Kubuntu on *OLD* laptop?

Alright, I have a few questions, and I was hoping some of the people here would be willing to help me out.

I have been interested in Linux for some time, but haven't really been brave enough to risk any of my PC's with it. I did try to dual boot SuSe one time, but that didn't go so well. Couldn't get anything to run, and it was very confusing - too much stuff! lol

Well, I very recently bought myself a Dell Inspiron 6400. I am not quite ready to make it a linux machine, however, I now no longer care what happens to my old laptop. I may also in a few months get another old computer to play with, that is a bit better than the laptop, but still old. We'll see about that.. for now...

My old laptop is as follows:

Intel Pentium MMX processor at 233 MHz
128 MB of RAM
3.81 GB hard drive
The sticker on the laptop says it was design for windows NT and 95

Now, I know this sounds pretty bad, it's old, but... It runs Windows XP! Not GREAT... not by a long shot. But it does run it, and has for the past couple of years since a friend gave it to me. People say that Linux runs better than XP, takes less resources, etc...

So, the next question is: Do you think it can run Linux, or should I abandon hope on that laptop and wait for that other computer to play with? I have been reading up on various distros, and it seems most people like Ubuntu, especially for the newbie. And I've tried to find information about both KDE and GNOME, and personally I don't much like the looks of GNOME, but KDE looks like it could be interesting if it were customized a bit. Okay, maybe a lot.. I like to customize my computers!!

I've also taken a glance at Xubuntu, which may be better for such an old system, though I'd prefer if I could get Kubuntu up and running, as that is the distro I would probably run if I decided I like it, and put it on my Desktop, or, god forbid, maybe my new 6400 laptop!

At any rate... I've heard a lot of good things about Linux, and I *REALLY* want to give it a go! I love open-source software. I already use OpenOffice exclusively for the past year or so. It's a scary plunge to change to a totally new OS, but I don't mind if this old laptop fries, so what the heck, right?

I'd appreciate any help and or advice that anyone can offer me, and hopefully help me on the track to becoming a Linux junky.

Can I get it up and running on this machine??
Thanks in advance for any help!
And sorry for the rambling post...

~ Kristen

 

What you say is true; Linux is the ideal choice for an older computer. But of the *buntu variations, Kubuntu uses the most system resources since it uses the KDE GUI. Generally speaking, system resource consumption is listed from most to least:

Kubuntu (KDE), Ubuntu (GNOME), Xubuntu (XFCE)

I would recommend Xubuntu since it has only 128MB of RAM, but Ubuntu is possible; just don't expect to break any world records with it.

PS; if you want to take a look at other distributions (there are hundreds), visit www.distrowatch.com

 

I'd recommend Xubuntu too, Kubuntu and Xubuntu should be very similar linux knowledge wise, so play around with Xubuntu, and later on you can install kubuntu on the newer computer

 

If it can run Windows 1.0, it can run Linux.

 

Like others, I would recommend Xubuntu. There are other options though, especially for older hardware. One option is DSL. It is really lightweight and has great support for old hardware. I ran it on my old 500MHz Intel Celeron, 128MB of RAM, and 512k integrated graphics machine and it was pretty quick. Another option is Fluxbuntu, which is based on Ubuntu, but uses Fluxbox rather than KDE or Gnome, which makes it really lightweight (at the expense of a beauty though). Still, Fluxbox runs great on old hardware.

 

Fluxbuntu is still in rc stage, so I would not recommend it quite yet.

 

Ooookay.. I need some help. Tried to fix it on my own, no luck. Help.

I downloaded and attempted to install Xubuntu 7.04... I kept getting an I/O error, and a google search came up with try the alternate install CD as a solution.

I downloaded the alternate install CD, and ran it. A short time after I finished configuring my keyboard layout, it just.. stopped. Little blue screen, with the white edge pieces... But no text came up, nothing. The CD kept spinning up, and down, and up. I personally think that is a problem with the CD drive. Maybe it's too old, I don't know. But I recall that being a similar problem when I tried to install SuSe last year. Spin up, down, up, down, no progress.

