Laptops :: DLS on Dell Latitude D610



Background:
I have a laptop from work which runs a locked down XP and work rules preclude installing anything on it anyway. It would be nice to run what I want from a USB key. Having read a few reviews Damn Small Linux looks good. :)

The problem:
I have downloaded and burnt two CD images dsl-1.2.iso, dsl-1.2-syslinux.iso.

Both CDs are bootable and contain KNOPPIX, lost+found and index.html files and folders. One also has a boot folder. I'm not sure why there are two CDs but there is obviously a difference (read on).

If I boot off the CD with the boot folder then no matter what options I select I see the start of the kernel loading (2.4.26), minirt24.gz being unpacked and then the screen goes blank and the machine locks solid. Power off/on and repeat.

The second CD fails in a similar way except that the failsafe option works. However the failsafe option disables useful things like USB support (see 'background').

I looked in the boot folder and found an isolinux folder containing (amongs other files) isolinux.cfg. This appeared to include the options used for a failsafe boot (nousb nofirewire noagp, etc.) so I tried that with the other CD but it always locked up. I even added a couple of extra options such as nopam noapic noswap. (I thought I could start with a successful boot and then remove options until I isolated the problem and had USB working).  ???

For reference Knoppix 3.8.2 runs vanilla straight from the CD (but is a bit big for my USB key).

I am open to any ideas (or alternatives) so that I can install dsl on a USB key and run it on this machine with support for ethernet, wireless and as much else as is possible.

Thanks for any advice.
Just for grins and giggles..

Try booting up your syslinux DSL CD with..

" dsl nopcmcia vga=normal "

...and see if it makes it thru a bootup with
   your USB intact..  Also check your USB options in bios.
   Enable any "legacy" USB devices...

Let us know..

73
ke4nt
I couldn't find any 'legacy USB' setting in the BIOS and so far I haven't got as far as using the USB key. Just getting the laptop booted would be good.

I tried both CDs (hey, twice the grins) with the suggested options but after mirt24.gz I got a screen full of register values, flags and other arcana.

It started and ended with:

Oops 0000
. . . . .
. . . .
. . . . .

Code: Bad EIP value.
<0> Kernel panic. Attempted to kill init!

I now recall generating this same error with some of the combinations of options I previously tried.

So - dead in the water? :(
Whoohoo! . . . and yet so simple.

When I started this the only clean boot I could get was with the 'failsafe' option on the dsl-1.2 CD so I concentrated on that CD.

After ke4nt1's suggestion yesterday (and armed with the full knoppix cheatcode list) I returned to the isolinux CD . . . and it worked! Eventually I whittled it down to 'acpi=off' (which doesn't work on the non-isolinux CD). So I was just suckered down a wrong path.

Thanks for the suggestion ke4nt1.

Now all I have to do is mount the USB, install DSL, find drivers for the internal ethernet, wireless, audio . . . . . ..
Thanks!  This worked great for me.  :D

I had the same problem and had tried several different options with no success.  The ACPI made sense to me so I tried this and it worked.  I used the command "knoppix lang=us acpi=off" and I had success.

It was great that you had this discussion and that I was able to find this with a simple Google search.
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