I'm trying to run Puppy (I just downloaded it if you are wondering what version) from live cd on a toshiba satellite laptop...
I try to connect to my wireless router and it asks for the WEP key which I put in and then it says something about acquiring an IP, displays one and then just reloads the of available routers... and won't load any pages, so apparently the connect isn't happening.
Is it lack of support for hardware? (btw, is support for laptops generally pretty good with mini distros like Puppy and SliTaz...? Or, not?)
Am I not doing something right?
Not sure if I am looking in the right place but in the installed Windows 7 this laptop is running, in the device manager it lists a few different devices,
Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN
Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter
Realtek RTL8102/8103 Family PCI-E FE NIC
And, uh... actually the others are VMware, so...
Umm... Just thought I'd add that SliTaz doesn't seem to work either (connecting to WiFi), so it kinda seems like it's probably hardware support. If that is the case, how would I figure out which device (the Intel or the Realtek) I need drivers for? Also, I don't really now how, so a link to Puppy driver instal/update info would be awesome. Thanks!
Toshiba Satellite unable to connect wirelessly
Puppy support of laptops is very good in my experience, and there is lots of help available on this forum if you have the time to work through the issues (bearing in mind the help and advice can be coming from anywhere around the globe so you have to wait for people to get out of bed on the other side of the planet 
)
There are lots of different versions of puppy, so it will be very helpful if you are able to tell us which one you downloaded. Also, what is the brand and model number of your laptop?
)There are lots of different versions of puppy, so it will be very helpful if you are able to tell us which one you downloaded. Also, what is the brand and model number of your laptop?
I think 4.3.1 would not be the best choice for that laptop. I would recommend you try a more up to date version such as Lupu (Lucid Puppy). There is a version which also includes a good office suite. Available here:
http://diddywahdiddy.net/Puppy500/lupul ... .005-2.iso
Another good choice to try would be Wary 5.3 (which is fine-tuned to be reliable across a wide range of hardware). Available here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/wary-5.3/wary-5.3.iso
If these do not suit, there are also plenty of other versions worth trying. I am sure someone here will be using a laptop very similar to yours and will make some other suggestions too.
http://diddywahdiddy.net/Puppy500/lupul ... .005-2.iso
Another good choice to try would be Wary 5.3 (which is fine-tuned to be reliable across a wide range of hardware). Available here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/wary-5.3/wary-5.3.iso
If these do not suit, there are also plenty of other versions worth trying. I am sure someone here will be using a laptop very similar to yours and will make some other suggestions too.
Thanks!
... So does that mean that the standard/original version (or whatever it's supposed to be called) is somewhat outdated? Or is it just it's naturally stripped down nature?
Also, if anyone has any suggestions as to what other system might be the best of the minis in terms of being around 60 MB or less with really good hardware support, I would really appreciate it.
I've tried DSL which I think I'm kinda partial to and have some sort of little soft spot for since it's the first thing I tried and it was the first creditcard distro and "Oh how I love practical utilitarian type stuff." But, yes, anyway... DSL wouldn't even boot on this thing and SliTaz did boot and seemed to work generally except that the mouse was very screwy sometimws behaving fairly normally then a second later appearing sort of stuck and hardly moving at all, as well as constantly switching automatically (and for no apparent reason) between 2 different desktops. Not good!
Anyway, thanks for your responses!
Oh! Also, could someone possibly give me a brief overview as to what I would need to look into/research and start learning in order to get involved with things like creating and modifying distros and other types of OSs and drivers as well... I know that I would need to learn about hardware architecture and about programming and that assembly and machine code understanding might be a good idea but if any of you have any specific suggestions as to which architectures, which languages and the appropriate books, please let me know.
Thank you very much!
... So does that mean that the standard/original version (or whatever it's supposed to be called) is somewhat outdated? Or is it just it's naturally stripped down nature?
Also, if anyone has any suggestions as to what other system might be the best of the minis in terms of being around 60 MB or less with really good hardware support, I would really appreciate it.
I've tried DSL which I think I'm kinda partial to and have some sort of little soft spot for since it's the first thing I tried and it was the first creditcard distro and "Oh how I love practical utilitarian type stuff." But, yes, anyway... DSL wouldn't even boot on this thing and SliTaz did boot and seemed to work generally except that the mouse was very screwy sometimws behaving fairly normally then a second later appearing sort of stuck and hardly moving at all, as well as constantly switching automatically (and for no apparent reason) between 2 different desktops. Not good!
Anyway, thanks for your responses!
