Linux for 486?

**jkrohn** · April 24th, 2002, 03:32 PM

That's right folks, got a throw-away machine here, trying to save it

.

Here are the MASSIVE SPECS!!!!
486 of some sort. Boasts "Socket 3" on top of it.
8 Massive MB of RAM
A spacious 850 MB hd
Oldschool keyboard. (pre-ps2)
Serial mouse.

ISA everything on the inside including one thing that I can't identify

This thing won't boot to a CDRom, not even an option in the BIOS. Have been unable to get a bootdisk to install

I have tried loading drake 8.1 but always get a CRC error and a failed boot. Slack won't boot either, it sees the CDRom at least as /dev/hdb, but gets an error accesing virtual mem or something like that, won't install.

I personaly do not care what distro goes on here. I won't be running X, probably just a webserver and telnet for random people who need it. Maybe a music server?

Dunno what's possible with 8Mb of RAM

anyway, back to topic, any distro that I can get to install?

Jkrohn

**thekemp** · April 24th, 2002, 03:38 PM

mandrake do a version of 7.1 for 486 but you would probably a: have a hard time installing it and b you would not be able to use any graphical interfaces like gnome and kde . IMO i would look around on e-bay or similar for some cheap simms and boost its ram to maybe 32mb.
also look at some really old distros or maybee you could install smoothwall and run it as a firewall/router
good luck

**maface** · April 24th, 2002, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by thekemp
maybee you could install smoothwall and run it as a firewall/router
good luck

I agree, you could try a router based Distro
Linux

**thekemp** · April 24th, 2002, 04:10 PM

put it this way i tried MDK 7.1 on a AMD PR75 586 with 40 mb of ram it it was a dog with KDE. i dont like other windows managers so i didnt try them. i think most linux needs a pentium to work faster.
try smoothwall

**SpookyEddy** · April 24th, 2002, 04:20 PM

openBSD

hehe... or Slack or debian if you want to go linux.

**krohnjw** · April 24th, 2002, 04:27 PM

TheKemp: The reason it was slow was KDE. Mandrake, doesnt need a GUI, like all other flavors of linux. There are many Window managers that are MUCH more lightweight also. I have fluxbox running on a P100 with 32Mb of ram beautifully. He won't be using a window manager so there is nothing to worry about there.
The only thing it will do is take FOREVER to compile

ie. 40 minutes for fluxbox.

**SpookyEddy** · April 24th, 2002, 04:34 PM

Fluxbox is a most excellent window manager IMO, however I still think it may be a little slow on a 486 with 8 meg RAM

I would agree that the CLI is the way to go on that box.

**CMonster** · April 24th, 2002, 04:36 PM

Yeah, there are a number of distros you can use.

What kind of CDROM does it have? How is it connected? Remember also that if this is some old 2x - 8x CDROM that does not support multiread it will not be able to read a burned CD.

"including one thing that I can't identify" -just curious. Would that be a light brown extension to an ISA slot? I wonder if you are talking about the 32bit Vesa Local Bus? If so, cards designed for VLB (usually video and I/O) offered an improvement in speed over the 16bit ISA bus alone.

**krohnjw** · April 24th, 2002, 04:39 PM

8Mb is a little strugglin

Hey f00l, if you want you can throw that 805 Mb HD into this P100 when I come down...then you have 4 times the RAM!!!. I won't really be using it for much, esp if I can afford to pick up a new comp

. Let me know. This mobo even has 3 PCI slots along with the Grand 4 ISA!!

**thekemp** · April 24th, 2002, 04:42 PM

i may try these windows managers but i never really have the time to play on my linux box and its setup the way i like it now i have a 486 here i might take a challenge and try some distros and post back, what you guys think?
regards

**jkrohn** · April 24th, 2002, 05:14 PM

CMonster:

They all have that extension on the ISA

gotta love this thing.
It's a strange card though. Have a look at
http://krohn.dhs.org/wierd1.jpg
http://krohn.dhs.org/wierd2.jpg
I included a pen for a size reference, this thing goes in the ISA slot and nothing plugs into the back that I have

As for the CDRom it had this funky CDRom from 1993 that had it's own controller card. Had to be plugged into it too so I junked that and threw in a new 52x IDE

So that's not my problem luckily.

Like I said Slack errors so I'll probably go for a BSD, haven't ventured there yet

The ram on this thing is wierd. It has 2 "longer" slots that are full with 4 MB sticks and 4 "shorter" (like an inch shorter) that are empty. I have some SIMMS around, but don't know what size they are so I may play with that too

I'll keep you guys updated.

Jkrohn

**eagle1** · April 24th, 2002, 06:10 PM

The long ones are 72pin memory modules
The short ones are 30pin modules (I use these as keychains! lol

).

I don't know about that card (haven't seen anything like it!).

**samwichse** · April 24th, 2002, 10:03 PM

That plug on the back is a dead ringer for a midi/joystick port. Perhaps that is what it is? Mabye only one or the other as sketchy as that thing is.

**CMonster** · April 25th, 2002, 03:59 AM

That plug on the back is a dead ringer for a midi/joystick port. Perhaps that is what it is? Mabye only one or the other as sketchy as that thing is.

-that's what I thought.

The 30pin simms have only an 8 bit bus I believe, and if you use them all 4 must be populated, the 72 pin simms have a 32 bit bus and can actually be used with only 1 stick.

I thought I remembered a recent version of Redhat (maybe 7.1?) that offered a "i486" choice upon install, but I have thus far been unsuccessful at finding anything -I'll keep looking.