SillyDog701

[Tron]

How do I install Linux or freebsd on a 486.
Where can I download installdisks an the OS.
I searched the web but nowhere can I find a simlpe guide and a simlpe downloadpage.
I want to install it on a 486 with 40mb ram,and two harddrives.
One hd is 250mb and the other is 350mb.
Speed : 75 mhz

The harddrives are both formatted.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Mandrake]

Linux more than likely won't run on that old hardware. Redhat reccomends a 200mhz with 64mb of ram for the command prompt only, and a 400mhz with 192mb ram for a GUI (Gnome or KDE). Just search for "Linux ISOs" at Google and you'll find tons of download sites. If you use an older distro such as Redhat 6, then Linux might well work on that machine. But I'd install DOS or Windows 95 on that old box if I were you.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624

[Tron]

I always tought Linux could run on as little as a 386.
I doesn't have to be te latest version or anything.
I just have this old pc lying around and I want to try some other stuff then Windows,just for fun.
Do you know anything about freebsd?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Tron]

I'm trying to install FreeBsd now.
I've managed to burn the iso file and to create the two bootable floffies.
Everything works fine untill I face all the setup menu's.
This stuff is waaaaay to complicated and to techie for me.
Maybe if I study the FreeBSD website for 2 day's I can get the job done
Is all linux stuff this complicated I could really use a hand.

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[Mandrake]

The gap in the system requirements between Linux and Windows has diminished greatly over the last few years. FreeBSD is hardly for an end user, I don't think it even probes hardware by itself, you are much better off with an upto date Linux distro like SuSE, Mandrake or Redhat. All have GUI based installers, and are just as easy as Windows to install.

Regarding System Requirements: This is from the Redhat 9 Release Notes:

Hardware Requirements

The following information represents the minimum hardware requirements necessary to successfully install Red Hat Linux 9:

CPU:

- Minimum: Pentium-class

- Recommended for text-mode: 200 MHz Pentium-class or better

- Recommended for graphical: 400 MHz Pentium II or better

Hard Disk Space (NOTE: Additional space will be required for user data):

- Custom Installation (minimum): 475MB

- Server (minimum): 850MB

- Personal Desktop: 1.7GB

- Workstation: 2.1GB

- Custom Installation (everything): 5.0GB

Memory:

- Minimum for text-mode: 64MB

- Minimum for graphical: 128MB

- Recommended for graphical: 192MB

Note that the compatibility/availability of other hardware components (such as video and network cards) may be required for specific installation modes and/or post-installation usage. For more information about hardware compatibility, see the Red Hat Linux Hardware Compatibility List at http://hardware.redhat.com/hcl/

Not exactly 486 grade, eh?

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[Tron]

I can't seem to find anything else then boring old
win 95 to run on my old box.
I found something about MandrakeLinux 7.0 for i486 but the ftp link doesn't work.My harddrive is to small anyway I presume.

Well...unless anyone has any bright ideas i geuss I'll have to choose between throwing that thing away or install win 95 on it
Hmm...

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[DJGM]

If it still works, but seems obsolete to your own needs, don't just chuck it away!

Here's 3 things you could do with that old PC . . .

Beef up your online security:
Find out how to set it up as a hardware firewall system and/or proxy server.

Give it away:
Donate it to some charitable organization, or a local community project.

Search out old Linux OSes.
On eBay or in classified ads. You're bound to find something suitable.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.3.1: Desktop/LX Amethyst) Gecko/20030509

[hartlandcat]

Try installing OS/2 Warp 4.0 -- you should be able to get the CDs from Amazon, and it won't cost you very much. Although I've never installed OS/2 Warp, I'm guessing it's about as easy to install as Windows 95. It's actually very similar to Windows, because like Windows, it is based on DOS, but it was made by IBM instead of Microsoft. OS/2 Warp 4.0 should run on your machine as it was released in 1996. There's plenty of good browsers for it, like the Mozilla Suite, Mozilla Firebird and Warpzilla. However, you'll have to use Web Explorer (a browser made by IBM comparable to IE 2.0) or Netscape 2.0 to download one of those recent browsers. The Mozilla Suite is almost the same as Netscape 7.

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[Tron]

Well maybe I will try Warp 4.0 then.
I can't set it up as a firewall cos' I'm already connected on a router with a firewall.
I actually got freebsd figured out but it wont detect my cd-rom so I gave up.
Thx for the replies and any suggestions for a suitable operating system are wellcome.

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[jubalj]

There are actually many linux distributions that you can try, but i must warn you that a lot of it is going to be text based. Xwindows may work, but you'r going to have to use a lite windows manager like fluxbox;

- Damn Small Linux http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/
- Debian (debian.org) is a good choice if you have an internet connection. http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i ... .html#s2.3
- Slackware one of the first linux distributions still supports 486. http://www.slackware.com/ .
- peanut linux should work too. http://www.ibiblio.org/peanut/

But, like I said..the computer is probably gonna be best used in text mode - so it will be a lot of learning (http://www.ctssn.com/ and http://rute.sourceforge.net/ )

So what exactly did u want to do with the computer? the computer maybe well suited to run as a small webserver.. with debian.. just install the console stuff and apache?

If you do some setting up you could use it as terminal into another linux computer (you can use knoppix for this knoppix.net (see section on terminal server http://www.tprthai.net/knoppix.htm and http://mailman.linuxtag.org/pipermail/d ... 01107.html) or you could run a server on the network with http://www.k12ltsp.org/.

Otherwise, if you want to donate it to someone else as a firewall, chuck IPcop (http://www.ipcop.org/) on it.. it will runheadless and show netowork stats, run intrusion detection etc.. (actually this is the best use i can think of, unless you want to learn command line?)

Anyway, let me know if you need any help.

Jubal

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.5) Gecko/20031019

[Tron]

I have two things I would like to do with it.
1) I would like to use it for simple personal stuff just like windows with a basic GUI.
Not that I need it but it is out of curiousity and interest and I'm not interested in win95.
2) Or but I think this is not possibe,I would like to use it for a remote desktop of a win98 system.

If possible in any way i would like to see both features combined.

Thx for your reply and I will ask for your help when I need it.

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[jubalj]

I pretty sure you do have the minimum requirements for runing Xwindows, with a very light WM eg. twm, fluxbox (see http://www.plig.org/xwinman/intro.html ). I cant garantee that its going to very usuable? plus you choice of apps will be very restricted.

Connecting to your windows 98 machine may actually work decently though. Probably use http://www.tightvnc.com/ or http://www.realvnc.com/ .

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.5) Gecko/20031019

[jubalj]

Okay here are some links that will give you more specific information:

http://www.ipt.ntnu.no/~knutb/linux486/linux486.html
http://www.buffsworld.com/486linux.html
http://www.linuxhelp.net/guides/oldpcs/

discussion threads:
http://www.angelfire.com/al/priddyink/handbook486.html
http://www2.geek.com/discus/messages/6874/719.html
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum40/823.htm

QNX:
http://google.com/search?q=cache:XN4e2H ... n&ie=UTF-8
Thin Client:
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Thinclient-HOWTO.html#toc1


btw: see distrowatch.com if you are having trouble locating where distos are.

now i'm curious to see how this turns out!

Jubal

Edit: added a few more links

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.5) Gecko/20031019

[DJGM]

Try installing OS/2 Warp 4.0 -- you should be able to get
the CDs from Amazon, and it won't cost you very much.

Amazon.com are asking US$270 for it! That's way too much for a technically obsolete OS!

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[Tron]

I will notify you on the results in 2 or three day's.
I really appriciate the the help here

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