Is it worth it? (Absolutely!!!)

Message

cthisbear · #21 Post by **cthisbear** » Sat 10 Jan 2009, 03:06

" I'll try to boot then, and if I can then I'll try to install, full install I think "

Do your reformat....but cheat frugal.
Copy the main file instead.

It would be interesting to have a saved file of
Fatfree 2.15 Dillo from another earlier computer,
copy them both to the hard drive and boot it.

Chris.

01micko · #22 Post by **01micko** » Sat 10 Jan 2009, 09:13

Well it runs... ok, crawls............................!
Running live 16meg of ram is not enough. The swap is too busy. There is nothing on the harddrive at all. The cpu seems to be running at half capacity minimum in freemaplet. That would be the swap calculations, thanks HairyWill for pointing that out. My swap is 62meg. If I can find another 16meg of ram I'll notice a huge improvement I think. I have 2 slots left so I need 2 8M sticks. Man I threw out heaps of that stuff years ago!!!!

I could run in text mode using e3 and links, might be worth a thought. Is there any links .pets around??? I'll do a search. If not spose I could compile it on my other machine and install by floppy. Also would like to get smb shares up, but no nic yet, Monday I hope.

Chris. Will cheat frugal, when it's up and running, reduce the swapping?

Thanks for everyone's tips so far, still got a way to go yet

PS: It shutdown cleanly and created a pup_save2fs file.

01micko · #23 Post by **01micko** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 05:20

I'm posting from links in console mode right now, not on the 486, no nic yet. The text should be brown. Links is a very responsive browser. Well it doesn't have to load pictures so you would expect it to be fast. It will suit the 486 until I can find more ram. I got a bloke at the local dump keeping an eye out for me. I checked ebay and some dude wants AUD$60.00 for 64MB!!!! Ridiculous! The 486 owes me about $20 so far.

01micko · #24 Post by **01micko** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 05:39

So the text is not brown. I don't care. links is quite usable.

#25 Post by **ttuuxxx** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 05:56

01micko wrote:I'm posting from links in console mode right now, not on the 486, no nic yet. The text should be brown. Links is a very responsive browser. Well it doesn't have to load pictures so you would expect it to be fast. It will suit the 486 until I can find more ram. I got a bloke at the local dump keeping an eye out for me. I checked ebay and some dude wants AUD$60.00 for 64MB!!!! Ridiculous! The 486 owes me about $20 so far.

I have tons of old ram, I just have to find it, how many pins 30 or 72 ?
ttuuxxx

01micko · #26 Post by **01micko** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 05:58

ttuuxxx wrote:
01micko wrote:I'm posting from links in console mode right now, not on the 486, no nic yet. The text should be brown. Links is a very responsive browser. Well it doesn't have to load pictures so you would expect it to be fast. It will suit the 486 until I can find more ram. I got a bloke at the local dump keeping an eye out for me. I checked ebay and some dude wants AUD$60.00 for 64MB!!!! Ridiculous! The 486 owes me about $20 so far.
I have tons of old ram, I just have to find it, how many pins 30 or 72 ?
ttuuxxx

72 pin, fast page, NOT edo.

#27 Post by **ttuuxxx** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 06:22

01micko wrote:
ttuuxxx wrote:
01micko wrote:I'm posting from links in console mode right now, not on the 486, no nic yet. The text should be brown. Links is a very responsive browser. Well it doesn't have to load pictures so you would expect it to be fast. It will suit the 486 until I can find more ram. I got a bloke at the local dump keeping an eye out for me. I checked ebay and some dude wants AUD$60.00 for 64MB!!!! Ridiculous! The 486 owes me about $20 so far.
I have tons of old ram, I just have to find it, how many pins 30 or 72 ?
ttuuxxx
72 pin, fast page, NOT edo.

I have 3 fast page 2 are the same, all 3 are 8mb.
this is the specs on one of the chips, the other pair I couldn't get

SIMM RAM 8MB 72-pin parity 60ns FPM?, 16 chip double-sided
(8+8) GB-40005298 L411B8MB SEC KM44C1004CJ-6, fast-page mode 8 MB 60 ns
where I found the info the guy wanted $30 each, wow expensive, probably because they don't make them and most are recycled now.
ttuuxxx

01micko · #28 Post by **01micko** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 06:55

ttuuxxx wrote:
01micko wrote:
ttuuxxx wrote: I have tons of old ram, I just have to find it, how many pins 30 or 72 ?
ttuuxxx
72 pin, fast page, NOT edo.
I have 3 fast page 2 are the same, all 3 are 8mb.
this is the specs on one of the chips, the other pair I couldn't get

SIMM RAM 8MB 72-pin parity 60ns FPM?, 16 chip double-sided
(8+8) GB-40005298 L411B8MB SEC KM44C1004CJ-6, fast-page mode 8 MB 60 ns
where I found the info the guy wanted $30 each, wow expensive, probably because they don't make them and most are recycled now.
ttuuxxx

I have 3 simms installed atm. 2 are 4M 60ns the other an 8M 70ns. "ns" refers to the speed in nanoseconds. If you mix 'em up they run at the slower speed.

What do you want for the 3?

PS I have 2 32MB 70ns EDO, but edo doesn't play with the mobo.

Some IBMs use it, OLd Compaqs used it.

#29 Post by **ttuuxxx** » Sun 11 Jan 2009, 07:02

how about PM me your full mailing address and I'll send you my paypal account and you just surprise me we you get them. LOL
hows that. ?
ttuuxxx

01micko · #30 Post by **01micko** » Mon 12 Jan 2009, 12:05

I downloaded Muppy Embryo. It runs better than fat_free! I get to X in about 3 minutes (same as vista on a 2 gig processor with 2 gig ram

!).

