Agreed. I can't get components cheap enough anymore to beat the low end Dell, HP, etc. systems.
Regarding linux distros being "plug-and-play", my experience is that they have been "plug-and-play" with everything EXCEPT wireless internet, and that is one of the major things I want it to do. I'm not computer expert enough to play with linux much, as I haven't spent much time on it. So I don't even know how to download programs onto it.
One of the best Linux systems for beginners (beginners with Linux that is) is Xandros. It is not the best distro for Linux "power users" but they make things like downloading software and setting up the system pretty easy and "Windows-like." Xandros even has decent wireless support. There are several levels of Xandros, a free system which they help you download and explain the process step by step at their site and a deluxe version which costs some $$$. You might check them out at the link below if interested in trying Xandros Linux:
Originally posted by tutnkmn: There are several levels of Xandros, a free system which they help you download and explain the process step by step at their site
i couldn't find the free one
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07:37 PM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
Here you go, it's called the "open circulation" version. You can pay them $10 to download from their FTP server (yeah right) or get the torrent from them and download with bittorrent (completely legal because it is free software):
Any Intel Pentium or Celeron processor. Any AMD K6/II/III, Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP/MP processor. At least 450 MHz recommended.
RAM:
Min 128 MB required, 256 MB recommended. 1.5 GB available space on hard drive, 3 GB available space recommended.
Additional Requirements:
Bootable CD-ROM.
The only alternate I can think of if you really want to use xandros is here: http://cheapiso.com/index.php?cPath=1&sort=2a&filter_id=45 It's late and my brain is fuzzy but if you want to play around with linux I will find a write-up or write something up with instructions on another distro you can install with floppys tomorrow.
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02:16 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
You can also do this to install if you have no CD writer:
Create a Xandros boot floppy (image should be available on the web somewhere, check the Xandros site and google it if necessary). Create a new partition on your hard drive in which to store the ISO file.
Insert the floppy and it will ask you where the ISO image is located. Browse to that partition and select. The installation files will be extracted from that partition and setup will run just like it would from a bottable CD. You do not need to remove Windows to do this, only resize Windows and create a new partition from the resulting free space. Use Partition Magic or other partitioning software to do this. Move the Xandros ISO image into the new partition simply by dragging and dropping it from Windows.
Good Luck, I'll check back to see if I can help again.
PS: You need a fairly good size HDD to do this, nothing under 10Gb would have enough space to create a dual-boot situation plus an installation partition (the Xandros OS is about 1.5Gb in size. It is compressed on the disc to fit a 700MB CD but opens up to nearly 1.5Gb when uncompressed).
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 08-13-2006).]
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11:04 AM
mysticfire6602 Member
Posts: 624 From: bloomsburg, pa Registered: May 2006
Agreed. I can't get components cheap enough anymore to beat the low end Dell, HP, etc. systems.
Regarding linux distros being "plug-and-play", my experience is that they have been "plug-and-play" with everything EXCEPT wireless internet, and that is one of the major things I want it to do. I'm not computer expert enough to play with linux much, as I haven't spent much time on it. So I don't even know how to download programs onto it.
when i installed suse 10 on my laptop a while ago it recognized all my hotbuttons on the top INCLUDING my wireless button, which did in fact turn on and off my wireless whe n i pressed it. but im not sure if you would wanna download it, its a 5 disk download.
If you are going to download SuSE I'd suggest a ftp install over downloading all 5 disks. It's pretty simple. The main thing is looking for a good server on SuSe's site and finding the I.P. of the server before you run the ftp bootdisk. There is a tutorial I used the first few times I did an ftp install if anybody wants the link.
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12:50 PM
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
this is what i have to play with my laptop, 750mhz 384ram, floppy module or CD module.
a pair of 2 gig hard drives that i can format however i want. i can have one in the laptop and one in a USB external drive. (my normal harddrive is 40gig, but i dont want to mess with it until i'm sure i can actually USE the operating system)
a bunch of floppy disks. infact somewhere around here i have a copy of win95b on floppys, i think there is 28 of them
so can i experiment with what i have.
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04:07 PM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
this is what i have to play with my laptop, 750mhz 384ram, floppy module or CD module.
a pair of 2 gig hard drives that i can format however i want. i can have one in the laptop and one in a USB external drive. (my normal harddrive is 40gig, but i dont want to mess with it until i'm sure i can actually USE the operating system)
a bunch of floppy disks. infact somewhere around here i have a copy of win95b on floppys, i think there is 28 of them
so can i experiment with what i have.
