Running on old laptop - 80mb of ram!

Forum: User Feedback
Topic: Running on old laptop - 80mb of ram!
started by: CrazyBeethoven

Posted by CrazyBeethoven on Aug. 08 2007,06:32

So, I have been a fan of DSL for a long time, seen it get upgraded many times. I distinctly remember one time booting it and getting all sorts of crazy colors, trying to get it to work and probably not caring enough to fix it. Recently I tried it on the same machine with the most recent version and everything worked automatically: Video, sound, network, etc. I was pretty excited.

I was recently given a Compaq Armada 4131T, currently running Windoze 98 (actually, it runs pretty smoothly) on a 3gig drive with 80mb of ram and a 133mhz processor. This thing is so old that it has no USB, no CD (and no slot for one either!), no integrated network/modem/anything, and a floppy drive that is on the fritz. So, I did what anybody with an old laptop would do: Try to run Linux! Specifically, DSL!

Eventually I did get it running, I am still unsure of myself with all the specifics, but here is what I did (I think this is called the "poormans" install?):

I made the boot floppy using the floppy.img online, copied the /KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX to /hda1/KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX, copied the /boot/isolinux/* to /hda1/boot/isolinux/* and rebooted on the floppy.

Initially I got some hanging errors, but this could be because I got impatient and started pressing random buttons.

It boots fine right now. One thing missing is the stinking network card: I am using a 3Com Megahertz 574 pcmcia network card and it does not work. Neither does the modem plugged in either. I am moving to a location with a free wireless network, so I will be purchasing a wireless card and don't need to get this one working.

I have been fooling around with the "grub for dos 0.4.1", trying to see if I can ditch the floppy. I am hesitant to get rid of Win98 because it is the only way I can get online right now. When I can get online with DSL, I am planning on doing an install. It is slow going right now, because I have been raised on Windoze for so long and had to learn a lot of the commands/programs. Right now I am trying to understand what the initrd command is all about: It keeps saying "kernel panic ... try using the init command" or something. That is a topic for another thread and another time: I am moving tomorrow so I won't have time to fool with it for a while.

Just wanted to post a success story, even though it is only partially done. I really do love DSL, it is so blazing fast, even on a machine this slow it is ridiculously fast. I eventually want to top out the RAM so I can boot the toram option, but that will have to wait!

Thanks, guys, for all the work you do! Thanks, everybody on the forum, for all your help: I have read a lot of it and got much help already.

Posted by curaga on Aug. 08 2007,18:31

80mb is enough for booting text mode toram

so if you want to feel that awesome blazing speed, try it (boot with "dsl 2 toram")

Posted by karoach71 on Aug. 10 2007,02:11

I used to own an old Compaq lappy from 1996, and older DSL versions worked efficiently on that one, with only a 1.8GB hard disk and 72MB EDO DRAM, even running XVesa. Impressive, to say the least.

Now, it runs on my more modern HP Pavilion xt125 with 640MB DDR SDRAM and a 20GB drive. I still prefer either DSL or Ubuntu.

I used to run crappy old Mandrake 7.1 on a 1GHz 256MB eMachines PC, and not only was it painfully slow, but dependency hell permanently turned me away.

Posted by Andreas on Aug. 10 2007,04:51

Quote (curaga @ Aug. 08 2007,20:31)

80mb is enough for booting text mode toram

With a HD installation (debian-type) you´ll need even less memory.
My Toshiba Libretto 100 has only 64 MB

Posted by curaga on Aug. 10 2007,09:21

I've used DSL HD install with 16mb ram, with X!

Posted by ejoftheweb on Aug. 10 2007,13:44

I've got a small drawer-full of old laptops - a Toshiba Libretto 50CT and a brace of Thinkpad 240s, for which I am sure I can find good uses with a nice compact OS. Hate to see them going to landfill.

One use would be just as X-terminals - remote controls - for a beefier system with X forwarded over SSH over Wifi.

Getting it on them is going to be a challenge, particularly the Libretto which has only a single 16-bit PCMCIA slot....

Looking forward to it though.

Posted by curaga on Aug. 10 2007,15:22

I'm looking for a Libretto, but can't find one anywhere.. I like small comps, I have two laptops and three micro-atx comps. -.-