Some of you may have seen various posts about efforts to install Linux on my old AMD K6-2 450MHz PC: I think I've cracked it! I have installed antiX (from antiX-M8.5-base-486.iso), and it took a blue age (the tutorial on YouTube said to allow 3 (3!) to 20 minutes). I first installed Xubuntu 6 (7, 8 or 10 wouldn't install) but folk warned me not to run an old release with no security updates available, so antiX it is; it seems slower than Xubuntu 6 was, especially the browser, and it doesn't look as modern, but the system monitor at screen-top-left shows spare RAM and not too much cpu demand; I'll run it for a while and may well stick with it. Many thanks indeed to all who helped me.

I wanted to try Slackware but there was a confusing list of download iso files (d1, d2, d3, etc) and the whole exercise has taken three weeks off-and-on so I backed away from Slackware and any other distros, but this is why I studied T155. (The other contenders had been openSUSE and Debian).

Next I will try and network my antiX box (how nice to be able to say that!) with the various Windows XP boxes in the household, wherein doubtless lies a whole new world of pain...

Yours,

Peter

Nice one! Head over to the antiX forums antix.freeforums.org for any detailed advice.

Wonderful, the graphics card has failed! After all that work.

Where am I going to find a graphics card for a 14-year-old motherboard?!?

Peter

Ebay. Maybe....

I just may have one lying around. I hoard computer bits and bobs. I'll look.

Lisi

Michael Cooban posted a message in the OU FAQs to say he might have a card for you too.

There is a superb forum called "motherboards.org" and the folk there have guided me to a replacement card - which works! (Plus I have also bought as a reserve one of the last new AGP cards on the planet, thanks to the same source of advice). So my 15-year-old PC has arisen from the dead (well, in a fashion) for a second time.

First reactions to antiX (bearing in mind that the original graphics card failed within an hour of completing the install)? It's wierd! For instance, I cannot find the antiX equivalent of Synaptic Package Manager or Ubuntu Software Centre. Loads more learning to do...

Merry Xmas,

Peter

Last time I used antiX, the package manager was Synaptic! It must be in the menus somewhere...

Unless... Looking at your first post, you mentioned you'd used the base ISO. I've not played with the base ISO but it just occured to me that it might be so basic that you're expected to install synaptic yourself! Just apt-get install synaptic.

<Update> Confirmed! Synaptic isn't in the base ISO. If you have a look at the bottom of this page (antix.mepis.com/index.php/Main_Page) there are a couple of links to package lists for the full and base installs. Just install Synaptic & anything else that takes your fancy.