This old Dell laptop has 2 gigs of RAM, 60 GB of room on the hard disk, running Windows XP, which I'll likely get rid of, and an Intel Pentium M 1.86 GHz processor.
I put Ubuntu on a desktop computer a few years ago, but I don't want to bog this down too much.
Recommendation needed for Dell Inspiron B120
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moriahnoelle
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed 14 Feb 2018, 01:11
There is no correct answer when using Puppy.
There are several versions and they are each slightly different.
With that hardware, you should be able to use the latest Puppy versions you can get from here:
http://puppylinux.com/
That processor is 32bit, so only try a 32bit Puppy.
If the name of the Puppy version does not have 64 in it. It is 32bit.
Suggest you try Tahrpup 6.0.5
maybe Xenialpup 7.5
Any of the lucid Puppies would probably be good.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=90461
Note:
I assume this computer can boot from a USB, but if not, you can burn an iso image, of a Puppy version, to a CD and boot from it.
Install to a USB flash drive and boot from it.
See how you like the Puppy version.
Try a few of them, to find the one you like best and seems to work OK with your hardware.
Download the Puppy version iso file and install to a USB flash drive, using a program you can run from Windows XP to do the install.
There are several.
https://rufus.akeo.ie/
https://unetbootin.github.io/
There are several versions and they are each slightly different.
With that hardware, you should be able to use the latest Puppy versions you can get from here:
http://puppylinux.com/
That processor is 32bit, so only try a 32bit Puppy.
If the name of the Puppy version does not have 64 in it. It is 32bit.
Suggest you try Tahrpup 6.0.5
maybe Xenialpup 7.5
Any of the lucid Puppies would probably be good.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=90461
Note:
I assume this computer can boot from a USB, but if not, you can burn an iso image, of a Puppy version, to a CD and boot from it.
Install to a USB flash drive and boot from it.
See how you like the Puppy version.
Try a few of them, to find the one you like best and seems to work OK with your hardware.
Download the Puppy version iso file and install to a USB flash drive, using a program you can run from Windows XP to do the install.
There are several.
https://rufus.akeo.ie/
https://unetbootin.github.io/
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected
YaPI(any iso installer)
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected
YaPI(any iso installer)
Don't 'wipe' your current OS from the computer until your satisfied with the alternative.
To boot tahrpup from a pentium-M, you may need to add "forcepae" to the boot's kernel arguments, e.g.
kernel /tahr/vmlinuz pmedia=ataflash psubdir=tahr forcepae pfix=fsck
or look for a "nopae" ISO.
When you boot into any Puppy, "First Run" starts. After you've made a couple choices Internet Connection Wizard will open. Tahrpup may not have the driver you need if you need wifi. If it doesn't, ask on the forum about such driver.
The 'rule of thumb' is newer puppies have drivers for newer hardware. That applies to peripherals such as printers and external burners as well.
If your equipment is too old for tahrpup, Lucid is a good choice. So is the 'solid work-horse" Slacko 5.7. For a modern browser, look for watchdog's build of palemoon.
Sorry, have to run so can't flesh the above out with links.
mikesLr
To boot tahrpup from a pentium-M, you may need to add "forcepae" to the boot's kernel arguments, e.g.
kernel /tahr/vmlinuz pmedia=ataflash psubdir=tahr forcepae pfix=fsck
or look for a "nopae" ISO.
When you boot into any Puppy, "First Run" starts. After you've made a couple choices Internet Connection Wizard will open. Tahrpup may not have the driver you need if you need wifi. If it doesn't, ask on the forum about such driver.
The 'rule of thumb' is newer puppies have drivers for newer hardware. That applies to peripherals such as printers and external burners as well.
If your equipment is too old for tahrpup, Lucid is a good choice. So is the 'solid work-horse" Slacko 5.7. For a modern browser, look for watchdog's build of palemoon.
Sorry, have to run so can't flesh the above out with links.
mikesLr
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Mike Walsh
- Posts: 6351
- Joined: Sat 28 Jun 2014, 12:42
- Location: King's Lynn, UK.
@moriahnoelle:-
I agree with Mike above. I'm running an older machine than yours, an elderly Dell lappie with less RAM and a P4. It's currently triple-booting with Slacko 570, Lucid 5.2.8.7 and Xenialpup 7.0.8.1 (a slightly earlier, 'beta' version of the current 7.5).
It's not lightning fast, more due to that P4's limitations than anything else.....but it's downright nimble, compared to the XP install that preceded them..!
