STICKY: PINN - An enhanced version of NOOBS.

[max11]

Yes, Procount, you are right.

I changed from Fat32 to NTFS and succeeded with the backup.

Thank you for your fast help and have a great weekend.
Regards
Max11

[procount]

Glad you finally got it backed up (I hope you tested the restoration too! )

[SodaCoder]

Hello!

I am a raspberry pi 3 model B v1 (2015) user.

I would like to use PINN, i have heard it is better that berryboot.

I would like to know what oses come pre-installed (one is better than none)

If no oses come pre-installed then could i put any .img on there? Berryboot does squashfs only. It's hard work getting a squashfs.

Thank you!

[procount]

Hello!

I am a raspberry pi 3 model B v1 (2015) user.

I would like to use PINN, i have heard it is better that berryboot.

"Better" is a very subjective term. It depends on how you want to use it.
The main difference is that BerryBoot shares the same Kernel between all OSes, whereas PINN's (like NOOBS') are all separate.

I would like to know what oses come pre-installed (one is better than none)

PINN comes in 2 forms:
a) Pinn-lite, that (like NOOBS-lite) comes with no OSes installed, but it presents a list of OSes that you can download from the internet.
b) full PINN includes the same installation files as NOOBS, so Raspbian Full and LibreELEC
Both can install OSes from the internet, or from a local USB drive, or preinstalled on the SD card. You can even create your own version with your choice of pre-installed OSes if you want.

I suggest you visit http://pinn.mjh.nz, select your Pi model and any SD card size, then you can see if the choice of 63 different OSes for the 3B is suitable for your needs.

If no oses come pre-installed then could i put any .img on there? Berryboot does squashfs only. It's hard work getting a squashfs.

PINN does not install .img files, but .tar.xz files. There are details of how to create these from an image in the README documentation, if you need any additional OSes, or a custom one of your choosing.

Thank you!

-SodaCoder

PINN also provides a number of additional features, like OS backup and restore, password reset, filesystem check, SD card clone etc.

[max11]

Glad you finally got it backed up (I hope you tested the restoration too! )

I will find it out: I want to restore it to a freshly installed Raspbian, so i do not have to add again all my personal features.
Just a question: is it normal that backing up the backup stops at 99% calculating the checksum for about 3 to 4 minutes?

Actually i cannot check it - my raspberry complains about the usb-cardreader (cable too long? - it says in dmesg- but that is not a pinn-problem). I will check it next week with another cardreader.

[procount]

Yes it is normal to take 3-4 mins calculating the checksum.
Progress display will be improved soon.

[procount]

PINN has been updated to v3.2.3

V3.2.3

• Customisations - Fix bug introduced by backup preventing customisations.

This is a quick Hotfix release to fix the application of customisations.

[max11]

@Procount:
Today i could finally test backup and restoration.
I succeeded both times. Thank you

[procount]

That's good to hear.

[yan]

I chose to install Rasbian (full) and Retropie on a PI3B with PINN. The installation was successful and everything works as it should, except for a strange problem with YouTube where the videos play in tiny box distorted(with noobs, i dont have this problem)

At first I thought it was Chromium's fault or some add-on, I removed everything and installed all from the beginning
but the problem was the same. I then reinstalled Rasbian through PINN's options, but the
problem didnt solved. I format Sdcard and I set everything from the scratch but the results
were the same in all online videos (videos through Omxplayer are working OK).

In the end, I change the firmware from "0 1 2 3 up arrow " to "PI3B+ down arrow " and the problem solved!

My question:
Was it really necessary to change the firmware? I'm asking because I don't know if what I did was right.

Thanks!

[procount]

The firmware is a bit of a black box, known only to the RPF.
It is preferred to use the latest firmware wherever possible, as the RPF strive to make it compatible with all models of RPi and with the latest version of Raspbian.

I provide the facility of downgrading PINN's firmware to support older OSes that cannot be booted when PINN uses the latest firmware. These OSes are simply not available in NOOBS where the maintainers are expected to update their distros to match the latest hardware/firmware, but this often takes time, or sometimes is never done. It may be necessary to constantly upgrade or downgrade PINN's firmware to run specific OSes, depending on the mix of OSes you install on one SD card.

