I have an old Toshiba Libretto 110CT laptop with 233MHz Pentium & 64MB RAM (the max that it can have). I want to put Linux on it. I suspect I will have to use an older version of the Kernel.

What distro of Linux should I use?

Thanks!

I would try VectorLinux light edition.

http://vectorlinux.com/

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Recycle the Toshiba; it's just too old. Trust me.

If you are curious to learn about Linux, try it in a virtual machine on a more capable computer. Or buy something like a Raspberry Pi.

Thanks! I will take a look at it.

Thanks. I have a Raspberry Pi 3.0 & I'm building a quad core Q9650 CPU computer with 16GB RAM Linux box using Mint 18. My Librettos are for fun (I have four). I've upgraded it with a 128GB SSD & have Win98SE, DOS 7, and Win2K running on it (all on separate hard drives that I just swap in). Linux is next. I might even give OS/2 a go on it.

Out of the box?

http://www.slitaz.org/en/

Back when I ran it.
I had a lot of stuff open in that screen shot. Hence the higher ram usage.

https://linuxbbq.org/

https://linuxbbq.org/bbs/download/fi...2034&mode=view

I'd run Links2 browser or Dillo browser If I was you. Edit: I took creative license editing the above quote to keep it clean to post here.

Edit. If wanting to build from scratch. Slackware, Debian net, Slackware net, bones puppy, or others are out there < antix core iso > also. Even Ubuntu has a net install iso.

Honestly, unless you want to do text console programs it'll likely run with Windows 98 better than any sort of linux distribution running X (even an old outmoded one). I have an old Toshiba Libretto and even with maxed our RAM it just isn't good enough to do squat with X.

Now, if you like text console roguelike gaming, or you just want an mp3 player, then maybe.

But I'd probably look at the thing as a retro DOS/emulator gaming system (bearing in mind the limitations of the puny keyboard and the clumsy mouse pointer).

Seriously. Even back on Debian Sarge 3.1, which still supported the 80386 CPU, the extra layers of X rendering made it sluggish compared to Windows 98. And RAM was just too tight, and I did all sorts of things to minimize RAM usage (such as eliminating all but one console TTY, and using the most lightweight WM at the time - IceWM was lightest back then).

both processor speed and RAM are extreme bottlenecks... and probably hard drive also.
you could try kolibrios, but it's really more for fun than getting any real use out of it.

if you're willing to go text interface only, though, i think any linux distro will do... that is, if you can get it installed in the first place

Thanks all! Lots to digest here. I downloaded BBQ iso and it's on my list for a spin.

I can get 96MB of ram in the 110CT BUT it requires serious surgery to make it physically fit. Looks like I will need it though.

I'll report back once I've tried a few distros.

One thing I've always wanted to learn was how to compile my own Linux kernel. Maybe this would be a good learning project for the Libretto 110CT.

My other "big" Libretto is my Libretto U105 - 1GB RAM & 1.2GHZ Mobile Pentium, 60GB hard drive. Right now it's running WinXP SP3 and I used it for HAM radio & PP presentations. I might pick up another U100/U105 and use it just for Linux.

2.5" hard dives are always an issue in the Libretto. Not just for the spin rates but they get awful hot in the Libretto. That's why I swapped in a 128GB SSD drive. To get it to fit I had to remove it from it's 10mm case - 9.5mm is the max height drive the 110CT can take.

I spent some time tracking down Vector Linux versions. The 7.1 version has conflicting requirements.

Here they say it needs a PAE CPU & 256MB RAM

http://forum.vectorlinux.com/index.php?topic=18676.0


Here they say a Pentium 166 & 64MB RAM will work:

http://vectorlinux.com/products

That's a huge difference. I'll try 7.1 and see what happens.



As to older version I found these versions of Vector Linux:

Vector Linux Light 7.1 Pentium 166 64MB RAM
Vector Linux Light 7.0 Pentium 3 128MB RAM Nov 28 2011
Vector Linux Light 6.0 Pentium 200 64MB RAM Feb 22 2009
Vector Linux Light 5.9 Pentium 200 64mb RAM Dec 23 2007
Vector Linux Standard 5.8 Pentium 200 128MB RAM 2.6.18.5 kernel Dec 18 2006
Vector Linux Standard 5.1 Pentium 200 32MB RAM kernel 2.6.12 Jul 26 2005
Vector Linux Standard 4.3 Pentium 200 64mb RAM kernel 2.6.7 19 Sep 2004
Vector Linux Standard 4.0 Oct 7 2003
Vector Linux Standard 3.2 Feb 5 2003
Vector Linux Standard 3.0
Vector Linux Standard 2.5
Vector Linux Standard 2.0
Vector Linux Standard 1.8 2.2.17 kernel 7 Dec 2000

If 7.1 doesn't work I'll try 4.3 next.

hobby Let us know which distro's (version) 'stock' kernel (uname -r) boots ok!!!
Look for distro versions released a couple years after this popular computer.
You probably could make .config a custom (recent?) kernel fot it, given enuf time&effort.

LQsearch of like: old pentium 64mb, esp ShowResultsBy:Threads, finds like this mega

What did you want to do on it? Disk-storage ok, but latest bloated Web3.0 not feasible

p.s. Could you try this 7mb .iso (just busybox!!!) http://minimal.linux-bg.org/download...017_32-bit.iso (I'm curious IF its recent kernel+initrd will boot on the 110CT; actually someone who knows qemu could emulate the cpu &test it, I think)

Oh, half of LQ votes: Slackware I should have mentioned that first

i just stumbled upon this:
https://thishosting.rocks/best-light...linux-distros/
looks like a good article, mentions both ram & processor requirements.

Take a look at Tiny Core Linux - http://www.tinycorelinux.net/

Notice that there is a free book all about how to use it.

Thanks again. I've got my Mint 18.2 kernel 4.4 distro up and running and I like what I see. Install was not fun - the Mint install program could not handle a 1024x768 monitor - needs a much larger one.

I decided to build an intermediate Linux box. One that is the same vintage as the Libretto Pentium 233MHz but with lots more power. Digging through my 'surplus' parts bins I found an Asus P5-99VM mobo with an Super Socket 7 AMD K6-2 500 MHz CPU. My RAM box had 3 256MB SDRAM sticks so it now has 768MB RAM (max the mobo can take). Junk bins also had an IDE DVD drive, 300 watt PS, and a floppy drive for it. The BIOS (1.006 last one available) reports any drive over 128GB as 8GB. Can't use my 160GB spare drives so I ordered a 128GB IDE drive for it and a new Rosewill FBM-01 case for it. I'll use a 20GB drive for a boot drive.

The fastest CPU that the Asus P5-99VM takes is the AMD K6-III 450MHz. Not much difference between it and the K6-2 500MHz but I bought one anyway as they are so cheap

I'll use this box to make & test my distros before loading them on the Libretto. I think I have a 64MB RAM stick that I can use to drop the memory in the Asus P5-99VM to match the Libretto for testing.

EDIT:

I looked for a software option to reduce memory that the kernel uses. I found this:

"Use mem=size kernel parameter. This will force the kernel to use only that much memory. That is, if you want to test your system/software to run with less memory"


Does this mean that I have to compile the kernel with this option or is this a boot time option that I can switch in & out?