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Topic: DSL vs. 250 MB WinXP, comparing two totally different systems

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Breadman

Group: Members
Posts: 22
Joined: Jan. 2006

Posted: Jan. 15 2006,13:54

I've been looking for a small os that can boot from an USB stick and found 2 weeks ago DSL. Yesterday I found an interesting article in a german computer magazine (Chip, Ausgabe 02/2006) about an 250 MB Windows XP which can boot from USB Stick.

I did what was written in the artilce and after 2 hours I had WinXP on my 256MB USB-Stick.

What are these Windows' features?
- WinXP on a FAT 16 partiton (well, its a Barts PE Windows)
- No outlook, WMP, Internet Explorer... with the freeware progamm "n-lite" you can get rid of all these f*** spyware infected M$-Sh** (sorry ;) )
- Browser: Firefox, E-Mail: Thunderbird , Nero, Sygate Firewall, AVG Antivirus, Ontrack EasyRecovery, WinAMP

You can include every application you wish.

Mow the interesting part: Comparison with the 50 MB DSL v2.0 USB-ZIP installation.

Both were configured on my Duron 1800 Machine, nVidia 5600, 2* Seagate HDD, 640 Mb RAM
No problems there

- Celeron 500 Mhz 256 MB RAM,USB 1.1 everything onboard from intel:
- DSL: 3-5 minutes for booting and configuring, everythingworks, internet, network, printer as well
- Win: 10 minutes for booting and configuring, also here: works fine, you can change monitor refresh rates!

Notebook: Gericom, P4 2,4 GHz,512 MB RAM USB 2.0 NVidia 5600go
-DSL: 2-3 min for booting, wireless LAN adapter does not work,
-Win: 5 minutes for booting: everything works (also LAN adapter)

Same Celeron, but only 64 MB RAM:
DSL works, Win does not really. It's to slow.

Final conclusion:
Windows works fine on machines with a lot of RAM. Otherwise it is much to slow.
This windows has more drivers included. Nearly all standart devices are supported. If you want to make it smaller, you can also get rid of them, but then its biggest advantage is lost.

Biggest plus of windows: you can change the refresh rates.
biggest minus: it is much to big and slow (naturally windows *smile*)

Biggest plus of DSL: very small and fast, good compatibility
biggest minus: refresh rates are not easy to change

Maybe this small windows can find again a place on my desktop, but it definitely will not replace DSL on my USB-drive!

Breadman
====
Download:
Barts PE: www.nu2.nu
nlite (german) german-nlite.de (There should be a english version as well)

====

www.bread-n-linux.de.vu

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* Wenn die Sonne kommt, schein' ich mit! *
* www.bread-n-linux.de.vu *
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mikshaw

Group: Members
Posts: 4856
Joined: July 2004

Posted: Jan. 15 2006,15:55

Quote (Breadman @ Jan. 15 2006,08:54)

I did what was written in the artilce and after 2 hours I had WinXP on my 256MB USB-Stick.
...

Final conclusion:
Windows works fine on machines with a lot of RAM. Otherwise it is much to slow.
This windows has more drivers included. Nearly all standart devices are supported. If you want to make it smaller, you can also get rid of them, but then its biggest advantage is lost.

Biggest plus of windows: you can change the refresh rates.
biggest minus: it is much to big and slow (naturally windows *smile*)

Biggest plus of DSL: very small and fast, good compatibility
biggest minus: refresh rates are not easy to change

One thing I'd like to emphasize is the "2 hours" part. With that kind of time, a user can easily modify DSL to deal with its "disadvantages"....adding XFree86 to change refresh rates, include more device drivers, etc. What you'd end up with is a DSL system that can do everything bart's pe can do, plus more, and with a much smaller footprint.

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http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html

Breadman

Group: Members
Posts: 22
Joined: Jan. 2006

Posted: Jan. 15 2006,19:20

The 2 hours aren't too bad...It did take a long time for me to get a running DSL as well.

With including xFree86 and certain other tools i need to recover a crashed system i worked 5 or 6 hours.

I hope that isn't too bad for a linux noop ;)

Where DSL can never been beaten is its size. Even with all tools its a third of the "small" Windows. Consequently it's much faster.

BTW: I really love this forum. Lots of Help...but here i lost most of the time searching!

Breadman

www.bread-n-linux.de.vu

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* Wenn die Sonne kommt, schein' ich mit! *
* www.bread-n-linux.de.vu *
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hs7sv

Group: Members
Posts: 247
Joined: June 2005

Posted: Jan. 16 2006,04:41

This is English version. I tried it before. BartPE CD is good enough for TroubleShooting when your HDD cannot boot. For Windows Application in USB, it is not good enough. I prefer using PortableApps in XP.

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"My advice is to just return hardware that does not work with a plain Linux kernel, right to the place where you bought it, and ask for your money back..."

Klaus Knopper

Breadman

Group: Members
Posts: 22
Joined: Jan. 2006

Posted: Jan. 16 2006,19:26

You're right, that's what Barts PE was orginally designed for.

But, infact, it is the only "small" Windows i know. If something from redmont can be compared with DSL, then this. :;):

Nevertheless Windows rest tooooooo big. Even with nLite i can't get a fully working os (incl. Nero, Office, PowerDVD....) with less then 1,5 GB. It's ridiculous.

A DamnSmallLinux with equal (freeware) components such as OpenOffice not nearly reaches 800 MB. Theroretically you could install it on a CDRW and use it with a MontRanier-burner as a quasi-HDD.

Well, back to M$ WinXPensive: with BartsPE and nLite i can really build a DSLWindows: Damned&StillLarge Windows *smile*

Breadman

www.bread-n-linux.de.vu

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* Wenn die Sonne kommt, schein' ich mit! *
* www.bread-n-linux.de.vu *
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4 replies since Jan. 15 2006,13:54

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Damn Small Linux Board » Non-DSL Topics » Cool Things » DSL vs. 250 MB WinXP