Another option is the emerging mini laptops - here is a roundup
http://www.liliputing.com/2008/04/over- ... ex_24.html
and here are some frugal PC builder resources . . .
http://tinyurl.com/66d5c6
Cheap machines ideal for Puppy
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prehistoric
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue 23 Oct 2007, 17:34
Re: Compaq IPAQ 500 Celeron $25 USD shipped...
Well, I couldn't resist another chance to play with a cheap computer I don't really need. So, I ordered one, got it on schedule, and it seems to be DOA. The case fits loosely, so I believe someone opened it up to reset the BIOS password.
@mechmike,
I don't see a keylock. Did you find any evidence of case or security interlocks which would prevent the power supply from even running its fan?
@Lobster,
Second the motion on that link. Great!
Hi Chris667
What an amazingly uninformative website Viglen have!!
I've tried everywhere, but could not find any specs for this little £99++ box!
What processor/speed?
Does it run on an internal laptop psu, or external 12v transformer unit?
What memory is installed/upgradeable to?
Even the downloadable pdf didn't tell me anything
Shame
Aitch
Edit
Please post how you get on with installing Puppy onto it
And especially whether the bios has a bootable usb/Ext CD setting
What an amazingly uninformative website Viglen have!!
I've tried everywhere, but could not find any specs for this little £99++ box!
What processor/speed?
Does it run on an internal laptop psu, or external 12v transformer unit?
What memory is installed/upgradeable to?
Even the downloadable pdf didn't tell me anything
Shame
Aitch
Edit
Please post how you get on with installing Puppy onto it
And especially whether the bios has a bootable usb/Ext CD setting
It's terrible isn't it? I haven't looked at it tonight, the weather was nice. I've just installed puppy onto a USB flash drive, which I will use to install to the Viglen. The BIOS setup allows you to choose it as a boot option, and recognises a USB keyboard (have you ever tried to get into the bios setup of a new dell? 
)
I only had a brief look at the machine, after a short, brief struggle with Xubuntu I had to switch the machine off and make myself a cup of tea. It has a 40GB hard disk.
Will look at it properly with puppy tomorrow though, watch this space.
)I only had a brief look at the machine, after a short, brief struggle with Xubuntu I had to switch the machine off and make myself a cup of tea. It has a 40GB hard disk.
Will look at it properly with puppy tomorrow though, watch this space.
Viglen has had a chequered history. Some of the early machines were good but a little overpriced. They went into a spin when everyone else was crashing into bankruptcy. It passed into Mr Sugar's hands and made good custom machines at good prices for a while, but the badge was again passed on. Not sure who owns the label now. Proprietary HW is usually a bad choice. This technology is so new and advancing so rapidly that it needs fullest user access to keep it tweaked, despite the fact that neophytes can break it! One learns rather quickly when one's own £/€/$ are at risk.
Xbuntu is tripe - they should line the developers up against the wall. It isn't proper Xfce, but a Gnomish version. It is broken. I hate Gnome; it is, like KDE overbloated, but without the intuitive UI. Can't see any reason to settle for anything except a properly developed Xfce distro these days, except, of course, for super-compact offerings.
Xbuntu is tripe - they should line the developers up against the wall. It isn't proper Xfce, but a Gnomish version. It is broken. I hate Gnome; it is, like KDE overbloated, but without the intuitive UI. Can't see any reason to settle for anything except a properly developed Xfce distro these days, except, of course, for super-compact offerings.
I'm currently viewing this website on it, using Puppy 3.00 and Seamonkey as a live-cd. It's all sort of working now.
Here's a more thorough spec:
Processor: AMD Geode 399Mhz
Memory: 256MB
Hard drive: 40GB.
It has 4 x USB 2.0 Ports and 2 x USB 1.0. It can only boot from a device connected via USB 1.0, though, so slow.
We couldn't get it to work at first, but it's booted up puppy after a fashion.
Still, I'd rather have a limping, out of date Puppy than the default Xubuntu anyday.
I think I might put this machine away until I receive the Puppy unleashed CD I ordered yesterday.