I went all through the Ubuntu installation help... I'm not sure if this old baby CAN boot USB (not 2.0), but it doesn't really matter since my flash stick is only 512mb... Unless I could use my video ipod instead?

I tried a program called instlux, but it simply tried to uninstall when the computer rebooted.

I looked at the install from net, but... It's a little beyond my brain, at least at the moment. I've been out gardening aalllll day....

Anywho... This is a little discouraging, but I don't blame Linux, I blame my crappy old laptop. lol. Can anyone offer some advice? Either a way to get the CD to work properly, or an alternate install method? I really do think this is a problem with my CD drive... It's as old as the laptop. I have a home network, if I could install from the files on another computer, but someone would have to explain it a little better than the Ubuntu help does..

*Sigh* Thank you for your help guys, it's much appreciated. I still want to try Linux!

 

Yeah, I have that issue on my old laptop as well; the CD drive isn't working so hot these days. You will only be able to install via the alternate CD, since the LiveCDs require at least 192MB of RAM. You may be able to try the install again and just hope that your CD drive decides to work right this time. I don't have any experience with installing over the net; sorry.

 

Is a CD required ? Can you not download the CD to the HDD and do a "install from HDD" ?

 

There are a number of listed alternatives to a CD install, but like I said, the install over net seemed written a little.. oddly. As far as I could find, there is no "install from HDD", which sucks cause the CD loads in Windows. And the funny thing is: The windows install CD works. However I got this error after I left the install sitting there for a while:

!! Detect and mount CD-ROM

Your installation CD-ROM couldn't be mounted. This probably means that the CD-ROM was not in the drive. If so you can insert it and try again.

Try again to mount the CD-ROM?

Yes/No

I enter yes, left it, and got the same error. I don't know, this cd rom doesn't seem to like linux cd's for some reason. I know it doesn't like CD-RW, but I burned them on CD-R's.

The other options for installing all seem to require either a flash usb drive, or floppy disks. This lappy does not have a floppy drive, and as I said, my only usb flash drive is 512 MB - too small for all the install files. I will keep looking around for a solution, but this is becoming aggravating at every turn. >_>

 

This is their list of help files for installing....

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation

 

I don`t get it. It can boot from the disk, begin the installation... but not finish the installation.

Apparently this unable to mount CD-ROM is a very common problem, which most people resolve by switching to another CD-ROM -- I luxury I do not have. I have tried install 7.04, 6.06.1, and now I will try installing 6.10 (all alternate install disks). If this fails, I will try DSL. Right now i`m wondering if this is even worthwhile? It IS running WindowsXP just fine and dandy, if a little bit slowly. It INSTALLED XP off a CD fine.

So, why can it install XP, install programs from CD, BOOT linux installer... but not install?

Can anyone recommend any other distros built for old machines? I`m just chewin through CD-R`s here

 

I'll see if I can dig up something.

 

Update: I tried 6.10 and DSL. I don`t know of any other way to install it.

DSL loaded, but the screen was all green, so bad that I couln`t read more than 2 or 3 words, or see outlines clearly.

Suggestions on other distros made for old computers would be good, at this point.

 

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28948
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/install-ubuntukubuntuedubuntuxubuntu-without-cdrom-drive.html

 

You could also consider running an older version of Windows, such as 95, 98, or 2000. My sister's desktop has had the same '98 installation for years without any major problems. In truth, the older (and less complex) versions of Windows are far more reliable than the latest-and-greatest operating systems out there (cough cough, Vista, cough). Of course they are a little more limited in terms of capability, but your laptop couldn't run Vista even if you had it.

 

Thank-you for the links, wearetheborg, nice searching. Unfortunately none of them will work for me, for various reasons. Can't download any files during install because I don't have a real NIC, HDD is too small to partition and still function, etc, etc. Ah well, after two and a half days, I think I've given this all it's going to get. I just don't think it's possible on this laptop, unless I get a new CD-ROM for it. Oh well. I'm rather disappointed.

