How to install Puppy on a Sony Viao with 64 MB of RAM?

[sfeeley]

hmmm, I just wrote a long post that didn't go through. I'll try to summarize quickly.

Tempestous is probably right that a full install is probably best, although I'm not quite sure how to set up multiple full installs (if you want to test a few puppies to see which works best, and then delete the rest). It shouldn't be hard, its just that I am a "frugal" install guy.

There is a good tutuorial on how to do a full install here.

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=29653

You mentioned there was no choice for full or frugal install? No screen like image 26?

It may be that your menu.lst file needs to be manually edited. For example, puppy may have labeled the drive sdc1 (drive three, partition 1) but when you swap computers it would be sda1 (the only drive, partition1). Other things could be trouble as well.

can you post your menu.lst file?

a good place to look to understand naming conventions in puppy and grub is
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/GRUB

For sanity sake, you should probably make sure that the install works ok on the Acer before swapping to the sony.

curious: was the 2.14 that you used from this thread?
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=42553
its "classic pup" an updated version of 2.14 with new lightweight programs on an old kernel for old computers.

I hope this actually posts this time!

[hairybiker]

Nope no image 27 & no option like Image 7 either, remember this is 2.14 (if that is the problem)

curious: was the 2.14 that you used from this thread?
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=42553

Yes thats the one I have booted on the Acer at the moment.

For sanity sake, you should probably make sure that the install works ok on the Acer before swapping to the sony.

That's what I thought. And the acer is easier to work on

can you post your menu.lst file?

Code: Select all

# GRUB configuration file '/boot/grub/menu.lst'.
# generated by 'grubconfig'.  Mon Feb  7 14:18:06 2011
#
# The backup copy of the MBR for drive '/dev/hda' is
# here '/boot/grub/mbr.hda.3403'.  You can restore it like this.
# dd if=/boot/grub/mbr.hda.3403 of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
#
# Start GRUB global section
#timeout 30
color light-gray/blue black/light-gray
# End GRUB global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
  title Linux (on /dev/hda1)
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda1 ro vga=normal
# Linux bootable partition config ends
title Install GRUB to floppy disk (on /dev/fd0)
pause Insert a formatted floppy disk and press enter.
root (hd0,0)
setup (fd0)
pause Press enter to continue.
title Install GRUB to Linux partition (on /dev/hda1)
root (hd0,0)
setup (hd0,0)
pause Press enter to continue.
title -     For help press 'c', then type: 'help'
root (hd0)
title -     For usage examples, type: 'cat /boot/grub/usage.txt'
root (hd0)

[Jim1911]

Barry's latest Wary works fine on my Sony Vaio. It also has grub4dos which recognizes your installation better than grub.097 and creates a proper menu.lst. 2.14 did not work for me either.

[sfeeley]

Wary might be a good choice--I just haven't tried it. And of course Barry is the puppy master

My grub for 2.14 is quite different.

Code: Select all

title puppy 214x (frugal) 
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/puppy214X/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 pmedia=idehd irqpoll pci=noacpi
initrd /boot/puppy214X/initrd.gz

its a frugal install. To be honest, I don't recall how or why I got to all of those parameters, since it was installed over a year ago. (also, Its a slightly earlier version -- rc3 if I recall)

One quick thing to check: you might take a look to see if the files described in the menu.lst are actually in the place that it says they are. (example, is vmlinuz actually in /boot ? or in another folder as in my case above?)

[racepres]

Wary won't use my aironet [cisco pcmcia] nic on my dell.
Sticking to 4.2 Retro thanks
RP

[hairybiker]

OK thanks to all the help from racepres (in the background as it were) I now have a working 4.2 install.

For those interested.
Remove HDD
Put it an another laptop
boot from 4.2 cd
do a Full install
install grub
boot & test
remove the hdd
install in Viao
boot and setup video etc.

Only issue I have just now is that my video seems to be stuck at 1024x768 and I think it should be x600 but editing the xorg config isn't helping - I tried xvesa & xorg and both work.

[nancy reagan]

Here is somebody to make a complete system for 64mb

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=62363

[hairybiker]

OK first post using the Viao.

Seems fine

Bar the fact I cant see the bottom of the browser screen

[hairybiker]

OK just discovered the screen is meant to be 1024x480
any ideas on how to make that happen?
Just edit the xorg.conf ?

[Jim1911]

OK just discovered the screen is meant to be 1024x480
any ideas on how to make that happen?
Just edit the xorg.conf ?

Goto Setup on Menu and use xorg video wizard.

[hairybiker]

Tried that it doesn't offer me that resolution
only 800x600 or 1024x768