[Sussex] Laptop challenge

[Gavin Stevens]

Hi Colin & all other respondents,

On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:22:37 +0000
Colin Tuckley <colin at tuckley.org> wrote:

> 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).

The laptop can have either the floppy or the CD-ROM - I don't think
there is a way of it having both at the same time.
> 
> > 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?

I know that others have done it, but I haven't had time to find out how
yet.
> 
> > 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.

Pity - that could be quite a neat solution.
> 
> > 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:

Thanks for the tip - I'll find an adapter (a quick search in Google
showed many) & order it.

Gavin.