using noobs _v2_4_5

[sinonimos]

After a few years I have decided to pick up with my raspberry pi again, starting from the ground up. I already had an old noobs version on an SD card and was working with that when I thought I would download noobs onto another SD card using the latest Noobs version v2_4_5. It took ages and was much bigger than the previous version I had been using. Once downloaded it was effectively too slow to use. My question is what is the command line to give me full information about the Noobs I have on my original SD card and can it give me more detail about the model of my raspberry pi? I think it is a B model. If so can I still access the earlier Noobs versions? The raspberry pi website only seems to offer the noobs_v2_4_5 version that looks like a regular windows computer rather than the cut down style with the big raspberry logo in the centre of the screen.

[scruss]

• if it uses a full-size SD card and has only one USB port, it's a Model A with 256 MB RAM
• if it uses a full-size SD card and has two USB ports, it's a Model B with 256 MB RAM (first model) or 512 MB (later)
• if it uses a micro SD card and has fewer than four USB ports, it's a Model A+

If it has four USB ports, it could be any of a B+, 2B or 3B. If you type the command cat /proc/cpuinfo, a B+ will only have one processor (processor 0), the others will have 4 (0-3).

You can tell the age of the kernel you're running with uname -a, and the amount of memory on board with free -h.

While there are archives of old distributions, the new ones are more efficient. Maybe try using Raspbian Lite - it's a much smaller non-graphical Linux for Raspberry Pi.

[KLL]

-a- BOARD:
pls read what is printed on the board and compare also with these pictures
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/

-b- SYSTEM:
with NOOBS (full) ( or NOOBS (lite) or PINN (lite) )
you can install and boot select multiple OS.
( if you not need "multiple" can also / DOWNLOAD / BURN/ the IMAGE versions ( NON NOOBS ))

all ( appearence / speed / functionality ) depends on what OS you have installed? ( after starting NOOBS )
( from OFFLINE new NOOBS possibly RASPBIAN STRETCH full )
with ethernet cable connected to router ONLINE many more OS are available ( esp. when using PINN ).

a old board ( with less RAM and CPU speed.. )
will not give you the desktop browser speed like a PC, and using old or new OS versions will only show small differences.
anyhow what stopped you from using that board ( for some years )? might today with the newer OS systems not be much better.
so what you want use if for in the first place?
possibly just learning linux in a terminal view ( like @scruss suggested RASPBIAN lite ) is a good (re)start.

[fruitoftheloom]

After a few years I have decided to pick up with my raspberry pi again, starting from the ground up. I already had an old noobs version on an SD card and was working with that when I thought I would download noobs onto another SD card using the latest Noobs version v2_4_5. It took ages and was much bigger than the previous version I had been using. Once downloaded it was effectively too slow to use. My question is what is the command line to give me full information about the Noobs I have on my original SD card and can it give me more detail about the model of my raspberry pi? I think it is a B model. If so can I still access the earlier Noobs versions? The raspberry pi website only seems to offer the noobs_v2_4_5 version that looks like a regular windows computer rather than the cut down style with the big raspberry logo in the centre of the screen.

You do not need NoobS, you can install a single Operating System without.


If it is an older B or B+ model the full version of Raspbian with a Desktop may be a little slow.


If you want a lightweight Linux with a Desktop and are prepared for compromise in the lack of software available then Tiny Core Linux:

http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?board=57.0

[sinonimos]

Thanks for your help Scruss Using theuname -aand the free -hcommands helped me to establish that I probably do have a model B raspberry pi, with 512MB. no luck with the cat/proc/cpuinfo but got a lot of results from less/proc/cpuinfo. So I guess your suggestion put me on the right track.

Thanks to KLLtoo. I tried the NOOBS (lite) you mentioned but I would prefer some kind of Graphic Interface, like the big raspberry and a few shortcuts/drop down menus to click on the screen. I did try to unzip the downloaded Raspbian Strech (full) but it kept throwing a message back at me saying that I didn't have enough space on the hard disk, when I clearly did. I noticed it was zipped in an Image folder and the the Rasberry webpage downloading instructions said I had to use a program called Etcher. It gave me a few choices for Windows, such as a x64, 64 bit, portablea x86, 32 bit, installer and a x86, 32 bit, portable. I am using a fairly old Windows 7 Operating System with a 1000GB internal hard drive and a 500GB external back up hard drive. Which one would you suggest I choose? As for the PINN! I checked out something about it on Youtube and for a beginner like me it looked out of my league. To answer your questions "Why I stopped using my PI?" and "What I wanted to use it for in the first place?" well I guess I just got sick of hitting brick walls trying to figure things out on my own with books and computer links. Maybe a forum approach will help me more to unlock some computing secrets. Regarding the second question, I just wanted to expand my computing curiosity and see what applications I could adapt it to.

