My Slowest, Crappiest Computer Running Linux

[Bungo Pony]

Here's what I have Damn Small Linux running on:

A 486 DX/2 Compaq Laptop
16M RAM
128M Hard Drive
No CD-ROM drive

It takes nearly five minutes to boot (4:51 from power-on) and it's barely useable. Dillo doesn't even bother to load at boot (which might actually be a good thing :) )

If you wanna know how I did it:

1) I installed DSL onto the hard drive using a BETTER laptop with a CD-ROM drive. Swapping it into another computer is fine since DSL looks for devices everytime it boots.

2) DSL requires 200M of hard drive space to install. I initially tried installing Slitaz on this thing (which requires 120M of space), but it didn't even boot. During the install of DSL after it prompted me to choose the boot loader, I mounted the HD and deleted some 'bloat' (Firefox, games, etc) and there was enough drive space for it to install Lilo.

3) I installed the hard drive into the 486 and let it boot.

I now have a completely useless computer with an OS that barely functions!

[steveneddy]

Sweet! My old 486 answers my phone and takes faxes. Still runs windows 95.

[K.Mandla]

I now have a completely useless computer with an OS that barely functions!
I am so totally jealous right now. :mrgreen: No really: I would love to get my hands on something like that. :twisted:

[kerry_s]

i would try a text based system, maybe debian base with links2 for web browsing.

[Sef]

16 mb ram is too little for DSL. Check out DeliLinux (http://www.delilinux.org/). It would be have to be installed with no GUI.

[molom]

Can I buy it? How much? ;)

And I think Windows Vista can run on that thing quite smoothly, (60% of the time it works all the time). :lolflag:

[Bungo Pony]

Maybe I could sell it as a prototype to Microsoft for their Open Source line :D

[K.Mandla]

What's the model number of that laptop, anyway?

[Bungo Pony]

What's the model number of that laptop, anyway?

It's a LTE Elite 4/50CX

[Midwest-Linux]

Good post, enjoy reading stuff like this. I have a Gateway Nomad 425/DX 25 that originally ran Windows 3.11. Which might be a good candidate for this, right now it boots up to bios and thats it.

[insane_alien]

you could try some of the floppy based distributions. i believe there is even one with X on it.

[tdrusk]

DeLi is the answer.

[MONODA]

you should try CRUX :D it takes a bit of knowledge and time to set up but then you will actually have a functioning system.

[darrelljon]

Try the Linux distros under 50Mb here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=575456).

[K.Mandla]

you should try CRUX :D it takes a bit of knowledge and time to set up but then you will actually have a functioning system.
It would be interesting to see if Crux helped that at all. Getting it on there would be a trick, and keeping the system within that hard drive space while compiling would be a small feat too. What fun!

[chris4585]

just amazing... I'd love to have that just to play with,

[Midwest-Linux]

Ok tried the server method, installing Ubuntu as a server and then adding components. It hung up on the language pack. (One site suggested installing it as a server and then add the desktop from there).

Back to DSL, last time I tried installing it through the Boot options, DSL could not find the hard drive. So thats why I tried the minimal install Ubuntu iso and followed the methods suggested in the links.

So I'm back to DSL, I didn't use the F2 or F3 boot options. I let it run completely through and now I have DSL on my desktop. Looks nice, except there is one problem...the PS2 mouse doesn't work, so I tried the USB mouse...it doesn't work either.

OK... I'll be back with a update....


BTW ... I saw several Omnibook 5700 up for bid on E-bay...one of them was a LOT of five.

[mikjp]

you should try CRUX :D it takes a bit of knowledge and time to set up but then you will actually have a functioning system.

Crux does not run on a 486.

Packages on the official CRUX ISO image are compiled with optimization for i686 (Pentium-Pro/Celeron/Pentium-II or better) processors. Do not try to install it on an i586 (Pentium, AMD K6/K6-II/K6-III) or lower processor, since it simply will not work. (http://crux.nu/Main/Handbook2-4#ntoc10)

I would try NetBSD, Minix or FreeDOS on that hardware.

[regomodo]

try the net install (http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/) of debian. when you get the option, deselect all environment setups ( file-server/workstation, etc)

[K.Mandla]

Crux does not run on a 486.
True, but there are ways around that. Figuring them out would be part of the fun in owning a machine like that.

[mikjp]

Well, I have enough fun in using Slackware on P100 with 40 MB and Debian on iBook 600 MHz & 384 MB. Minix and especially NetBSD would also be at least as fun to use as Crux is ;-)

[sstusick]

Wow, that thing is ancient!

Hope you're having fun with it, :lolflag:

[wannadumpwindows]

I have an AMD K-62 @ 266 Mhz with 96Mb and I somehow managed to get Ubuntu on it. IT runs slow as heck and takes forever to boot. But once I pulled the monitor ans stopped X from starting, it makes for a pretty good little server for media files and the like, stuffed in the corner.

I guess I can't even call it a server, I use it more like a network hard drive.

But the install was a serious pain. Took me 5 or 6 tries. But it works pretty well for what I need it for now. It's still running Gutsy. =D

[init1]

I'd run FreeDOS on it. It'll boot very quickly (faster than 5 minutes anyway :D) and you might be able to do things with it. I doubt that thing has a NIC, but if it does, you might be able to get Arachne working on it.
www.freedos.org