Downloaded the Xubuntu 9.10 alternate install CD image and tried to run through an install. After selecting my keyboard layout, it gave me an error message saying it wasn't able to detect my CD-ROM drive. I poked around with the manual driver loading option, but got nowhere.

A quick bit of googling told me that this 9.10 PPC release is still unstable, so I now realize that it's probably not the best way to go. However, I already set 'Other OS' as the default boot option for the PS3. So I'm sorta stuck until I can get back to XMB and start over with a stable release.

At the kboot: prompt I've tried "boot-game-os", which is apparently supposed to launch XMB. For whatever reason, this isn't a recognized boot image for kboot to load. Whether it's because it's 9.10 and it's not implemented, or because I didn't actually finish a proper install complete with bootloader/kernel images, or I'm just really unlucky - I can't figure out how to get back into XMB.

Again - yes, I have tried "boot-game-os" at the kboot: prompt. It doesn't work.

Any ideas? Is there some way I can fully reset the PS3 back to factory defaults? I've already done a full PS3 backup before I started tinkering with this so I'm not opposed to wiping the HDD and starting again.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Seems that a hard reset booted back to XMB, where I could restore my backed up data. All appears to be well.

At kboot, use "game" , rather than "boot-game-os" ....

Who do we contact to usefully suggest mentioning that in ? https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kboot-installer/+bug/277839 started with a request to put it there, and ended up as text in the release notes, it might be worth pushing on it again (since petitboot, the suggested "right" answer, isn't integrated yet...)