Trying to Install Debian with Lomiri/LxQt on a cheap, Surface-like pad

debug

linux

diary

Author

Guest_1013

Published

2026-09-01

I recently purchased a second-hand CUBE iwork 11 (handwriting edition). After ensuring that it runs well with pre-installed Windows 10, I decided to try to install Debian on it, just for fun.

Note

This article faithfully records the trial and errors during the process; you should probably see other people’s articles.

Preparing

Materials and Tools

I need:

Multi-port OTG USB adaptor; (already here, thanks to the seller)
USB Flash Disk; (8 GB)
Power adaptor;
Keyboard.

It would be better to have a mouse.

Preparing the USB Device

I personally use rufus. Choose the USB flash drive and the downloaded ISO file. For this device, which only has 4 GB of RAM, I have to choose the liveCD with lxqt so that it would run rather smoothly. Then, choose the MBR partitioning scheme and the BIOS or UEFI target system. Finally, press the start button and wait.

Booting

The firmware seems to be made by American Megatrends, and it said that we should press Esc or Del to enter the BIOS settings.

In bios settings, went to the last tab, and choose to boot in the EFI shell, because there seems to be no direct booting from USB option.

After entering the EFI shell, use map -r -b -t hd to see all the usable USB devices; choose the Removable Harddrive (or something like this), note down the name (something like fs3), and enter the name with a : (which would be fs3:).

After that, run the EFI file by using \EFI\BOOT\bootx64.efi.

Debian liveCD environment

After that, GRUB should pop up; select the option you want, and wait until the full environment is up (this could take a while).

I use the liveCD environment with LxQt purely for testing purposes. According to AI, it might have some issues using Xorg and Lomiri at the same time. Lomiri suggests that it should be installed from a minimal install of Debian.

The main issue are that: - the system hangs for no reason during the booting process; - using the shutdown option in LxQt will only result in returning to the login manager.

Then I freshly installed a minimal Debian, which had the problem below.

Minimal Install

Problem 0: No `sudo`

So I have to log onto root directly, or use su.

Problem 1: Blackscreen

The screen blanks after roughly 27 seconds. Keyboard input does not prevent it. The system must be woken with a keypress, after which the kernel prints:

[ xxx.xxxxxx] pmc_atom: PCIE_PORT0 is in D0 prior to s2idle

Root Cause

The iWork11 has no physical lid, but its firmware reports the ACPI lid switch as closed at all times:

$ cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID0/state
closed

systemd-logind ships with HandleLidSwitch=suspend as the default. Because the lid is always reported as closed, logind keeps putting the machine into s2idle suspend, and the screen powers down together with the suspend.

Why the 27-second delay happens

HoldoffTimeoutSec= (default 30s) makes logind ignore lid events for a grace period after system startup or resume. On boot, logind therefore reacts to the “closed” lid only after ~27–30 s — this is the exact blank-screen delay observed.

Why `restart systemd-logind` blanks the screen immediately

The hold-off window applies only to system startup / resume, not to a manual service restart. When logind restarts, it re-reads the lid state (still closed) and triggers suspend right away — matching the observed immediate blank on restart.

The fix that worked

Mask every suspend-related target so that no automatic suspend can succeed:

systemctl mask \
  sleep.target \
  suspend.target \
  hibernate.target \
  hybrid-sleep.target \
  suspend-then-hibernate.target \
  systemd-suspend.service \
  systemd-hibernate.service \
  systemd-hybrid-sleep.service \
  systemd-suspend-then-hibernate.service

After masking, systemctl suspend is rejected and the system never auto-suspends — the screen stays on.

Supporting diagnostics

# Prove the lid is misreported as closed
cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID0/state

# Show suspend/s2idle/pmc_atom activity in the journal
journalctl -b | grep -iE 'suspend|s2idle|freeze|pmc_atom' | tail -20

# Check logind power-management settings
grep -E 'IdleAction|HandleLidSwitch|HandleSuspendKey' /etc/systemd/logind.conf

# Confirm no acpid process competes for lid events
systemctl is-active acpid; ps -ef | grep -i acpid | grep -v grep

Re-enable suspend later

To undo the mask:

systemctl unmask \
  sleep.target \
  suspend.target \
  hibernate.target \
  hybrid-sleep.target \
  suspend-then-hibernate.target \
  systemd-suspend.service \
  systemd-hibernate.service \
  systemd-hybrid-sleep.service \
  systemd-suspend-then-hibernate.service

