Frugal Install on old laptop
Forum: HD Install
Topic: Frugal Install on old laptop
started by: Replic
Posted by Replic on Jan. 28 2005,21:59
I am trying to add extra life to my laptop by switching to linux- it is far too slow to run anything like windows XP and the programs I would need it to run, so the switch makes sense. It's an old 600E IBM Thinkpad with a Pentium II 294mhz.I will admit that I am not that knowledgable about linux, and the more simple an explanation, the better.
The laptop has no ethernet card, simply a Belkin wireless network card that I hope to get to work with it.
How can I, in simple step by step instructions, do a frugal install on to the laptop?
Posted by green on Jan. 29 2005,01:09
Simple steps:Note: The BIOS part below is IBM Thinkpad 600E specific.
Press F1
Turn on PC (while still holding F1)
Keep holding F1 key down until you get into the BIOS settings.
Check that BIOS will try to boot fromCD before the hard drive.
You will find that under the icon looking thingy that says "Start up", click it.
Then, click on the "Power On" icon looking thingy.
Make any changes you need, then click "OK."
Open the CD-ROM by pressing the little blue button on it (assuming it is installed in the bay).
Insert the DSL CD of your choice and close the CD-ROM by hand.
Click "Exit."
Click "Restart."
Click "OK."
PC should reboot.
When PC boots up on CD and you see the DSL logo, press F2.
You should see various options to enter at boot time.
Type this:
fb1024x768
Watch the PC spring to life while it uncompresses the linux kernel.
At some point you will see the background turn blue and a grayish box/window that is waiting for your input.
Using the arrow keys, press the down arrow key to select "Xfbdev xserver" then press enter.
On the next input asking box, make a decision, then press enter.
On the next input asking box, make a decision, then press enter.
Watch what it does.
You should see a window (the Dillo browser) showing you some good information. Read it (seriously).
When done reading, close the window by clicking on the X in the upper right hand corner.
Do you have any partitions setup properly?
Check:
Right click on the desktop, then click "XShells."
Mouse to the right and click on "Root Access."
A black window will open up with a command prompt.
Type this:
cfdisk
Now you see your partitions.
You need at least one that is big enough for the frugal install, I like them to be about 500MB or larger (personal preference).
Remember the name of the partition or write it down.
Should be something like hda1 or hda7, you'll see them.
A swap partition is a good idea, and should be at least as big as your amount of RAM.
If you need help setting up the partitions, search the forums or post back asking that and detailing what you saw with "cfdisk."
Assuming the partitons are done correctly.
Press "Q" or arrow key over to "Quit" to exit "cfdisk."
Right click on the desktop.
Mouse to "Apps" then "Tools" then click on "Frugal Install."
Recall the partition name you remembered from earlier, enter that name (hda1 or whatever it is) when the installer asks you to, then press enter.
Follow the directions.
Edit: When you get the frugal install done, search the forums with this:
ke4nt AND uart
Do the above with the options of "All open forums" and "this month and newer."
You'll find a way to make the sound work on the 600E.
< http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....nd+uart >
Posted by Replic on Jan. 29 2005,03:25
Alright, trying it as soon as I send this reply. You're a linux saint, mind you.... How did you know the 600e specifics? Do you own one?I will post results, of course.
Posted by Replic on Jan. 29 2005,03:54
Ok, installed it, but ran into a problem. When I boot it it says grub> and then won't do anything after that (though I can get it to reboot, oddly enough)...When I do the frugal install, did I simply miss something? I didn't pick any daemons for it to run and basically took defaults for all the settings I could, but it isn't working thusfar.
I'm still trying....
Posted by wetterau on Jan. 29 2005,17:41
relic, don't give up. I have DSL installed on a thinkpad 600. It works perfectly. You'll be happy with it. Be sure that you don't have anything in your USB port when you install to HD. For some reason, the loader won't install if you do. Also, if you want to use open office, download the .cli version from mydsl. It works very well (after a slow load).
Posted by Replic on Jan. 29 2005,19:59
I'm still working on it, but have no idea what to do when I boot it without the CD and it just saysgrub>
Am I supposed to get this? If I am, what then? And wet, what options did you choose during the frugal install - what daemons, etc, cause most of the settings I wasnt sure as to what they did.
Posted by Replic on Jan. 30 2005,18:40
Still working on it, but I can't figure out what to do after it just says grub>Any help please? I'm hopelessly lost on this part.
Posted by adraker on Jan. 30 2005,21:45
O.K, I'm talking through my ....."hat" here,but you seem to be booting into a Grub
bootloader shell, do you have another unix
OS on the machine?
Perhaps this is left over from an old installation,
I would have thought that the LILO bootloader
which runs in Frugal install would have overwritten
the MBR.
You can perhaps still boot your DSL, if you Google
search for the "GRUB manual", it will tell you how to directly
boot an OS from the shell.
Perhaps someone else who uses grub shell on a regular
basis would like to chime in here.
I've just done a Frugal on an old machine to see what Frugal
was about, because I couldn't find out enough about it with searches.
I was unaware that Lilo would overwrite MBR, and then couldn't
get to pre-existing Dos and DSL HD installs.
Tried modifying RS's frugal_instal.sh to include these, but
so far have trouble including DSL HD install on hda5.
Maybe better to install Grub in DSL HD installed system
and use Grub to boot the others.
Anyhoo, thats the only idea that springs to mind right now
- good luck with it!
Posted by Replic on Jan. 31 2005,00:00
Yea, I'm installing this over SUSE Linux.I'll try the GRUB manual now, but I'm pretty sure I used it already and got nothing. How can I install DSL with Lilo so it just boots into it?
Posted by adraker on Jan. 31 2005,00:41
Well, it was my experience that during Frugalinstall, lilo is invoked by the frugal_instal.sh
script, using a lilo.config which is put into the
/boot directory of the targeted partition, the lilo.conf
is part of the script.
Look at roberts frugal_instal.sh script when you're
running the live cd, its in /usr/sbin or /sbin....
one of those /sbins.
This runs to the exclusion of other OSs, so you won't
have your Suse included in lilo- only DSL Frug.
I don't know why this didn't happen on your original
frugal install......
Keep on trying with Grub though.
It'll be a while until I can get back to playing around with Grub.