Oh! Also, could someone possibly give me a brief overview as to what I would need to look into/research and start learning in order to get involved with things like creating and modifying distros and other types of OSs and drivers as well... I know that I would need to learn about hardware architecture and about programming and that assembly and machine code understanding might be a good idea but if any of you have any specific suggestions as to which architectures, which languages and the appropriate books, please let me know.
Thank you very much!
You are running Vista...as purchased with that laptop.????
Puppy 4.3.1 is like Windows 2000....but snappy.
I still use it for data rescue etc.
New or old it usually boots.
"""""""""
See my posts here.
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=78285
Dpup...Slacko or Lucid should work.
And see what I point out about >> Frisbee behaviour.
Chris.
Puppy 4.3.1 is like Windows 2000....but snappy.
I still use it for data rescue etc.
New or old it usually boots.
"""""""""
See my posts here.
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=78285
Dpup...Slacko or Lucid should work.
And see what I point out about >> Frisbee behaviour.
Chris.
i cant answer that from a tech point of view but can, i think from a use point of view, the reason there are so many flavors of linux is they are written by different people trying to achieve slightly different things, with say ease of use or control-ability or what type of use the computer is most suited toTKLF wrote:... I have to ask though, why are there so many versions of puppy and linux in general for that matter? Are they really so different?
with puppy its similar but also you need to consider what puppy is for, ie to give a boost to an older computer to make it comparable with the next model up. so you can get a p2 machine and give it the capabilities of a p3 machine a p3 and turn it into a p4 etc, so the early version puppies are written with the architecture of an older machine in mind. s the later versions are written for dual r even quad core processors and the associated wiring, with a couple of exceptions like say wery, which is 5 series design for older machines and 2 14 which is an early one which is good on later machines, but then some versions of pup just dont like some makes of machine or some routers in my case so you need to move to another that does
with late models it becomes arguable if there is much if any benefit over other full linux systems in speed terms, but its such a splendid little program that people stick with it and indeed constantly develop it
the sheer variety is indeed confusing at first, but once you realize you dont have to make any quick uniformed decisions it becomes a bit clearer,once youve had a bit of practice you can download burn and try half a dozen different puppies in an afternoon if you want and either find one that you and your computer like or jump about between 2 or three as the mood takes you
Can anyone tell me if the newer kernel and Xorg in in Racy nullify, to any significant extent, Wary's compatibility and support for older hardware...
And also, considering this statement,
And also, considering this statement,
Would Racy be one of those that isn't much different than a normally sized distro?with late models it becomes arguable if there is much if any benefit over other full linux systems in speed terms, but its such a splendid little program that people stick with it and indeed constantly develop it
Sorry, I don't really know for sure, except to say that I think you will have good results on older hardware as long as you have sufficient memory. (If you have very low memory there are older Puppies that will be better)TKLF wrote:Can anyone tell me if the newer kernel and Xorg in in Racy nullify, to any significant extent, Wary's compatibility and support for older hardware...
I have only used Racy on recent netbooks, but I would consider it to be faster and less resource intensive than "normally sized distros". As far as I know It is mostly targeted at using a very recent Kernel in a reliable, low resource way. It is also focused on being a "base" distro, for others to modify/configure in the best way to suit their own hardware.Would Racy be one of those that isn't much different than a normally sized distro?
The newer the kernel, the more likely that it will be a good match for newer hardware, and that is where Racy can be useful to try.
Having said that, sometimes an older kernel will run well on some recent hardware, and be quick and reliable. (such as in Akita Puppy)
To be honest, it is really worthwhile where Puppy is concerned to try lots of different Puppies - sometimes you will stumble across a Puppy that has been developed on similar hardware to your own, and may have been pre-configured with accelerated graphics, dual core, or whatever is best for your own hardware. But also - there is a lot of benefit in being prepared to "finetune" any puppy to match exactly what works best/ fastest on your particular hardware.
In fact, every Puppy is "stripped down". The aim of Puppy is to give the user a reasonably fast experience on their particular hardware - without sacrificing as many modern functions as can be fitted into the hardware limitations.TKLF wrote:... So does that mean that the standard/original version (or whatever it's supposed to be called) is somewhat outdated? Or is it just it's naturally stripped down nature?
Each Puppy tends to be optimised on the hardware available to the developer at that time - and that might not necessarily be the newest hardware, so each Puppy may eventually seem to be "outdated". (Although each distro can be updated as much as you are prepared to spend time on...)
Don't know if it is what you are looking for, but I made a post about Puppies that will fit on a 50Mb credit card (busines card) sized CD here:Also, if anyone has any suggestions as to what other system might be the best of the minis in terms of being around 60 MB or less with really good hardware support, I would really appreciate it.
