Bin Or Linux?

[OnOff]

So............the XP that was on the pc originally......................would that have been 3D?.................cos it worked!

 

[Steve3948]

Sounds like a driver issue with graphcs card, and not all generic drivers work as they should.

Is there the correct driver for the OS anywhere for download, although there may be some loaded you really need the correct one.

 

[steptoe]

You are hardwired to internet during install?

And have ticked the boxes to update during install and 3rd party software?

Can you run either terminal, ctrl alt t , or if not try a terminal from live CD, and run sudo lshw

 

[OnOff]

Well, I NOW have this old pc chez moi, got to scrounge a monitor as my mate only has the one! Can't be keep swapping here either. Bro in law has a 15" TFT spare I think. Then LOADS of questions!

NOT going to give up!  :lol:  

 

[steptoe]

good,

sudo lshwis what we need, we can see what hardware you are running then.

 

[OnOff]

OK, the beast is now at my place set up on the dining room table (missus not overly pleased). Had to dive into Currys and get a new BIOS battery.  Here's the hardware etc:



Anyway, hardwired to the router, attached to an old SVGA Viglen CRT monitor. It had Linux Mint 15 installed and looks bliddy awful:



So with Mint on the HDD I whacked in a SliTaz 4.0 DVD. Not too bad looks wise, better than on my mates TFT in fact:



HOWEVER I can't see where/how to install SliTaz to the HDD. To be honest the feel of it is a bit "out there" to my mind! Would much prefer a distro with a Windows or "better than Windows" feel like Ubuntu. Any suggestions on where to go from here now I have it in front of me?

I tried the sudo lshw thing having found what I assume is the SliTaz terminal..........this is what I got:



Still trying to get my head round creating a multi-boot DVD - need to do it under either XP Pro or Win7.

Cheers

 

[steptoe]

OK, sudo doesnt work on SliTaz,

Im not even sure if lshw works on it either,

basically

sudo = Super User DO

like root or admin on windoze,

try

lshw

on its own and see if its a valid slitaz command

lshw = List Show Hard Ware

 

[OnOff]

OK, sudo doesnt work on SliTaz,

Im not even sure if lshw works on it either,

basically

sudo = Super User DO

like root or admin on windoze,

try

lshw

on its own and see if its a valid slitaz command

lshw = List Show Hard Ware

Cheers. I'll have to go back and do that as I'm just burning and antiX ISO to the DVD I had SliTaz on..................got to sort this multi-boot thing!

 

[steptoe]

did you try

ctrl + alt + t

when mint was running?

it may still give you a usable terminal even though the graphics are shot.

 

[OnOff]

Getting the hump with this thing now. Maybe need to take a step back! Mixed results, been playing with a stack of distros on CD/DVD.

The graphics card by the way is the "lesser" of the ones that were fitted to the Vectra the Matrox G250

At the mo, Mint is on the HDD but gives the nasty "repeated" desktop across the screen as in picture number 2 post #91 above. Can get a terminal but it's about as legible as the rest of the screen

This was LXDE:



DSL:



Wary Puppy:



The DSL, Wary Puppy, SliTaz desktops seem to look better than the 'buntu distros. Is there some reason for this maybe, i.e. how they're "based"? I've read some distros are "Debian" based etc but not too sure quite what it's all about.............

This was a couple of of different attempts with 'buntu distros - couldn't get any further than the screens shown as in the keyboard wouldn't work. Wonder if it's that this a USB keyboard and at my mates he had a PS2?





Apologies for the pic quality, taken with a decent Samsung camera but through the view finder all the screen lines are visible on this CRT. Have tried a TFT and same issues

 

[steptoe]

that ubuntu on the last pic, is that 9.04 or similar?#

I know that once installed you can boot it up in 2D version with all graphics accelerators turned off,

ubuntu is debian based,

deffo seems like a gfx issue as puppy and dsl work ok, they are designed to work on minimal HW machines.

could be that the bios doesnt turn the usb ports on until after boot up, have you tried different port? on my PC the front usb doesnt work until after boot, but the rear panel ones are 'on' as soon as I press the power button.

