Guides

  • Switching Branch (Installing coreboot)

    Available on: Star Labtop Mk III Star Labtop Mk IV StarBook Mk V StarLite Mk IV StarLite Mk III (Beta) Requirements: fwupd version 1.5.6 or later The battery must be charged to at least 30% The charger must be connected (either USB-C or DC Jack) BIOS Lock must be disabled Supported Linux distri...

  • StarBook Mk V/VI - Complete Disassembly Guide

    To complete the disassembly you will need a Phillips ph0 screwdriver (and thermal compound if removing the mainboard). Note: The screws for each component are slightly different lengths. We would advise keeping each set separate (and label) if possible. To begin, place the StarBook Mk V or VI o...

  • Star Lite Mk II / III / IV - Complete Disassembly Guide

    Place the Star Lite Mk II / III / IV on a soft, protected surface to avoid any possible scratching of the anodized finish. Remove the 10 outer short Philips screws from the backplate. (12 x screws for Lite Mk III) 3. Once the backplate is carefully removed, you are presented with the components ...

  • Star LabTop Mk IV - Complete Disassembly Guide

    Place the Star LabTop Mk IV on a soft protected surface to avoid any possible scratching of the anodized finish. 1. Remove the 10x outer short Phillips screws from the backplate. 2. Remove the 2x inner centre longer Phillips screw from the backplate. 3. Carefully remove the backplate. Pl...

  • Star LabTop Mk III - Complete Disassembly Guide

    Place the Star LabTop Mk III on a soft protected surface to avoid any possible scratching of the anodized finish. 1. Remove the 10x outer short Phillips screws from the backplate. 2. Remove the 2x inner center longer Phillips screw from the backplate. 3. Carefully remove the backplate. P...

  • Add new user & make user admin

    Adding new users is a quick and simple task once you know your way round the operating system. This example is done in Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS. 1 Open Users & Groups Firstly, open gnome-launcher and type in the search box at the top users which will then bring up the option for Users and Groups...

  • Add/Remove/Purge PPA (Personal Package Archives)

    PPA's (Personal Package Archives) contain software that is not offered by default in Ubuntu. PPA's include various software including themes, utilities and standard programs. 1 Software & Updates Open the Gnome Launcher and click on Software & Updates. Click on the second tab called Ot...

  • BIOS Setup & Boot Menu

    AMI firmware: F2 BIOS Settings F7 Boot Menu coreboot firmware: The key to press will be displayed on screen. Please note: If you have function lock enabled, you will also need to press the Fn key. For example, for the boot menu, press Fn and F7 Please note: coreboot doesn't have it's own in...

  • Blue light filter/night mode

    It is widely accepted that the blue light emitted from bright screens, like the one you’re staring at right now, can have a negative impact on sleep. Many people are using blue light filters to lower the amount that they are exposed to in order to improve their quality of sleep. Ubuntu 18.04 ...

  • Booting with a previous kernel

    How to boot with a previous kernel. This can be useful if a system fails to boot after a bad kernel update. 1 Boot into GRUB Turn on the laptop and tap the esc key repeatedly. Stop pressing the esc key when the star logo disappears. This should present you with the below menu: 2 Too ma...

  • Change desktop environment

    This guide will provide 5 examples: Gnome: gnome-session Xfce: xubuntu-desktop KDE: kubuntu-desktop Cinnamon: cinnamon-desktop-environment Mate: mate-desktop All of our laptops ship with Ubuntu GNOME pre-installed. If you would like to change the desktop environment, below are the steps req...

  • Change display manager

    The following guide is to show you how to change your default display manager on Ubuntu 18.04/18.10. This could be because you wish to switch back over to Unity, which was removed from Ubuntu 17.10 and up. 1 Check the default display manager To begin, you need to check the current default disp...

  • Change keyboard language/region

    This guide will explain how to adjust your keyboard language and region in Ubuntu. 1 Install another Language Open the GNOME Launcher and click on Settings. From here, navigate to Settings > Language and Region. 2 Manage Languages To install the required language click on 'Manage I...

  • Installing/Changing Linux distribution

    This guide contains the steps for installing two different Linux distributions; Ubuntu and Linux Mint. The steps are very similar for other distributions. Ubuntu: 1 Create a bootable USB drive Follow our guide to create a bootable USB drive on Linux, macOS or Windows. 2 Boot from USB First...

  • Connect a Bluetooth device

    How to connect a Bluetooth device on Ubuntu. 1 Open Bluetooth Settings Open the GNOME Launcher and click on Settings. From here, navigate to Settings > Bluetooth. 2 Bluetooth console Whilst this window is open, your laptop will automatically search for Bluetooth devices. Put your device ...

  • Creating a bootable USB stick on Linux

    Warning: This will erase all data on your USB drive. You can use a bootable Linux USB stick to: Install or upgrade your current operating system Test or use Linux without affecting your current operating system Repair your current operating system This guide covers how to create a bootable USB ...

