[SlimDevices: Beta] First experiences installing 6.5 (on underpowered laptop)

[Pat Farrell]

ModelCitizen wrote:
> After spending some time getting 6.3.* to work on my 500mhz PII 19mb RAM
> slimmed down XP Home dedicated music server laptop I finally got it
> stable but after a coupe of weeks started experiencing intermittent
> drop outs.

>  (BTW. I am very aware that my laptop may be too puny for 6.5,
> but it's managed to run 6.2.2 for ages without too many problems, so I
> am keeping my fingures crossed).

Wow, you sure have more patience that I have.
I'm assuming you really have 198MB of ram, on your P2-500.
I ran 5.4 on a P2-500 for years, but none of the 6.x versions
were happy, and I don't have the patience to wait for slow
computers.

Mine was a desktop. In generalities, laptops are usually slower
than an equivalent desktop, especially ones that old, because the
disks are selected more for size and power draw than speed. On
a desktop, no one cared about disk power usage.

Unless you are totally in love with the laptop, why not get a
old, free castoff desktop with something like a P3-750 and a 256MB.
It will run stuff a lot better.

I spent a lot of time two weekends ago installing software on ancient 
and free laptops. The gating factor is memory size, much more so than
CPU or disk speed. Modern stuff just expects lots of RAM.
Doesn't matter much whether it is XP or a mainline Linux, all
of them seem to demand 256 and really want 512MB.

The going price for a new white box computer with a AMD 3000+ and 512MB 
and a 60 GB disk is under $350. Used P3s are free to $100.

I would stop beating my head against the wall with the underpowered 
laptop, and use something made this century.

-- 
Pat
http://www.pfarrell.com/music/slimserver/slimsoftware.html