32 or 64 bit advice

[Colin23erk]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement -- It looks as if it should work

All I need is the courage to get down to giving it a try . but with my track record if there is a snag it will find me --- LOL

Another concern of mine is the need to update the Kernal is it a straight forward job. I thought LL used a specific Kernal   . Does updating the Kernal  update the drivers to the newest available for Linux

Not 100% straight forward, mainly because it's WiFi only, and the WiFi didn't work out of the box, it's Broadcom on this one.

Is it usual for the same model of Computer to to have different Wifi makes as all the components are part of the motherboard these days

Colin

[Wirezfree]

Stream11 & LL 2.8 64 bit

After lot's of googling and making notes.

First, If you have been using the Stream and have docs/files on it, Back those up.
You will need to remove Win10,
So use the Win8/10 "create recovery disk" to create a bootable USB recovery stick(16GB).
That way you can always get back to a "Out Of The Box"(OOB) clean new install.
=========================================================
You will need:
- A bootable LL 2.8 64 bit install USB stick.
- A USB WiFi stick, the inbuilt Broadcom device does not work at first. (I had this one, seems to work O.K)
- or a USB Ethernet adapter and cable to plug on you modem/router. (I do not have one, but should work)

Then:
- Plug in install USB stick in left side(USB2) and WiFi/Ethernet Adapter in the right side, connect network cable if using one to your modem/router. (I read using right(USB3) for install can fail)
- Switch on Stream 11 and keep tapping the Esc key till a mini menu appears.
- Press F10 , Then using right arrow key move to "System Configuration".
- Use down arrow to go to "Boot Options" and hit "Enter"
- Use down arrow to go to "Legacy Support" and hit enter, select "Enable" enter,
- Use down arrow to go to "Secure Boot" and and hit enter, select "Disable" enter,
- Use down arrow to go to "Legacy Boot Order"
   >>> Then use up/down & F5/F6 to make "USB Diskette / USB Hard Drive" First , and "Notebook Harddisk" Second , then press Esc
- Using right arrow key move to "Exit" , Use down arrow to go to "Exit Saving Changes" , Press "Enter" and confirm "Yes" to Save
- PC will re-start, LL should now start to load.
  >>> You may get white lines/and some garbage, but it should eventually get to the Desktop.
- If you used a WiFi adapter, connect to your network and enter your key, if Ethernet it should connect automatically.

Then:
- Menu, start typing gpart and select Partition Drives.
- Using gparted remove "all" the partitions on the drive [/dev/mmcblk0 29.12GB]. (The drive is eMMC , it actually presents like a SD Card.?) exit gparted.
  (I partitioned the drive, but given it's size, it up to you.? a 10GB / a 10GB /home and a 4GB swap )
- Now install LL either with, use all disk or Other, if you want to, and select the partitions previously created.
- When the install is complete, Use the continue using option, but then immediately Shut Down.
- Unplug the install stick, but leave in the WiFi or Ethernet adapter.
- Then switch it back on, If all went well, it should now re-boot into LL.

Now some setup/config:
The LL Driver search did not find anything for the Broadcom devices, so this worked for WiFi, not Bluetooth though.

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sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-sourcereboot, then:

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sudo modprobe wlYou should now be able to connect to your WiFi.

The hard keys for Volume & Brightness worked in jumpy steps, so based on a previous experience with another HP, I did.

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gksu leafpad /etc/default/grubThen edited the line:

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GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"To:

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GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_osi=linux acpi_backlight=vendor"then saved it, and a:

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sudo update-grubControls are more granular, BUT brightness is at MAX. That can be fixed with xbacklight at some stage.

Installed SKYPE, webcam & Audio working.
Installed Chrome, that's working, occasional jump on some screen changes, it's the same with kernel 4.5.0

But for a day to day little device it seems to work 10X's better than Win10

Forgot, Boot Time:
Power On to grub @ 2~3 secs, and from grub to Desktop @ 12~13 secs.

[Wirezfree]

Although I have mixed feelings about benefiting from the problems of others

Cheers,
Andy N1KSN

Yes a dilemma, but they did at least get something...

I will write something up shortly, Bluetooth is still a challenge... It worked once.. But no more

[n1ksn]

Wirezfree,

Nice, nice, nice!  I look forward to your details on getting wifi working.  I had a similar experience bringing new life to a Gateway LT40 using LL.  No hiccups whatsoever (except forgetting about Numlock at first).  Very satisfiying.

This may inspire me to go back to the pawn shop and rescue a low-end machine.  (Although I have mixed feelings about benefitting from the problems of others.)

Cheers,
Andy N1KSN

[Wirezfree]

@Colin23erk.

A friend with a Stream11/Win10 in a box doing nothing, because he said it ran like syrup and was like watching paint dry...
Well it runs pretty good with LL 2.8 64bit, he's impressed and want's to keep it..??
Not 100% straight forward, mainly because it's WiFi only, and the WiFi didn't work out of the box, it's Broadcom on this one.
Will post details later, a few tweaks to make, and an occasional flash on some screen changes, will try a new kernel, still on 3.19.




With Chrome & 7 tabs open, Skype running using @ 1GB of mem, so for day to day use it's fine.
It's been running over 9 hours and 15% battery left, now that's good. tlp may extend even further...

[firenice03]

Are you suggesting that problems wait around every corner till they see me coming - sounds about right -- LOL

LOL..
You're a lucky one 

[Colin23erk]

the wifi /bluetooth is --Realtek RTL 8723 BE 802.11b/g/n (1x1) and Bluetooth® 4.0 combo


Knowing Colin's track record  (please no offense) I'm only offering insight for a preparedness should something arise...