Problem 2: Wi-Fi Connection

Initial Diagnosis

Check	Result
`ip link`	`lo` + `wlan0` present; `wlan0` state `DOWN` (normal before configuration)
`ip addr`	No IP assigned
`dhclient`	Not installed
`command -v wpa_supplicant`	MISSING
`command -v iw`	Present (`/usr/sbin/iw`)
`systemd-networkd`	Present (`/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-networkd`)

Connecting to any Wi-Fi network — including a phone hotspot — requires wpa_supplicant to perform the 802.11 association/authentication. But wpa_supplicant was not installed, and installing it normally requires a network. This is a chicken-and-egg problem.

Options considered

Option	Why it was not the chosen path
USB tethering (phone → `usb0`, RNDIS)	Phone doesn’t support USB tethering
Open (password-less) hotspot + `iw connect`	Password required
Local `apt` source from the install media (`file:/mnt`)	Would auto-resolve dependencies, but the USB stick was instead used directly for `dpkg`
Offline `dpkg -i` install, resolving dependencies one by one	← Chosen path

The wpasupplicant package and its dependencies were taken from the Debian install USB stick and installed manually with dpkg -i.

Identify the USB stick device

lsblk

The tablet’s internal eMMC appeared as mmcblk0 (mounted at /). The USB stick appeared as an additional sda device (RM column = 1, i.e. removable), with its partition sda1.

Mount the USB stick

mkdir -p /mnt
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
ls /mnt

Install `wpasupplicant` from the package pool

sudo dpkg -i /mnt/pool/main/w/wpa/wpasupplicant_*.deb

This failed immediately: dpkg reported unmet dependencies.

Resolve missing dependencies one by one

wpasupplicant depends on the libnl family and libpcsclite1, which were not present on this minimal install. The missing packages were located in the same pool/ tree and installed alongside wpasupplicant:

sudo dpkg -i \
  /mnt/pool/main/libn/libnl3/libnl-3-200_*.deb \
  /mnt/pool/main/libn/libnl3/libnl-genl-3-200_*.deb \
  /mnt/pool/main/libn/libnl3/libnl-route-3-200_*.deb \
  /mnt/pool/main/p/pcsc-lite/libpcsclite1_*.deb \
  /mnt/pool/main/w/wpa/wpasupplicant_*.deb

Note: the libnl dependency is actually three packages — libnl-3-200, libnl-genl-3-200, and libnl-route-3-200 — not a single libnl. Additional dependencies (e.g. libssl3, libdbus-1-3, libreadline8) may also surface and were resolved the same way as needed.

`sudo apt install ...`

First, install sudo like we did above; then, use usermod -aG sudo username to add myself to sudoers; finally, use su - username to log onto my own account. finally…

However, apt is not usable yet, because we haven’t configured the mirrors. To add mirrors, use

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cn-mirrors.list

and input:

deb https://cernet.mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb https://cernet.mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/debian/ trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb https://cernet.mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

Lomiri

For me it consumes too much resources… making it not very smooth.

LxQt

Surprisingly supports touchscreen natively, without multi-level writing pen though.

Known issues:

periodic blackscreen;
sometimes blackscreen even after waking up, and switching to other ttys didn’t solve it;
the afforementioned blackscreen/suspend problem revised.

So…

I just flashed back the official dual-boot bios, and installed the Android 5 and Windows 10.

