregnant (not for long)

[@_WalkTheEarth_]

WHAT

[@repoversemedium]

that’s crazy

[@txe1nd]

Ayoooo

[@鉄血不死鳥]

Is that a threat?! Lmao

[@rosetintedtomb]

what.

[@crashowerride]

45 minute video of you playing tetris, when?

[@RadikAlice]

Honestly, before I even knew the details I figured a purely CLI Arch install or window manager like Fluxbox would be a good fit As someone who's used LXQt, was nice seeing actual LXDE. Very snappy as I'd expect, Ubuntu of that time would be _torture_ for this thing Oh, how funny. Was thinking htop made more sense in the Arch image than a GUI task manager, lo and behold. Debian one did it

[@TechnoMinded-qp5in]

Linux Mint Cinnamon might be an alternative to Windows 10 users in fact it's so scary similar to Windows 10 I might just replace Windows 10 with Linux Mint Cinnamon in the future yes you can play Windows games with Steam thanks to proton experiment and Steam Deck.

[@thefanmanSixtyFour]

"i use arch btw" ahh moment

[@sburton015]

I wonder if you could install Windows 8 on this netbook which would have been from around this same time period.

[@NextGeneration365]

Hi mjd. I have a question. Was there any future problems

[@gaiaweylyn]

I once came across a cheap and awful android tablet using the related WM8505 SoC called the Eken M001. It had a 640x800 resistive touchscreen. It died very quickly, I still have the WM8505 SoC SODIMM module, not that I'm ever likely to do anything with it. If I want a sodimm computer I'd just use a RPi compute module which would race circles around the terrible WonderMedias

[@99_friety]

0:15, hold on, I’m almost certain it’s Kees or Cees.

[@101rini]

amazing video richard

[@whaletech07]

Of course, it has to be Arch Linux (btw)

[@danielpicassomunoz2752]

Looking forward for doing Gentoo

[@sebastianneuhaus6607]

I remember that. My dad used to have one of these but with Android installed on them. Was available at a german discounter like 10+ years ago or so. That thing was just terrible. Even had the english keyboard layout instead of the german one.

[@MrSamadolfo]

🙂 i have a Dell Netbook with an Intel Atom, i think the one you got is even weaker tho, Peppermint OS is pretty light tho I notice that it doesnt install correctly on some machines and I dont know why. Some Linux Distros are more compatible friendly such as Mint which i never seen a failed install yet.

[@dotdotdotr]

I laughed so hard at your reaction when you started messing up all the font and stuff on Arch..... lol@ "they just let you totally mess it up".....

[@therealdatenshi]

Every time I open this video on my phone the youtube app crashes