(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

support for older hardware

for a distro that is so small and light

especially

[still using 1.07, but what the hell, i love 1.07]

I cleanly installed 4.00 and had the same results as listed above with 3.99. I tried the network-wiz-update-Oct5.pet and madwifi-0.9.3.3-patch-k2.6.21.7.pet with no improvements.

I would love to fix this. I feel like I am close, especially since my wireless DLink 650 rev C works fine in 3.01.

Now that 4.0 is out I feel I should start this thread somewhere else.

I would be willing to submit log files, configuration files or anything else to help get this resolved.

Thanx in advance

For laptops without an IDE CDROM drive or USB support, booting a new version of Puppy is impossible, except by doing a hard drive install.

What's needed is a boot floppy that provides pcmcia support and modules for pcmcia_scsi host adapters or pcmcia flash card readers. Then these systems could be booted from the LiveCD or from flash.

Ideally, the floppy would be configurable, so that only the modules required to boot would be needed on the disk. This would both make it possible to get everything needed to boot on one floppy, and reduce the bootup time (and wear and tear on the drive) significantly.

performing automatic disk checks after a number of mounts.

Extraction of boot files from ISO image needs to be altered to a separate download. Example pupboot301.tar.gz for the bootables, and pupmain301.tar.gz as the functional files of the OS.

Bootables need the option to format a storage (USB/HDD/FDD) drive with boot partition, placing said boot files within.

This does away with the ISO file requirement, having the OS evolve to two compressed files. A direct approach would be offered, and may help with ortopogo's request. S/He could extract the bootfiles to a floppy, from the HDD, and make it write-protect.

maybe modify initrd to add .sfs files using opt=/path/a.sfs,/path/b.sfs as a boot option

having a boot option for optionally (not automatically) loading additional sfs files would have the following benefits: (in no particular order)

Minimal and full version in about the same space as the full version (just add options in menu.lst)

ex.
kernel (cd)/dingo4_2/vmlinuz psubdir=dingo4_2 opt=fulpup42.sfs

It would help solve the zdrvXXX.sfs issue (just add options to menu.lst)

ex.
kernel (cd)/dingo4_2/vmlinuz psubdir=dingo4_2 opt=zdrv_42.sfs,fulpup.sfs

Would make for a better frugal install from fast boot into ram to every sfs the user could ever want to load

Could allow for creation of the Ultimate multi-boot CD

EX_1. title Puppy Dingo 4.2 - wonder dog
root (cd)
kernel (cd)/dingo4_2/vmlinuz psubdir=dingo4_2 opt=/zdrv_42.sfs,/fulpup42.sfs,/oofice24.sfs,/kde359.sfs
boot

EX_2. title MacAttackDog
root (cd)
kernel (cd)/dingo4_2/vmlinuz psubdir=macpup opt=/ooffice.sfs, /opera.sfs
boot

The possibilities are endless.

This is similar to the /optional folder in DSL which creates a menu icon that allows installation from the menu after bootup - here is a link
http://damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.ph ... ns_at_Boot

The Petbegone Pet should be included. I'd really like the bug with Hotpup desktop icons, where the mounted harddrives aren't able to be written to be fixed.

Actually, its functionality should be merged into PetGet. Barry said once that his original plan was to have such a feature built in, but never got around to doing it. With the latest incarnation of the package manager, it shouldn't be hard to add it, UI wise.

This is one of the things I plan to do in the next Pizzapup, if Barry doesn't do it first. I think that once the work has been done, adding it to Puppy wouldn't be a big deal. Barry's a busy guy, so he has to pick and choose what he works on.

I would like to see options at boot, such as:
Seems it would be pretty strait forward. Would be help to those of us trying to keep down the size of our save file, and would help those in development.

So PLEASE

HI, perhaps I'm in the wrong place and the wrong position but as a new-to-Linux user with little know how, what would help make Puppy more successful with more people is if it had better support for video drivers. the problem I've faced with Puppy all along has been getting it to work with my video card, especially 3d accelleration. if I could download an iso and burn it and boot to it and have it work without fighting with the video card it would make a huge difference. it isn't so bad to deal with the sound cards or network stuff but if the video doesn't work you're kinda dead in the water. I have other wants but this one I feel is kinda critical. I've recommended Puppy to people only to have them tell me they couldn't get it going. seriously I've been waiting for the longest time for Linux to catch up with "the opperating system which must not be named" as far as supported hardware. if it worked I'd switch completely!
Scott

