Installing on old Laptop

[bark_bark_bark]

Well what I've learned from my post about the HP Pavilion, I need to upgrade RAM. Now I just got my first laptop on Friday (a new-to-me laptop). It has 64MB RAM but it can go up to 256MB (and that is what I'll get). But the internel 4GB IDE HDD, just won't cut it (I am ordering soon a new HDD for it). So what version of puppy was it again I should use?

PS: Where can I find replacement battery packs for a 1997 laptop?

[sfeeley]

I think the top suggestions would be:

Wary
Classic Pup 2.14x
Akita
Lucid Retro

you can probably find the download files by typing "puppy linux" and the distribution name into a google search

[starhawk]

Get the battery on eBay. If they don't have it, it doesn't exist.

Oh, right. Remanufactured and "generic" batteries are A-OK, but don't expect them to last more than a year or so. There's a reason they're cheaper than the genuine article!

I'd put puplite5 or turbopup on that thing. You can find both of those (along with Akita and ClassicPup) on these forums. If you want to use Wary or Lucid Retro (I *think* Lucid Retro is an "official" version... if not, it's here with the others) then google "wary puppy linux" or "lucid retro puppy linux" etc.

[rokytnji]

I am expecting another IBM A22M laptop from a Ubuntu forum member who is shipping it to via UPS. He kindly offered it to me for price of shipping. I fix up old laptops and Desktops and give them to senior citizens here in my area. Last Desktop I gave away with monitor, keyboard, and mouse was a IBM M41 to a senior lady.

I don't know what size of ram yet or processor speed (they came in all different cpu speed and ram sizes). The screen cable probably needs re-seating (flickering screen I was told). When I test it out. I will probably use one of my Macpup or Diamond Linux pendrives in conjunction with a PLOP floppy I made to test it out. Then test it (the cd drive) out with a Puppy 2.14xxx found here on the forum ( I burned a cd).

I have a couple 256MB pc100 sdram sticks I think somewhere in a drawer if I need them (I think, unless I gave them away already).

Cheap new Batteries on ebay come all from China. At least that is where my 5400mah battery for my IBM T23 came from. It is good for 2 hours running AntiX 11. It has been good so far for 6 months with no drain.

[Dewbie]

starhawk wrote:

I'd put puplite5 or turbopup on that thing.

Will Lucid or Wary .pet packages work with them?

Lucid 525 Retro-2.6.30.5 forum thread is here.

[starhawk]

There are, to my knowledge, exactly TWO puplets which will not accept standard *.pet packages. They are Fatdog64 and Lighthouse64.

Any standard *.pet will work under any other Puplet, with one slight complication: if you use eg a wary pet under eg lucid (or vice versa) you will probably have to chase down some libraries (*.so files -- the ones with the number at the end are nearly always symlinks to a different *.so with no numbers). If you can handle chasing down libs, then you should be fine.

One other thing. Some *.pets are not quite backwards compatible. You will get an error if you try to install a 5** .pet in TurboPup, because TurboPup is really a modified Puppy4** (Puppy 420 to be precise). All you do then is convert to a *.tar.gz archive (in the right-click menu) and then unarchive it. There are folders inside which mimic the Puppy filesystem structure and thus tell you where to put stuff for a manual install. Drag'n'drop never was easier. Then run the app in terminal (rxvt) to make sure that you're not missing stuff. If it runs, it's good.

[rokytnji]

Well. Just got this laptop in

Code: Select all

# inxi -z -F
Resuming in non X mode: glxinfo not found. For package install advice run: inxi --recommends
System:    Host: puppypc Kernel: 2.6.30.5 i686 (32 bit) Desktop: JWM sn-457 Distro: Puppy Linux
Linux 2.6.30.5 [i686 arch]
Machine:   System: IBM (portable) product: 2628ESU
           Mobo: IBM model: 2628ESU Bios: IBM version: KXET36WW (1.09 ) date: 05/08/2003
CPU:       Single core (Pentium III (Coppermine),697.495,256 KB,fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pse36 mmx fxsr sse up,1394.99,intel) (-UP-) cache: unknown  flags: (-) clocked at  MHz 
Graphics:  Card: Failed to Detect Video Card! X.org: 1.3.0 driver: ati tty size: 80x24 Advanced Data: N/A for root 
Audio:     Card: Sound Fusion CS46xx driver: CS46xx Sound: ALSA ver: 1.0.20
Drives:    HDD Total Size: (20.0GB,-) () 1: id: /dev/sda model: IBM size: 20.0GB 
Partition: 
RAID:      No RAID devices detected - /proc/mdstat and md_mod kernel raid module present
Sensors:   None detected - is lm-sensors installed and configured?
Info:      Processes: 67 Uptime: 5 min Memory: 56.4/185.1MB Runlevel: 5 Client: Shell inxi: 1.8.5 

700 hz processor. 192MB of ram. So I slapped in a Netgear MA 521 wireless B pcmcia card I had and booted up Puppy 4.31 instead (easiest cd for me to find in my rack right now) because of low ram specs. Hardrive is blank right now so posting via live cd. Sound and Wireless work.

I'm not settling on 4.31. I have to go through some drawers and look for some ram sticks later on first. If I can't find any. Maybe Puppy Dingo 4 full install may be in this laptops future maybe. I might try AntiX 12 also on it later. Got a A/C compressor that takes priority over this laptop first. Not a bad buy though for just UPS shipping cost.

[bark_bark_bark]

Okay, I think I am going to use Lucid Retro. I am getting a new PCMCIA Ethernet Card for FREE.

[RetroTechGuy]

Well what I've learned from my post about the HP Pavilion, I need to upgrade RAM. Now I just got my first laptop on Friday (a new-to-me laptop). It has 64MB RAM but it can go up to 256MB (and that is what I'll get). But the internel 4GB IDE HDD, just won't cut it (I am ordering soon a new HDD for it). So what version of puppy was it again I should use?

What's wrong with the 4GB drive? For storage you could push files outside the system, only a USB drive (then your size is effectively unlimited). IIRC, my old 333MHz laptop has a 4GB drive (with both Puppy and Win98).

Get/find a cheap PCMCIA USB2 adapter to put in.

I bought a couple of these (one for my old laptop, one for my "new" machine...which also had USB1.1 in the back):

http://www.amazon.com/2-Port-PCMCIA-Car ... =ake+bc168