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Linux - Laptop and Netbook Having a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).

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Old 04-17-2014, 11:51 AM   #1
ruggb
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implementing on old laptops


I installed MINT on a USB and booted it to my newer laptop. Works fine. What I really want is to install it on a couple of OLD laptops.

A couple of issues.......
Both have old DVD drives which don't work as DVD anymore.
I have another DVD coming but I tried to install using PLOP and the USB (since neither boot from USB) on my Averetec 6210 with SiS M741 video. PLOP works and it goes thru the motions and gives me VGA video in the process but when it finishes loading (I think) I get a black screen. This appears to be a common issue with SiS and I have found no solution yet. I tried GENTOO minimal via a boot CD and basically got the same result though I think it stopped with a mouse pointer showing on the black screen. When I get the DVD drive I will try GENTOO full version and a new version of MINT.

The unit works with Windows XP so the H/W is OK except maybe the WiFi - It may have recently died or XP is broke.

The questions are:

Could the WiFi adapter hang the boot this way even if turned off?

Is there a way around this SiS video issue? -like making it stay in VGA mode or another workaround?

If I get it installed on an HDD and place the HDD in another unit will Linux reconfigure itself for the different hardware? I have done that with Windows and it works most of the time.

thx
 
Old 04-26-2014, 05:31 AM   #2
ondoho
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this is a really old laptop - respect to that, but you have to expect rough edges.
also linux mint might not be the best distro for that.
try sth from here.

i remember i had a SiS graphic chip on one of my oldest laptops and i vaguely remember it wasn't easy to get the best driver for it, but there are native xorg/linux drivers.

so if you decide to go with mint, get it into rescue mode and post some output (please search the web on how to do that and what info commonly to provide on graphics / video driver problems).

if you choose another distro, tell us how that went.
 
Old 04-26-2014, 07:05 AM   #3
Drakeo
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for very old laptops you should look at puppy linux it was created for old laptops. if under a gig of ram I would look at the older distro's of puppylinux like 4.12.
you can try the newer ones. the Sis is supported with vesa .
Sis is still supported but the use of the vesa is much better.

as far as Gentoo did you type startx at the prompt.

if you have problems with the sis you will need to use the /etc/x11/xorg.conf-vesa
and rename it xorg.conf remember make a back up.

Last edited by Drakeo; 04-26-2014 at 07:11 AM.
 
Old 04-26-2014, 08:20 AM   #4
cascade9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ruggb View Post
What I really want is to install it on a couple of OLD laptops.
Should be OKish with the Averetec 6210, but 512MB RAM is getting pretty low for mint.

Older/lower RAM laptops will need something lighter than mint IMO.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruggb View Post
Is there a way around this SiS video issue? -like making it stay in VGA mode or another workaround?
Arg, SiS, welcome to a nightmare. I've found SiS video hardware doestn deal well with current distos. Good luck, you'll need it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruggb View Post
If I get it installed on an HDD and place the HDD in another unit will Linux reconfigure itself for the different hardware? I have done that with Windows and it works most of the time.
Bad idea with windows, works much better with linux. As long as you dont have closed source video drivers installed anyway, if you do trying to boot the OS on s system witha different brand video card, or a video card of the same brand which uses different drivers you wont be able to boot to the desktop (e.g. you have install nVidia 30X.XX drivers for GF 6XXX-> newer cards but have an old GF5XXX/FX video card on the system you are trying to boot)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drakeo View Post
for very old laptops you should look at puppy linux it was created for old laptops. if under a gig of ram I would look at the older distro's of puppylinux like 4.12.
Debatable if it was 'created for old laptops'- IMO no. Puppy loads itself into RAM, which isnt the best idea for older, slower machines with minimal RAM.....
 
Old 04-26-2014, 08:52 AM   #5
ondoho
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what is it with everyone and puppy linux?
it's, like the name says, a toy.

look at these search results and please choose a real operating system for your venerable old hardware. i recommend slitaz - it requires a minimum of effort to install it to hard drive (instead of using it from removable media), but i'm willing to help with that.
 
Old 04-26-2014, 01:03 PM   #6
rokytnji
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Quote:
what is it with everyone and puppy linux?
it's, like the name says, a toy.
http://oi40.tinypic.com/68wleo.jpg

I run AntiX 13.2 on my IBM A22M 1000Hz, 512MB ram, 2001 Laptop.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ml#post5022056

Puppy also full time. Not just a toy to me. I guess YMMV from mine.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...2/#post5135050
 
Old 04-27-2014, 11:26 AM   #7
gritstone
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Hi folks, I'm also looking to install on an old laptop and just looking for some advice at the moment as it is quite a low spec machine, and it has a fault which might mean I have to just forget the idea altogether.

The laptop is a Toshiba T1900 from around 1993. It's a 486SX with 4Mb RAM and an 80Mb Conner HDD (with Windows 3.1 installed). I did find a page called "4mb Laptop HOWTO" which would have been very useful but for one thing... the floppy drive doesn't work. Finding a replacement probably won't be easy or economical, so would it be possible to put the HDD in another machine and do an install from there? I assume I'll have to install an older distribution, but even then, is it going to be anything but sluggish?

I don't really have any great plans for it; I just couldn't bring myself to put it in the bin. I don't really want to spend any money on it if I can help it, so am I just wasting my time?
 
Old 04-27-2014, 12:33 PM   #8
rokytnji
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Quote:
486SX with 4Mb RAM
Tough. Owning A p66 12MB ram myself

Quote:
the floppy drive doesn't work.
Tougher still.

Yes. Pull the drive and maybe.

Look into Plan 9 from Bell Labs.
MenuetOS

or Blue Flops

You have a uphill climb ahead of you . At least from my own personal experience.
I settled using DOS 6.1 and then installed 3.11 over it and put it on the shelf as a temporary doorstop.
 
Old 04-27-2014, 04:46 PM   #9
Drakeo
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Quote:
Debatable if it was 'created for old laptops'- IMO no. Puppy loads itself into RAM, which isnt the best idea for older, slower machines with minimal RAM.....
you may want to look at Bk's forums ok. and what he used to build and test with.
puppy 4.12 works well with the Sis graphics I used it a very long time on my old laptop. kept them xorg settings to use on slackware.
that was on 192 mb of ram. 400 mhz amd toshiba satelite

Last edited by Drakeo; 04-27-2014 at 04:50 PM.
 
  


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