[arctic]

Just a tip: If you want to move windows around (because they are too big and you cannot click the ok button otherwise), hold down the "alt" key, then click on the window and move it around so you can reach all necessary areas. Might be a way to solve your problem with config/install screens.

[dude67]

Thanks arctic, that is a helpful tip. I knew/should have known that, but for some reason I dind't remember to use it e.g. yesterday. I very seldom need to use that.

So, thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind.

But my problem with this is that I would really, really like to use a Window manager/Linux distro that would be designed for the low end resolution in mind...

-EDIT-
And the fact that it's not just installation that I'm having hard time with. E.g. in KDE the screen/desktop properties dialogue is bigger than my screen just to name one. I hate when I have to move the window around (or guess what's missing from my screen).

This post has been edited by dude67: 20 September 2007 - 07:23 AM

[scarecrow]

The kernel panic at Arch first boot is actually a bug present only in the last Arch bootable ISO:
ftp://ftp.archlinux....nown-Issues.txt
Fixing it with one of the suggested methods is easy, IMHO the easiest one is picking the Fallback Image at first boot, logging in and remaking the ramdisk with

mkinitcpio -p kernel26

One annoying current issue with Arch is that one could very easily install a graphical environment with

pacman -Sy xorg

...but unfortunately recently one developer judged that xorg (which was a metapackage) polluted the repos with unneeded stuff and removed it without notice... so now you have to type a whole string of packages.
A workaround for it is due to be out soon.

This post has been edited by scarecrow: 20 September 2007 - 07:36 AM

[dude67]

scarecrow, on Sep 20 2007, 10:25 AM, said:

The kernel panic at Arch first boot is actually a bug present only in the last Arch bootable ISO:
ftp://ftp.archlinux....nown-Issues.txt
Fixing it with one of the suggested methods is easy, IMHO the easiest one is picking the Fallback Image at first boot, logging in and remaking the ramdisk with

mkinitcpio -p kernel26

OK, thanks for that info. I'm planning to give Arch a second go tonight.

scarecrow, on Sep 20 2007, 10:25 AM, said:

so now you have to type a whole string of packages.

What does that mean (remember, I have not worked with Arch at all => More fresh than a nooby :P/> )

scarecrow, on Sep 20 2007, 10:25 AM, said:

A workaround for it is due to be out soon.

Any predictions as to how soon is soon? :huh:/>

[lluamco]

My advice:
try puppy linux. It is a live cd distro. You can test it without installation. if it works and you like it, then you can install it. Here is the link

ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions...fulldrivers.iso

Hope it helps

[scarecrow]

Hi, dude67.
For the xorg issue (and valid workarounds) please check THIS thread at the Archlinux forums. I do not really have a clue about the actual workaround, but it *might* be an "xorg" package group, or re-inserting an xorg dummy package. I will post back whenever this is implemented (which should be not more than 48 hours).

[mindwave]

you know I have a fairly full MDV install in my bedroom (Its been running so long i forgot about it) on my tv at 640x480.

now i admit i only use this as a MYTH box, and most of my connections are through VNC, but it seems to work fine.

now this is NOT daily "work" pc as I only really need to interact with it to program and "burn" shows, but it seemed ok there....

[dude67]

mindwave, on Sep 20 2007, 04:07 PM, said:

you know I have a fairly full MDV install in my bedroom (Its been running so long i forgot about it) on my tv at 640x480.

now i admit i only use this as a MYTH box, and most of my connections are through VNC, but it seems to work fine.

now this is NOT daily "work" pc as I only really need to interact with it to program and "burn" shows, but it seemed ok there....

Yes I had Mandriva 2007.1 running beautifully with KDE (OK, perhaps a bit slow...), but my biggest concern was that it didn't fit well in the 640x480 screen. This and the fact that I only need this PC to run my vids from my VCR so I only would need a very lean basic distro. This system does not even need to burn any CDs/DVDs since it only has a combo reader.

Thanks anyway, mindwave. Appreciate your comment and support. :thumbs:/>

This post has been edited by dude67: 20 September 2007 - 05:52 PM

[dude67]

scarecrow, on Sep 20 2007, 03:59 PM, said:

Hi, dude67.
For the xorg issue (and valid workarounds) please check THIS thread at the Archlinux forums. I do not really have a clue about the actual workaround, but it *might* be an "xorg" package group, or re-inserting an xorg dummy package. I will post back whenever this is implemented (which should be not more than 48 hours).

scarecrow, I should perhaps have read this posting before I did my re-installation of Arch tonight. It may have helped at one point...

As you know I cannot connect to internet without madwifi and madwifi wasn't in the installtion cd. So there was no updating the sources.

For madwifi, I had brought the latest files with me in a USB flash. But there was another problem: I couldn't find a way to mount the USB flash memory... In the end I just tried installing Xorg, but wasn't able to do that either (as the Archlinux forum posting said). I couldn't start any wm.

I couldn't install pretty much anything and was not even sure if I was doing the right things... I guess I would have needed more time with it, but that's the luxury I didn't have with this.

So I'm afraid this time this distro will have to be waiting for "better times" as I finally took out the Xubuntu CD and installed it again. I'm going to take some time tomorrow to familiarize myself with it and hopefully I can install madwifi from USB. At least I saw that Xubuntu recognized the 4 GB USB flash I had inserted.

Thank you all for your patience and help! :thumbs:/>

[dude67]

Just an update to this thread if anyone is wondering about running linux on old hardware.

I'm now running Mandriva 2009.0 with XFCE on this and it's working nicely! :thumbs:/> It's not the fastest machine around, but it's OK.

Otherwise the HW is the same as in the first post, but I've got a Sony 40" HD flat TV as a screen.

[Artificial Intelligence]

dude67, on Nov 18 2008, 07:43 AM, said:

Just an update to this thread if ...

*cough*Necromancer*cough*

:D/>

[Lexicon]

Yes only Mandriva 2009 or MINT 5 ....Lex

[willie]

Maybe you can think about Manddriva with the lxde desktop, you have both Mandriva and a lightweight desktop. I know it's in 2009 so it should be there for 2008.1 or others.

[Lexicon]

LXDE
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Env...XDE-30337.shtml

http://wiki.mandriva...en/XFCELive2009

via http
http://ftp.twaren.net/Linux/Mandrake/devel...contrib/2009.0/
...Lex

This post has been edited by Lexicon: 18 November 2008 - 11:45 PM

[mindwave]

another 2 cts, I just re did my car pc which runs on a 900mhz VIA c3

I'm using WOLVIX and like it a LOT

http://wolvix.org/