You should be able to get Xandros to at least run with the "partition" install method above. Use your Windows 95 boot disk to run fdisk and delete any existing partitions on the HDD. Create an 800 MB partition for the ISO image and then install Windows 95 in the remaining free space. Download the ISO, drop it in the 800 MB part and then proceed to install Xandros from floppy as outlined above. When asked to keep Windows just answer no and Xandros will install where Win95 is. Choose "minimal install" for Xandros to save space. There will still be an ISO partition and darn little space to play with on the HDD (most of the remaining area will be filled with Xandros and the swap space) but it would allow you to get a taste of Xandros.
This install method can work with other versions of Linux that are capable of using a boot diskette as well (3.5 floppy), although some distros are very large (from 2 up to 5 Gb in size depending on what you choose to install).
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 08-13-2006).]
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05:22 PM
PFF
System Bot
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
Originally posted by Deabionni: ...the license should be sold to the end user; so that the end user can use that software on whatever PC he is currently using. One license per PC is stupid.
I agree. IIRC, MS used to allow you to transfer the license to a new PC, provided the O/S was erased from the old system...has that changed?
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12:14 AM
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
at the configuring hardware line it stops for a while.
the screen goes black with a black pointer outlined in white for about two minutes. the system restarts and goes to windowsXP like the good little virus it is
do i have to start with a blank harddisk?
thanks for all the help so far, i dont like to give up on anything, but i do have to walk away from problems from time to time
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10:36 AM
TaurusThug Member
Posts: 4271 From: Simpsonville, SC Registered: Aug 2003
at the configuring hardware line it stops for a while.
the screen goes black with a black pointer outlined in white for about two minutes. the system restarts and goes to windowsXP like the good little virus it is
do i have to start with a blank harddisk?
thanks for all the help so far, i dont like to give up on anything, but i do have to walk away from problems from time to time
I assume your still working the Xandros install?
Sounds like Xandros is having a problem with the video card. Should not reboot though, should just go back to shell (i.e. black screen with white lettered login prompt).
It may be there is not enough partition room for Linux swap space also. How much partition did you allow Linux?
I have this for your system from earlier in the thread:
this is what i have to play with my laptop, 750mhz 384ram, floppy module or CD module.
This is a system more than capable of using Xandros. But, what manufacturer made the machine? What is the vid card?
If you have any external hardware plugged into the machine (mouse, PCMCIA card, etc.) disconnect before trying the first boot.
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 08-15-2006).]
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06:47 PM
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
yep, still trying to install Xandros. this is a Dell C600 but i was wrong, the harddrives are 4 gig each, not 2.
this is where i'm at right now. the hard drive had XP on it with NTFS file system, i fdisked the drive so it has no partition on it (if you told me to do that, i'm sorry i missed it)
anyway, the install is going as i type, but it did hang at the black screen with the white outlined pointer for a long time again, only this time it came up with a GUI for installing it the rest of the way instead of XP.
but check back soon incase i cant figure something out.
what file system did Xandros create on the non-partioned harddrive anyway?
[This message has been edited by buddycraigg (edited 08-15-2006).]
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07:16 PM
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
what file system did Xandros create on the non-partioned harddrive anyway?
ext2. It's the high performance disk filesystem used by Linux for fixed disks as well as removable media. Sometimes a weird quirk on some machines will identify the Xandros partition as an extended DOS partition with a logical drive present
Wireless card detection and any internet connection is handled under: "Internet Connection Wizard." Go to the Launch menu and then this will be under "Internet."
If your card does not show up let me know. Compatability list shows the DWL-G650 working so I would say the G630 should be good.
EDIT: Sorry, just remembered, Xandros uses "rieserfs" file system unlike most Linux distros that use a version of ext. Xandros claims rieserfs is superior for the "custom modifications" they make to Debian.
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 08-15-2006).]
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09:26 PM
PFF
System Bot
Aug 16th, 2006
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
i've gone here launch/applications/internet/connection wizard chose "LAN or Cable modem (Ethernet)" clicked the radio button next to "All users" and it detects "eth0 (3Com Corporation) which is the built-in NIC for a cat-5 cable. but nothing else.
but under launch/control center hardware information/system/PCI/ the very last thing listed is... 0000:06:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc: Unknown device 001a (rev 01) Subsystem: D-Link system Inc: Unknown device 3b08 Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 11 memory at 19000000 (32-bit, non-perfetchable) [size=64K] Capabilities: <available only to root>
[This message has been edited by buddycraigg (edited 08-16-2006).]
i'm going to try this, but done bet on anything...
"I'm trying to get the D-LInk DWL-G630 to work in Xandros 3.0 Deluxe but....it won't. I'm new to Xandros, I'm a lot more familier with Ubuntu. Does Xandros 3.0 Deluxe even support this card? So far I havn't been able to find drivers for the card for linux. If anyone has any experience with this card in Xandros 3.0 please help me.
Thanks"
********** "a) Upgrade you system to SP2 (carefully follow the instructions on Xandros Network when you do that).
b)Then install kernel 2.6.11-x1
c) Then install the ndiswrapper packages associated with that kernel (put ndiswrapper in the XN search box and search - look under Expert in the tree on the left).
d) Using Control Center/Networking under the wireless tab, install the Windows drivers from your G630 CD
e) Using XFM in Administrator mode, edit the file /etc/modules to insert "ndiswrapper" (without quotes) in the modules list and save the file
f) Reboot and set up your wireless system from control panel.
Note that Xandros 3 does not allow you to enter ESSIDs with spaces in them from Control Center. (Either change the ESSID or use the commandline iwconfig if you have that.)" *********
wish me luck...
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09:04 PM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
i'm going to try this, but done bet on anything...
"I'm trying to get the D-LInk DWL-G630 to work in Xandros 3.0 Deluxe but....it won't. I'm new to Xandros, I'm a lot more familier with Ubuntu. Does Xandros 3.0 Deluxe even support this card? So far I havn't been able to find drivers for the card for linux. If anyone has any experience with this card in Xandros 3.0 please help me.
Thanks"
********** "a) Upgrade you system to SP2 (carefully follow the instructions on Xandros Network when you do that).
b)Then install kernel 2.6.11-x1
c) Then install the ndiswrapper packages associated with that kernel (put ndiswrapper in the XN search box and search - look under Expert in the tree on the left).
d) Using Control Center/Networking under the wireless tab, install the Windows drivers from your G630 CD
e) Using XFM in Administrator mode, edit the file /etc/modules to insert "ndiswrapper" (without quotes) in the modules list and save the file
f) Reboot and set up your wireless system from control panel.
Note that Xandros 3 does not allow you to enter ESSIDs with spaces in them from Control Center. (Either change the ESSID or use the commandline iwconfig if you have that.)" *********
wish me luck...
Been away, sorry. Looks like you are on the right track. Certainly need the 2.6.x series kernel.
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10:47 PM
Aug 17th, 2006
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
ummm, how do i do this without being connected to the internet?
BTW, i tried an old D-Link card that my wife uses and it wouldn't work either.
Right, well there is that!
Does your wireless router support hardwired LAN? Is there a port for cables on it? If so a patch cable from the router to your onboard LAN card should do the trick. If not does the laptop have a 56k modem?
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04:15 PM
buddycraigg Member
Posts: 13588 From: kansas city, mo Registered: Jul 2002
Plugged in to wired LAN (had to play with the wireless router a bit to get it to allow another connection)
I started Xandros Networks It started two down loads by itself, I looked over at my desktop PC for a second and then turned back around to the laptop and it was finished doing what ever it was doing.
While still in Xandros Networks I go Application Updates on the left side Then Service Pack on the right. But no updates show up… So I’m hoping part “a” is done **********
Next I find the 2.6.11 update under Application Updates on the left System on the right. I do that so I think part “b” is done. ***********
I search for “ndiswrapper” in the search box in the upper right hand corner. And get 4 showing under “expert” on the left side.
I do the first one. I do the second one. I do the third one but when I go back it still shows the third one needs to be installed. So I restart. Now my text is so small I can barely read it.
Back to Xandros Networks Search for ndiswrapper Showing 4 under expert. Xandros-ndisdrivermanager installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-smp not installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-x1 installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.9-x1 not installed.
Try Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-smp again. It does its thing and I restart. (god the boot time is really long, but I’m used to rebooting thanks to windows95)
Now it shows Xandros-ndisdrivermanager installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-smp installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-x1 not installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.9-x1 not installed.
So I try to install Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-x1 again. It does its thing and I reboot.
Now it shows Xandros-ndisdrivermanager installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-smp not installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-x1 installed. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.9-x1 not installed.
Apparently I can not have both, so which one do I want? Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-smp. Xandros-ndiswrapper-2.6.11-x1.