Just got an old computer, like to put linux on it

colinstu · 06-18-2006, 07:05 PM

I found a computer on the curb and I'd love put Puppy linux, or DSL on it.

It has a pentium CPU (so far, no more info on that), 32mb ram (SIMM), ATI PCI video card, ISA Sound card, 200mb harddrive, cd-rom drive, floppy drive. On the harddrive is win 95, and some children's games (it is registered to a daycare, also another scary thing is that a game CD is still in the drive).

AMI bios, and I can't boot to the cd drive. I'd like to try DSL and puppy linux on this computer.

Can I have some help? Thanks!

osor · 06-18-2006, 10:11 PM

Why don't you boot to a floppy?

colinstu · 06-18-2006, 11:06 PM

What do I put on the floppy? Is there a tutorial out there that can tell me how to? I've been diging around and can't find anything that can just easily let me boot to a cd.

Oxagast · 06-19-2006, 03:08 AM

Most more "minimal" distributions allow for a floppy based installation, I know for a fact Slack and Debian do. They usually have some (hard to find) instructions on installing via a floppy set, which basically consists of going to their ftp mirror and downloading the boot and root floppy disk images and using rawrite (for windows) or dd (for linux) to put the raw image on the floppy, pop it in, boot, and follow the onscreen instructions or online manual. You prolly wont get that old ass cdrom drive to read a cdr/cdrw, even if it still works.

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/faq.html - This tells ways to install DSL via a floppy set, or via booting a floppy then using the network.

http://www.debian.org/distrib/floppyinst - Thats a way to install Debian via booting from a floppy and using the network.

http://www.slackware.com/install/ - That tells about installing Slackware from floppies using their disk sets.

osor · 06-19-2006, 12:41 PM

To boot to a CD with an uncooperative computer, you usually boot to a floppy, which subsequently loads the CD. I cannot remember where to get them, but I have am sure I have done this at least once before. If you can't find any, you can probably use GRUB with the ATAPI CD patch. Then chainload the CD.

colinstu · 06-19-2006, 01:10 PM

I was able to use a DSL 2.4 boot disk, with version 2.3 succsesfully. Now I wan't to install it to the HD. I found the HD, but nothing is in it (and there is win95 on the disk). I tried to use the install program, but it quickly shows an error, and exits (when trying to copy the files). Is that because it can't read the disk or something?