And finally, many thanks to Fruitoftheloom. I checked out the Tiney Core Linuxand at this stage of my relearning curve it looked too spooky , just like the PINN.

[fruitoftheloom]

Thanks for your help Scruss Using theuname -aand the free -hcommands helped me to establish that I probably do have a model B raspberry pi, with 512MB. no luck with the cat/proc/cpuinfo but got a lot of results from less/proc/cpuinfo. So I guess your suggestion put me on the right track.

Thanks to KLLtoo. I tried the NOOBS (lite) you mentioned but I would prefer some kind of Graphic Interface, like the big raspberry and a few shortcuts/drop down menus to click on the screen. I did try to unzip the downloaded Raspbian Strech (full) but it kept throwing a message back at me saying that I didn't have enough space on the hard disk, when I clearly did. I noticed it was zipped in an Image folder and the the Rasberry webpage downloading instructions said I had to use a program called Etcher. It gave me a few choices for Windows, such as a x64, 64 bit, portablea x86, 32 bit, installer and a x86, 32 bit, portable. I am using a fairly old Windows 7 Operating System with a 1000GB internal hard drive and a 500GB external back up hard drive. Which one would you suggest I choose? As for the PINN! I checked out something about it on Youtube and for a beginner like me it looked out of my league. To answer your questions "Why I stopped using my PI?" and "What I wanted to use it for in the first place?" well I guess I just got sick of hitting brick walls trying to figure things out on my own with books and computer links. Maybe a forum approach will help me more to unlock some computing secrets. Regarding the second question, I just wanted to expand my computing curiosity and see what applications I could adapt it to.

And finally, many thanks to Fruitoftheloom. I checked out the Tiney Core Linuxand at this stage of my relearning curve it looked too spooky , just like the PINN.

https://elinux.org/RPi_HardwareHistory


If you downloaded Raspbian Stretch with Desktop then there is no requirement to unzip, Etcher will undertake both the unzipping and writing to a microSD Card in a SDHC USB Card Reader:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... /README.md


Regards Etcher just use the 32-bit installer version, it will function in both x86-32 & x86-64 Windows 7


The ethos of the Raspberry Pi Foundation is Education & Learning..................................

[KLL]

-A-
I tried the NOOBS (lite) you mentioned but I would prefer some kind of Graphic Interface, like the big raspberry
-B-
I did try to unzip the downloaded Raspbian Strech (full) but it kept throwing a message back at me saying that I didn't have enough space on the hard disk
-C-
I checked out the Tiney Core Linuxand at this stage of my relearning curve it looked too spooky , just like the PINN.
-D-
but I would prefer some kind of Graphic Interface, like the big raspberry and a few shortcuts/drop down menus to click on the screen
I just wanted to expand my computing curiosity and see what applications I could adapt it to.

-A- -C-
NOOBS / NOOBS lite / PINN lite are ( ?graphical? desktop ) tools to install/start multiboot of several OSs what run on RPI.
but have nothing to do what OS you install / use with them.
so there is no way to compare them with the installed OS, looks like you got here something wrong what disables you to see where you are
in your install procedure.
SO better forget them all and go the IMAGE WAY.

-B-
so you downloaded
Raspbian Stretch with desktop
Image with desktop based on Debian Stretch
Version: November 2017
Release date: 2017-11-29
Kernel version: 4.9
from https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/?
what is a file
2017-11-29-raspbian-stretch.zip 1.7GB when unzip get
2017-11-29-raspbian-stretch.img 4.9GB
even if you not unzip and use etcher to burn it to a 8GB (or bigger) SD card
or unzip ( and burn with win32diskimager )
still i expect you need 5GB free space on your PC drive.

-D-
good, so you need to install the Raspbian Stretch with desktop