Here's my list of suggestions:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 87&#235587



panzerpuppy

ok, I have something. I asked in another post about problems with my mouse. here's the reference:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 944#238944
is there any way this fix can be incorporated in the new puppies from here on out? here's the code which allows the back and foreward buttons to work. obviously a mouse configuration wizard would be better but this is pretty good in the mean time. Scott

Could I suggest an Apple Bootstrap Loader? That way Puppy will work non-intel macintosh hardware.

is it also possible at boot to have an option to boot to the hard drive? it would be convenient not to have to take the cd out all the time
Scott

37fleetwood wrote:is it also possible at boot to have an option to boot to the hard drive? it would be convenient not to have to take the cd out all the time
Scott

If you install unto a HDD you can do this.

Yep, both Frugal (works similar to livecd, but from a harddrive instead of cd) and Full (like a normal distro).

Menu -> Setup -> Puppy universal installer

EDIT: Oh, I get it. To boot the underlying OS even though the disk is in the drive. Yes, that's possible. We used to have that option in the older Puppy 1.x.x versions. Hold on and I'll dig up the options that go into isolinux.cfg to enable that.

Okay. Basically, I think that during the pause where you could add "puppy pfix=ram", if you instead give it this, it will boot from the HD: I'm not certain that will work, but I think so.

This can be made simpler. In the iso there is a file called isolinux.cfg. It contains something about like this: Basically, it has one "section" labeled "puppy", which is the default. When you type in the option "puppy pfix=ram" what you're really doing is telling it to use the "puppy" section and to pass the option "pfix=ram" to the kernel. That is the only significance of the "puppy" in that command.

Now, what you need to do to make it simple is this: add another section with a simple name that just uses that localboot command. The modified file would look like this: Then just replace the isolinux.cfg in the iso with the modified one (use IsoMaster) and burn the new CD. Now when the CD splash screen comes up, you can simply type hd and it should boot from the HD.

Wow too much information!
what I'm asking for I guess would be a splash screen that I could down arrow through to get the puppy pfix=???? I want which has something like boot to hdd as it's default option? I'm not saying that it is something I want to type in to get there or it would be easier to simply push the eject button on the cd drive. case in point, I'm running nop 4.1 as my main os on a full install, but would like to have Church pup (or some other pup) in the drive to do some other specialized function. I want the cd to boot to the hard drive by default unless I press the down arrow to the pfix I want for running off of the cd, one of which needs to be boot cd normally. most other distributions of Linux do just what I am suggesting. I think it is time to decide what Puppy is going to be. I recently have gone through and tried most of the most common flavors of Linux in my bid to be completely Microsoft free. funny but Puppy seems to beat all the large distributions hands down! the down side is Puppy is still trying to be stripped down which is good but I don't think it means it needs to be difficult if the solution is easy and doesn't cut into the ability of the older slower machines. maybe there could be two releases, first one that keeps up with technology but is still Puppy and the other with a mind toward Legacy systems. the overall charm and value of Puppy is it's lack of needless complication. Suse is like riding the Queen Mary, big smooth slow and completely not in your control. puppy is small fast and totally customizable. keep the small philosophy but maybe small doesn't mean 100mb any more maybe 250mb is the new 100mb. also it needs to be considered that the older machines still have Puppy 1, 2, and 3 to use which can still be developed without gaining too much weight. it hasn't been that long since I stumbled across Puppy and Puppy 2.15 ce was the top of the line! my bid is let Puppy 5 gain some weight and continue to develop Puppy 3 as a screamin system for older smaller machines. just a thought from someone who is not as concerned with size as much as with usefullness, of course I don't want Puppy to be like Suse which now comes on a Dvd and installs everything, just make it work really well and easily and I will pick the programs I want.
Scott

Not sure how to do that type of menu. I'd have to read through the isolinux docs. I do know how to set up a menu where you just type the number of the option you want and press enter, though, like in Puppy 1.x.x. And it could still have the 'puppy' option too, in case you wanted to be more specific. I attached an example screenshot from Pizzapup 1.0.5. (Option 5 was to use pfix=ram (actually, pfile=cd as it was called back then), but I didn't list it for come reason. It was definitely implemented - I'm looking at the code now.)

Scrollable menus would be nicer. I just haven't gotten around to finding out how.

pizzasgood you might wanna check out the grub cd bootloader..

it has the menus and supports a nice splash (nimblex uses it)