Linux on Compaq Presario 2230

[xwb]

I'm trying to load an OS on a Compaq 2230. It is just a fun exercise to see if I can get it going on a strange machine with no network card.

Seems to be OK on the MS OSs except that I can't find the video drivers for it so it is just down to a 640x480VGA screen. Not very nice so I decided to try Linux.

I've been working backwards through the various Linux builds. Most of them go blank after the initial screen, never to return. None of the Ubuntu stuff works, neither does puppy or Knoppix or an. Some of them stop on the hlt instruction. So far I haven't found anything that works yet. I've gone as far back as RH8. I've got 5 more distros to try.

Just wondering if anyone has successfully put one of the modern distros on a machine of that vintage.

 

[Grenage]

I've never had a lot of luck with modern distros on really old machines. While it's true that Linux works fine on very little resources, that doesn't apply to the modern 'desktop' distros. They'll generally use more resources than an old copy of XP.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[BadBigBen]

Try it with the acpi=off noapic switches as the boot parameters (e.g. in the GRUB boot-loader screen)...

as to drivers for MS, well those you will need to BACKTRACK to 2001 or so... since I don't know if it is a nVidia, 3SX, Matrox, or ATI, I would not be able to point you to one...

as to Linux version, I would try SuSE 9.x, and if that installs ok, then up it to the 10.x versions...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[xwb]

The acpi=off noapic didn't seem to affect it. RH8 didn't work but RH5 did. I think it is something to do with instruction sets. Most of them get past the initliunz screen and then the screen goes blank and nothing happens. How do I get it to display what it is doing? I've tried taking out ??=quiet and stuff like that from the boot line but I still can't see anything.

 

[amoeba1]

Sounds like it is setting the screen resolution too high. Try pressing <ctrl>-<alt>-<+> to change the resolution.

Also, if that does not work, you can press <alt>-<f2> to go to a terminal prompt.

 

[xwb]

On the distributions which accept screen resolution, I'm setting it to 800x600 or 1024x768. Is that too high? I would have thought they could all handle 800x600. I'll give it a try anyway.

 

[BadBigBen]

xwb, could you post all the specs on this machine... or point towards a link that describes the PC, the ones that I find are all more recent e.g.

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/reviews/article.php/3785486

, which is the Compaq 2230s Laptop...

that way I may be more of a help in determining what is the cause and how to alleviate it...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[xwb]

It is a 2230 Presario desktop. 45Mb RAM, < 2Gb disk. I think the processor is a 486 or 486sx. Some of the Linux distros I've tried have a 686 kernel which tells me I need a 486 kernel.

45 is a very odd figure but then again, Compaq made very strange PCs. Some I've had in the past have reported strange figures like 30 or 62Mb RAM

I've tried booting with combinations of the following

noprobe
resolution=800x600
resolution=1024x768
mem=45M
no-hlt - otherwise it stops at the hlt instruction
acpi=off
apm=off
noapic

The furtherst it has gotten is a line with BogoMIPs. Something about calibrating a delay loop.

So far I've managed to get it going with Win95, Win98 and RH5.2. Win98 doesn't have screen drivers so it is restricted to 16 colours. RH5.2 got me to reformat the disk and then got stuck somewhere in one of the questions. I might retry this one at the weekend.

DSL has Tux in the top left corner and doesn't do anything more.
DeLi, RH8, LipusLite go as far a BogoMips.
PCLinuxOS and quite a few others say I need a 486 kernel

 

[BadBigBen]

45Mb RAM, < 2Gb disk. I think the processor is a 486 or 486sx.

Cough... Cough... and that still works... wow...

take a look at: DeLi Linux

DL Link:

http://www.load.to/?d=btTM8cylgS

The above site does have ADVERTISEMENT and a POPUP, but it is not impaired in any way (no malware)...

another Distro:

Tiny Linux

http://tiny.seul.org/en/index.html

and I read that Debian 2.2 or 3.x should also work...



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[xwb]

The processor is a Cyrix. I tried DeLi, locks at BogoMips. I'll try tiny Linux next.

 

[xwb]

Finally got back to this. Tiny Linux didn't quite work. It is a modern distro which requires an internet connection. This machine doesn't have an internet connection.

Anyway I managed to get Basic Linux to work. The only problem is the XWindows interface. It has its own XWin interface which is usable - works well on another machine but on a machine of this vintage, it is a bit of a challenge.

Whatever I put into the XWindows parameters ends up with a fuzzy screen. I've done 8 combinations so far. Got another 12 to try. Keep thinking to myself: I'm so close. One of these buggers must work.

Also attempting this on a 133MHz 16Mb laptop. Same problem on the Xwindows stuff. I've only done 2 combinations on that one. Switching machines between reboots. Must be the best Christmas present ever: tinkering with ancient hardware.

 

[BadBigBen]

Must be the best Christmas present ever: tinkering with ancient hardware.

I hear you... I love it too...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[happylinuxguy]

Tinkering on old hardware is fun until you realize you can get a system these days with 100 times the power of the old system for around $300.

And these new systems typically just work on Linux and you can mess around with functionality rather than busting your butt just trying to make things work when in the long run the "vintage" system won't really be able to do much for you.

Happy Linux Guy

http://happylinuxthoughts.blogspot.com/

 

[BadBigBen]

If I want functionality, I buy a system...

if I want to tinker, I get OLD stuff where I need to bust my butt to make things work...


Bottom line is this: Tinkering is fun, where as if it works out of the box it aint...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[xwb]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Noway2]

As the co-worker that gave me the old pile that I referred to in the Hardware forum about the HDD that won't boot, "some people build motorcycles from junk, I guess others build servers".

 

[kjv1611]

This is definitely an interesting thread to me. Though I don't have time right now to tinker on stuff THAT old, I do have various old systems and parts (still) that are say Pentium 1 to Pentium 3 just sitting around, other than what I've finally parted with that I'd like to tinker with. I'll have to take a shot at one or two of the itty bitty oldish support distros... if I get the time.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[xwb]

There was a 386/387 combination that I used to play with but it blew up when my screwdriver rolled off the table and fell on the circut board, shorting out something. I heard a bang and saw lots of black powder everywhere.

Now my most minimal machine is a 120MHz P1 laptop with 16Mb memory. Next project is to try LXDE on it.

By far the most difficult one to get anything working on is the Cyrix, which is what this thread is about (Compaq 2230).