Here's a more thorough spec:
Processor: AMD Geode 399Mhz
Memory: 256MB
Hard drive: 40GB.
It has 4 x USB 2.0 Ports and 2 x USB 1.0. It can only boot from a device connected via USB 1.0, though, so slow.
We couldn't get it to work at first, but it's booted up puppy after a fashion.
Still, I'd rather have a limping, out of date Puppy than the default Xubuntu anyday.
I think I might put this machine away until I receive the Puppy unleashed CD I ordered yesterday.
Hi there,
compliments to all for your efforts to Puppy-ize all kinds of computers around, it's a sport I also like in the non-commercial version, i. e. garbage-recycling -- so much PC hardware gets thrown away, and often quite good stuff! Lots to learn for free.
Last one in my list of roadside PCs is a Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic 400 (Pentium III/500) whose PSU went KO: replaced it and works fine. Puppy is quite at ease there, runs without a glitch and does everything (sound, net etc) -- just like on 4 previous slower machines, only faster.
@Sage: thanks for the Kolibri hint! Didn't know this one, immediately downloaded it.
compliments to all for your efforts to Puppy-ize all kinds of computers around, it's a sport I also like in the non-commercial version, i. e. garbage-recycling -- so much PC hardware gets thrown away, and often quite good stuff! Lots to learn for free.
Last one in my list of roadside PCs is a Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic 400 (Pentium III/500) whose PSU went KO: replaced it and works fine. Puppy is quite at ease there, runs without a glitch and does everything (sound, net etc) -- just like on 4 previous slower machines, only faster.
@Sage: thanks for the Kolibri hint! Didn't know this one, immediately downloaded it.
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prehistoric
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue 23 Oct 2007, 17:34
iPaQ 500 MHz
@mechmike,
I found the problem with that $25 Compaq iPaq desktop. This is one of those that fall in the "can't happen" category. There was nothing wrong with the entire machine in the case: processor, memory, disk, I/O, ethernet port, etc.
It was shipped with a new-looking power cord with a broken conductor.
I found the problem with that $25 Compaq iPaq desktop. This is one of those that fall in the "can't happen" category. There was nothing wrong with the entire machine in the case: processor, memory, disk, I/O, ethernet port, etc.
It was shipped with a new-looking power cord with a broken conductor.
Re: iPaQ 500 MHz
Sorry - wireless hiccup = double-post...
Last edited by mechmike on Wed 30 Apr 2008, 11:24, edited 1 time in total.
Re: iPaQ 500 MHz
Heh - Been there, done that with both a power cord and an IDE cable over the years. Glad you got it straight!prehistoric wrote:It was shipped with a new-looking power cord with a broken conductor.
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prehistoric
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue 23 Oct 2007, 17:34
Compaq iPaq 500 MHz desktop
Hi Yogi,
First a clarification: this is an iPaq desktop, not the iPaq handheld. The weight is significant and you may not want to cart it around. If I was going to be carting this around, I'd probably replace the HD with CF in an IDE adapter. This would improve speed and reduce the chance of losing everything in a head crash.
Here's where I'm reporting on problems found in testing 3.02 , Chihuahua, on it. http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 1&start=30
Aside from the power cord problem, I've had to download the manual to find out how to reset the BIOS password. Installing Puppy to the HD on another machine, and moving the drive, took care of my installation problems. I partitioned the 8.4 GB drive with a 500 MB swap partition and two ext2 partitions. I've used a manual frugal install from USB drive, or copying across a network for everything after that first installation.
I got 3.01 working pretty much as advertised, (just had to adjust the monitor instead of using xvidtune). At the moment, I'm testing 3.02 and Muppy-Mini-008.3 as frugal installs and preparing to do a full install on a different partition. I still have the 128 MB RAM it was shipped with installed, for software testing with little memory. If I was going to use this heavily, I'd probably replace one or both DIMMs with 256 MB PC100 SDRAM. Even adding 64 MB by replacing one 64 MB DIMM with 128 MB would make a significant improvement.