I've tried DSL which I think I'm kinda partial to and have some sort of little soft spot for since it's the first thing I tried and it was the first creditcard distro and "Oh how I love practical utilitarian type stuff."
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=76562
Just bear in mind that having a tiny distro that also perfectly matches your specific hardware and needs, requires a bit of fine-tuning on the part of the operator (unless you are lucky enough to stumble upon a distro that was developed on identical hardware to what you are using)
I admire your enthusiasm and I wish I could offer good adviceOh! Also, could someone possibly give me a brief overview as to what I would need to look into/research and start learning in order to get involved with things like creating and modifying distros and other types of OSs and drivers as well... I know that I would need to learn about hardware architecture and about programming and that assembly and machine code understanding might be a good idea but if any of you have any specific suggestions as to which architectures, which languages and the appropriate books, please let me know.
Thank you very much!
However, I suspect it is hard to offer a "brief" answer to that rather broad area of interest. All I can say is that there are some FANTASTIC developers here on the puppy forum, and any enthusiasm and expertise that you could bring would be welcomed. There is so much to learn, and in fact, no end to that learning. Just choose something you are interested in and start asking questions and getting involved. Puppy needs all the help and fresh energy it can get.
G'day TKLF,
If you are still trying to get wireless working, and if your computer wireless card has worked OK with a Windows OS, give the Ndiswrapper option a go.
In other words, remove the attempted-linux drivers and use the one "made" for the device by its maker.
You first need to find the Windows driver that works and copy the .inf and .sys files for it to somewhere Puppy (you) can find them without too much hassle. Say, copy these to /root.
Use Puppy's Network wizard (the 'connect' icon should offer it) and hit the <Load modules> button.
Now click on the Ndiswrapper tab.
If you now see on the dialog box 'wlan0' or similar appears, it probably has already a non-perfect driver associated with it. Hit this 'wlan0' button to blacklist the non-working linux driver so it does not interfere with trying Ndiswrapper and the made-for-it Windows driver.
Clicking the 'Ndiswrapper' button opens a find-the-Windows-inf-file box - so go to where you copied it and load it ('Open' it).
If your driver works with Ndiswrapper, you'll see positive messages pop up until you get back to the main Network Wizard box where you start off by clicking <Scan> (top right corner) to see what's around.
You should see your router or access point from the <Scan>. Select it and enter the key phrase for the type of security on your network.
First, <Save> the profile with a name you like, and only then try <Use this profile>.
With luck, you'll be associated, but now need to get either an automatic or static IP address to actually get to the outside world.
So click the button you need in the bottom panel of the Wizard's box.
If this seems to "happen" (try a google with a browser?), then save this as your preferred network option if offered by the wizard as it closes down.
While Ndiswrapper is not liked by the linux purists, it has just about always worked with wi-fi for a pragmatist like me.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
David S.
If you are still trying to get wireless working, and if your computer wireless card has worked OK with a Windows OS, give the Ndiswrapper option a go.
In other words, remove the attempted-linux drivers and use the one "made" for the device by its maker.
You first need to find the Windows driver that works and copy the .inf and .sys files for it to somewhere Puppy (you) can find them without too much hassle. Say, copy these to /root.
Use Puppy's Network wizard (the 'connect' icon should offer it) and hit the <Load modules> button.
Now click on the Ndiswrapper tab.
If you now see on the dialog box 'wlan0' or similar appears, it probably has already a non-perfect driver associated with it. Hit this 'wlan0' button to blacklist the non-working linux driver so it does not interfere with trying Ndiswrapper and the made-for-it Windows driver.
Clicking the 'Ndiswrapper' button opens a find-the-Windows-inf-file box - so go to where you copied it and load it ('Open' it).
If your driver works with Ndiswrapper, you'll see positive messages pop up until you get back to the main Network Wizard box where you start off by clicking <Scan> (top right corner) to see what's around.
You should see your router or access point from the <Scan>. Select it and enter the key phrase for the type of security on your network.
First, <Save> the profile with a name you like, and only then try <Use this profile>.
With luck, you'll be associated, but now need to get either an automatic or static IP address to actually get to the outside world.
So click the button you need in the bottom panel of the Wizard's box.
If this seems to "happen" (try a google with a browser?), then save this as your preferred network option if offered by the wizard as it closes down.
While Ndiswrapper is not liked by the linux purists, it has just about always worked with wi-fi for a pragmatist like me.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
David S.