I have installed Ubuntu and I have several questions.
 

I have installed Ubuntu and I have several questions.

I have an old Sony Vaio Desktop from 2001.

The computer has 124 megs of memory and has one hard drive of about 100 gigs. Is Ubuntu the best choice for a Linux distribution? It seems to run a little slowly.

How do I set up internet connection? I launched FireFox and I tried a few web sites. I have not tested the new connection to my router. I would like to try to see if the software is set up before I test my cable connection on my other computer. How do I do this?

I have an old Lexmark all-in-one printer that had worked with the old Windows XP OS. How do I get a printer driver for Ubuntu?

Hi complete,

I'll answer the first question:
No, as it is true that ubuntu is quite heavy. For this type of configuration I would recommand xubuntu or crunch bang linux, both are ubuntu based but with a lighter graphical environment.

Angel.

Hello,

Have a look at the following:
http://www.tuxradar.com/content/how-...t-linux-distro

https://help.ubuntu.com/9.04/install...are-reqts.html

http://distrowatch.com/

I'd say Crunchbang and Xubuntu would still be too heavy for that amount of RAM. Look into Puppy Linux probably.

Have a look at the following too:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/
and
http://polishlinux.org/choose/quiz/
and
http://www.linux.com/news/hardware/d...older-hardware

You need more RAM. Here are the recommended system requirements for Ubuntu:

124mb of RAM is really not enough for any modern Linux distribution to run well in my experience, sorry. :(

Linux Puppy must also be Lucid Puppy.

I managed to get Lucid Puppy up and running. It is a nice little OS. I like it.

I removed the CD and rebooted and Ubuntu came to the screen.

I guess I was just running off of an OS completely loaded into memory?!

How do I "INSTALL" Lucid Puppy? By this I mean, how do I "INSTALL" Lucid Puppy so it will run off the hard drive?

I would assume your wireless LAN isn't showing up. I had this problem too and it's because Ubuntu sometimes doesn't have the drivers for wireless connections installed at start-up. You have to do this manually through the command-line. Here's a link that should solve that problem. Don't mind the foreign language, all you need is what's in bold:

http://kikipblog.blogspot.com/2010/0...s69803-en.html

As for your second issue, you should be able to find a driver here:

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/colla...s/openprinting

I haven't installed Lucid Puppy but if it's the same as earlier versions, go to the Puppy Menu icon at lower left of Desktop, mouse up to Setup and mouse over to Puppy Universal Installer, click on it and follow the prompts. If this is your first time, read everything at each step before proceeding. It's pretty simple.

This link gives a little info on it although it is specific to installing to USB stick so you will need to change some options:


http://aronzak.wordpress.com/2008/10...sal-installer/

Much Thanks. It is running now and it looks like it is working.

I noticed there are other wizards in the setup menu. I assume these will help out with the internet connection.

What about a printer driver? I guess having an internet connection will help out with that.

I don't have access to a machine with Puppy right now but am sure there is some kind of network wizard, maybe even a link on the Desktop which I believe goes to the same program. I'd check the Desktop for icons on printers or the Puppy Menu under setup or system.

Well, I think I should not have installed GRUB. I ran the Puppy Universal Installer and at the end it gave me this window:

GRUB INSTALL SUCCESS
==================
GRUB was successfully installed on the MBR of
/dev/sda. You should check and edit the
'/boot/grub/menu.lst' file on 'dev/sda1', if
needed. You may want to change the
location 'boot/umlinuz', and/or options
passed to any Linux kernal listed there.

And when I reboot the computer it seems to want me to edit some file. This is a bit out of my experience since I have almost no experience with Linux.

Linux (on /dev/sda1)
Install GRUB to floppy disk (on /dev/fd0)
Install GRUB to Linux partition (on /dev/sda1)
- For help press 'c', then type: 'help'
- For usage examples, type: 'cat /boot/grub/usage.txt

At the bottm of the screen there are suggestions how to edit files. Unix and Linux is new to me. I hope I can get some direction here with better experienced people.

Here is what I think I should do. I should start with a new install session from the CD. And when I get to the point in the Puppy Universal Installer where the it is insatlling GRUB, I cancel it and everything will work. is that right?

In your original post, you make reference to Ubuntu. Do you have Ubuntu still installed as well as Puppy? My experience with Puppy installs is that it will ask if you want to install Grub to the mbr or a parition. It usually gives you an entry to put in a menu.lst file also. So, if you still have Ubuntu, this will change things from just having Puppy. If you have a newer version (Ubuntu 9.10 or later) it uses Grub2 and I believe Puppy still uses Grub Legacy. The two Grubs have different configuration files.

If you can boot Puppy log in to a terminal as root (su -) and enter the command fdisk -l (lower case letter L) so we can see your partition information (post it here). Also, what Ubuntu do you have?

When one goes through the process of installing Puppy, there is an option to hit the F2 key and you are given the option to conduct one of many specific installations from one of several command line commands. One of those commands, as I recall, wipes the hard drive. In one of my many insttallations of Puppy I have done that. So, no, I do not think Ubuntu is still there.

There is an option when I start the Puppy OS that is described as "commandline only". If I choose this option, how do I get to the root directory? Is it done by typing "su -"? Sorry, I am not savvy about linux.

Now, when I start my computer I am given this menu:

Linux (on /dev/sda1)
Install GRUB to floppy disk (on /dev/fd0)
Install GRUB to Linux partition (on /dev/sda1)
- For help press 'c', then type: 'help'
- For usage examples, type: 'cat /boot/grub/usage.txt

But, when I select the "Linux" option, the screen goes blank and, after waiting an hour or so, I am convinced that my installation is broken.

So, formating my hard drive I think is a good next step and then reinstalling.

By the way, I have noticed that when I do manage to get the graphic user interface of the OS going again by doing a fresh installation, I an not able to run the Puppy Universal Installer anymore. So I think I need to go to the command line and wipe the hard drive clean.