BTW, if its just the desktop you dont like you may be able to install a *buntu version onto whatever flavour you install,

LXDE though is about the lightest proper ubuntu desktop there is,

although Ive never used KDE, [Kubuntu's desktop] so cant comment on it.

 

[OnOff]

that ubuntu on the last pic, is that 9.04 or similar?# One of the discs is 10. something but pretty sure in the picture it's a 12 or 13 install.......BUT I can't do anything from that whatever is with that window as in ENTER does nothing, arrow keys don't work etc.

I know that once installed you can boot it up in 2D version with all graphics accelerators turned off,

ubuntu is debian based,

deffo seems like a gfx issue as puppy and dsl work ok, they are designed to work on minimal HW machines. Is there a way to get these onto the HDD?

could be that the bios doesnt turn the usb ports on until after boot up, have you tried different port? on my PC the front usb doesnt work until after boot, but the rear panel ones are 'on' as soon as I press the power button. Good call that. Only have two USB ports on the back. At my mates place we had a USB mouse and a PS2 keyboard so I'm guessing now as you say the PS2 keyboard allowed installation via the keyboard until the USB came on line. The keyboard I'm using now is USB.

BTW, if its just the desktop you dont like you may be able to install a *buntu version onto whatever flavour you install, Sounds good, any pointers how?

LXDE though is about the lightest proper ubuntu desktop there is,

although Ive never used KDE, [Kubuntu's desktop] so cant comment on it.

Need to find a PS2 keyboard to progress methinks!

 

[steptoe]

mmmmm,

I have DSL on an ancient laptop, cant remember how I installed it though, was so long ago,

I'll have a mess with slitaz in a bit, I have it on a usb stick and will put it on an old laptop I have, it doesnt have any keys, so i have to use a usb keyboard, luckily it works from power on,

I know on normal ubuntu to get most stuff the command is

sudo apt-get *whatever*

or

sudo apt-get install **********

eg.

sudo apt-get lxde

however, as you pointed out, sudo isnt a slitaz command,  :C

fluxbox works in DSL

http://fluxbox.org/

 

[OnOff]

Right, got the feelers out for a PS2 keyboard so fingers crossed will get one tomorrow. Meanwhile going to try Kubuntu tonight - just downloading it.

 

[OnOff]

Right, got the feelers out for a PS2 keyboard so fingers crossed will get one tomorrow. Meanwhile going to try Kubuntu tonight - just downloading it.

With the Kubuntu DVD the keyboard and mouse seem to work straight away but again get the multiple, illegible instances of the desktop across the screen along with mouse "trail"..................

 

[OnOff]

Still NOT yet got a PS2 keyboard but found one at the Currys PCWorld outlet store (which I never knew existed) on eBay for a fiver. Looking at their other stuff and thought their HDD's were pretty cheap - like £15! Good for a replacement on an old lappy etc:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Currys-PC-World/PC-Components-Parts-/_i.html?_fsub=3628859013&_sid=991453053&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

Had a quick go with a Peppermint OS Live DVD (my first ISO burn using Ubuntu - v.easy). Gets as far as "needing" the PS" keyboard to get any further like many of the other distros tried.

 

[OnOff]

PS2 keyboard I borrowed today has me back in the game of trying distros and Peppermint NO GOOD!

 

[steptoe]

have you tried slitaz with fluxbox?

its not so much the distros you seem to be struggling with,

I think you need something less graphics hungry/intense, more substance and less eye candy, 

 

[OnOff]

I understand the SliTaz bit - I CAN get that on there but what is Fluxbox? I've found references to Fluxbuntu which seems to be discontinued. How do I get Fluxbox "on top of" the SliTaz install?

Currently having another go in desperation with that Lubuntu 12.04 you sent down!

Would it maybe easier just to get a better graphics card?

 

[Steve3948]

OnOff you do know that you can get a USB/PS2 adapter, I think I have several in 20 year old PC parts box.

They are green from memory, plug USB keyboard into it, then plug that into the PS2 socket and job done.