recomendation for HP OMINIBOOK 800 (1.4 GB with floppy only :-( NO CD)
 

Hi All, I am starting in the LINUX world. I have an old laptop (HP OMNIBOOK 800) and there is ONLY a floppy drive + LAN card. No CD driver at all. I had WIN NT and just formatted. Here are my questions (hope you experts can help):
1 - Can I install LINUX only (without DOS/WINDOWS)?
2 - What do you recommend me to install? (remember only floppy)
3 - Where can I find the files?
4 - Can I upgrade it to a better (via web with the card) after installing the simplest version?
:-)
That is all... And waiting for your comments.
Rgds, Henry

Henry,

Take a look at either some of the archived versions of current mainstream distributions (like Slackware circa 4 or 5) or at something along the lines of Damn Small Linux, Knoppix, and the like. A good reference for small linux distributions is here.

Yes, you can install just Linux. If you really want to ditch MS-DOS/Windows then more power to you, go for it and don't look back.

What you will need for an install is:

Floppy disks
A distribution of your choosing
Patience

Whichever distribution you choose will more than likely come with plenty of documentation (both packaged with the distro and online) to help guide you through the process.

Yes, you can update/improve your OS after you install your first one. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to with your setup :-P. Hopefully someone else will be able to answer that better for you.

Happy Hunting :-)

Debian GNU/Linux can set you up to start an installation from a floppy disk and download the necessary packages based on your selections from the net through the LAN.
And it handles older hardware well with a heavy desktop like KDE or Gnome.