cant get any linux os to load on my ibm i 1161,hard drive clean and partitioned

thomasdoc60 · 03-06-2012, 03:56 PM

I am trying to use linux either live or installed to harddrive on an old ibm i 1161 with 128 megs of ram and a large(131gb)HARD DRIVE. the various linux os load then the screen goes black

archShade · 03-06-2012, 04:53 PM

Always difficult when the system is not giving you any information.

Have you tried running memtest86?

Do you get any warnings during POST?

Before it dies what is the last thing displayed on the screen? Is it a splash screen or terminal output? If it is a splash screen then does it say something along the line of press esc for terminal/console/expert view?

Which Distros have you tried? Have you tried any that do not load a X straight away (Slackware or Gentoo come to mind (although I am about 12 months behind the curve on both)) ?

Do any other OSes work (I'm thinking Windows here). Are you intending to dual boot?

I really have no idea what the problem could be but the anwears to the questions above may shed some light on the matter.

salasi · 03-06-2012, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasdoc60

...an old ibm i 1161 with 128 megs of ram and a large(131gb)HARD DRIVE. the various linux os load then the screen goes black

Have you tried any specifically small Linuxes? With only 128M (not practicable to upgrade, presumably), the heavier weight alternatives either won't load, or will be desperately slow, but something like a lightweight distro (Puppy. DSL, Tiny Core, Vector, etc, maybe even Bodhi) should have a chance.

ukiuki · 03-06-2012, 08:14 PM

Most of the new distributions need more than 128Mb RAM, and that is probably the problem, so you will have to look after lightweight distros or do a custom install.

Regards

thomasdoc60 · 03-07-2012, 03:25 PM

i have tried dsl,puppy,pmagic,ubuntu and seven or eight other flavors to no avail.All were properly burnt to cd as they all work on my old pc running 256 megs of ram.i guess i am just too much of a n ewbie to play with linux!!!oh and the hard drive has no other os on it!

thomasdoc60 · 03-07-2012, 04:21 PM

pmagic fully loaded and came up with a green screen with what i assume is a welcome page but it goes from multi colored squares to vertical lines.

snowpine · 03-07-2012, 04:27 PM

If you are new to Linux, you will have a much more pleasant experience using it on supported hardware. Here are the minimum hardware requirements for Ubuntu, a popular choice for beginners:

Quote:

Ubuntu Desktop Edition

1 GHz CPU (x86 processor (Pentium 4 or better))
1 GiB RAM (system memory)
15 GB of hard-drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive but see LiveCD for an alternative approach)
800 by 600 screen resolution
Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media
Internet access is helpful

Here is a listing of certified hardware:

http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/

If you're interested in another distro than Ubuntu, visit their website, and you'll find a list of hardware requirements and (possibly, depending on the distro) certified hardware.

Don't get frustrated and give up on Linux too quickly; using Linux on modern, supported hardware is a pleasure!

thomasdoc60 · 03-07-2012, 05:30 PM

can i install linux to a harddrive while it is out of my comp using a usb ide adapter then put the harddrive back into the comp? this old laptop has sentimental value or i would just chuck it.

snowpine · 03-07-2012, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasdoc60

this old laptop has sentimental value or i would just chuck it.

What are you planning to use the laptop for? What is your goal?

thomasdoc60 · 03-08-2012, 02:15 PM

i will probably only use it for email,keep track of bills etc.

snowpine · 03-08-2012, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasdoc60

i will probably only use it for email,keep track of bills etc.

I think you will want a graphical user interface (GUI) to do these tasks (unless the thought of typing emails in a text-only command line is appealing to you), so that will push the hardware requirements up a bit.

If you've already tried DSL and Puppy, and they didn't work, I don't know what to tell you--those are just about the "lightest" GUI distros out there. Maybe give TinyCore and SliTaz a try?

thomasdoc60 · 03-08-2012, 02:33 PM

i now think it may be partly a graphics problem as pmagic loads but the gives me a green screen with colored squares which looks like a welcome or home screen.

rokytnji · 03-08-2012, 02:52 PM

Then try AntiX with boot cheat codes

Quote:

Some quick advice:

1. Choose your language before installation by pressing F2 at live boot grub screen or typing lang=XX (XX= your language eg lang=ru).

2. Choose your prefered timezone by pressing F3 at live boot grub screen or typing tz=XX/YY (XX/YY = Continent/City eg tz=Europe/Athens).

3. Have a read of the cheat options by pressing F1 at live boot grub screen. See cheats below.

From Page

http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

If wanting to try latest test versions (like I am running)

Code:

~$ inxi -S
System:    Host: biker Kernel: 3.2.2-antix.1-486-smp i686 (32 bit) Desktop: IceWM 1.3.7 Distro: antiX-full 01 February 2012

http://brianmasinick.blogspot.com/20...-120-test.html

thomasdoc60 · 03-09-2012, 12:41 PM

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I think i made a major rookie mistake.I didn,t realize that linux works best on a different file type than windows so hard drive was formatted to fat32 or ntfs.I am in the process of formatting to ext 2. i have a 131 gb harddrive in a thinkpad designed for 5gb so it is taking a while.Will update. thanks again, great community you have here