And btw, bc135, nice parrot. I love African grays.

~ Kristen

P.S. And thanks to everyone who tried to help!

 

Well, I had the problem on my old Toshiba from 1999 that wouldnt boot from the CD drive at all. So I stuck the HD in another laptop of mine and installed ubuntu from there, then I put the hd back in the Toshiba and the only problem I had was the xserver, but that was easily remedied with

Code:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

 

JollyGreenGiant:

That's a good idea, very inventive.
Unfortunately, the only other laptop I have is my shining new Inspiron 6400, and even if the hard drive or CD-ROM are compatible with one another, I'm not quite ready to mess with my shiny new baby just yet. It might void the warranty, too...

If only I knew anyone else with an old laptop, who could lend me their CD-ROM...
Ah well.

 

It doesn't void the warranty. I asked Dell. Ubuntu 7.04 also works well on the 6400 after install. I had issues with the X Server and my ATi card though, had to use the alternate install CD.

 

Ah, thanks Lysander. Do you know if that means voiding warrenty happens if you open up the case (for example to install a bluetooth module)?

And it's interesting to hear you got Ubuntu running on your 6400. Works well? It is a good thing to know, at any rate, in case some day I become a linux user. At this rate that doesn't look like it'll ever happen - I'm just too squemish to try it on my GOOD PC's that I use every day. I'm too afraid it'll do "bad things". lol

 

I use both Windows and Linux on my 6400. Linux hasn't done any bad things on any install I have.

And yes, opening up the case generally voids the warranty. However, if you buy and after market bluetooth module, Dell may assist you in installing it over the phone. This will not void the warranty.

 

Lysander:

Cool! Thanks for the info, very good to know.

I had wanted to get bluetooth with my laptop, but time and money constraints didn't allow for it. I was curious as to my options should I wish to add it at a later date, as I had read that it is possible to install it after the manufacturing.

In my experience, Dell phone support kind of sucks, however, their actual support and warranty policies towards their customers are pretty damn good.

Maybe I should just play around with the live cd of Ubuntu, to get a feel for things. Though from what I've heard it has limited functionality...

P.S. -- I love your signature pic. Very cute. Do it yourself?

 

Can't say the sig is my doing.

And the liveCD is limited only by lack of 3d video drivers, and speed. A normal install will be faster.

And I've found (at least Dell Australia) support in all it's forms to be excellent. But I've heard in north america they get a bad rep.

 

You likely won't be able to just stick your old hard drive into your 6400 and install Ubuntu. If the laptop is that old, it's probably using an IDE/PATA interface for the hard drive, whereas newer computers (such as the 6400) use an SATA interface for the hard drive. They aren't compatible.

 

Notebook_ftw:

Yes, it's actually one of the reasons I was fine with getting a 5200 rpm HDD. It's SATA, and it runs just as well as my 7200 rpm IDE HDD in my main computer. I have no idea, however, if the CD-ROM and the DVD writer may be compatible or not. Either way, I'm not really willing to try it.

Lysander:

You're lucky. I KNEW the Dell phone support people for the US... even though I'm in Canada. They have a large Dell helpdesk call centre here in my city. My ex worked there, and so did a few of my old colleuges. Ohhh boy.
I'll let you know how my LiveCD experience goes, if I get around to it today or tomorrow.
By the way... adding Ubuntu didn't mess up your dell media direct function at all? I don't really care, I've been in the thing for less than 5 minutes since I got the laptop, I'm just curious. I prefer to watch video in my OS.

 

I deleted the Media Direct partition, as I only have a 60GB harddrive and needed the space. Besides, I get faster boot times and more battery than MD under Linux.

 

Lysander:

Could you get the LiveCD to work at all? Or did you just skip that, and install?

I can't seem to get it to run. It goes through a list of "loading.." things, then shows the Kubuntu logo with the loading bar briefly, then brings me to a black screen with a flashing command prompt. I've tried this:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2420732

However it fails at the first step - it can't resolve the server. I plugged myself directly into the modem through the ethernet port, so I don't know why this is, except to say that perhapse it is not loading the NIC driver properly?