Does this help?
prehistoric
First a clarification: this is an iPaq desktop, not the iPaq handheld. The weight is significant and you may not want to cart it around. If I was going to be carting this around, I'd probably replace the HD with CF in an IDE adapter. This would improve speed and reduce the chance of losing everything in a head crash.
Here's where I'm reporting on problems found in testing 3.02 , Chihuahua, on it. http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 1&start=30
Aside from the power cord problem, I've had to download the manual to find out how to reset the BIOS password. Installing Puppy to the HD on another machine, and moving the drive, took care of my installation problems. I partitioned the 8.4 GB drive with a 500 MB swap partition and two ext2 partitions. I've used a manual frugal install from USB drive, or copying across a network for everything after that first installation.
I got 3.01 working pretty much as advertised, (just had to adjust the monitor instead of using xvidtune). At the moment, I'm testing 3.02 and Muppy-Mini-008.3 as frugal installs and preparing to do a full install on a different partition. I still have the 128 MB RAM it was shipped with installed, for software testing with little memory. If I was going to use this heavily, I'd probably replace one or both DIMMs with 256 MB PC100 SDRAM. Even adding 64 MB by replacing one 64 MB DIMM with 128 MB would make a significant improvement.
Does this help?
prehistoric
Hello prehistoric,
Yeah, I bought the iPaq 500mhz Celeron w/128mb ram and 4gb hd from the same place you did. $25 w/free shipping. Just waiting for it to arrive. I just need it primarily for internet. Who knows, I might be surprised what this thing can do. I think I've got some old
sdram in the closet. 128mb should be enough for Mean Puppy but the more the better, right? What I'm really hoping is this little pc is quiet. Do you know does it use a cpu fan?
Also, how's the performance so far?
Yeah, I bought the iPaq 500mhz Celeron w/128mb ram and 4gb hd from the same place you did. $25 w/free shipping. Just waiting for it to arrive. I just need it primarily for internet. Who knows, I might be surprised what this thing can do. I think I've got some old
sdram in the closet. 128mb should be enough for Mean Puppy but the more the better, right? What I'm really hoping is this little pc is quiet. Do you know does it use a cpu fan?
Also, how's the performance so far?
I was considering getting one of those iPaq's for use as a file server and torrent download box. For either of those purposes I would need to swap in a larger HD, so I was hoping someone who bought one could tell me what size/type of HD it is? I've got plenty of larger 3.5" IDE drives, but if it is either a 2.5" drive or a SATA I'll have to keep looking for a machine.
Be brave that God may help thee, speak the truth even if it leads to death, and safeguard the helpless. - A knight's oath
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prehistoric
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue 23 Oct 2007, 17:34
iPaq desktop hard drive
@SirDuncan,
Remember, we are talking about iPaq desktops, as always Compaq has used the name for a number of different, incompatible machines. The 500 MHz Celeron w/ 128 MB RAM and no floppy or CD says it has a 4+GB HD. Mine came with a 3.5" 8.4 GB Seagate drive. Comments about 2.5" drives on this model can confuse the issue. Because it has a slimline drive bay, compatible with Armada laptops of the same vintage, it can take a CD/DVD or a 2.5" "multibay" hard disk drive, (if you can find one). The fixed internal drive is completely standard, just remember that Compaq uses cable select and custom cables.
My only caution at this point is that I have not tested a drive larger than 8.4 GB. If you have been around for a while, you may recall this was one of the boundaries where BIOS problems showed up. I expect it to take drives up to 30 GB w/o problems, perhaps larger. If this is important I'll run a test for you. Getting details on the differences between models out of Compaq documentation is difficult. If it works on this machine it is likely to work on all faster models.
@Yogi,
This machine is quiet. The only fan I hear is on the power supply, which sits at the bottom of the case. If you replace the hard drive with flash, the disk will be silent. Performance is adequate to run Muppy-Mini-008.3, if not impressive. Watching videos is possible, but may be a little bit frustrating. Muppy uses Flash player 7 which runs better than 9 on this machine. (I am testing Chihuahua alpha 6 on this as well, and so far we haven't decided about Flash player.) Perhaps changing out the SDRAM will make a big difference. This is a test I plan later.