Muppy Embryo is only 43 meg .iso. Lots of features too. Just gotta get the nic going. Any experts on ISA nics? ne2000?

#31 Post by MU » Mon 12 Jan 2009, 17:53

embryo uses Kernel 2.6.21.7 from Puppy 3.
It has the networkwizard from Puppy 3 I think, it should be available in the menu (wizard wizard). If not, run from rxvt "net-setup.sh".
That should detect a ne2000, as that was a widespread standard.

Or do you have no card yet?
Mark

01micko · #32 Post by **01micko** » Mon 12 Jan 2009, 20:30

MU wrote:embryo uses Kernel 2.6.21.7 from Puppy 3.
It has the networkwizard from Puppy 3 I think, it should be available in the menu (wizard wizard). If not, run from rxvt "net-setup.sh".
That should detect a ne2000, as that was a widespread standard.

Or do you have no card yet?
Mark

I have the card but the wizard would not detect it. I'll try from the commandline. I am unsure of what options to set, io ans irq. In the machines 'setup'(bios) there are lots if free irq's, but I don't know how to check this when Muppy is up and running.

Thanks

#33 Post by MU » Mon 12 Jan 2009, 21:52

I googled for "modprobe ne2000" and found this, looks promising:
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/linux- ... ivers.html

Mark

01micko · #34 Post by **01micko** » Tue 13 Jan 2009, 10:56

Mark
Thanks for that link. It does appear useful. I will check it out more thoroughly later. Time, you know! It looks like we are playing (and learning!) with machines from the opposite end of the spectrum! (been watching

)

ATM I have 24MB ram in the 486 (found some more!), ttuuxx is sending me some more, so hopefully I'll have 32 by the weekend. There was a huge improvement from 16 to 24, I'm expecting some more (if only some will do) with 32. I may be able to increase the swap, at the expense of save of course, but a 15% increase in swap may increase performance.

I remember about 10 years ago I had a 486/16ram and windows 95 really struggled! This machine is struggling BUT it is a late model OS and it is showing signs of coping.

EDIT: I should have mentioned this earlier. driver is 'ne'. 'io=0x300', 'irq=5' OR 'irq=11'. If you have a similar problem with irq try both.

01micko · #35 Post by **01micko** » Wed 14 Jan 2009, 11:34

I've been having trouble with this NIC, it is an obscure ne2000 clone, not detected on boot. I finally got it to work in 'blueflops'. I can connect to my puppypc0 with a crossover.

Can I connect to the net in this fashion? My puppy machine is connected to the network via wireless router. Can I bridge the network? If so, how?

Pinging both ways is ok.

NB: If I can't bridge the puppypc0 then I can move the 486 into the house (in the shed atm) and bridge it with the XP box, my router does not do ethernet (but that is another story!)

01micko · #36 Post by **01micko** » Fri 16 Jan 2009, 12:03

@ttuuxxx
Thankyou for that ram
@MU
Mark, muppy embryo runs the 2.6.21.7 kernel (correct?). I now have 32M ram installed in the 486 with a 60M swap but muppy refuses to boot. It hangs at 'union.fs' (sorry didn't write it down). Ran ok with 24M. Any ideas?
@Big_Bass. If your watching, '216-dillo' boots (32ram 60swap) and runs. Kernel 2.6.18.1. Would not boot fast enough with less ram.

Gonna try connecting to the net tomorrow. Keep you posted!

I remember where it hangs now Mark, "performing switchroot to union fs"

01micko · #37 Post by **01micko** » Sat 17 Jan 2009, 08:09

FINALLY! I am online on the 486. Unfortunately not in Puppy. I'm using Blueflops, which connected very easily with dhcp. Hmmm, why didn't Puppy?
Anyways, the thread shall go on. Until I can connect in Puppy on this machine. I will be polluting your screens with this useless information! (Well useless to most, I'm sure someone on the planet may find it useful

)
The links browser supports images and cursor in Blueflops so it is quite useful.
Well at least I know the hardware is ok. It is just some setting I stuffed up somewhere. I will find it and I will be posting from Puppy soon.
Stick with it... it ain't over yet!

(crappy shot taken with my phone!)

vootie · #38 Post by **vootie** » Sat 17 Jan 2009, 10:04

Haven't any tech stuff to add, but wanted to say: Good thread. I like reading about doing more with less.

01micko · #39 Post by **01micko** » Sat 17 Jan 2009, 23:54

vootie wrote:Haven't any tech stuff to add, but wanted to say: Good thread. I like reading about doing more with less.

Glad someone appreciates what I've been doing. Man if this thread saves one 486 from the landfill then it's more than worthwile!

Well I'm about to try connecting again in fat_free. I deleted my save file so the same errors don't repeat. Creating a new one of 128 MB. I'm still running live. I need a save because I have 32Mram, 60meg swap = 92meg puppyspace. When I boot up I have 19.9meg free, so, expanded, fatree needs 72meg. Muppy embryo needs less but for some strange reason it just won't boot. I just thought, it might be the disc, I'll burn another.

Fat_free runs faster when I have the save on the harddrive, maybe less swapping? I thought maybe to increase the swap to around 80meg. That would bring it roughly into line with the '2.5 x ram' formula. I'll try it later and report the results.

I've tried to keep the 486 stock standard. 32M ram is probably the limit for the mobo. I've tried more but it just doesn't work. The harddrive is standard IBM and I decided just to keep the one to see how it goes. The only mod is the cd burner but that will be another story! I've never haerd of one working in a 486 but that doesn't mean it won't!

01micko · #40 Post by **01micko** » Sun 18 Jan 2009, 00:27

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!
A picture tells a thousand words....

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Is it worth it? (Absolutely!!!)