Running without a coprocessorForum: User Feedback Topic: Running without a coprocessor started by: TR406 Posted by TR406 on Feb. 12 2006,08:15
Hello,I tried to run DSL on a _very_ old laptop (486SX33) that does not have a math. coprocessor. After having dealt with all those problems of having DSL available on the HD without those smart CD and USB devices, I failed booting DSL, because a math. coprocessor is needed. I did not find a boot option or a kernel without the need for a coproc. Is there any way to get DSL running? Thanks, Tom Posted by clivesay on Feb. 12 2006,13:04
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you can run DSL 5.3.1 or earlier without a co-processor but you can't run any of the newer versions.
Posted by AwPhuch on Feb. 13 2006,05:51
My only gripe is how much freeking larger will co-processor support actually add?! DAMN!Brian AwPhuch Posted by gh78 on Feb. 13 2006,08:39
can you post some numbers on the size increase?sx support is something I've wanted for quite a while. [along with gpm support and links hacked.] Posted by maelcum on Feb. 19 2006,09:21
Greetings,I got a old laptop with 25?mhz and 4mb ram without a co-processor. Is dsl possible? What are the "minmum requirements" for a dsl machine? Are there other suggestions for somekind of linux for such a small machine, I'm tired of freedos ;) help please! Posted by cbagger01 on Feb. 19 2006,20:17
DSL version 0.5.3.1 will work on a "486SX" machine.However, you need more RAM. Like 12MB for textmode and 16MB for graphical mode. Unless you get more RAM, your best bet is to try another small linux like and older version of Basic Linux or an old Slackware version. Posted by skaos on Feb. 20 2006,11:06
You can find Basic Linux here: < http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/baslinux/ >It will be command line only, as X requires 8 MB. Posted by AwPhuch on Feb. 20 2006,19:23
If you could get the ram to 32Megs or larger you will be totally blown away at what that 486 would actually do!4 Megs of RAM is waaay below anything that a graphical desktop will run on...the minimal X server on dsl runs at approx 12-14 Megs alone! Brian AwPhuch Posted by NewDude on Feb. 23 2006,21:47
I have to say something about everyone in this forum, especially this topic. You guys are my type of people. I get laughed at by coworkers because I still have a P166mhz machine that I am running. I thought I was the only one in the world that still uses so called "Old hardware"(PII and below). I find out about DSL and I find a whole lot of people just like me that still run older type hardware and are getting use out of it. You have people on here running 486's. That is just simply awesome. I get amazed everytime I log into this forum and start reading posts by people. Simply awesome... I have a question though. Some years ago I had an old Dell 386 with a math coprocesser in it(I thought). Did some 386's have math coprocessors? If they did, DSL probably could have run on that old 386. I think it was a Dell 386, 33mhz, with 20mb ram and a 350hd. I know that 486 SX chips didn't have the coprocessors. But I could have sworn that this 386 had one, in fact I swear I saw it on top of the CPU (Mounted on top of it) just a small chip. Posted by cbagger01 on Feb. 24 2006,00:00
Nope.See wikipedia: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_80386 > Posted by NewDude on Feb. 24 2006,08:53
Great website... Thanks..I guess I was wrong... THanks for the info, that is a cool site. Posted by skaos on Feb. 24 2006,10:38
I could have had a 80387 math coprocessor in a separate socket: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80387 >
Posted by dzubin on Feb. 24 2006,17:12
I've run a fairly recent version (fall 2005) of DSL on an old Compaq Presario 425 w. 24MB RAM and it's a x486SX (no co-pro)...I had to substitute one of the pre-made 2.4 kernels from Slackware.com...it took me about an hour of hacking to get it going properly(see the DSL wiki entry on running the CD from hard disk also... my computer didn't have a CD, so I took one of those old Parallel port CD drives, booted up in MSDOS, copied the DSL files (KNOPPIX dir) to my hard drive, then booted from that after I replaced the Kernel 4MB RAM might be pretty close to impossible to use DSL especially since the initial ram drive won't fit. I'd look for an old 2.2 or 2.0 -kernel-based distro...I don't think you'll be able to boot any "Live CD" in 4MB RAM...you'll have to go back to the old hard disk boot with original init. (also make sure you set up a swap partition also if your config automatically searches for it and auto-mounts it) ...Just my casual thoughts... Thomas Dzubin Posted by AwPhuch on Feb. 25 2006,00:19
The fact of the matter is...if the "Stock" DSL kernel did have the math co-processor built in monolithically how much bigger would it be, then it could truly be stated that DSL would run on damn near any processor out thereNewer hardware would simply ignore it and keep on trucking! P.S. dzubin...would you happen to have a HOWTO or a working image of your "Tweaked" out DSL... I have a friend at the HLUG here in Houston (and the HAL-PC group) that has one of those "all in one" computers (the puter with a monitor built in) and its a 486 with no math coprocessor...it would be cool to have DSL running on that sucker since its on the desk right beside the front doors Let me know bud! Brian AwPhuch Posted by NewDude on Feb. 25 2006,05:35
Hey dudes, do any of you know anything about "Grid Computing".I know Linux is capiable of it. I have a programming back ground, mainly evil Windoze though with some C/C++ and VB. I have this idea to taking several older computers, network them together and be able to use all the processors as one. IE, the user wouldn't know this, it would all be in the background, the software would task out jobs to CPU's on the network that weren't doing anything. I have read about grid computing but I am not completely sure if this would even be like that, I mean, it would be simular i think... Has anyone ever messed with voice recognition software in Linux? I am still considered and newbee to Linux, I got into messing with Linux a few years ago with Red Hat 6 and OpenLinux but since I hate Windoze now, DSL and my new love. I want to learn all there is to Linux and become totally "Windozeless" at home and possibly at work (But my employer might not let that happen). Just curious... Posted by AwPhuch on Feb. 25 2006,10:57
Cluster computing (beowulf clusters)Yah it is capable..they even have live cd distros w/ clustering already built in (not to turn you away from DSL, but those distros were built with that specifically in mind) Dunno about voice recognition..perhaps this would be a good project for you to "try out" Brian AwPhuch Posted by NewDude on Feb. 25 2006,14:28
Yes, I plan to mess with voice recognition on Linux. I have read a couple of articles about it for Linux. Soon as I figure out my wireless lan card crashing DSL when using NDISWRAPPER, that is going to be one of the first things I start researching. Thanks for the info.. |