Everyone interested in these machines should realize they are not guaranteed to accept a ps2 mouse or keyboard. (Those having a "legacy module" would.) If you don't have a USB keyboard, this may be an unexpected expense.
Remember, we are talking about iPaq desktops, as always Compaq has used the name for a number of different, incompatible machines. The 500 MHz Celeron w/ 128 MB RAM and no floppy or CD says it has a 4+GB HD. Mine came with a 3.5" 8.4 GB Seagate drive. Comments about 2.5" drives on this model can confuse the issue. Because it has a slimline drive bay, compatible with Armada laptops of the same vintage, it can take a CD/DVD or a 2.5" "multibay" hard disk drive, (if you can find one). The fixed internal drive is completely standard, just remember that Compaq uses cable select and custom cables.
My only caution at this point is that I have not tested a drive larger than 8.4 GB. If you have been around for a while, you may recall this was one of the boundaries where BIOS problems showed up. I expect it to take drives up to 30 GB w/o problems, perhaps larger. If this is important I'll run a test for you. Getting details on the differences between models out of Compaq documentation is difficult. If it works on this machine it is likely to work on all faster models.
@Yogi,
This machine is quiet. The only fan I hear is on the power supply, which sits at the bottom of the case. If you replace the hard drive with flash, the disk will be silent. Performance is adequate to run Muppy-Mini-008.3, if not impressive. Watching videos is possible, but may be a little bit frustrating. Muppy uses Flash player 7 which runs better than 9 on this machine. (I am testing Chihuahua alpha 6 on this as well, and so far we haven't decided about Flash player.) Perhaps changing out the SDRAM will make a big difference. This is a test I plan later.
Everyone interested in these machines should realize they are not guaranteed to accept a ps2 mouse or keyboard. (Those having a "legacy module" would.) If you don't have a USB keyboard, this may be an unexpected expense.
Last edited by prehistoric on Fri 02 May 2008, 20:45, edited 1 time in total.
SirDuncan,
Just got my iPaq pc today. Came with a Seagate 8.4gb HD.
I haven't been able to boot it yet because I don't have a usb keyboard. My fault for not reading the ad carefully. Anyhow, I tried booting off my usb Puppy but no go as well. I know Compaq used to be kind of proprietary when it came to hardware and BIOS issues. So, looks like I'll need a ps/2 to usb adapter if I'm gonna crack this thing.
Just got my iPaq pc today. Came with a Seagate 8.4gb HD.
I haven't been able to boot it yet because I don't have a usb keyboard. My fault for not reading the ad carefully. Anyhow, I tried booting off my usb Puppy but no go as well. I know Compaq used to be kind of proprietary when it came to hardware and BIOS issues. So, looks like I'll need a ps/2 to usb adapter if I'm gonna crack this thing.
MMM
Might I add that from my experience with several Compaq boxes, they use a 'preboot partition' arrangement for compaq recovery tools software or somesuch
Not exactly clear as to the details, but I cloned a smaller drive OK, but simply replacing the original gave loads of problems, until I found out & downloaded their utility, which setup the relevant files on the bare drive - had to put dos on first I think
32gb sounds familiar on early bioses, didn't some drives have a jumper to limit them? I think it was a WD 80G drive I had to limit, once
Aitch
Edit: Should run external usb H/D OK, its just the boot drive that you need care with
Might I add that from my experience with several Compaq boxes, they use a 'preboot partition' arrangement for compaq recovery tools software or somesuch
Not exactly clear as to the details, but I cloned a smaller drive OK, but simply replacing the original gave loads of problems, until I found out & downloaded their utility, which setup the relevant files on the bare drive - had to put dos on first I think
32gb sounds familiar on early bioses, didn't some drives have a jumper to limit them? I think it was a WD 80G drive I had to limit, once
Aitch
Edit: Should run external usb H/D OK, its just the boot drive that you need care with
If there is a high chance of not being able to use a large capacity drive, I may be better off just getting a USB enclosure and hooking it up to one of these old laptops I have sitting around. Well, thanks for the info.
Be brave that God may help thee, speak the truth even if it leads to death, and safeguard the helpless. - A knight's oath