Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

Hello All -

Long time no howling at the moon with you all - Hope you're all well, cheerful as ever and busy!

Newest Puppy-fication project: From FREESHARE I picked up a:

Sony Vaio PCG-972M AMD Duron Processor 126 MB Memory

IDE Hitachi_DK23CA-15 Hard Drive (14 Gigs)

There was no keyboard but I managed to find one on ebay for 99p + p&p and I managed to fit it no problem - I'm currently running Retro Pup 4.31 off a CD with the Linux Kernel

K2.6.21.7

I think I'd be best to get more memory (this is RAM, yes? I'm the oldest Newbie in the far-off corner of the kennel... Neutral

) and I've found a place to get that here:

http://memoryx.com/sony-vaio-pcg-972m-fx401-ram-memory-upgrade.php

But I'd be grateful for your experienced recommendations for the best Puppy Retro - I've been reading about LuPu 5.25 Retro http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=521627#521627, with the kernel 2.6.30.5 -

I think this laptop might be a little too early - driver-wise - for the LuPu Retro version, but I'm not sure...

I don't know the date of manufacture of the Sony Vaio PCG-972M but it has XP installed on it, and was working as a printer server (with a USB keyboard plugged into it) of late...

Any recommendations will be gratefully received and acknowledged - Thanks!

- Babaguy

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

I've been following threads and am now downloading "Puppy 2.02 Opera" -

http://www.my-plan.org/storage/puppyLinux/

I'll burn one up and detail the results - But if anyone has a better idea, please let me know, all right?

Thanks!

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

So Far so good - It's now just past 3:00 a.m. and - um - I think I oughta get some shuteye...

But Mean Pup booted up fine - having trouble getting on the web, but I think this is due to a dodgy USB interface in my ADSL router...

Onward!

( - and again, any & all recommendations of Retro Pups for this machine will be gratefully received - Thanks! )

- Babaguy

starhawk · Posted: Thu 12 Apr 2012, 22:07 Post subject:

Never ever buy from those RAM/memory (same stuff) upgrade places. They charge you far too much for what is almost always a universal-fit product.

Get this, it will work just as well --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-INSPIRON-8000-512MB-KIT-PC100-LAPTOP-MEMORY-RAM-/110668960930 I hope you're in the states somewhere... international stuff on eBay is not always advisable.

RAM is RAM is RAM... that *will* work for you. As for choice of Puppies, I'd go for ClassicPup -- find it on this forum (as I recall, it's in Puppy Projects).

Also... make sure the hard drive isn't making a clicking sound. Hint: if you hear a click-click noise when the little "can" light is on, that's a very big problem -- it means pending mechanical failure of the drive. You'll want an IDE model (not the newer SATA models) which you should also get from eBay... used drives are just fine as long as the words "tested works" are used in the description. 40 gigabytes (=40gb) is enough, should cost around $30.

sfeeley · Joined: 14 Feb 2010 Posts: 807

I'd start with
2.14x classic pup
wary
akita
browser pup

how do you like 4.31 retro? (I've not used the retro, but 4.31 is pretty solid, even if its a bit dated)

Dewbie · Joined: 15 Apr 2010 Posts: 1412

babaguy wrote:

starhawk · Posted: Fri 13 Apr 2012, 00:41 Post subject:

I trust hardware on Craigslist about as far as I can throw the Brooklyn Bridge Wink

eBay... I've done that, and it's OK as long as you're careful. Most eBayers know how to format a hard drive...

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

WOW, you guys - ! ! ! ! !

THANKS - as *ever* - The Puppy Murga Forum (and the newer Pretender .info one ! ) are still the kindest and the most helpful places on the Web...

First to Starhawk: Thanks for the heads-up - I'm actually in the Not-So-UK, and the American RAM (it up your...!) place I linked to was more of an example, but I won't use them, thanks to your advice. http://www.ebay.co.uk is a stand-up place and sellers here are helpful and responsible, I've found.

I think the hard drive *is* click-click-clicking a bit - not too much, but noticeably - probably why the fellow who FreeShare'd it let it go...

My firstPuppy-fication was an HP Omnibook XE2 / PIII - I got a new old hard drive from a local computer repair shop, going from the (wrecked) 3.3 Gig original to an 18Gig drive (I'm sure it must be an IDE drive), and I managed to find a new battery very reasonably priced online from Hong Kong...I don't use the machine much, but it worked fine the last time I did - full install of another Puppy Retro version -

(I'll need to trawl through my old posts to find out WHICH actual version...! - Okay, I'm a presumptuous ninny for posting this question here...! But the world of Puppy - like a genuine puppy! - never sits still for a moment, hence my current Retro Help thread...)

I live in a reasonably-sized burg, and there are plenty of computer parts places and FreeCyclers - and geeks - so locating some RAM ought not to be a problem...

