Linux

[Bella]

Hi all. I am having internet troubles so I don't have much time to spare chitchatting. But I am in need of some Linux Live CD help:

As you may know,I have a Compaq Presario running Windows 98, and I want to run Puppy Linux from a liveCD on it. The problem is, when it boots up I see no BIOS settings from which I can swich from running on the C:\ hard drive to the CD drive. I first see the Compaq splash screen, then the Windows 98 boot screen. I have tried pressing any key, esc, delete, and alt+ctrl+delete during these times, in hopes of entering the BIOS settings; alt+ctrl+delete during the Compaq splash screen and esc during the Windows boot screen brings up a command prompt dialouge, and at this point it seems to check for viruses, but otherwise I cannot get it to do anything.

Please help me!

Added after 1 minutes:

Oh yeah, and do I get the Puppy Linux download from here?
http://puppylinux.org/user/downloads.php?cat_id=1

(top link download?)

[C-Chan]

Hold on tight, Bella-san!  ^__^

Usually to go to the BIOS Setup screen, you need to press one of the "F-" buttons instead.  Like F2 or F12 -- usually F2 is the most common.  Otherwise, give us the Compaq Presario model # and we'll see if they have that info online.

Pressing any key during the Windows bootup screen won't help, I'm afraid.

If you do get into Puppy-chan, don't forget to run the Network Connection wizard to get your interent hooked up (it doesn't autodetect automatically, I assume to cut-down on the initial loading time).

Added after 1 minutes:

Oh and yes, that's correct.  ^__^
2.16 is the latest vanilla version,... I haven't tried any of the Community Editions yet, but I reckon they're the same thing but with more apps preinstalled.

[Bella]

Which one should I download? I mean, I'm seeing several releases...I need it to run on 64 MB of RAM, on a 32-bit machine.

[C-Chan]

Puppy is architecture independent, so it will work seamlessly on 32-bit machines.  RAM might be an issue since later puppies prefer 128megs of RAM.  It can work with 64MB using a swap file, but not sure if it'll create one for you or not (I'm talking the LiveCD -- the HD installation will do it for sure).

To be safe, try this 2-fold strategy:

1) Download version 2.16 to once CD.  This one will be your optimum choice.

2) Download the barebones 1.04 version (or if you can get the regular 1.04 version, better).  That one is designed for 64megs of RAM.

[Bella]

I think it's about the same model (maybe a bit older) than Tsubashi's Compaq...I don't know right now, because I'm at an internet cafe I didn't bring the documents. Maybe Tsubashi would know...

EDIT

why isn't the site letting me download anything?

Added after 33 seconds:

***Nevermind***Linux DAU at work

[C-Chan]

Oh shoot, did you say Internet Cafe? ^^;

Ask the admin whether you're permitted to download anything to your machine,.. and if so, if you can BURN stuff onto CDs as well.  Given its own a Linux distribution, I'm sure they won't give you problems.  

My old Compaq worked with F2, so you'll have no choice but to try it.
F2, or F8 or F10 or F12,... you'll have more than enough time to try them out (just be sure to press repeatedly in case the machine is stubborn).

Damn, how I wish I were there to help.  -v-

Within a few minutes, I'm sorry to say I need to head out (to help a friend with Mac OSX "issues").  I'll try to check up on your progress as best I can from the Mac, although I must admit I wish we could walk you through this during calmer circumstances.  -.-'

[Bella]

Hey. I just asked the owner, and he said F+F1, F2 might work. That's two "F+F2s"!

[Tsubashi]

Sorry I'm a bit late. Work and all you know?

Anyways my Compaq used F10 for some quirky reason. As for whether it will work, I can't be sure. I had added 128MB RAM before I put Linux on, so that might have helped it.
Regardless, I wish you the best. Tell us if it works, or let us help if it doesn't! ^__^

[C-Chan]

Oh,... hope she's burned ISO's before.  ^^'
I still recall when baka C-chan used to burn actual ISO files on CDs and then wondered why the thing wouldn't boot up (this was back in the days of using those infernal [so-called] Windows rescue CDs).  Ended up with discs that were half backups and half coasters.  ^^;

Poor Bella-san, who knows what horrors she's had to go through that have compelled her to leap into LInux For Legacy Systems pretty much unprepared.  '__'
We shall find out tomorrow what the outcome is.  -v-

Got home fairly late (too much fun figuring the ins and outs of OSX), so to Tsubashi-san I ask ye for another small extension (you know what I mean).  ^.^

And as for other Linux-related goodies, here's an interesting system map that reminds me a lot of the Unix-sama family tree.  Really gives you a nice graphical expansion of the Linux family history....

http://ostan-collections.net/annex/Images/linuxdistrotimeline-75.png

Added after 2 minutes:

Rather than consult Wiki, maybe the Great Penguin God can tell us some itneresting story about MCC Interim Linux.  ^___^

[Kami-Tux]

*squawk* *squawk* *squawk*! About MCC Interim Linux, you want to know something... It was created by the University of Manchester and was simply Linux with a few additional applications. I do not know MCC Interim I only know about SLS, which apparently was designed from it and it was basically: "We take everything from the FTP-servers, which runs under Linux (at that time that was possible) and make one distro out of it." It was terrible because the lack of a package system meant everything could break everything else. Also it had no X11.

