How To Install and Run Ubuntu on the MK802 Pocket PC

How to install Ubuntu 10.04 on a microSD card

These instructions will assume you’re working with a Windows PC, but the steps should be similar if you’re using a Mac or Linux computer.

1. Download the mele-ubuntu-lucid.img.lzma disk image from the links atrhombus-tech.net or Linux Questions.

2. Extract the mele-ubuntu-lucid.img file to a folder on your computer. You can use 7-zip or another utility to do this.

3. Insert a 4GB or larger microSD card into your computer.

4. Download and unzip Win32 Disk Imager to your PC.

5. Run Win32DiskImager.exe.

6. Choose the drive letter for your microSD card in the “Device” area and choose the mele-ubuntu-lucid.img file for your “image file.”

7. Click “Write.”

After a few minutes the process will complete and your microSD card should be prepared with Ubuntu 10.04.

How to run Ubuntu 10.04 on the MK802

Now that your microSD card is prepared, you can insert it into the TF card slot on the MK802. TF is just another name for microSD.

Theoretically all you have to now is connect a display, power source, mouse, and keyboard and you should be good to go.

But the first time I tried this, my MK802 booted into Android instead of Ubuntu. I ejected the microSD card, inserted it again, unplugged the power and plugged it back in and second time was a charm — Ubuntu loaded a few moments later.

There are few more things you need to know though:

Logging in

When you hit the login screen you have two options for logging in:

• username: root / password: ubuntu
• username: ubuntu / password: ubuntu

Enabling WiFi

WiFi will not work out of the box. But it’s very easy to enable. Just login as root, open a terminal window, and enter the command “depmod -a” (without quotes) and hit enter. When that’s complete, use the Ubuntu system menu to restart the computer.

The MK802 simply freezes every time I try to actually shut down Ubuntu (or Android, for that matter), but the restart option seems to work just fine. Once you’ve restarted the operating system WiFi should work.

Check out the video preview here:

Source: Liliputing