  • Creating a bootable USB stick on macOS

    This will cover how to write an Ubuntu ISO image to a USB drive on macOS. Note: this process should work for all macOS 10.x verisons. Requirements: Ubuntu ISO image file: https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Utility to write to USB: UNetbootin https://unetbootin.github.io Warning: writing...

  • Creating a bootable USB stick on Windows

    This will cover how to write an Ubuntu ISO image to a USB drive on Windows 10.  This process should also work for previous Windows versions i.e. 7 / 8 / 8.1. Requirements: Utility to write to USB: Rufus or Unetbootin Unetbootin - https://unetbootin.github.io Rufus - https://rufus.ie/ 1 USB...

  • Disable program problem reports

    The Apport system creates crash report files in the /var/crash directory. These crash report files cause an error message to appear every time Ubuntu boots. After removing all the crash report files, the error message should stop popping up. However if a new crash takes place then it will appear ...

  • Getting started with the terminal

    This is a simple guide to help new users get started with the terminal. The terminal takes keyboard input only and commands can vary between different operating systems. The below commands are used in Ubuntu's GNOME terminal and will also work in many other distributions of Linux. If they don't t...

  • How to access exFAT filesystem

    Linux does not support exFAT by default but it can be added. This is a solution to the error: "Cannot mount unknown filesystem type ‘exfat’." 1 Open Terminal Open the GNOME Launcher, launch Terminal and type in the following command: sudo apt install exfat-fuse exfat-utils Enter your passwor...

  • How to use the Function keys

    This guide will provide an overview of the 12 functions keys. These can be used by pressing Fn and the desired key. Another feature is the function lock, which can be enabled/disabled by pressing the lock key. When enabled, makes the F-keys behave as if you are holding down the Fn key. 1 Mute ...

  • Install an alternative kernel

    Linux distributions will provide the kernel updates, usually automatically. These typically aren't the latest version of the kernel. You may want to use a newer kernel to benefit from new features or performance enhancements. Please note: Using a kernel that hasn't been tested by your Linux dist...

  • Installing and changing themes

    To change your GNOME Shell, icons, cursor or Themes, you will require GNOME Tweaks Tool. This is only applicable to the GNOME 3 Desktop environment. GNOME Tweaks Tool can be installed via the Ubuntu Software Centre or via the Terminal. In this guide, we will be showing you how to graphically inst...

  • Installing GNOME extensions

    GNOME extensions add various functions and tweaks to the GNOME Shell which is the default Desktop Environment used by Ubuntu 17.10 and later. Extensions can be found on the https://extensions.gnome.org/ website. 1 Using Google Chrome/Chromium Open the GNOME Launcher, click on Terminal and t...

  • Installing ICC Colour Profiles

    An ICC profile will tune your display to output colours as accurately as possible. On Debian based distributions (which includes Ubuntu, Linux Mint, elementary OS and Zorin OS), you can install the ICC Color Profiles by entering the below commands into a terminal window: sudo add-apt-repository...

  • Install & Use Gnome Tweaks

    The GNOME tweak tool can be used to customise almost every element about the GNOME desktop environment. 1 Install GNOME Tweak Tool Open the GNOME Launcher and click on Ubuntu Software. Search for and install GNOME Tweaks. Open the GNOME Launcher and click on GNOME Tweaks. General Options ...

  • Manage Programs

    This guide will explain how to install or remove software either via the GNOME launcher. 1 Getting started Open the GNOME Launcher and click on Ubuntu Software. This will launch the Graphical software installer for Ubuntu. 2 Ubuntu Software From here you can: search and install, view i...

  • Manage user accounts

    User accounts can be created, modified and removed both graphically and via the terminal. In this guide, we will show you how to do this graphically. 1 Open Users Open the GNOME Launcher and click on Settings. On the left menu, navigate to: Details > Users To make any changes, click on Unl...

  • Playing audio via external screen

    How to play audio to an externally connected screen via HDMI, Display Port or USB-C. Please note - Linux will not automatically switch the audio output to external devices that are connected. 1 Settings Open the GNOME Launcher and click on Settings. 2 Sound From here, navigate to Sound wh...

  • Recovery from a bootable USB drive

    How to boot from a bootable Recovery USB and recover the boot loader. This is useful if you cannot boot your Operating System from disk. Please note: You can follow this guide to create a bootable USB drive. 1 Cannot boot If you can't access your operating system or its recovery menu, it can be...

  • Star Labs Theme

    Star Labs Theme Star Labs Theme Includes: * GTK 3.0 Theme * GTK 2.0 Theme * GNOME Shell Theme * Plymouth Theme * Sound Theme * Icon Set * Cursor Theme * Grub Theme * Desktop Wallpapers * GNOME extensions * Font How to install Ubuntu and Debian based distributions Install sudo add-...

  • Using recovery mode

    How to boot into recovery mode, useful for determining and fixing boot issues. 1 Boot into GRUB Turn on the laptop and tap the esc key repeatedly. Stop pressing the esc key when the star logo disappears. The below menu should appear: 2 Too many ESC's If you see the below prompt, you hav...

