need help/how too?

[SpeedEng66]

ok I never used linux plus im slow in computers 😱 so please be kind
so after researching distros I found DSL which seems perfect (www.damnsmalllinux.org )

here's the laptop I want to put it on
IBM 560X
p1 233mmx
96mb ram
1 usb port (but bios does not allow the usb as a bootup)
1.2gb hd heh
no cd rom
no floppy drive


I do have a external 2.5 hd to usb that I can take the hd out of the laptop and put into
or a 256mb thumb drive I can use

I just dont know how to put the OS onto the laptop and make it bootable 🙁

any tips?

 

[htne]

If you have no specific need for this to be a laptop/notebook, then I would suggest that you throw away this way-past-obsolete laptop and go dumpster diving for a much newer, faster desktop for free. If you don't like dumpster diving, then ask your friends and/or relatives if they have an old, unused computer taking up space in a closet. Companies are paying good money to dispose of computers much newer and faster than your desktop.

 

[SpeedEng66]

I know it's old and slow

worked fine under 98/me for internet only and data loggin on my cars
it just seems like such a waste to toss it :frown:

 

[Arkaign]

Do you have a notebook ide converter for hooking the hdd to a desktop? If not, you can get one for around $10. Use a 98se boot floppy from http://www.bootdisk.com fdisk and format c: /s the 1.2G, then copy everything in the :\Win98 folder from a 98se cd onto the hdd (use mkdir win98 first) under C:\Win98, then put the drive back in the notebook and boot to a C:\ prompt. Type 'cd win98', then type 'setup /ie /is' and hit enter, and you can install 98 right off the hdd, and the added bonus is that the install path to the 98 setup files will remain on the hdd itself, handy for a variety of reasons. 98se should take 100-150mb, so you'll have plenty of room for other stuff later.

 

[SpeedEng66]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Do you have a notebook ide converter for hooking the hdd to a desktop? If not, you can get one for around $10. Use a 98se boot floppy from http://www.bootdisk.com fdisk and format c: /s the 1.2G, then copy everything in the :\Win98 folder from a 98se cd onto the hdd (use mkdir win98 first) under C:\Win98, then put the drive back in the notebook and boot to a C:\ prompt. Type 'cd win98', then type 'setup /ie /is' and hit enter, and you can install 98 right off the hdd, and the added bonus is that the install path to the 98 setup files will remain on the hdd itself, handy for a variety of reasons. 98se should take 100-150mb, so you'll have plenty of room for other stuff later.

Thanks!! I do have ide converter

but I cant find a win 98 upgrade cd nor the win me cd
I do have a win 95 that came with the ibm 10 years ago lol

can I do the same?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: SpeedEng66

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Do you have a notebook ide converter for hooking the hdd to a desktop? If not, you can get one for around $10. Use a 98se boot floppy from http://www.bootdisk.com fdisk and format c: /s the 1.2G, then copy everything in the :\Win98 folder from a 98se cd onto the hdd (use mkdir win98 first) under C:\Win98, then put the drive back in the notebook and boot to a C:\ prompt. Type 'cd win98', then type 'setup /ie /is' and hit enter, and you can install 98 right off the hdd, and the added bonus is that the install path to the 98 setup files will remain on the hdd itself, handy for a variety of reasons. 98se should take 100-150mb, so you'll have plenty of room for other stuff later.

Thanks!! I do have ide converter

but I cant find a win 98 upgrade cd nor the win me cd
I do have a win 95 that came with the ibm 10 years ago lol

can I do the same?

Yes, though it would be wise to try to dig up the drivers you'll need, and put them in C:\Drivers before you put the drive back in. At minimum, you'll want a lan driver, winsock 2 update, and a light but workable web browser.

It would be worth picking up 98se though, as it will make things a lot more usable (IE6SP1, etc).

 

[Brazen]

The only way I can think of, is do a pxe boot and install that way (good documentation out there for doing this with dsl) if your nic supports it. Or plug the harddrive into another computer and install dsl on it, then put it back into your laptop. Unlike Windows, this works fine and linux will detect and handle the hardware change no problem. At least it works fine (has for me anyway) on the 2.6 kernel, though DSL uses a 2.4 kernel (I suppose for better performance), but I would bet DSL's 2.4 kernel handles it just fine as well.