Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[ChiJoan]

Well first the 1 GB on-board VGA wouldn't let the computer start, so I tried one PCI VGA card that I think only has 2 GB. It worked with VESA, but no way to read a PDF file clearly or play Shisen.

I tried to install, but unlike TeenPup 2009, it didn't create a \Boot directory or boot the computer, and I tried to put Grub in both \Root and \MBR. But I think the 2.5 GB hard drive is too small except for a Frugal install. Another tech gave me this computer and I will be passing it onto others to job search with after I tweak it out a little.

Humm...is the choice of Ext3 instead of Ext2 for the hard disk partitioning making a difference? I'll check your DistroWatch Webpage, but I noticed the screenshot is different there.

Other than these hiccups I like what I've seen so far, thank you so much.

Joan in Reno

[Sage]

Yes, you are likely to have problems with that system. I managed to squeeze LegacyOS onto a 3.2Gb hard disc. Onboard shared video can also be problematic with older HW and PCI cards frequently only work with VESA graphics. For FULL installation, Puppy & derivatives work best with ext2, especially on older machines.
But, you should be able to run and install the latest Quirky1.3, 1.2retro or Wary, or one of gray's variations like QNOP.
It would be helpful if you could try these other options and report your findings for the very many readers particularly interested in recycling old kit.

[ChiJoan]

Hello,

Perhaps they use a different version of Grub? I know I never saw a boot screen that didn't list what Linux it was booting before.

Now to find some of those games that I liked on the Legacy CD. Sometimes I wish I could just copy them off of the other Pupplet CDs.

Yes, I plan to test more of my old boxes. I just acquired the 128 MB MAX RAM upgrade that uses the shorter 72-pin SIMMS. Then there's the Compaq P2 laptops, one of them has TeenPup installed.

Of course, I use old P3 servers with Puppy, too, sometimes I have to pick those Puppy Live CDs that support SCSI though.

Thanks for the reply,
Joan in Reno

[Sage]

There's a scsi sub-culture running for Puppy. BK has kindly supplied some versions that specifically run what he likes to call "old, true scsi".
As for GRUB, v.2 was strongly disliked here and implementation where it was used was unhelpful, not to say unnecessary. BK relented and you will find 'old' GRUB 0.9 available again now. As pointed out by many, that's all that's need for Puppy.
Poke around with 'Search' and you'll see that there have been some successes with AMD K6-II processors. The main problem with the older 72pin RAM is finding high values needed for running compact distros. When it was current, it was extremely expensive, hence rare, so not much survives. For FULL installs, the trick is to load the OS using some modern hardware and transfer the disc back into the old kit - it works every time with Puppy because it re-detects the HW when there's a change.

[rcrsn51]

[Sage]