by Erik J. Schram
So Ill tell you everything you really need to know but for more information or help check out the MultiRom XDA thread. The developer Tassadar is amazing and has always been there to help bail me out of a tough situation, if that should arise.
Now there are definitely not a shortage of how to's and instructionals on how to get linux up and running on your nexus devices. However a ton of information out there is either too old to still be working or the task itself is simply to large for the benefits. Trust me, when I started looking into booting different os's on my Nexus 7, the amount of different ways was overwhelming to pick from. So here, I'm going to give you the run down on my personal favorite way to get linux onto your Nexus 7.
multirom manager
This is where you will be able to choose which operating system to boot each time.
Now MultiRom is designed to allow users to install any custom ROM they'd like, and between the developer and the users, you can also install many different flavors of linux along side. MultiRom even has a built in Ubuntu Touch installer that makes it a breeze to get your linux fix.
Now MultiRom is designed to allow users to install any custom ROM they'd like, and between the developer and the users, you can also install many different flavors of linux along side. MultiRom even has a built in Ubuntu Touch installer that makes it a breeze to get your linux fix.
Firstly and most importantly, I am not responsible for anything that should go wrong while following my instructions.
That being said, I've actually never had anything go wrong will using this app. Only my own user errors..
Requirements: Rooted nexus 7 (I used this)
A few minutes : )
Now the easiest way to install everything you need is to get the MultiRom Manager app from the play store. If you dont use the play store, you can also get the necessary zips from the XDA thread. I am going to explain how to install through the Manager however.
After opening the app initiall, youll messages that say MultiRom is not installed and most likely the needed recovery and kernel as well. Under the Install/Update card, check the needed and tap install. Now just let the app install the files and when prompted, restart the tablet so it can go into recovery mode. It really does it all itself.
When the installs are finished, the Nexus will restart itself now you'll see a beautiful bootloader screen after the google logo.
That being said, I've actually never had anything go wrong will using this app. Only my own user errors..
Requirements: Rooted nexus 7 (I used this)
A few minutes : )
Now the easiest way to install everything you need is to get the MultiRom Manager app from the play store. If you dont use the play store, you can also get the necessary zips from the XDA thread. I am going to explain how to install through the Manager however.
After opening the app initiall, youll messages that say MultiRom is not installed and most likely the needed recovery and kernel as well. Under the Install/Update card, check the needed and tap install. Now just let the app install the files and when prompted, restart the tablet so it can go into recovery mode. It really does it all itself.
When the installs are finished, the Nexus will restart itself now you'll see a beautiful bootloader screen after the google logo.
Adding roms/distros
Adding ROMs and distros is a breeze with MultiRom.
Simply boot into your new twrp recovery. You can do this in multiple ways either by something like Advanced Power Menu, or by choosing Boot To Recovery in your new bootloaders MISC menu:
Simply boot into your new twrp recovery. You can do this in multiple ways either by something like Advanced Power Menu, or by choosing Boot To Recovery in your new bootloaders MISC menu:
Now from the first screen in your TWRP recovery, go to:
Advanced
MultiRom
Add ROM
This is where you can choose between installing an android ROM or a linux distro. In this case were going to be installing Ubuntu Desktop 13.04. In my opinion it is the best linux experience but you can find other distros that are compatible with multirom on this XDA thread. I also enjoyed Bodhi and Plasma Active which gives you a dose of KDE lovin.
So choose Ubuntu Desktop at the top of the screen then find the Ubuntu 13.04 zip and swipe to install. It will take a few minutes to install everything so be patient.
After the successful installation, the Nexus 7 will reboot to the bootloader where you can choose your new Ubuntu Desktop. Now what happens next looks like a bunch of black and white coded nonsense.. but again be patient and let ubuntu do its thing. It could take a few minutes so pee.
Then walla! Ubuntu 13.04 should boot right up to its setup page. Go through everything like you normally would on your computer. I will warn that its an old version of ubuntu and conical doesnt keep up with it. So do not update this distro or it will not boot again. But even then its ok :).
If a ROM or distro should ever fail to boot or give you crap, simply go into the MultiRom Manager and delete it and reinstall. Trust me, your primary rom will stay in place and you can mess with everything else as you like.
Enjoy multibooting the Nexus 7.
Advanced
MultiRom
Add ROM
This is where you can choose between installing an android ROM or a linux distro. In this case were going to be installing Ubuntu Desktop 13.04. In my opinion it is the best linux experience but you can find other distros that are compatible with multirom on this XDA thread. I also enjoyed Bodhi and Plasma Active which gives you a dose of KDE lovin.
So choose Ubuntu Desktop at the top of the screen then find the Ubuntu 13.04 zip and swipe to install. It will take a few minutes to install everything so be patient.
After the successful installation, the Nexus 7 will reboot to the bootloader where you can choose your new Ubuntu Desktop. Now what happens next looks like a bunch of black and white coded nonsense.. but again be patient and let ubuntu do its thing. It could take a few minutes so pee.
Then walla! Ubuntu 13.04 should boot right up to its setup page. Go through everything like you normally would on your computer. I will warn that its an old version of ubuntu and conical doesnt keep up with it. So do not update this distro or it will not boot again. But even then its ok :).
If a ROM or distro should ever fail to boot or give you crap, simply go into the MultiRom Manager and delete it and reinstall. Trust me, your primary rom will stay in place and you can mess with everything else as you like.
Enjoy multibooting the Nexus 7.