With the exception of Raspbian and a few other OSes, a lot of OSes for the 3B and earlier are better suited to the older firmware, so I automatically downgrade PINN's firmware on those models on first installation. Thereafter you can change it and PINN will remember the firmware you want.

(PINN will also try to upgrade the firmware of very old OSes to a more recent version to try and make the largest range of OSes compatible and available. Sometimes this does not work, so there are options to prevent it).

As time passes, more OSes become compatible with the latest firmware, so maybe the time is approaching to review this decision and keep to the latest firmware on first installation. I was not aware of the particular problem you had, but upgrading the firmware definitely seems the right thing to have done. I will consider this for the next version. (I have already disabled the ability to downgrade the OS on a 3B+ because this makes no sense and potentially makes the card unbootable in a 3B+).

It's always a good idea to make sure the firmware is in the upgraded state (currently 3B+) before moving a PINN based SD card to a newer model of RPi, otherwise you may find it will not boot.

Firmware compatibility is a bit of a nightmare, but I try my best to accommodate most OSes. In the future I may have to reduce this level of compatibility if it becomes any more complex.

[procount]

PINN has been updated to v3.2.4a

V3.2.4a

• Build - Modified to build on Ubuntu 18.10 'cosmic'
• Progress - Experimental modification to measure installation progress more accurately
• Wifi dialog - Removed focus change for better use by keyboard
• Zipfles - Use bsdtar to unzip inline for checksums
• Esc - Esc key exits all menus
• Firmware - Don't automatically downgrade firmware
• Options - Added shortcuts for better keyboard use
• GPIO - Can specify the gpiochannel and gpiochannelValue to trigger reocvery menu

For the developers amongst you, this version is now buildable on later OSes like Ubunuto 18.10 (code will be released soon).

A major change is the way it monitors installation progress to hopefully get a more accurate progress bar. Previously it could continue for several minutes after 100% had been reached; now it should be closer.

I have removed the automatic downgrading of PINN's firmware to an older version on legacy devices (i.e. those before the 3B+), because it can cause support issues. If you want to boot older OSes that require this downgrade, it must now be done manually. It's always a good idea to use the latest firmware and to leave an SD card with the latest firmware on it, so that it will run on all RPi models.

Some improvements have been made for keyboard only operation, such as adding shortcuts and adapting the wifi dialog focus.

Cmdline options have been added to allow alternative GPIO pins and values to trigger the recovery menu.

[0hh1]

Hello, I try to install Raspbian, OSMC and Lineage OS using PINN latest version.
Raspbian and OSMC booted fine, but Lineage stuck showing black screen after selected.
All os are downloaded by PINN at first setup and saved to usb drive for later use.
Then I try to install only Lineage OS via PINN, still it stuck at booting. My device is RPi3B.
Any help? Does newest PINN version break Lineage OS compatibility?

[procount]

That version of Lineage is rather old now (2017) and unfortunately it is no longer being supported by the developer.
I had started to prepare the most recent version for inclusion in PINN, but I'm afraid other events over took me.
If you want to try it out, replace the contents of your /os/lineage folder on your USB stick with the contents of https://sourceforge.net/projects/pinn/f ... t/lineage/

if you do try it, please report your experience with it. if successful, I shall promote it to the currently installable version.
But I'm afraid this will be the last Lineage release AFAIK.

[0hh1]

Unfortunately it still can't boot after using newest lineage build from your testing folder, even on single Lineage OS installation via PINN.
I understand that Lineage build from Konstakang for RPi3B has reached the EOL. Any known older PINN version that work with it?

[procount]

I'll try to find some time to test it again. It worked fine when I posted it. Initial startup is rather long as I recall.

[procount]

PINN has been updated to v3.3

Now supports the new Pi4!

V3.3

• Pi4 support - Added support for the new RPi4. Includes Raspbian Buster in full version.

V3.2.4c

• Hyperpixel - Fixed hyperpixel 4 overlay file (for legacy models)

V3.2.4b

• Wifi Drivers - Re-added Realtek rtl8188eu and rtl8192cu modular wifi drivers.

Today sees the release of PINN v3.3 to coincide with the launch of the new Pi4.
This version of PINN continues to support all previous models of RPi.

