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Topic: Questions about DSL and a REALLY Old Laptop

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sarah

Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 19 2005,23:51

Found this elsewhere on the board:
http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....79;st=0

Although he has different specs, I think that it´s worth a look as from the quick read I had last night, his problem solving method outlines stuff to try.

Also, I didn´t know about the mem= switch so that kind of information might come in useful for other learners like me.

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I've been told the best way to learn is to explain it to someone else in front of "experts". People who are knowledgable (and sometimes even if they're not!) on a topic will soon tell you if you're wrong, and love you for the opportunity to either show their prowess or make jokes at your expense!

Goober

Group: Members
Posts: 21
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 20 2005,06:00

Well, I got the laptop, it works fine (except that the battery is giving me trouble, that that can be easily fixed), and surprisingly, Windows 98 works fast on it. Of course, there is like nothing installed . . .

Anyway, I am trying to get Linux installed, but, well, I have the HD space, in fact, when I figure out how to get Linux working, preferably DSL, I will just wipe out Win98, and have it as a Linux-only machine. Anyway, my problem is that I don't have a USB port OR a CD Rom Drive on it, so I am not sure how to actually install DSL onto it, unless I can fit it magically onto a Floppy, or magically connect my Desktop to it. It does have a port for a keyboard/mouse, and I did hear from a friend that I could get a cable to convert that a USB port, and then I can use my Memory Stick to put on DSL, but I am not sure.

So, sarah, how did you manage to get DSL on it? 50Mb ain't fitting on a floppy, I figure. And my machine is a 16Mb, btw, the guy i bought it from was mistaken.

BTW, I am quite a noob at this. My only Linux experience has been with Ubuntu, and that was, well, pretty damn easy. I just stuck in the CD, and followed the easy instructions, and everything worked perfectly. So I will need help from you DSLers.

Ok, one more Edit. One thing that is confusing me is that PCMCIA card. sarah, you mentioned it, and others, but I don't understand what it does. Can I get one with a USB port, or CDROM drive? If so, do they sell them at a local Computer Store? I have never heard of this before . . .

sarah

Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 20 2005,11:53

I'm not exactly an expert either, but I can tell you my best guesses? And you're right about Ubuntu, that was easy as pie to install, and I don't even cook very well. ;)

I have a parallel port zip drive which I bought for about AU$15 + postage (I'm in country Australia) on eBay. You could try running the install from a parallel CD Rom drive perhaps. I am thinking because of the age of our hardware, it is quite likely that the laptop will refuse to boot a USB port on a PCMCIA card even with a floppy boot disk to tell it to do so without having to do some work/research into how to do it. I'm really inexperienced, so probably there is a way to do it, I just don't know it yet ;) I don't have a USB port PCMCIA card, only one for my LAN connection, and I don't know if that will work yet (it may not even be Linux compatible, but time will tell).

As for a PCMCIA card, it's a serial card you can slide into your laptop to add extra functions to your laptop. I would suggest that you are probably best off investing in an ethernet card, and if you're careful with the type and shape of your card, you *might* be able to fit another one in with it, but it's going to take a little fore-thought since the manufacturers didn't seem to think of these things. There are a few different types of card, and your machine will fit 2 type II cards, or one type III card.

http://www.pcmcia.org/about.htm
http://www.pcmcia.org/faq.html
http://www.answers.com/main....=1512_1

You might also be interested in the following 2 links:
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/1996_02/pr0101.htm
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/1996_02/e0101/e0101.htm

That last link is a link to the specs of the machine - I'm sure you'll be pleased to know yours is above spec ;)

Another link you might / I find helpful is this one:
http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/t100cs.html

It's not a DSL install, but I've referred to it a couple of times while I've been doing my homework, and so I wondered if you might also find it useful.
He used to have a copy of his XF86 configuration file up, but the link is broken. I am sure I have a copy of it somewhere...

--------------
I've been told the best way to learn is to explain it to someone else in front of "experts". People who are knowledgable (and sometimes even if they're not!) on a topic will soon tell you if you're wrong, and love you for the opportunity to either show their prowess or make jokes at your expense!

Goober

Group: Members
Posts: 21
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 20 2005,23:43

Huh, what a coincidence that we are essentially trying to install the same Linux OS on the same Laptop . . . I think ours have the exact same stats, actually . . . it didn't hit me until now that we are trying to do the same thing.

Anyway. I now understand what a PCMCIA card is. Now, I guess the next question is how do we get DSL, physically, onto the Laptop? You mentioned a ZIP Drive, I guess you bought a PCMCIA Card that had a ZIP drive on it? Doing a bit of research, that will work, we can get DSL, which is 50Mb, onto a ZIP Drive, which seems to be 100+Mb in size. Ethernet would work, I guess, but then, how would that help us install DSL? Once we get the DSL on the HD, then what? i guess we would cross that bridge when we got there . . .

I have heard from folks at the Ubuntu Forum that USB netowkring and Linux don't get along well together, although Ubuntu automatically recognized my USB Memory Stick, I am not sure that DSL would necessarily would do the same. SO maybe Ethernet would be the best step . . .

I also found that article, but then got confused, and went onto the next Google hit

Anyway, I need to find out the price of getting a PCMCIA Card, preferably Ethernet. And a battery, mine, well, let's just say that its the original battery, and it doesn't work. I'll keep you informed as to progress on my end. We will succeed!

Well, I was looking for a challenge, and here we are. Ubuntu was just too easy, eh?

sarah

Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 20 2005,23:51

Really quickly before I head off to work, the zip drive is a parallel drive - that is it plugs into the port on the back where you would most often plug in a printer on this type of machine. I can so far make the DSL boot floppy recognise the zip drive, and it starts uncompressing ok. You'll need to use at *least* the vga=normal switch.

After that I'm getting huge seg faults, nothing unusual. More later, but I'm late for work sorry!

--------------
I've been told the best way to learn is to explain it to someone else in front of "experts". People who are knowledgable (and sometimes even if they're not!) on a topic will soon tell you if you're wrong, and love you for the opportunity to either show their prowess or make jokes at your expense!

30 replies since Sep. 16 2005,22:43

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