I also tried an alternate version of this, to "load ati drivers", but it couldn't access the online component either.

Is it always such a pain to do everything with this?
I may be willing to make my 6400 a dual-boot machine, but not before I TRY it out first. So it's really irking me that I can't seem to get this to work, no matter what I do.

 

I used the Ubuntu Alternate CD to do a text install, and installed the ATi drivers from the command line. Ubuntu has drivers included for the broadcom ethernet port in the Inspiron 6400. Just make sure your modem/router is set up for DHCP, and it should connect just fine.

It's not generally like this. X1K support is intermitantly broken between releases. Their drivers suck enough that I'm probably switching to Intel graphics with my next purchase.

 

Well, the ethernet seems to work through the router, but not directly from the modem. Weird. Whatever, though.

Lysander, can you tell me how you installed the ATI drivers with a command line? I have the x1400, i'm not sure about you. I'm thinking of trying it out after all. What's a partition to me, right? I have 160 GB, so it's all good.

By the way... I'm curious. I'm interested in setting it up on another computer, about 500 mhz, but again only 128 MB of RAM. I realize this is a bit low for Ubuntu or Kubuntu, but do you think I could just get it installed on this machine, and create a large virtual memory file, in place of real ram? (It is hard to find RAM for this old, half-hight computer and it has a 50GB HDD, so the virtual memory can be quite large without a problem.)

Also - I was looking through Kubuntu on my desktop, with the LiveCD. If I try it out, do you know of any helpful guide for the basics of Ubuntu and the KDE desktop system? It is a bit confusing, how things work and where things are. Thanks.

P.S.
Is it better to use Partition Magic to create a partition for Kubuntu to install on, or to just boot the installer and let it make a partition?

 

If you want to install something on that old computer, I would again recommend Xubuntu at the most. Those specs are similar to mine (500MHz Celeron and 128MB RAM), and even Xubuntu is too slow for me to use every day.

If you want to partition, the Kubuntu partitioner should be sufficient, but in case it's not, you can use GParted. It has a LiveCD partitioner and is really easy to use, and free. It's more analogous to Partition Magic, but it's free and doesn't have to install itself to your hard drive.

 

Instructions for installation: http://debian.helicroc.com/inspiron.html

 

Mmmm...

I took the plunge. I tried to install.

I used the guided partition set up, after Lysander's help page got me into the LiveCD. I pulled the size bar down to the smallest, hoping to make a 20 - 30 GB partition for linux to live in. Unfortunately, for some reason, the minimum it would do was 49.9 GB. Oh well, that'll work, and I can reclaim the space later.....

But no. It sat at 0% for about half an hour, then gave me this error:

"An error occurred while writing the changes to the storage devices.
The resize operation is aborted."

.....now what?

 

Oookay. I just had a scare. Said okay to the error, and it showed me my partitions. It said my windows partition had no space taken up.

I rebooted and windows had to fix something, then it finally booted up.
God, did that scare me. Bad linux! Bad! You're supposed to be a good little boy! Ohh, god, why me? What did I do wrong?
*Sigh*

 

And yeah..... vista, or dell, i'm not sure which, makes a lot of partitions. There's like 5 of them listed. Seriously.... aren't subsequent versions of a program supposed to be better, not more ****ed up? lol

 

Do manual partitioning, it works so much better.

And my Dell came with 3 partitions, one for XP, one for MD2, and one for recovery. I deleted all three and started from scratch.

 

NO Lysander, dont tell him to delete the windows partition !!!
Merritt, dont delete the windows partion (unless u want to reinistall windows).

I'm now a bit confused, are you trying to install on the nspiron 6400 ?
If so, check out
http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/dell.html
Lots of linux installtions on that laptop.
including the one Lysander pointed out

I dont know if there is an expert mode for install, but if there is, use that. The bar is actually set quite low, and it willallow you to do manual partitioning.