  • coreboot configurator

    coreboot-configurator RETIRED: From version 8.50, the CFR can be accessed just like a regular BIOS via F2 at power on. A simple GUI to change settings in coreboot's CBFS, via the nvramtool utility. How to install Ubuntu, Linux Mint, elementary OS, Zorin OS and other derivates Install su...

  • How to reset your password

    Steps on how to enter recovery mode can be found here Once in the recovery menu, select root with the arrow key and then press enter. This will enter a terminal session with root access. It is then possible to reset your password via the following command: passwd {your username} If you do not ...

  • LabTop Mk IV - Installing/recovering firmware with external programmer

    Requirements: Additional Laptop/PC to run commands 8 pin test clip with adaptor CH341A USB programmer PH0 screwdriver Place the Star LabTop Mk IV on a soft protected surface to avoid any possible scratching of the anodized finish. 1. Remove the 10x outer short Phillips screws from the backpl...

  • Touchpad not working

    If your touchpad has stopped working, it is likely that the disable trackpad button on the keyboard has been pressed. This would remain disabled between reboots until the enable/disable function is pressed again. To enable or disable the trackpad, press the F10 key Note: If function lock is en...

  • Byte Mk II - Complete Disassembly Guide

    To complete the disassembly you will need a Phillips ph0 screwdriver. To begin, place the Byte on a soft protected surface to avoid any possible scratching of the finish. Turn the Byte over so the bottom of the chassis faces upwards towards you.   Remove the 4 x long Phillips screws from the b...

  • Byte Mk II - Installing/recovering firmware with external programmer

    Requirements: Additional Laptop/PC to run commands FPC cable CH341A USB programmer Debug board PH0 screwdriver To begin, place the Byte on a soft protected surface to avoid any possible scratching of the finish. 1. Turn the Byte over so the bottom of the chassis faces upwards towards you.   ...

  • Installing SATA Drive in a Byte

    Follow steps 1-4 of the Byte Complete Disassembly Guide to separate the chassis from the PCBA. Carefully remove the black tape holding down the SATA connector. Gently pull upwards on the end connected to the PCBA to disconnect. Slide the connector into the drive, aligning the longer and sho...

  • StarLite - Fixing rotation on older kernels

    Older kernels will not rotate the display in the correct orientation. If you aren't able to use a newer kernel, you can manually specify the orientation by running the below commands: printf "sensor:modalias:acpi:KIOX000A*:dmi:*:*\n ACCEL_MOUNT_MATRIX=1, 0, 0; 0, -1, 0; 0, 0, 1;\n ACCEL_LOCATIO...

  • StarLite Mk V - Complete Disassembly Guide

    1. Start with the Star Lite Mk V on a soft, protected surface to avoid any possible scratching. 2. Remove Micro SD card tray (you will need to insert a pin into the hole to pop it out) 3. Using the plastic pick, gently wedge this between the display and the backplate to separate the two compo...

  • StarLite Mk V - Installing/recovering firmware with external programmer

    Requirements: Additional Laptop/PC to run commands FPC cable CH341A USB programmer Debug board PH0 screwdriver Thermal Compound (if needed) 1. Start with the Star Lite Mk V on a soft, protected surface to avoid any possible scratching. 2. Remove Micro SD card tray (you will need to insert a ...

  • Star Lite Mk V - Navigating the BIOS without a keyboard

    The StarLite Mk V does not require a keyboard to navigate and adjust the coreboot CFR (BIOS Settings). You can use the volume Up/Down) and Power keys to navigate the BIOS if you do not have a keyboard (USB-C or optional magnetic keyboard). This allows quick access to adjust settings whilst in tab...

  • StarLite Mk V- Re-seating the display connector

    1. Start with the Star Lite Mk V on a soft, protected surface to avoid any possible scratching. 2. Remove Micro SD card tray (you will need to insert a pin into the hole to pop it out) 3. Using the plastic pick, gently wedge this between the display and the backplate to separate the two com...

  • What do the LEDs mean?

    This guide explains the meaning behind the LED behaviors on your device. Power LED Off: The device is in the (Soft Off). Pulsing: Indicates the device is in S3 (Suspend). Flickering: The device is changing between power states. On: The device is in S0 (On). Charging LEDs Red: Charging normally...

  • Why is my StarLite booting to EFI Shell prompt?

    If you are getting to the 'EFI Shell' from startup, this likely means that the boot loader is no longer working. You should then attempt to manually boot with the following steps: Attempt to manually boot via EFI Shell: map -r fs0: cd EFI cd ubuntu grubx64.efi After this, if the machine boo...

  • Wireless Slow?

    If you are experiencing slow wireless transfers, then the following guide may help. The wireless cards used in our machines are Intel AX200 or AX201 that have advanced features to help reduce power consumption. Some wireless N networks can result in poor performance. The following steps can help...