[Sussex] Laptop challenge

[Colin Tuckley]

Gavin Stevens wrote:

> Today I ordered a 32MB EDORAM card from Orca, which will give the 430CDS
> its maximum RAM capability of 48MB.

I wonder if that maximum is real - it might have been specified as that
because no one thought people would ever need more, or because bigger chips
were not available.

> The main problem with this 10 year old laptop is that it won't boot from
> CD-ROM. This leaves a few options:
>  
> 1: I could copy a distro onto floppies (er.. I don't think so).

Actually, you only need to build a boot floppy, which might be 2 diskettes,
and then install from a normal cd - I'm sure there is something in the
Debian install README about this (look on the Web).

> 2: I could try a network install, except I'm still in the early stages
> of networking. So not really ready just yet.

With a box that old it might not support netbooting, does it actually have a
network interface? or are you thinking of a pcmcia network card?

> 3: I could open the machine up & try swapping the IDE cables over, so
> that the CD-ROM is on primary master. But I don't know if this possible
> or whether it would work.

That won't work, because the cables will be too short to attach anything
that doesn't fit in the hole provided.

> 4: I visited a site where someone had taken an even older Toshiba laptop
> & got round the CD boot problem by temporarily transplanting the laptop
> hard drive into an ordinary PC & doing a HD install of DamnSmallLinux,
> then reinstating the drive into the laptop.

This would be possible, you will need a cable adaptor since laptop drives
use a different connector from standard ide. One of these external USB
caddies would probably be the easiest:

 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8756644783



regards,

Colin

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