 

Sorry, my post may have been a bit misunderstood. I said that manual partitioning works better, because you can actually set it up how you want. And it doesn't delete your windows partition.

The bit about me wiping my partitions was in response to the comment about the Dell arriving with a multitude of partitions.

 

I'm not gonna go into this now... after I get THIS problem working... Suffice it to say, windows killed itself out of shame. Whatever. I saved the one thing I really wanted from it.

At any rate... I installed Kubuntu Feisty. It took a little work, for some reason the ATI driver work-around wouldn't work now that I wasn't on the livecd. Got that fixed, I'm in X.

Now... I NEED to get the wireless card working. I've tried and tried, I was up til 5 am last night. I need some help, guys, please.

I have the Intel 4965AGN. I finally managed to get ndiswrapper installed from the Add/Remove programs, after googling told me ndiswrapper should get me fixed up. I can't find the card listed as supported, but, what else do I do?

I got ndiswrapper installed, at any rate. I ~tried~ to install the XP driver, as someone from a google search suggested for my card. Doesn't seem to be working. I really can't relax and explore linux while it's like this - I NEED my wireless working. Right now I'm huddled beside my router, using an ethernet cable.

Please, guys, can anyone help me?
I've been a good girl. I tried googling. At lot. I'm still the total newbie to linux.
Can anyone help me get this wireless card working?

Then I can tell the story of Vista's self-destruction and relax, and explore Kubuntu. lol. I want to try out Frozen Bubble... I've heard good things about it. It looks like a remake of the Bubble Bobble arcade game

Anywho... I appreciate any help anyone can give. I'll be waiting........
I can also talk on IM, btw, if that would help.

~ Kristen

 

Okay... I got my wireless working. I'm not sure HOW I did it... but I did it. lol.

Took a while... managed to install ndiswrapper after some trouble.
Managed to install the XP driver after some trouble.

Kept wondering why the hell Knetworkmanager wouldn't open when I tried to open it....!!!!

After trying other Wifi programs (unsuccessfully), I finally clicked my ethernet icon and found that WAS Knetworkmanager... well, that's why it wouldn't open. HAH!

Hung my head and clicked on my wireless domain. I am connected. I am ashamed. lol

Although I have two things to ask... I did alot of googling in the past day and a half. They have said that WAP doesn't work on linux just yet. This true? I set my router to unprotected for the moment, out of desperation, and before I reinstate an encryption I'd like to hear what you guys know of this. I'd like my WAP back...

Also, when I was reading up, one of the guides said that I needed to turn off WiFi when booting into ubuntu and out of it, or the system may freeze up. Any insight? I haven't rebooted yet. And my laptop does not have a physical wireless switch, just Fn+F2.

And am I right that Intel is one of the nice companies, that tries to release drivers for linux as well as windows? It'd probably be good to get the proper driver, if it comes out.

I am gonna de-stress for a min now... then I'll tell you how windows commited suicide on me.

P.S. -- Lysander, you have the x1400, don't you? Well, I tried to run an AVI file in Kaffeine, and it just ran through it black with no audio in a few seconds. I downloaded VLC, and it ran it, but with weird sound abberations, and a blurry video quality. I had wanted to get Media Player Classic, as it is my favorite player for video files, but I don't think it is supported for Linux. I guess I can try out WINE next, huh? This doesn't have anything to do with the ati drivers, does it? I tried playing some MP3's, and the sound was not abberated, so I doubt that was from the audio drivers...

 

Assuming you're meaning WPA here? If so, then it and WPA2 work fine.

Feisty fixed this issue, no need to worry.

Yes, Intel are amongst the better companies for Linux support. They might not be completely open source, but they make sure their stuff works well pretty quickly. Hopefully you wont have to wait long.

That black screen, fast playback meant I didn't have the right codec installed. You should be able to double click the avi file, and it will automatically fetch the codec for you.

It doesn't have anything to do with the fglrx. They are pretty stable, despite having few features and being dog slow.