Are you suggesting that problems wait around every corner till they see me coming - sounds about right -- LOL

[firenice03]

I agree on the 32/64 bit - its going to come down to preference.. Whether there is a noticeable difference in performance or if you prefer Chrome vs Chromium - again research in the live environment (I myself have both now)

I wasn't sure how new the hardware was; on my 1 set up I needed a 4.x kernel

Two things to take away from the 2nd link I provided..
WiFi may require updates - Commands will be ran in terminal
Trackpad  "in order to make it work properly under Linux, we need to change a couple of things."

These are a couple things that may require modification after an install - then again they may not...  This was from a year ago and on Mint...
Knowing Colin's track record  (please no offense) I'm only offering insight for a preparedness should something arise...

[torreydale]

justme2,
I wonder if your friend's quad core processor is 1.9 GHz or slower and if the drive is 5400 rpm, 7200 rpm, or SSD?

Even with the laptop specs you see in my profile, I was unhappy with Windows 7.  My core i5 is only dual-core, but it is quad threaded.  So Linux sees it as a quad-core processor.  Things run much, much better with the same hardware under Linux Lite.  I only use Windows in a VM for one app.  An app I only need to access 1-3 times per year.

[justme2]

Not sure why 64 bit would benefit when you have only 2GB Ram?.  My desktop runs sweetly on 32 bit + 3GB Ram

My 32 bit netbook with 1GB Ram runs LL2.8 sweetly. Typically less than 200MB ram is in use unless I'm editing video files. Why is 64bit becoming a necessity if there is a performance hit? I noticed that my friends 64bit/4GB quad core PC with Windows 10 seems very slow. I'm confused as to whether upgrading to a 64bit system is wise. I know that 32bit systems are getting scarce, but are we 'being taken for a ride' by manufacturers?

[torreydale]

Your Google Chrome add-ons and extensions should follow you to Chromium when you log into Chromium using your Google Chrome account.  Based on this link, the Linux Lite folks have added pepperflash to Chromium.  Pepperflash is something you will need to view things which require Adobe flash. 

Dual booting wouldn't be affected by your amount of memory.  Whichever operating system you boot to will have access to all of the 2GB of memory. 

I was unhappy with my dual processor machine at 2.3Ghz and 4GB of memory running Windows 7 32-bit and especially 64-bit.  The same desktop machine that I purchased in 2007 is running LL 2.8 64-bit better than it ever ran Windows Vista or Windows 7.  I've upgraded to 7GB of RAM, and I feel the PC has another 5 years in it.

If you've used your HP Stream 11 with Windows on it, I think you'll notice an improvement with whichever version of Linux Lite you choose.  I can say when I shifted a user's middle spec hardware from LL 64-bit to LL 32-bit, the performance was noticeable.  That machine was dual core (I'm guessing about 2GHz) and 3GB of DDR2 RAM.  The hard drive was only 5400 rpm, but the difference in performance from 64-bit to 32-bit was noticeable.....on his hardware.

I do not think you'll have a problem with drivers.  Your processor and video graphics are Intel based.  The only major item I don't know about is your wireless adapter.  But I don't expect that to be a show stopper either.

[firenice03]

Colin,

These maybe worth a read
http://askubuntu.com/questions/578187/hp-stream-13-c004tu-notebook-for-ubuntu-install
- Ignore the UEFI stuff as you'll be installing in legacy.

http://farrin.me.uk/linux-mint-on-hp-stream-11

As I mentioned kernel is going to make a difference; looking like 3.19 or above (LL2.8 should be ok) and even then some drivers may need updated and additional configurations... (See the 2nd link)

[newtusmaximus]

Not sure why 64 bit would benefit when you have only 2GB Ram?.  My desktop runs sweetly on 32 bit + 3GB Ram

[Colin23erk]

Thanks Guys


The reason I asked was I had read that in some cases the 32bit works faster than the 64bit  Is the difference significant or not


The computer was purchased in Nov 2015


this is the info I have from HP



Graphics   ---   Intel HD Graphics
Ports   ---   1 HDMI , 1 headphone/microphone combo , 1  USB 2.0 , 1 USB  3.0   
Expansion slots   ---    microSD media card reader
Audio features   ---   TS Studio Sound™; Dual speakers
Pointing device   ---   HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support
Wireless   ---   802.11b/g/n (1x1) and Bluetooth® 4.0 combo


I will try a USB 64bit live version to see if the drivers are recognized




Thanks for the Google Chrome info - I assumed it was all Linux after reading the warning


I was concerned if the Chrome addons would work with Chromium if I migrated


I was thinking that with such a small memory it would be impractical to duel boot . I was intending making a Backup copy of Windows so I could reinstal it if needed

[torreydale]

Try the Live Media of both options, 32-bit and 64-bit.  As of March 1, 2016, you won't be able to use Google Chrome with the 32-bit option, but you might get better performance.

I say this because I installed 64-bit on a medium spec machine and it didn't perform as expected.  When I installed 32-bit on the same machine, it worked noticeably better.  You don't have to do a full install like I did, but trying before installing using the Live CD/Media option could be revealing. 

P.S.  For the same concern you've issued, I now have prebuilt LL images in 32-bit and 64-bit with the help of Systemback.  When helping a new user get with Linux Lite, if I'm on the fence about which version to install, I can try out either option in a matter of minutes to see which works better.