What Linux distro to use for old Intel machine, that fits on CDs?
in [Home Built PC]
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From: raylopez99 on 28 Jun 2008 04:24 I have not been able to get a straight answer to this, despite almost a year of trying. Maybe three's the charm? Here goes again... I have an old machine, not my main machine, nearly in mothballs that somebody uses on occasion to surf the net and print a letter on a recent model HP inkjet using OpenOffice as the word processor program. The machine is running on Windows 2000. The machine is an Intel Pentium II, about 200 MHz clock, with about 500 MB RAM (or maybe it's 225, I upgraded it but forgot what it was, but I'm pretty sure it's 512 MB). The C: hard drive is only 2 GB large--the only one for the OS. This was a popular configuration in the mid to late 90s so I'm sure a lot of these machines exist in the world, so somebody must have loaded Linux on one of them. The machine has no DVD, only a CD reader. It has a late 90s but popular video card, forget the brand. What Linux distro to use for this configuration? I can, using another PC, download a distro, but then I would have to burn it onto a CD or CDs, so I would rather not do that--that is, I would rather get or buy a Linux distro that is already burnt, in proper order, onto labeled CDs to make installation easier. In case you're wondering why I want to switch to Linux: though the NT system is functional, it's slow, and rumor has it that Linux is 'virus free' (or nearly so) and faster. Presumeably since Linux is virus- free I would not need antivirus (AV) software. Is this true? Eliminating AV software would free up RAM. Again, this system is not for a power user. I myself am a power user, would never think of switching to Linux. But for this lightweight user, perhaps Linux might work for them. Any ideas welcome. Be advised that I also needle the posters at comp.os.linux.advocacy, but this is not a flame. I really have not been able to get a straight answer on this issue. Some common mistakes made by respondants: they recommend their favorite distro without checking the min system requirements; they recommend something they've never tried (Puppy Linux, Ubuntu, and Damn Small Linux seem to be a favorites--but I need somebody who is very familiar with a distro before I install it and find out it won't work on this archaic system); and they assume that I have fast internet access on this machine. Also, some spiteful types from comp.os.linux.advocacy (avoid this group like the plague unless you simply enjoy flaming for its own sake) recommend distros that, when I research them, find they won't work on this machine specified above, so, please cite your choice with a link if possible. Thanks for your attention. RL
From: RonB on 28 Jun 2008 04:53 raylopez99 wrote: > I have an old machine, not my main machine, nearly in mothballs that > somebody uses on occasion to surf the net and print a letter on a > recent model HP inkjet using OpenOffice as the word processor > program. The machine is running on Windows 2000. The machine is an > Intel Pentium II, about 200 MHz clock, with about 500 MB RAM (or maybe > it's 225, I upgraded it but forgot what it was, but I'm pretty sure > it's 512 MB). The C: hard drive is only 2 GB large--the only one for > the OS. This was a popular configuration in the mid to late 90s so > I'm sure a lot of these machines exist in the world, so somebody must > have loaded Linux on one of them. > > The machine has no DVD, only a CD reader. It has a late 90s but > popular video card, forget the brand. > > What Linux distro to use for this configuration? I can, using another > PC, download a distro, but then I would have to burn it onto a CD or > CDs, so I would rather not do that--that is, I would rather get or buy > a Linux distro that is already burnt, in proper order, onto labeled > CDs to make installation easier. Last time this question was asked I pointed to Vector Linux. I have used Vector Linux -- not on a machine as old as yours, but one close to it. Vector Linux Standard defaults to the Xface desktop -- a nicely implemented version of it -- so it is not weighted down by KDE or Gnome. You can buy a CD if you want for $25-27. I don't use Anti-Virus or Anti-Malware software on my Linux computer. I originally installed AVG but, since it found nothing, I uninstalled it considering it a waste of time and space. Vector Linux's website below: http://www.vectorlinux.com/ The Standard 5.9 edition requires 128 Meg of RAM and... ah... 2.6 Gigs. So I guess you would have to go with the Light Edition, which requires 64 Meg of RAM and a 2 Gig hard drive. (Hell, send me an email and I'll dig up a "huge" 6 Gig hard drive and send it.) -- RonB "There's a story there...somewhere"
From: Andrew Halliwell on 28 Jun 2008 05:54 In comp.os.linux.misc raylopez99 <raylopez99(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > I have not been able to get a straight answer to this, despite almost > a year of trying. Here we go.... over a dozen posts all with valid straight answers... Warning to non-COLA members... Lopez is a waste of space. An utter waste of skin. He's always pulling this trick, asking for help on a simple install and then utterly ignoring anyone who offers advice and complaining that no-one helped or no-one would give him a straight answer. He does it every few months. -- | spike1(a)freenet.co.uk | | | Andrew Halliwell BSc | "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't | | in | suck is probably the day they start making | | Computer science | vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge |
From: Andrew Halliwell on 28 Jun 2008 05:57 In comp.os.linux.misc Benjamin Gawert <bgawert(a)gmx.de> wrote: > If you expect people to help you the least thing you can do is to > provide accurate details. Yeah, like THAT'LL ever happen... I think he makes the specs up as he goes along, sometimes. (to be fair to linux though, I doubt there's a video card THAT old that'll cause problems) -- | spike1(a)freenet.co,uk | "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" | | Andrew Halliwell BSc | | | in | "I think so brain, but this time, you control | | Computer Science | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." |
From: Mark Hobley on 28 Jun 2008 06:31
Benjamin Gawert <bgawert(a)gmx.de> wrote: > There is no PentiumII 200MHz, so either it is a Pentium 200 or a PentiumII > with > higher clock speed. It runs Microsoft Windows 2000, so it must be a Pentium II > If it's a Pentium then you won't have much fun > running Linux on it I use Pentium 120s here, and they work fine. It depends really on what you use them for, I suppose. > You also want to check the gfx card because it won't give > you much fun if it's not supported by Linux. Yeah, this is important. You will not be able to use "Windows Acceleration" without a supported card, and you will be limited to using 800x600 SVGA mode. However many popular cards are supported, but you could really do with finding out what type of card is installed. If it runs Microsoft Windows 2000, you may be able to look at the system properties to find this. I use Debian on my computers, but I have upgraded all of my hard drives to at least 20Gb in size. (Many modern IDE drives have a capacity limiter jumper, restricting their capacity to 32Gb, making them useable in older machines.) If you want to stick with a small 2Gb drive, I would suggest Puppy Linux. Regards, Mark. -- Mark Hobley, 393 Quinton Road West, Quinton, BIRMINGHAM. B32 1QE. |