BTW: did you notice the 2 German Linux distros in the beginning? S.u.S.E. (obviously) and DLD (Deutsche Linux Distribution). I am feeling patriotic when I see this *squawks* :>

[C-Chan]

As well you should, even if it is SUSE that survived more or less to this day.  ^^

(Speaking of patriotism, I wonder why there aren't more Finnish distributions?)

Thank you, btw, for the run-down -- that should be a good thing to know in case we'd like to draw more original OS-tans.  ^.^

[Bella]

Bella presents…

…Incredibly confusing adventures in trying to get a 9-year-old Compaq to run Linux off of a user-friendly Live CD...

Part 1: DUDE, WHERE’S MY BIOS?
Good news is,  I’ve found what doesn’t work when trying to access the BIOS settings; F2, or any of the function keys alone; F2+the letter F (since this computer doesn’t have an “F” or “FN” key like newer machines),  ATL, CRTL, DEL, END, or just about any of the non-alpha numerical keys; When I try pressing any of these keys, I get a cryptic message saying something along the line of “3C 301 keyboard error”. But the keyboard does work when the Windows boot screen comes up.
All of the XPs I’ve used, they give no less than 2 OR 3 chances to mess with the BIOS settings. Heck, they even give highly detailed instructions like “press DEL to enter BIOS”. The irony is, that this freaking 98, that needs to be run under a different OS the most, does not even seem to have any configurable BIOS settings (yeah, I know it’s there…)
Which has led me to a nickname for Windows 98: Windows 98 insult-the-hell-out-of-your-intelligence edition

Part 2: HOW @#$%ING HARD CAN IT BE TO BURN A CD?
I downloaded Barebones Puppy 1.04  to my computer, K8. It saved as a Roxio (I hate Roxio) CD Creator file. I tried burning it on a CDR, but I did not have ANY blank CDRs or CDRs that could be formatted, due to the incredibly tyrannical CD burning program Roxio CD Creator. Soooo, I transferred the file to “my” other laptop (DY), since K8 had to be sent away to be repaired. As if this cannot get more confusing, DY doesn’t run the Roxio program the Puppy file is, so I couldn’t burn it even if I had a CDR. Are there any external sites, like Distrowatch, where I can get this file NOT in the Roxio file format? Which brings us back to the BIOS settings of the 98, which, as mentioned above, are harder to find than King Solomon’s Gold.

Part 3: IF THIS IS TRUE I’LL FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT.
Would having a real, true, ready to go LiveCD  in the D:\ drive make any difference to how the computer brings up the BIOS settings?

BTW, this piece of glorified garbage is a Presario 5220.

If I didn't know better, I'd say it's a sick M$ joke that they put the most easy to configurable BIOS's on the stable, useful NT-based OSs, and have the most difficult BIOS's on the systems that need to be "converted" the most :\

[C-Chan]

Bella-san, okairinasai!!  ^___^

I kinda thought you would have problems,... fortunately, they're all related to crappy hardware problems designed to make you (the consumer) go out and buy a new computer.  But we know better than to fall for that, of course.  ^.^

Two things,...

1) HP's site talks about accessing the BIOS in that model Compaq:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07110&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=93139&dlc=en&lang=en

not sure if you did that already, but I'm sure there's gotta be something useful there.

and...

2) What's the CD burning program in CY, and what knid of disk image files will it accept.  There aren't any distros that aren't ISOs, but since I own the disk, I can try to reconvert it to a format that your program can read.  And as a backup, I'll load all the contents of the CD to a ZIP file, so you can load them on manually.

Give me about an hour to do so, since I still have to take care of juicy Mac stuff for my friend.  ^___^

[Bella]

I tried pressing on F10 and I got computer settings! Something!

1st it asked me what language I wanted. I pressed English-enter, and it took me to a gray screen with a bar across the top that read:

SYSTEM
COMMUNICATIONS
STORAGE
INPUT
MULTIMEDIA
EXIT

What was this?  ;018

Added after 14 minutes:

I checked the HP site. I'm not sure if that was the BIOS setup... :? But I tied pressing F1 (as well as F2) and holding down for...maybe 30-60 seconds, nothing...but it did seem to stop HD activity...

*Runs off like a panicked BIOS-finding DAU*

[C-Chan]

Well, this is another page which says to use F10 for systems older than 2001....

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bpb11735&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=93139&dlc=en&lang=en

But in any case, the F10 screen looks kinda sorta promising.... '___'

Can you tell me what it looks like when you open System?  '.'

Added after 9 minutes:

Also,... um,......

,,,,,

Can you.......

Make floppy disks, by any chance?  ^______^;