--- title: "Trying to Install Debian with Lomiri/LxQt on a cheap, Surface-like pad" author: Guest_1013 date: 2026-09-01 categories: - debug - linux - diary --- I recently purchased a second-hand [CUBE iwork 11 (handwriting edition)](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%85%B7%E6%AF%94%E9%AD%94%E6%96%B9iwork11%E6%89%8B%E5%86%99%E7%89%88/19607819). After ensuring that it runs well with pre-installed Windows 10, I decided to try to install Debian on it, just for fun. ::: {.callout-note} This article faithfully records the trial and errors during the process; you should probably see other people's articles. ::: # Preparing ## Materials and Tools I need: - Multi-port OTG USB adaptor; (already here, thanks to the seller) - USB Flash Disk; (8 GB) - Power adaptor; - Keyboard. It would be better to have a mouse. ## Preparing the USB Device I personally use `rufus`. Choose the USB flash drive and the downloaded ISO file. For this device, which only has 4 GB of RAM, I have to choose the liveCD with `lxqt` so that it would run rather smoothly. Then, choose the `MBR` partitioning scheme and the `BIOS or UEFI` target system. Finally, press the start button and wait. # Booting The firmware seems to be made by American Megatrends, and it said that we should press `Esc` or `Del` to enter the BIOS settings. In bios settings, went to the last tab, and choose to boot in the EFI shell, because there seems to be no direct `booting from USB` option. After entering the EFI shell, use `map -r -b -t hd` to see all the usable USB devices; choose the `Removable Harddrive` (or something like this), note down the name (something like `fs3`), and enter the name with a `:` (which would be `fs3:`). After that, run the EFI file by using `\EFI\BOOT\bootx64.efi`. # Debian liveCD environment After that, `GRUB` should pop up; select the option you want, and wait until the full environment is up (this could take a while). I use the liveCD environment with LxQt purely for testing purposes. According to AI, it might have some issues using Xorg and Lomiri at the same time. Lomiri suggests that it should be installed from a minimal install of Debian. The main issue are that: - the system hangs for no reason during the booting process; - using the shutdown option in LxQt will only result in returning to the login manager. Then I freshly installed a minimal Debian, which had the problem below. # Minimal Install ## Problem 0: No `sudo` So I have to log onto `root` directly, or use `su`. ## Problem 1: Blackscreen The screen blanks after roughly 27 seconds. Keyboard input does not prevent it. The system must be woken with a keypress, after which the kernel prints: ``` [ xxx.xxxxxx] pmc_atom: PCIE_PORT0 is in D0 prior to s2idle ``` ## Root Cause The iWork11 has **no physical lid**, but its firmware reports the ACPI lid switch as **closed** at all times: ```sh $ cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID0/state closed ``` systemd-logind ships with `HandleLidSwitch=suspend` as the default. Because the lid is always reported as closed, logind keeps putting the machine into **s2idle suspend**, and the screen powers down together with the suspend. ### Why the 27-second delay happens `HoldoffTimeoutSec=` (default `30s`) makes logind ignore lid events for a grace period **after system startup or resume**. On boot, logind therefore reacts to the "closed" lid only after ~27–30 s — this is the exact blank-screen delay observed. ### Why `restart systemd-logind` blanks the screen *immediately* The hold-off window applies only to *system startup / resume*, not to a manual service restart. When logind restarts, it re-reads the lid state (still `closed`) and triggers suspend right away — matching the observed immediate blank on restart. ## The fix that worked Mask every suspend-related target so that no automatic suspend can succeed: ```sh systemctl mask \ sleep.target \ suspend.target \ hibernate.target \ hybrid-sleep.target \ suspend-then-hibernate.target \ systemd-suspend.service \ systemd-hibernate.service \ systemd-hybrid-sleep.service \ systemd-suspend-then-hibernate.service ``` After masking, `systemctl suspend` is rejected and the system never auto-suspends — the screen stays on. ## Supporting diagnostics ```sh # Prove the lid is misreported as closed cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID0/state # Show suspend/s2idle/pmc_atom activity in the journal journalctl -b | grep -iE 'suspend|s2idle|freeze|pmc_atom' | tail -20 # Check logind power-management settings grep -E 'IdleAction|HandleLidSwitch|HandleSuspendKey' /etc/systemd/logind.conf # Confirm no acpid process competes for lid events systemctl is-active acpid; ps -ef | grep -i acpid | grep -v grep ``` ## Re-enable suspend later To undo the mask: ```sh systemctl unmask \ sleep.target \ suspend.target \ hibernate.target \ hybrid-sleep.target \ suspend-then-hibernate.target \ systemd-suspend.service \ systemd-hibernate.service \ systemd-hybrid-sleep.service \ systemd-suspend-then-hibernate.service ``` ## Problem 2: Wi-Fi Connection ### Initial Diagnosis | Check | Result | |---|---| | `ip link` | `lo` + `wlan0` present; `wlan0` state `DOWN` (normal before configuration) | | `ip addr` | No IP assigned | | `dhclient` | Not installed | | `command -v wpa_supplicant` | **MISSING** | | `command -v iw` | Present (`/usr/sbin/iw`) | | `systemd-networkd` | Present (`/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-networkd`) | Connecting to any Wi-Fi network — including a phone hotspot — requires `wpa_supplicant` to perform the 802.11 association/authentication. But `wpa_supplicant` was not installed, and installing it normally requires a network. This is a chicken-and-egg problem. ### Options considered | Option | Why it was not the chosen path | |---|---| | USB tethering (phone → `usb0`, RNDIS) | Phone doesn't support USB tethering | | Open (password-less) hotspot + `iw connect` | Password required | | Local `apt` source from the install media (`file:/mnt`) | Would auto-resolve dependencies, but the USB stick was instead used directly for `dpkg` | | **Offline `dpkg -i` install, resolving dependencies one by one** | **← Chosen path** | The `wpasupplicant` package and its dependencies were taken from the Debian install USB stick and installed manually with `dpkg -i`. ### Identify the USB stick device ```sh lsblk ``` The tablet's internal eMMC appeared as `mmcblk0` (mounted at `/`). The USB stick appeared as an additional `sda` device (`RM` column = `1`, i.e. removable), with its partition `sda1`. ### Mount the USB stick ```sh mkdir -p /mnt mount /dev/sda1 /mnt ls /mnt ``` ### Install `wpasupplicant` from the package pool ```sh sudo dpkg -i /mnt/pool/main/w/wpa/wpasupplicant_*.deb ``` This failed immediately: `dpkg` reported unmet dependencies. ### Resolve missing dependencies one by one `wpasupplicant` depends on the `libnl` family and `libpcsclite1`, which were not present on this minimal install. The missing packages were located in the same `pool/` tree and installed alongside `wpasupplicant`: ```sh sudo dpkg -i \ /mnt/pool/main/libn/libnl3/libnl-3-200_*.deb \ /mnt/pool/main/libn/libnl3/libnl-genl-3-200_*.deb \ /mnt/pool/main/libn/libnl3/libnl-route-3-200_*.deb \ /mnt/pool/main/p/pcsc-lite/libpcsclite1_*.deb \ /mnt/pool/main/w/wpa/wpasupplicant_*.deb ``` Note: the `libnl` dependency is actually three packages — `libnl-3-200`, `libnl-genl-3-200`, and `libnl-route-3-200` — not a single `libnl`. Additional dependencies (e.g. `libssl3`, `libdbus-1-3`, `libreadline8`) may also surface and were resolved the same way as needed. ## `sudo apt install ...` First, install `sudo` like we did above; then, use `usermod -aG sudo username` to add myself to sudoers; finally, use `su - username` to log onto my own account. _finally..._ However, `apt` is not usable yet, because we haven't configured the mirrors. To add mirrors, use ```sh sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cn-mirrors.list ``` and input: ```sh deb https://cernet.mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb https://cernet.mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/debian/ trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb https://cernet.mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware ``` # Lomiri For me it consumes too much resources... making it not very smooth. # LxQt Surprisingly supports touchscreen natively, without multi-level writing pen though. Known issues: - periodic blackscreen; - sometimes blackscreen even after waking up, and switching to other ttys didn't solve it; - the afforementioned blackscreen/suspend problem revised. # So... I just flashed back the official dual-boot bios, and installed the Android 5 and Windows 10.

Preparing

Materials and Tools

Preparing the USB Device

Booting

Debian liveCD environment

Minimal Install

Problem 0: No sudo

Problem 1: Blackscreen

Root Cause

Why the 27-second delay happens

Why restart systemd-logind blanks the screen immediately

The fix that worked

Supporting diagnostics

Re-enable suspend later

Problem 2: Wi-Fi Connection

Initial Diagnosis

Options considered

Identify the USB stick device

Mount the USB stick

Install wpasupplicant from the package pool

Resolve missing dependencies one by one

sudo apt install ...

Lomiri

LxQt

So…

Problem 0: No `sudo`

Why `restart systemd-logind` blanks the screen immediately

Install `wpasupplicant` from the package pool

`sudo apt install ...`