Install Ubuntu using SD card and Windows

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1

Hi

I’m a Linux blockhead.

I just got a BeagleBone Black.

I’m working with it from a Windows10 computer using Putty and WinSCP.

In trying to set a static eth0 IP, (successful) and getting it to use 8.8.8.8 as DNS, I managed to lock myself out of it completely. (Long story, involving adding and deleting things in files, adjusting write permissions in folders, removing connman and so forth).

So now I cannot log in to the BBB with any profile. Not it’s default 192.168.7.1 through USB, or anything else which worked previously. (I had deleted the ethernet static IP previously anyway)…

I get:
Network error: Connection refused

I did not make a backup of whatever it had on it’s eMMC beforehand.

So:
Putty does not work with any IP address

WinSCP does not work with any IP address
The Browser interface does not work with any IP address

I can ping 192.168.7.1
With the BBB plugged into a USB port, I have access to the “BeagleBone Getting Started” drive in Windows File Explorer.

So naturally I’m trying to get the thing working again. So would this work?

I buy some sort of “USB to microSD” device. Something like this:

I download some Ubuntu image from somewhere onto my Windows laptop. (I decided that I might as well go to UBUNTU rather than the Debian it has, while I’m at it).

I write this image out to the microSD through USB.

I stick the microSD into the BBB and push some button to get it booting from the microSD.

So once I get it working again, I can transfer the UBUNTU image from the microSD to the eMMC.

Please help!

2

Have you tried plugging ia serial cable into the local serial port?
That should work as long as you still know the password.
No network links involved.

—Graham

3

You mean the USB port? With address 192.168.7.1? No that does not work either. As I said, my laptop picks up the device and I can see the “BeagleBone Getting Started” drive, and I can ping 192.168.7.1. But I can’t sign on with Putty – I get “Network error: Connection refused” before I even get to the sign-on prompt.

Unless there is some other serial port I am not aware of?

4

I download some Ubuntu image from somewhere onto my Windows laptop. (I
decided that I might as well go to UBUNTU rather than the Debian it has,
while I'm at it).

  There is so much ambiguity there... The Beagle requires an
ARM-compatible image...

https://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu

I stick the microSD into the BBB and push some button to get it booting
from the microSD.

  You have to hold the boot select down while applying power to the board
-- as I recall, it doesn't take from a soft restart.

So once I get it working again, I can transfer the UBUNTU image from the
microSD to the eMMC.

  I'd suggest the fastest way is to first start with a working Debian
image -- perhaps a flasher image to rewrite the eMMC. Then you have a base
machine to do the experiments in getting Ubuntu to work.

5

The hardware console/debug port that is on the 6-pin header. You'll
need a 3.3V compatible FTDI adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/Converter-Terminated-Galileo-BeagleBone-Minnowboard/dp/B06ZYPLFNB
claims to be Beaglebone compatible -- others have loose leads, which allows
them to be used with devices having different pin-outs
https://www.amazon.com/ADAFRUIT-Industries-954-Serial-Raspberry/dp/B00DJUHGHI/ref=rtpb_3?pd_rd_w=nxwqS&pf_rd_p=49740592-2805-416d-896c-b825ad91c2cf&pf_rd_r=9EW8MP06H9544B0KZ8PA&pd_rd_r=4088b22e-a62e-4a46-a474-bf2dcce33875&pd_rd_wg=00Qmu&pd_rd_i=B00DJUHGHI

6

As far as I am knowledgeable, the ip address of the debian image is 192.168.7.2
192.168.7.1 is the socket of the USB networking adapter at the Windows side.

The FTDI adapter is an option to look into the real boot process.
But dont take it for granted, when i power the bbb from a USB power plug it’s baud rate is different .
Who knows why?

Gwen Stouthuysen

7

If you are willing to reimage the Beaglebone, why not just download Etcher on your Windows system and then burn a Beagleboard flasher image to an uSD card and then boot the BBB with the flasher image to refresh the eMMC?

Etcher Windows:
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Beagleboard images:
https://beagleboard.org/latest-images

If you have another Linux based board such as Raspberry Pi, you could try to read the BB image on that using a uSD USB reader.

The other option is to install a tool on your Windows system that allows you to read the Linux filesystem and then edit any file you changed. I suspect either /etc/resolv.conf’ or your interfaces file.
https://www.howtogeek.com/112888/3-ways-to-access-your-linux-partitions-from-windows/
https://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/

Cheers,

Jon

8

Thanks everybody for your helpful suggestions. Lots of things in there which I did not know, which are not directly available anywhere. I’m sure I’ll find a solution in there somewhere.

Regards

9

Have you looked at these images?
https://rcn-ee.net/rootfs/2020-04-09/flasher/

https://rcn-ee.net/rootfs/2020-04-09/elinux/

Cheers,

Jon