I have just been messing around with installing various distributions on it, and there seems to be a problem with the hardware. This particular model of HP uses "memory sharing" in which part of the GFX memory is in RAM that linux can access. So...the problem is that when linux uses up all of the regular memory, it starts to write onto the screen (read NES when cart isn't inserted correctly). This causes all sorts of bugs and crashes DURING the installer.

I want to know how I can possibly make a specific area of memory off-limits for the installer (particularily 4 megs somewhere in the normal memory range). I want to install linux on this old thing!

Any way I can do this easily using boot parameters?

(I have tried Slackware, Debian (expert,and normal), and Ubuntu. They all fail during the install of the base system to the hard drive.)

SPECS:

500mhz AMD
256MB Memory
D-link Ethernet card
Onboard Sis graphics chipset
Onboard via sound