Bin Or Linux?

[OnOff]

:Applaud

you will deffo [maybe] get something to work now,

time for multiboot methinks, 

And here come the questions:

Correct me if I'm wrong but a multiboot is a DVD with LOTS of Linux distros on to try out?

Can I create one within Windows XP Pro or 7?

The only Linux machine I "run" at the mo is the laptop with Ubuntu though I run that off the Live CD as the Win 7 side is a bit naffed. I could I think create a Live USB stick then create the multi-boot DVD in the now free drive on the laptop.....................I think! Actually, wasn't that stick you sent me a Live one?

Got a link for the required software to "create" the multiboot? 

 

[steptoe]

yer, I think it was,

what I really meant was you could partition your new toy into different parts and load a lot of OS's onto it and try them all to see what one performs best,

I think you will probably still have to go for something light, due to the CPU, but, something like Lubuntu should be reasonably fast on it,

me,? I'd have a go with slitaz, Ive just tried it on my old lappie, intel celeron M with 512ram,[circa 2002], and it flies, looks quite snazzy too, 

I think infra-recorder is the thing to use to make an .iso in windows,

but, Im not 100% ,

 

[OnOff]

Yes the desktop on SliTaz appears very easy on the eye:

http://lcausilla.deviantart.com/art/Trying-Slitaz-4-0-324309833

 

[steptoe]

VERY nice 

 

[OnOff]

VERY nice 

Better known as SlitAss Phwoar!

 

[steptoe]

you know what,

thats what I always think when I see it,  :slap

 

[OnOff]

you know what,

thats what I always think when I see it,  :slap

That'll be the Irish thought process in me coming out then!

Never been but when Mum goes I've promised to scatter her ashes in the Shannon in Limerick. Hoping that I can get a return taxi from the airport to stop on the bridge or maybe bung the pilot to just fly low! Or are you NOT a Fenian b'stard like me?

 

[steptoe]

That'll be the Irish thought process in me coming out then!

Never been but when Mum goes I've promised to scatter her ashes in the Shannon in Limerick. Hoping that I can get a return taxi from the airport to stop on the bridge or maybe bung the pilot to just fly low! Or are you NOT a Fenian b'stard like me?

msl:

do you know what that means?

google Finn McCool and the Fenians,,,,,

 

[OnOff]

msl:

do you know what that means?

google Finn McCool and the Fenians,,,,,

PM'd for fear of reprisals from both sides! :lol:

 

[OnOff]

Just got the two 256MB RAMBUS sticks from the States through the post so half a gig of RAM should give me some more OS options!

 

[steptoe]

SLITAZ will fly on that!!!!!!

Lubuntu will be quite fast too,

'normal' Ubuntu will work on it, albeit probably slightly laggy, I have Edubuntu running on a really old PC [P4 512 ram] for the little one and it works fine, he can even watch cartoons on it, just takes a bit of time to buffer.

 

[OnOff]

SLITAZ will fly on that!!!!!!

Lubuntu will be quite fast too,

'normal' Ubuntu will work on it, albeit probably slightly laggy, I have Edubuntu running on a really old PC [P4 512 ram] for the little one and it works fine, he can even watch cartoons on it, just takes a bit of time to buffer.

Edubuntu? Yet another distro I've just had to read up on! Interesting how they tailor the installs according to the kid's age. Cheers.

 

[steptoe]

just a quickie,

the reason *nix likes ram is for speed,

no matter how much ram you have [unless you have something mad like 16G ! ] *nix will probably use about 90% of it 90% of the time,

thats where it gets its speed from,

instead of running from the HDD it uses ram for its benefit, unlike windoze that has to fetch everything from the HDD

 

[OnOff]

Memory write up here

http://atomicorp.com/company/blogs/259-why-does-linux-use-so-much-memory.html

Use free -m in terminal for free memory and also the top command

Had a brief read and yet to take all in but cheers for that! Am I right then in that the various 'nix distros CAN make use of extra internal RAM "easily" without the restrictions that Windoze has?

Then ReadyBoost came in with Vista allowing use of a USB stick as extra RAM...........does Linux "offer" similar?

 

[steptoe]

linux will use whatever ram you have,

if using a USB for 'extra' ram then that is like a HDD, its pretty pointless imo,

its a gimmick for windoze to say its extra ram, how exactly is reading a USB faster than a HDD?

 

[OnOff]

Linux Mint looks rather nice, any users?

Still trying to get my head around the whole Linux concept tbh. So MANY variations. Is there a basic "kernel" (I think?) that they all share? Do they share "basic" commands? What makes them different?

 

[steptoe]

yes, basically,

they all share the *nix kernel, as does MAC ( albeit a modified and outdated version),

and a very heavily modified (and massively outdated version) version for windoze

but, some use .deb rather than more complex versions,

the most basic, user friendly are the *buntu versions, they have most used applications in the software centre, or are available as .deb downloads which extract themselves,

Mint is fairly lightweight, but doesnt always come with required drivers etc,

one command I think works across most is

top

another is

lshw

there are a few others that are useful too,

and most commands will work across most forks, albeit with perhaps a few variations,

try

sudo apt-get update

 

[OnOff]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Well, fitted the tenner's worth of  512MB of RAMBUS RAM (Samsung make) from the States. All in, recognized aok etc. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Tried Ubuntu............still got the "snowy" effect screens like shown above, a bit better/clearer than before but still God awful! [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Had a go then with Slitaz.......workable though graphics look a bit antiquated and blocky IMHO. Appreciate the graphics card etc is old but tbh XP Pro looked better. Only ran from the DVD - didn't appear to have an option to install to the HDD???  BUT at least NO SNOW EFFECTS![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]So, onto [/SIZE]Lubuntu 12.04 Alternate. Weird in that it all seemed to load MUCH FASTER, guess it's the RAM doing that? A proper rapid install with nothing hanging and v.little waiting time. But at the end of it still rubbish graphics with unuseable desktop!

[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Going to try Mint! Earlier 'buntu maybe???[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Think I need to burn a multiboot DVD to try different distros..............[/SIZE]

 

[OnOff]

Tried Mint and to start with thought w'd cracked it!. Really good looking with clear graphics during the install. Hellishly SLOW to install though compared with Lubuntu - both tried with the extra RAM . Got as far as a nice new "desktop" and told to restart. Fingers crossed I did........................same cr@ppy fuzzy/snowy desktop when it rebooted! Did get a window come up mentioning graphics/cpu performance before restarting but didn't take a photo.

Been doing this at my mates place as and when. But, fingers crossed tomorrow I'll have the pc at home and will be able to play to my hearts content. 

Going to read up tonight on making a multi-boot DVD.

 

[steptoe]

Ok, this is weird, Im thinking its trying to run 3rd acceleration, which your graphics card probably cant handle,

At the start up screen of Ubuntu you can actually start in 2d with effects disabled,

I dont know off the top of my head how to do it with any other flavour though, but I would think its doable ok.