How To Install Latest Version on Old Raw Mini Kodi Machine?

Offtopic
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Hi, I picked up a Raw mini Kodi media player that’s running Lubuntu 14 and I wonder if someone can tell me how to install the newest version if I don’t know the Linux password? I think I can get to the terminal so is there a boot command to use for the USB memory stick? Thanks.

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I wonder if there is a way to make it boot from the USB memory stick? There are a lot of jumpers on the little PC board but I don’t know what any of them do and the company seems to be out of business. Maybe I could install Lubuntu right onto the m-sata drive without using USB?

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The oldest supported release of Lubuntu is currently Lubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Ubuntu has reserved the year format releases for snap only products, and Lubuntu has never had a snap only release so there is no Lubuntu 14. You possibly mean Lubuntu 14.04 LTS.

There is the reboot command which will reboot a machine, however as to how to boot specific ports/devices, that is hardware and firmware specific, and thus a hardware question.

The reboot will cause your running OS to shutdown & finally pass control to firmware for a warm boot and your system firmware will bootstrap whatever device it’s settings have programmed to boot

To re-install a supported system over a unsupported OS, you won’t need the password unless encryption was used, and you’re trying to retain some of the data. If no encryption is involved, you can re-install non-destructively too & not lose user data (system directories will get erased so any data in those directories will be lost).

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So how would I make it do the install?

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Have you read our manual?

https://manual.lubuntu.me/stable/1/Installing_lubuntu.html

is. retrieve the image, write to media, boot the image & install.

As Lubuntu is just a Ubuntu system, Ubuntu docs will work just as well, ie.

Booting external devices (be it USB thumb-drive, CF, SD-card etc) is device specific, but I’ve installed using the media I just mentioned & more without issue, on a variety of hardware.

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Do you have another pc? If so make a lubuntu 22.04 usb stick and reinstall from scratch.

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Yes of course I created a bootable USB stick but the question is, how do I get the media center computer to boot from it? It’s not a PC!

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If I search for how to Enable USB Booting on Linux all the directions are how to do it on a PC which isn’t any help. I assume booting Linux from a USB drive would be similar to Enable USB Booting on Chromebook? Does anyone know if this will work in Lubuntu?

(How to Enable USB Booting on Chromebook: 2 Methods)

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How you boot a device is specific to that device.

I have devices that require me to quickly press a specific Fn key (F9, F10, F12 etc) after the device is turned on, a device that requires me to press Esc, a device that requires me to hit a blue key, another an somewhat hidden black key, plus one device that requires me to ensure the device is turned off, then press & hold a specific key down for 4 seconds and the device turns itself on & asks what device I wish to boot. The OS itself does not decide this, as its device specific.

You’ll get the most specific advice from a forum that deals with your specific device, or at least devices like it. This is a Lubuntu forum where we’re more familiar with the OS, but you’re asking about a specific device bootstrapping code.

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No, I’m asking about Lubuntu so I’ll try it for the 3rd time.
Does Lubuntu have a command to tell it to boot from a USB drive or not?
If not, can I mount the USB drive and go have it run the ISO somehow?

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I think I found a way if I get an msata to sata adapter I can put the msata drive in a PC and then boot from USB to install the OS. Not sure if it will work in the media computer after installing it on a PC though

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Some Ubuntu install media will use the installation hardware to determine the actual best kernel stack (be it GA, HWE or an OEM option) and also install kernel modules (aka drivers) for the detected hardware.

Lubuntu is one system that doesn’t do that, thus you’ll get generic kernel modules & the kernel stack is selected by the ISO you download & use (eg. 22.04 & 22.04.1 media use GA kernel stack, 22.04.2 media defaults to HWE as example). Any additional drivers your machine needs are added post-install time.

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Well my msata adapter is working and I can boot up with the USB stick and see the msata drive but installing Lubuntu on it is another matter since it has so many bugs that doesn’t seem to be possible!

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