Currently there are few OSes that will work on the Pi4, but I will update PINN's offerings as more become available. It just takes a while for the maintainers to update them.
Please let me know if you are aware of any I miss.

Unfortunately, my Pimoroni Hyperpixel drivers are not compatible with the Pi4 yet, but I will be working on this.

[procount]

The full version of PINN has now been updated with the latest Raspbian_Full Buster image.

[procount]

Apologies.
If you have previously downloaded v3.3 for your Pi4 and found it didn't boot, then please download and install it again.
(Following the restructuring of the deployment process to include the PI4, I forgot to package one tiny but important file).

If you have a 3B+ or earlier RPi, then you can force a self-update by modifying the BUILD-DATA file on PINN's recovery partition.
Simply edit the line that reads:

Code: Select all

PINN Version: v3.3

so that it becomes:

Code: Select all

PINN Version: v3.2

and reboot PINN. It shall then re-download the fixed v3.3 ready for use on a Pi4.

If you only have a PI4, then you will need to re-download pinn-lite.zip and extract it to your SD card.

I will release a new version of PINN soon to fix this issue.

[jodesi]

Thanks for PINN...very handy.

The true test for me would be when i break an install, would I be able to reinstall it without losing the other 2. The short answer was yes.

I use:
Raspian Full
LibreElec
Raspian Lite

Raspian Lite being the one I normally break. I've put all 3 on a SSD and I broke Lite trying to install KDE-Plasma. Back to the main installer and reinstalled lite without causing issues to the other 2.

Excellent work

[procount]

Thanks for the praise.
PINN is exactly for those times when you want to try things out on an OS.
If you break your OS regularly, don't forget you can use PINN to back it up before any action that may potentially break it. Then instead of reinstalling from scratch, you can reinstall your last backup; all on the RPi without having to use a PC.

[puccaso]

Hello!

I can't seem to get my raspberry pi 4 to boot.
I'm using the official 7 inch LCD along side a 32gb sd.
I get nothing but a red LED...

Anything that might be limiting the booting ability of PINN on the pi4?


--== Supports the new Pi4 ==--

V3.3

• Pi4 support - Added support for the new RPi4. Includes Raspbian Buster in full version.

[procount]

As soon as you apply power with a PINN SD card installed, you should see the green LED flash. If it does not, it suggests you haven't installed PINN on the SD card correctly.

I suggest trying the etcher image of PINN and flashing with balena etcher as there are less things to get wrong.

[procount]

PINN has been updated to v3.3c

V3.3c

• Translations - Updated a few translations (it, zh_TW, ko, de)
• HDMI Pi4 - Removed hdmi_force_hotplug
• Downloads - Fixed download progressbar
• Replace - Changed accelerator key from L to C

This minor release is a bit of a tidy up for the few issues above.

Note: if you have created your own CEC json file to map your remote control, you may need to update it regarding the change to the 'Replace' accelerator key, which had to change because it conflicted with the language shortcut.

Please be aware that the Sourceforge website recently chose to offer a test version of v3.3b of PINN as the latest download version.
If you have this test version, please check that it updates to v3.3c. If it does not update, you may need to update it manually.
Manually updating PINN involves unzipping the contents of the pinn-lite.zip file over the top of your existing installation WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RECOVERY.CMDLINE.
Do not copy recovery.cmdline because it contains the `runinstaller` option which will DELETE ALL YOUR EXISTING OSES!! - You have been warned.
As a double-check, please check your recovery.cmdline does not contain `runinstaller` before booting your manually updated version.

If you are using PINN with a RPi4 over HDMI, please make sure your HDMI lead is plugged into HDMI0, which is the connector closest to the USB-C power connector.

[sakaki]

Hi procount,

as the Pi4-compatible release of gentoo64 is quite close now (should be into hard package freeze / image test by the weekend) I just wanted to check what has to be done to flag that the image will work with the Pi4 (as well as Pi3B/B+), in PINN's metadata? is it just the "supported_hex_revisions" and "supported_models" fields that need updating, and if so, what are the "blessed" values to use / add here? Anything else to bear in mind that is Pi4-specific regarding PINN's behaviour?

I was going to email you about this (and I did see your message of 6 Aug touching on this) but since this will presumably of interest to others going forward, I thought I'd post the question here.

Best, sakaki