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Hello
I don't think it's fair or accurate to say Dell BIOS is bad, they just disable a lot of features to minimize tweaker callbacks. If you're industrious you can use Modbin to re-enable many, but I seriously doubt you need to. I haven't used it in so long I probably barely remember how.
I think any newer distro should work just fine assuming all hardware is in good order. You just need one with a newer kernel that handles SATA out of the box. If the controller is a real oddball you may need to build one (perhaps by using an ide card and drive?) or somehow use a "monster" kernel, where essentially everything is enabled.
Slackware ships with such a kernel, called "hugesmp.s" for 32bit CPUs and "huge.s" for 64bit. Even if you have no desire to install Slackware, it might be prudent to download the 1st (Install) CD image and burn one. In just milliseconds you will be stopped at a prompt where it advises you that you can boot almost any Linux (often, even ones that normally rely on an initrd) so it is a handy tool even if you don't use Slackware. In your case, you should go further into the install until drives are detected. If it does, you can be certain it is possible given the right kernel options.
Another tool and good choice would be Hirens Boot CD as it not only has an amazing variety of tools to test software and hardware, configure, scan fix.... well it is basically a Swiss Army Knife.... just check out the list at the link above.
The main reason I mention Hirens though is that it has a MiniXP OpSys and also a nice bootable Linux OpSys that specializes in drive tools. It has PartedMagic and Clonezilla, amongst others. Although you may not need these tools right now, I am reasoning that the kernel likely has most controller drivers enabled since that's it's main job - testing, configuring and fixing drives.
I've never had an issue with Dell BIOS's and Linux. The only issue I've had with Dells is Dell's fondness for Broadcom wireless.
A friend of mine had fatal issue with Dell and Linux, it was years ago. Dell had TPM turned on and they refused to unlock it, allowing to boot Windows only. They offered partial refund instead.
Okay, as I explained in a previous message, I was going to look at a couple of peculiar things over the weekend, and I found out that the version of both RedHat and Suse support only RAID disk drive configurations, and not SATA, so I found an option in the BIOS settings on my Dell 4700 to support both and that worked. Apparently, around the time those Linux flavors were released, SATA technology was just coming about (in 2003/2004) I was able to install Redhat and that worked fine. That was the good news, the bad news is, and as someone else here mentioned earlier and referred to the older versions of Linux as "Ancient".. , the newer hardware on the Dell is not compatible and did not work very well so I removed Linux and installed Windows XP professional with all the service packs and updates. I downloaded Ubunto's version 12.x ISO file, burned it on a DVD, and now the computer is unable to read the ISO file and boot from it..
I guess that's a different topic, but I just wanted to thank everyone for your help, I'll have to do a little more work on the computer to make it see the ISO file.
Last edited by Magnum Mike; 03-31-2014 at 01:34 PM.
<snip> the bad news is, and as someone else here mentioned earlier and referred to the older versions of Linux as "Ancient".. , the newer hardware on the Dell is not compatible and did not work very well so I removed Linux and installed Windows XP professional with all the service packs and updates. I downloaded Ubunto's version 12.x ISO file, burned it on a DVD, and now the computer is unable to read the ISO file and boot from it..
I guess that's a different topic, but I just wanted to thank everyone for your help, I'll have to do a little more work on the computer to make it see the ISO file.
Outside of a few rare instances like the TPM thing (I've repaired thousands of PCs and never seen that, thankfully) it is likely that some version of Linux will run. Only a few oddball peripherals remain problems, but base OS? No sweat.
Re: ISO burn. Just to be certain, you did "burn image", right? not just end up with a copy of the iso file on your CD?
What a mess. I do not see much sense in all of this. Linux has been working on SATA from very early days. In general, every new major hardware innovation out there has been supported by Linux real fast. For instance, when AMD released first 64-bit CPUs Linux was there to support it, it took YEARS before MS got even close.
I'm sure this laptop works fine with any modern Linux distribution. BIOS settings have to be correct, some boot parameters tweaking may be (or may be not) required.
Outside of a few rare instances like the TPM thing (I've repaired thousands of PCs and never seen that, thankfully) it is likely that some version of Linux will run. Only a few oddball peripherals remain problems, but base OS? No sweat.
Re: ISO burn. Just to be certain, you did "burn image", right? not just end up with a copy of the iso file on your CD?
Oh I'm 110% positive, the ISO file is on the DVD (too large for a CD) The ISO file can be seen and read on my Windows 7 Ultimate computer, but the Dell can't even see the files or boot from it. I have 2 DVD drives on it, one is a DVD-R. It might be because the ISO file is on a DVD-RW disk, and maybe the version of XP (with all the all latest updates and drivers) cannot recognize it, or the DVD drives are old. I also think the hard drive on it is starting to go bad.
I'm not going to waste any more time on this old computer so I'm going to retire it.. or maybe take it out to the desert and use it for target practice.. LOL.. I'm also looking at getting a used tower, with the 64-bit hardware, one that came pre-loaded with a later version of Windoze Vista, or an early version of 7, and replace the OS with Linux, and it won't be a Dell tower, it'll most likely be an HP.
Thanks again.
Last edited by Magnum Mike; 04-02-2014 at 04:57 PM.
You did burn the ISO image? If not then first check the md5sum of the downloaded ISO image. Then since you are using Xp;
Quote:
M$Windows: Windows Burn tutorial <- 'Nero' Live Video for the newbies who burn the iso instead of the image of the iso. Imgburn <- 'ImgBurn is a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit!' + Freeware -- MD5SUM: M$Windows iso md5sum checking <- LQ Post on how too md5sum.exe <- M$Win Application to perform md5sum checking. winMd5Sum Portable <- FREE + Good for all M$ Windows
I do suggest that the burn rate should be low, say '4' to insure a valid image burn.
I think you misunderstood the question you were asked. It is very hard to correct a mistake when you are overly sure you haven't made one.
Quote:
I'm not going to waste any more time on this old computer
So we shouldn't waste much time trying to get you to understand what you did wrong.
But what you did wrong was not specific to that old computer. So when you run into the same problems on a newer computer, try to actually read the advice you are given.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum Mike
The ISO file can be seen and read on my Windows 7 Ultimate computer, but the Dell can't even see the files or boot from it.
The fact that a Windows system can see the .iso file on the DVD tells us for certain that you burned it incorrectly (in file mode, when it should have been in image mode) so of course no system can boot that DVD.
If it were burned correctly, then read in a windows system, you would not see the .iso file. You would directly see the contents of the .iso file, without those contents being buried inside an .iso file.
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, the newer hardware on the Dell is not compatible and did not work very well so I removed Linux and installed Windows XP professional with all the service packs and updates. I downloaded Ubunto's version 12.x ISO file, burned it on a DVD, and now the computer is unable to read the ISO file and boot from it.. 
I'm also looking at getting a used tower, with the 64-bit hardware, one that came pre-loaded with a later version of Windoze Vista, or an early version of 7, and replace the OS with Linux, and it won't be a Dell tower, it'll most likely be an HP. 
