 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
could an old machine run linux
 |
•
•
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,478
Reputation: 
Solved Threads: 18
i have a machine built for windows 95 it has about 500mb or so hard drive space I have a better computer but it is used by my entire family and i've already screwed it up enough and dont need someone yelling at me. So i was wondering if this really old machine with a pentium 2 could run a live cd on it. Right now there is no OS on it and the hardware is probably so ancient that it was developed before i could read. But if i could get the specifications for the hardware then maybe you could tell me wether or not i could run a linux live cd along the lines of SuSe or Slax.
Hello,
If you can find another hard drive, such as a 2GB unit, put that in there and make a dual-boot system. Assuming the machine is entirely from the era, be aware:
* Big hard drives over 2GB may not be recognized. If it is old enough, something over 512 might not be recognized either. They may work, but only the first X of data.
* Your machine probably has at most 16 MB RAM unless you did a lot of expensive upgrading in the day. Today's linux wiill be hard pressed to fit into that. RedHat 7 would have a hard time with it. I believe RH 7 wants 24 MB, or 32MB.
* CPU is 286? 386? 386 SX? 486? If the CD's that are made with kernals built for the pentium chips are made, they may have micro code inside them that the older chops cannot handle.
I would find a copy of Redhat 6.2 around, and start there. You can still find places to download it.
Christian
If you can find another hard drive, such as a 2GB unit, put that in there and make a dual-boot system. Assuming the machine is entirely from the era, be aware:
* Big hard drives over 2GB may not be recognized. If it is old enough, something over 512 might not be recognized either. They may work, but only the first X of data.
* Your machine probably has at most 16 MB RAM unless you did a lot of expensive upgrading in the day. Today's linux wiill be hard pressed to fit into that. RedHat 7 would have a hard time with it. I believe RH 7 wants 24 MB, or 32MB.
* CPU is 286? 386? 386 SX? 486? If the CD's that are made with kernals built for the pentium chips are made, they may have micro code inside them that the older chops cannot handle.
I would find a copy of Redhat 6.2 around, and start there. You can still find places to download it.
Christian
•
•
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,478
Reputation:
Solved Threads: 18
it really doesnt matter about disk space though. the linux distros i am talking about are just run off the cd. I am sure if you calculations about my ram are right than it will not be able to run it. I will just have to test it out and see.
•
•
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 494
Reputation:
Solved Threads: 21
Posting Pro in Training
If you can run Windows 95, you can run Linux. Note the statement says "can run Linux" not "can run Linux well"
You may want to acquire a hard drive for the machine, and possibly play with it. I think Slackware may be the best "modern" linux to put on there, as it's all user-configured.
You may want to acquire a hard drive for the machine, and possibly play with it. I think Slackware may be the best "modern" linux to put on there, as it's all user-configured.
www.uncreativelabs.net
Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind ourselves of what we once had.
Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind ourselves of what we once had.
•
•
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,478
Reputation:
Solved Threads: 18
yeah slackware was another choose but i had started to download slax live cd and the size(120 megs or so) is really small so i thought that would be a good choose i also thought of using this really old linux that i found called basic linux that looks sort of like the pre windows days.
•
•
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,478
Reputation:
Solved Threads: 18
yeah it doesnt matter the cd drive is borken and so old that it would not be able to run the cd-r i burnt of the SuSE live eval cd. All it can run is basic linux which runs off of two floppy disks.
Hello,
Save yourself some grief and go get a different CD-ROM drive for the computer. Finding Linux on floppy will be difficult... those things are usually "made". There may be a used computer place around where you live that may have slower CD-ROMS used for sale -- something like $10 - $20. Heck, a lot of places that I have worked have given the 1x 2x 4x units away!
Christian
Save yourself some grief and go get a different CD-ROM drive for the computer. Finding Linux on floppy will be difficult... those things are usually "made". There may be a used computer place around where you live that may have slower CD-ROMS used for sale -- something like $10 - $20. Heck, a lot of places that I have worked have given the 1x 2x 4x units away!
Christian
•
•
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,478
Reputation:
Solved Threads: 18
Oh thanks for the advice kc0arf but i really dont think that i am going to put it on that machine i have a better computer that i am running now the only reason i dont want to put linux on it is because it is the family computer and my little sister b!tc#es at me every time I do something to it and istalling another os on the pc (even with dual boot) is just the sort of thing that would get her pissed at me.
•
•
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 494
Reputation:
Solved Threads: 21
Posting Pro in Training
Your solution now? Get your own PC.
Having your own PC's a good thing. That way, if you mess it up, no one but you knows or cares.
Having your own PC's a good thing. That way, if you mess it up, no one but you knows or cares.
www.uncreativelabs.net
Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind ourselves of what we once had.
Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind ourselves of what we once had.
|
Similar Threads
Other Threads in the Getting Started and Choosing a Distro Forum
- Previous Thread: freeBSD running from CD?
- Next Thread: red hat confirmation prompt
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
You need to join our community in order to build your list of favorite forums. You can visit the forum index for a listing of all forums.
Related Forum Features
Latest Getting Started and Choosing a Distro Posts
age-related baremetal chrome cio cloudcomputing code commercial computers crystalballsunday developers development distributions distro dsl elderly embedded google http://expertcore.org/ innovations jauntyjackalope kernel library linus linux microsoft multi-core netgear newbies openoffice.org operating operatingsystems parallel performance processing redhat routers smp studios system systembuilders systemintegrators terminalservices thecloud thinclients tools ubuntu users virtualization vmware webbased wikis windows xenon
