Recommend a neat LINUX distro for an old laptop with p3 ,128Mb ram running@ 800Mhz

JohnDA · 03-30-2009, 11:55 AM

I'm running Fedora 9 on my Dell Latitude C610 with a 20 gig HD and 128 megs of ram. It is running fine, with the exception of the Netgear WG511 v2 Wireless PC card. It doesn't "see" the card. If I use the ethernet connection I can access the web just fine, it just isn't performing in wireless mode.

I'm using the Dell to learn Linux, and it isn't needed in wireless mode, so it's not a killer. Hopefully in time I'll figure out how to get it to run in wireless mode.

beachboy2 · 04-01-2009, 04:31 PM

I agree that it is a good idea to have extra RAM but if you wish to use a Linux OS that works fine with your existing 128MB of memory then I suggest you try antiX:

http://antix.mepis.org/index.php/Main_Page

It worked perfectly for me with an old P2 with 128MB.

If you need help then look here:

http://mepislovers.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=40

or here:

http://antix.freeforums.org/

JohnDA · 04-02-2009, 08:46 AM

Thanks for that! I downloaded AntiX and tried it out. That's a very nice distro and I like that they included ABYwrite as the word processor. I found out that my problem with the Netgear wireless card is that it was designed for Windows. It just"ain't talkin'" to Linux. Like I said, the laptop is a learning machine, so it's not a problem for now.

Thanks again, John

farslayer · 04-03-2009, 02:55 PM

Just ran across this little gem in Linux Format.

Austrumi

Code:

How?

    * Based on Slackware GNU Linux.

Requirements

    * CPU - Intel-compatible (pentium2 or later);
    * RAM - at least 128 MB (if 128 Mb or less, then run boot: al nocache);
    * HD - not needed;
    * CD-ROM - bootable CD-ROM drive.

What is AUSTRUMI-1.8.5 ?
    • Fastest Linux distribution with 3D support for Nvidia and Intel video cards
    • Contains all necessary basic programs for work and entertainment
    • The modern user interface into Latvian, Russian, English, Italian and Greek languages
    • Simple boot from CD, flash drive or HDD
    • It is fitted out for the servers and workstations

Check out the Screenshots Not bad for a little distro for low spec hardware..

http://cyti.latgola.lv/ruuni/screenshoots/a-172.jpg
http://cyti.latgola.lv/ruuni/screenshoots/a-172a.jpg
http://cyti.latgola.lv/ruuni/screenshoots/a-180.jpg
http://cyti.latgola.lv/ruuni/screenshoots/a-185.jpg

FVWM
2.6.28 Kernel
Xorg7.3
96MB in Size.. (fits right between DSL and Puppy)

I think I'm going to have to download this and give it a run on some of my older hardware.

JohnDA · 04-03-2009, 08:54 PM

Thanks!

I just downloaded it and will try it out. I always have room for an additional distro, because I'm fixing up computers for a charity and keep looking for distros that are easy to understand yet have some punch.

linuxlover.chaitanya · 04-04-2009, 01:14 AM

Looks like a nice distribution. I am downloading it. Quite a small sized distro with almost all the daily needed packages. And its based on Slack. So its going to be tough.

JohnDA · 04-04-2009, 08:53 AM

I had a problem booting up to Astrumi. Running Nvidia 256 Meg card, got a crazy warning note and it hung up while booting up, had to shut down. When I started back up in Windows, my desktop picture was screwed up. That is a concern. I'll try with my laptop later and see how that does.

loneowais · 04-04-2009, 09:19 AM

I would suggest you to use Elive...

Elive is a really nice OS. It is very light and at the same time has some good eye candy. It doesn't look light but it is.

Try it.

JohnDA · 04-05-2009, 05:12 AM

Thanks,

While Elive looks very nice, my problem is that I am reconstructing computers that have been donated, then we give them to the poor. A free operating system is essential to that concept. Although we would encourage the users to support the creators of the operating system by donating something after they are operating it, a request for a donation prior to downloading, as the elive web site requests, places it in the payware area.

I'll have to pass on it for now.

Thanks again.

leehanken · 04-05-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basics

I have been running slackware 12+ on an older thinkpad for a few months now and I have been really happy with it. The install, even if you put everything in, will leave a decent amount of space still on your 20gb hdd. I think you could get away with the 128mb of ram as long as you use a lightweight wm (I have been using fluxbox, and with firefox and a few terminal windows open now I am using about that).

I do second the advice to add more ram. If you think you will be actually using it for more than just playing around in linux the investment is almost certianly worth it. If you dont want to go the ebay route, older memory is still really cheap (I got 2-gigs shipped for like $30 off newegg). Just check how much your system can hold and how many slots you have open.

I agree with this, I have been running Slackware 12.1 on an old Thinkpad 660E with 6 Gb hard disk for some time now. I upgraded the RAM to 192 Mb. I stuck with twm as the window manager as I am familiar with it, and did not need any more than the ability to launch a few light-weight programs + firefox.

A few months down the line, I decided to use this laptop as a mail server. Power consumption is about 12W when idle. The screen is closed and permanently off. It connects to my wireless router with a Belkin PCMCIA card. As the wireless connection can fail from time to time, I wrote a shell script to test every five minutes and restart the card if it is down. The domain is registered on 1and1 and DNS is handled by dydns. I back up the stored mail onto a Lacie drive by ftp.

I find this 'server' useful for all kinds of things I hadn't anticipated, such as testing php/mysql code, and bringing my old Atari back to life as a dumb terminal.

xaegis · 04-05-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinnie_vinodh

>>>>After googling for some time i found out vector linux lite 5.9(slack based ).It uses fluxbox as window manager and it needs only 64 Mb ram to run .That sound great to me and i gotta giv a try

..............

>>>>> I gotta run apps like cisco's "Packet Tracer 5" and wine if possible . I really dont know whether they gonna work

>>>>> Anyways Thanks

You do realize the latest packet tracer will run native in linux.
Check in the downloads section on the cisco site.

good luck.

linuxlover.chaitanya · 04-06-2009, 12:22 AM

Astrumi ran well on old desktop and not so old laptop. It ejects the cd once the os is in ram and that makes more sense that it can be used for other purposes.
I also tested DreamLinux 5 and it worked well as well. Only compiz was not enabled. But good thing was that it detected my intel pro wireless card and supported it out of the box that Ubuntu Ibex did not.

JohnDA · 04-06-2009, 04:04 AM

I'm hesitant about trying Astrumi again on my main computer because of that startup problem. I never had a live CD install foul up my graphics before. (But I'll probably take another shot at it with the laptop).

I'll take a gander at Dreamlinux 5, who knows, it might cure the wireless weakness with the laptop...I visited the Dreamlinux site. Is the iso for a live CD or are you required to install it to your hard drive? I would prefer trying it out as a live CD, but after reading through the info, I'm not sure I can use it as a live CD.

Thanks.

linus72 · 04-06-2009, 04:20 AM

Go get some of my multidistro stuff or roll your own with "multicd.sh"
You'll save on CD's.

( http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-works-714322/ )

( http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/ )

linuxlover.chaitanya · 04-06-2009, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnDA

I'll take a gander at Dreamlinux 5, who knows, it might cure the wireless weakness with the laptop...I visited the Dreamlinux site. Is the iso for a live CD or are you required to install it to your hard drive? I would prefer trying it out as a live CD, but after reading through the info, I'm not sure I can use it as a live CD.

Thanks.

You can use the DreamLinux 5 as a live cd and if you want you can then install it with Easy Install. It is more or less same as Ubuntu as it is based on Debian.