To sfeeley: Yes, I thought I ought to try 2.14 - and I saw a thread the other day where one intrepid Puppy-er (it might have been RetroTechGuy) had made new .sfs versions of a lot of newer programs - web browsers, Libre Office (i think!) etc. - to run on the tried, tested & true 2.14 with the old kernel...

(If it was someone else who undertook this wonderful task, I hope you'll forgive this lapse of human memory- as you've all forgiven (m)any before now...!)

Do any of you have a link to the latest 2.14 Retro? And if the Wary, Akita & Browser Pup mentioned in your reply are separate Pups in their own right(s), do you have links to them also...Thanks en avant!

As far as 4.31 Retro, it's all right, in my experience - I haven't really done anything exciting with it except for web smurfing and word processing...I prefer the feel of the newer LuPu's and also the older versions, to be honest...

One thing about the updated 2.14 Retro - I'm hoping the link (if any is forthcoming) will have the updated Repositories - I found the repo's in 4.31 Retro a trifle out of date, and I haven't spent time (yet!) searching for newer repo's for older Puppy's... : - >

To Dewbie: Thanks - and yes, I'll set up my swap partition etc. if/when I do a full or frugal install on this Sony Vaio PCG-972M - I did this before when I revived the HP Omnibook XE2, and it was simple and effective.

On this Sony Vaio PCG-972M it looks like 512 Mb is the most RAM it can handle, so that is what I'll be seeking...

QUESTION: Does anyone know during what time frame the AMD Duron processor was having its heyday? Is it comparable to the PIII for example...?

I'm not sure when this machine was built, but as I've said, apparently it *does* have XP on it and has been running that all right up 'til now.

OKAY - Thank you all again for your prompt and helpful replies...! If this thread goes quiet, it's because I'm very busy over the next two weeks - but I'll check in as often as I can and share the results I encounter.

¡ Muchissimas Gracissimas !

- babaguy

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

Wow!

I see by the date of my joining that I'm TWO years old today ! ! ! ! !

Thanks again to you all for a very happy and helpful - not to mention stimulating! - two years... : - )

- babaguy

sfeeley · Joined: 14 Feb 2010 Posts: 807

akita
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=67811

classic pup 2.14x (by ttuuxxx)
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=42553

browser linux
http://www.browserlinux.com/

wary
http://puppylinux.org/main/Long-Term-Supported%20WaryPuppy.htm

maybe lucid retro?
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=67724

Dewbie · Joined: 15 Apr 2010 Posts: 1412

starhawk wrote:

Dewbie · Joined: 15 Apr 2010 Posts: 1412

babaguy wrote:

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

Thanks again, fellows!

Yes, a simple STARTPAGE search for "AMD Duron" by yours truly (brain-fugged) this afternoon brought me the timeline duration of the Duron processor...

Went to a computer-ish store today and looked at some RAM - I can get 512 Mb for about £10, seems like...

Downloaded ttuuxxx's Top 10.0 iso of Puppy 2.14 - the burn did not fully verify so there may be a glitch or two in it - Will get some more CDs tomorrow - and get to Akita and re-burn 2.14 : - )

Q: Is it normal in 2.14 that one cannot R-click on the desktop and bring up the start menu (or is this just a feature of the XFCE desktop? Or maybe it's a glitch in my iso/CD...? )

I don't (yet) use Craig's List so I don't fret about unscrupulous posters - We have FreeShare & FreeCycle here, and another, newer one has started too - and we have "Gumtree" which has always been reliable in my experience...

Nevertheless I *am* building my biceps so as to better grapple with the Brooklyn Bridge, should the need arise....

Once I've tried these different Puppys, and gotten this Sony Vaio in tip top (or tipper topper) shape, I'll report back on which ones work best with this machine...and any anomalies I can - um - "Spot"...!

(Murga's Mean Pup 2.02 Opera wouldn't stop barking until I closed the Welcome Message window!)

"Onward!" as Lindsay Anderson used to sign off...

- babaguy

babaguy · Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Posts: 111

Hello Again!

I pulled out the old HP Omnibook XE2, and the Retro Pup that I was using a couple of years ago was Puppy 4.20 with the Kernel 2.6.21.7 ( same kernel as Puppy 4.1.2)...

I must admit I'd forgotten how sleek, slick and downright lovely to look at is Puppy 4.20 - and the menus all just make sense to me - persistent Noob that I am...

I realize as well that I'd had problems with the machine hanging at boot (I had done a full install but something untoward happened afterwards...!) but 4.20 runs fine in RAM - and what a solid machine is the Omnibook XE2 - Same time frame as the Sony Vaio PCG-972M...

I'll try the 4.20 on the Sony Vaio tomorrow.....

- babaguy

Dewbie · Joined: 15 Apr 2010 Posts: 1412

babaguy wrote: