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Weblog:   Microsoft should release Windows 98 SE as Open Source
Subject:   What do you mean you can't install Linux on your TP240?
Date:   2004-10-09 07:24:49
From:   vrrivaro
I don't know about Gentoo, perhaps.


But I recomend you to try Mandrake. Download their ISO or buy their CDs, then burn a floppy from the floppy image on the CD, then boot from the floppy, then at last experience the long over due liberation from Microsoft.


There are other distros that this could work too. I only know Mandrake, SuSE, Debian and RedHat for sure could do this. I would recomend you to avoid RedHat tough (they used to be the best, but went down the tuves with with their 7.0). I don't have any experience with SuSE nor Debian. I do know other distros, but don't remenber if they can boot off a floppy.


By the way, Gentoo is based on Debian, so perhaps you could do the same thing on it. Just guessing, though.
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  • Todd Ogasawara photo What do you mean you can't install Linux on your TP240?
    2004-10-09 12:11:59  Todd Ogasawara | O'Reilly AuthorO'Reilly Blogger [View]

    I should clarify. I can't easily install Linux because of my particular configuration. When I bought the 240, I did not buy IBM's Ultradrive chasis. So, I don't have a native CD-ROM drive it recognizes. The only way to boot my 240 with CD-ROM support is to use an old EXP CD-RW drive with both a PCMCIA (what I use) and Parallel Port interface. With help from EXP years ago, I built a DOS boot disk that loads the EXP PCMCIA driver interface from DOS and gives me access to the CD drive from DOS. This lets me run Windows 98 SE setup (but not ME, 2000, or XP which doesn't run from DOS). If I create a Linux boot floppy from img files, it won't seen the EXP PCMCIA interface or the Sony Expressa USB CD-RW drive. I could have created a small DOS partition to load the Linux distro files into and perhaps have the boot floppy find and install that. I've tested current Fedora, Mandrake, SUSE, and Ubuntu (Debian) on low-end boxes (Pentium II with 128 to 256MB RAM). From what I have found, those distros with KDE or GNOME running start thrashing the hard drive with less than 256MB RAM (although the older Mandrake 8 ran fine on a 128MB Pentium II). I have my doubts about running any current distro with a GUI (except maybe icewm) on a Celeron (pre-PII) with 128MB RAM. I also wanted to avoid the time it would (might) take to get my old 802.11b WiFi card working on the 240 with a Linux distro. In the meantime, the IBM Thinkpad 240 is running pretty nicely with Windows 98 SE: Firefox, WiFi card, Sony USB CD-RW (it runs once Windows is installed and I can install the USB drivers) and other stuff.
    • What do you mean you can't install Linux on your TP240?
      2004-10-09 19:44:12  elgaard@diku.dk [View]

      You don't need a CD-drive.

      Use Debian boot-floppys and install over the network. You probably have a (wireless) PCMCIA network card.

      ==
      From what I have found, those distros with KDE or GNOME running start thrashing the hard drive with less than 256MB RAM
      ==

      Then use XFCE, icecast, or another lightweight system.
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