 

Eh, yes, excuse me. I meant WPA. I got a little stressed getting this working. Not having WiFi on my laptop was killing me. Thanks for the info. I tried double-clicking the AVI file, it didn't seem to do any codec-searching. Can I manually download codecs for Kubuntu? Or perhapse you can suggest a better media player? Also.. my screensaver seems to run kind of messed up -- all lagged. I don't know why that would be......

Well... as for my story. I tried the Kubuntu partitioner, which as I said, failed. I tried Gparted, but it couldn't load the GUI, I believe because of the ATI driver again. I wanted to try partition magic, but apparently it has issues with Vista. Soooo.. I did something stupid. I thought, "Hey... it's a new version, maybe I'll just try the Vista partitioning tool." Boooy was that a mistake. I told it to shrink the windows partition, and rebooted, and suddenly it couldn't boot windows. Tried to recover, no success. Loaded the Kubuntu text installer and it said there was nothing on the HDD.... Huh? So I loaded the LiveCD to double check. And, sure enough... 1 HDD detected, no partitions, no files. Windows KILLED itself. I am at the same time aggravated and bemused.

Even so... I managed to backup my save game of Black & White 2, which is the only thing I can think of that was irretrievable. So, since it was already frelled, I just installed Kubuntu Feisty.

I am happy to say I am now up and running, and despite being QUITE the learning experience, I am greatly enjoying it. If I could figure out how to run my games, I wouldn't even see a point in making a partition and installing Vista again... I LOVE being able to prod, tweak, poke around, and change everything just how I want it. And there is such an abundance of open source software, I didn't even know it was quite this extensive.

I still want to get some things working, such as my video playback, and customize the hell out of the look of the OS, if I can figure that out too. But all in all, I am quite liking it here in Linux.

Once again, thank-you to everyone who has been helping me. I promise, I'll stop posting in this thread if you can help me with this video playback. XD The thread has gotten much longer than I ever thought it would...

Oh well, here I go to re-enable WPA

Btw, Lysander...
Did you perform all of the steps here to fix the ATI?
http://debian.helicroc.com/inspiron.html

This got me in the LiveCD, as you had suggested, however now that I have things installed I am having trouble with the second step: Suspend/Hybernate Ati black screen fix (not even sure what that problem is). I open the file in Konsole, but cannot seem to edit it... Were all of these fixes needed for you?

 

I didn't bother with trying the suspend/hibernate stuff, as I never use them. Can't help you there.

With the codecs, check this page.

 

I did as the link said, however I have this problem:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=331085
"Error committing changes"

Even though after click "Okay" it said it was installed.
Still can't play video with Kaffeine.

Google revealed only unanswered similar problems.
Any idea?

 

Also:

I don't know if this could be contributing to my graphic display problem, but..

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI

Tells me about the 'Restricted Drivers Manager'
I found it in Add/Remove programs and installed it. However, it does not appear anywhere on the K Menu, and I cannot seem to find a reason why. Does it only appear in GNOME, or...?

 

Update: I managed to get it running via Konsole with:

sudo restricted-manager

My 3D acceleration works! Finally! I am so proud of myself. lol Learning Linux can be a bit tricky, but I am getting the hang of things!

I attempted to edit the K Menu, and added sudo restricted-manager as the command. However, when I attempt to launch it via the K Menu, it has the icon bobbing beside the cursor for a minute then goes away without the app being launched. Did I not enter the proper command?

This also seems to have been the problem with my video-watching. Kaffeine and MPlayer are working now.

Thank you again to everyone who helped me getting going with Kubuntu.

 

What does

Code:

sudo restricted-manager

do ?

And what was the problem with you not being able to play the avi files ?

 

That command runs the Restricted Drivers Manager program, allowing me to enable 3D acceleration for my GPU.

I am assuming this is why video in Kaffeine, and every other program except VLC, was scrambled. VLC played video, but blurrily.

After enabling 3D acceleration, video functions properly, haven't had any problems since, and my screen saver functions normally now. (It would run laggily and choppy)