Any of the above should work okay with that machine. As for the PAE/noPAE thing, well.....the Pentium-M came in two versions, y'see. These are the two 'culprits' in question;-
The 'Banias' was the no-PAE version, the 'Dothan' was the PAE one. Technically speaking, the Banias supported it, but didn't report the fact.....whereas the Dothan both supported it and reported it. And if you want to get really 'technical', the problem was limited to those Pentium M releases with the 400 MHz FSB (front side bus); those running at 533 MHz FSB didn't have this problem (*shrug*). Mind you, it's a moot point anyway, since the whole PAE thing (Physical Address Extensions) was all about whether you could access more than 4 GB of RAM. You have half that; I doubt you're going to have a problem with that anytime soon.....
Personally, I've always run PAE versions, regardless of whether I need to or not.....and with the speed Puppy runs at, you'll be hard-pressed to notice the difference in performance 'twixt them!
Mike.
I agree with Mike above. I'm running an older machine than yours, an elderly Dell lappie with less RAM and a P4. It's currently triple-booting with Slacko 570, Lucid 5.2.8.7 and Xenialpup 7.0.8.1 (a slightly earlier, 'beta' version of the current 7.5).
It's not lightning fast, more due to that P4's limitations than anything else.....but it's downright nimble, compared to the XP install that preceded them..!
Any of the above should work okay with that machine. As for the PAE/noPAE thing, well.....the Pentium-M came in two versions, y'see. These are the two 'culprits' in question;-
The 'Banias' was the no-PAE version, the 'Dothan' was the PAE one. Technically speaking, the Banias supported it, but didn't report the fact.....whereas the Dothan both supported it and reported it. And if you want to get really 'technical', the problem was limited to those Pentium M releases with the 400 MHz FSB (front side bus); those running at 533 MHz FSB didn't have this problem (*shrug*). Mind you, it's a moot point anyway, since the whole PAE thing (Physical Address Extensions) was all about whether you could access more than 4 GB of RAM. You have half that; I doubt you're going to have a problem with that anytime soon.....
Personally, I've always run PAE versions, regardless of whether I need to or not.....and with the speed Puppy runs at, you'll be hard-pressed to notice the difference in performance 'twixt them!
Mike.
Where to find ISO and Palemoon
Post Script to prior post :
Tahrpup nopae by roadkill, http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 224#973224
Rerwin's Lucid Revitalized http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 518#739518
01micko's Slacko 5.7 http://slacko.01micko.com/download.html
Watchdog's palemoon with current glibc: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 676#973676
Regarding "nopae" and the pentium-M, Mike Walsh has posted the details which, by tomorrow, I'll have forgotten again. The practicalities about it (and drivers) were fresh in my mind as I confronted them yesterday: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 963#982963. Before I added the nopae argument the operating system did not reach desktop. It stopped with instructions appearing on the terminal screen telling me that it could not use this operating system.
That I only had 2 Gbs of RAM and wasn't trying to access more than 4 Gbs or RAM wasn't important.
What I take away from this is that computer's are both incredibly fast and incredibly stupid. Some pentium-M computers can't boot operating systems which have kernels that have been configured to access more than 4 Gbs of RAM. But some can but won't because it's manufacturer has provided instructions that it can't. The forcepae argument over-rides that instruction telling it "yes, you can". Obviously, telling it "yes, you can" has no effect if, in fact, it can't. But it's easier for me to remember to try the forcepae argument than remember all the models which can and all the models which can't.
mikesLr
Tahrpup nopae by roadkill, http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 224#973224
Rerwin's Lucid Revitalized http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 518#739518
01micko's Slacko 5.7 http://slacko.01micko.com/download.html
Watchdog's palemoon with current glibc: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 676#973676
Regarding "nopae" and the pentium-M, Mike Walsh has posted the details which, by tomorrow, I'll have forgotten again. The practicalities about it (and drivers) were fresh in my mind as I confronted them yesterday: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 963#982963. Before I added the nopae argument the operating system did not reach desktop. It stopped with instructions appearing on the terminal screen telling me that it could not use this operating system.
That I only had 2 Gbs of RAM and wasn't trying to access more than 4 Gbs or RAM wasn't important.
What I take away from this is that computer's are both incredibly fast and incredibly stupid. Some pentium-M computers can't boot operating systems which have kernels that have been configured to access more than 4 Gbs of RAM. But some can but won't because it's manufacturer has provided instructions that it can't. The forcepae argument over-rides that instruction telling it "yes, you can". Obviously, telling it "yes, you can" has no effect if, in fact, it can't. But it's easier for me to remember to try the forcepae argument than remember all the models which can and all the models which can't.
mikesLr
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bobnutfield
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Wed 23 Jan 2008, 15:59
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moriahnoelle
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed 14 Feb 2018, 01:11
