Bootable MX-Linux respin (live ISO) wich includes all Linux Flashing tools

Using /e/OS Applications
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I have started to make a MX-Linux respin (Alpha Version) - a standalone Live ISO - which makes it easier for “normal” users to flash their phone, because they must not take care, which program they have to install and from where … except some phones like LG phones, who definitely need Windows programs.

I flashed with students a Onelpus One with aibds minimal-bacon.zip and left them the mx-respin stick, that they can do it without me - MX-Linux boots nearly on every intel / amd 64 bit laptop / desktop Mac or Windows - on some machines you only have to turn off secure boot in the bios.

So I bought 20 Intenso Speed Line 16GB USB-A 3.0 sticks for 65€ and everybody, who knows to boot linux and is interested in Privacy and Sustainability gets a stick with the indication to follow the instructions on /e/ or LOS. And I included all the time more tools - even the /e/ easy installer (more on that later)

"Disclaimer: ME is not responsible for what you do on/with your device using my MX-respin, you must agree that you using the ISO on your own risk, I am not responsible if you brick..."

If you find errors or have a suggestion for other programs, please tell - it is an alpha version (like I have no idea about Xiaomi phones - but I want to include - now only prepared, you have to download yourself - Francesco Tescaris tool, because it is everywhere recommended)

What is included:

GENERAL:
adb, fastboot

SONY:
experifirm is prepared - just download experifirm and then run cd Downlods and mono XperiFirm-x64.exe
newflasher download it from here , place the newflasher.x64 executable into the firmware folder (usually created by XperiFirm), cd to the folder and run it with sh newsflasher.x64

XIAOMI:
XiaoMiTool V2 download the .run file from here and then run cd Downlods and sh XMT2_Linux_2x.x…x.run

ABRT scripts - Android Backup and Restore Tools - download the scrips from here and run the scripts as described.

As this is an alpha, I put the ISO on swisstransfer - so it should stay there until beginning of April

DOWNLOAD SwissTransfer.com - Envoi sécurisé et gratuit de gros fichiers

PASSWORDS: user: demo root:root

How to use the MX-Live-ISO

You have to create a bootable USB drive (eg with Rufus) and then everything exept Easy Installer should work - but you will loose everything you download, when you shut down the machine.
You have 3 possibilities to make your stick persistent - you create an extra partition on the end of your USB-stick with gparted and download everything there or select persistence in the boot-options, before you boot or you open the MX remaster control center after boot and configure persistence.

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CLONEZILLA version of the Bootable MX-Linux respin

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all above mentioned tools are included in the Clonzilla verion + /e/ Easy Installer + Heimdall

/e/ Easy Installer:
The Easy Installer uses snap and snaps are not going to work on the live systems. There is an auto generated apparmour rule that will prevent snaps from working on live systems - I did not prove that, but I definitely trust dolphin oracle.

SAMSUNG:
heimdall (also grafical frontend) same as the Easy Installer Heimdall works at the moment only with systemd

DOWNLOAD: SwissTransfer.com - Envoi sécurisé et gratuit de gros fichiers

This Image must be restored with with Clonezilla. And it will only work in UEFI mode

The best would be to make a minimum 4 GB empty fat32 on the end of your internal HD and unzip the MX-Flashing-respin-img.zip there and restore it with Clonezilla to the USB drive…

To restore the Image follow the instructions here - Download Clonezilla here

You can use the same disk to boot Clonezilla and then install the image - just boot VGA or Large Letters to Ram (you need 4GB Ram - otherwhise a second USB disk)

To create a bootable Clonezilla use either Rufus, Etcher or the MX-USB-Installer

Password: user / user - root / toor

Now when you boot up the stick, you have under Advanced Options to boot with systemd and then start the easy installer from the menu or Heimdall from terminal

If somebody finds this ISO useful, I will continue and ask Igor Eisberg, Francesco Tescari and Munjeni, AndDiSa, if I am allowed to put their tools to the ISO (until now everything is prepared, that you just have to download).

CREDITS: MX-Linux Dev Team, Benjamin Dobell, Igor Eisberg, Francesco Tescari, Munjeni, AndDiSa, /e/ Dev Team

9 Likes
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congratulations on the effort.

I heard of MX Linux before and suspected you must’ve made a complete flashing distribution and offer it as live bootable ISO. If you pitch this in the first sentence (“What is this?”) with a screenshot peoples brain gears turn faster into place, more users!

2 Likes
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thanks @tcecyk, but the Credits goes mainly to the MX-Linux team, because their distribution is so easy to remaster. The only challenge was to get the Easy Installer working in MX - so a “complete flashing distribution” is definitly a bit to much.
I changed some text - explained a little bit more und hope, that it is better and more clear. I will do a screenshot later, when it turns out useful for people and when we come to Beta status - I plan to change the wallpaper and make dektop icons etc. etc.

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Having an “/e/OS installer on a stick” is a great idea !

I can very much see this; maybe documenting and supporting Easy Installer will be a rather high hurdle !

My feeling would be to target primarily the group of users where Easy Installer is not an option.

1 Like
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My main target is on this group, but I wanted to include also the Easy Installer.

But maybe the developers of the easy installer see a possibility to change to makeself or to mono or I thought to experiment with rescuzilla, if I can get a compressed Backup-Image less than 3 GB, to avoid screwing up boot - but this I can do only in March - in February I have very limited time.

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Can the ABRT scripts (Android Backup and Restore Tools) be included?
They run on Linux and just need adb … seems like a good fit.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/tools-zips-scripts-android-backup-and-restore-tools-multiple-devices-platforms.4016617/

4 Likes
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thx @AnotherElk - it is on the list - I will collect the ideas and do another ISO around 13. 02.

2 Likes
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I just noticed, that the starter of easy installer does not work - somehow snap changed one folder, when MX is installed.

In the terminal enter following
sh /snap/easy-installer/30/easy-installer-linux-x64/bin/easy-installer

  • in my installation it was /snap/easy-installer/current/easy-installer-linux-x64/bin/easy-installer
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I had some unexpected free time today - so I explored a little bit.

Rescuezilla is a pain in the XX, the same as Snap - see above, but we will outsmart them

so back to the good old Clonezilla - this Image is a Clonezilla image - just restore it with Clonezilla.

DOWNLOAD: SwissTransfer.com - Envoi sécurisé et gratuit de gros fichiers

The best would be to make a minimum 3 GB empty fat32 on the end of your internal HD and unzip teh MX-Flashing-respin-img.zip there and restore it with Clonezilla to the USB drive… a detailed explanation will come hopefully tomorrow.
And I need somebody to test the ABRT scripts, if they are working correctly - they are in the folder ABT, because I have no rooted phone…

Password user / user - root / toor

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You don’t need a rooted phone.
You only need an /e/OS build with the ability to enable “Rooted debugging” in the Developer options (Android 12 or current dev builds of earlier Android). This enables the adb root command, which should be sufficient for ABRT to run.

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  1. ABRT scripts are working, when you install git - on both uploaded Images - in the terminal as root

apt-get update and then apt install git

  1. Regarding the Conezilla Image - md5sum of the MX-Flashing-respin-img.zip is 2415e3a5c933f4ea80209b6a75b7b60e

To restore the Image follow the instructions here - Download Clonezilla here

You can use the same disk to boot Clonezilla and then install the image - just boot VGA or Large Letters to Ram (you need 4GB Ram - otherwhise a second USB disk)

To create a bootable Clonezilla use either Rufus, Etcher or the MX-USB-Installer

The rest (Download link) you find 2 posts above

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First sorry - to much work in February - so I could not work on the respin.

I installed git, so ABRT scripts should work out of the box after downloading them.

You find the new iso in the download link in the first post - next I will ask Igor Eisberg, Francesco Tescari, Munjeni,AndDiSa, if I can put their tools on the iso…

1 Like
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there is a bug on the Live ISO with heimdall - it does not effect the Clonezilla Version

https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?p=716206#p716206

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another issue: the installed fastboot version of debian is pretty outdated, which normally is no problem

$ fastboot --version
fastboot version 28.0.2-debian
Installed as /usr/lib/android-sdk/platform-tools/fastboot

but a friend tried to flash a Motorola Moto G7 today and did not succeed ( Note: Outdated fastboot releases dropped legacy A/B support, so it might attempt to flash to boot__a / boot__b rather than boot_a / boot_b if you try to flash boot. In this case, you must update fastboot to a release newer than or equal to 31.0.2.) - so I downloaded the recent linux platform-tools

$ ./fastboot --version
fastboot version 34.0.1-9680074
Installed as /home/tomse/Android/Platformtools/platform-tools/fastboot

I will change this in next version

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Hi, naîve question :

Is it feasible to include the necessary tools for building /e/ ?

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Yes, I tried.

Pro: MX-Linux is nicely documented so users new to Linux can pick up Linux more easily.

Con: The update process will potentially move faster than one can document the process.

Much as I dislike docker as a way to introduce new users … it does remove “update the system” nicely.