Trouble installing linux on older machine

[Two|Bit]

I downloaded Ubutu, and burnt the image onto a disk. I have an older 100mHz machine that I wanted to load linux on. The problem is that when I put the disk in the computer, restart, and try to boot from the disk, it says i get a disk read error, or something to that effect. I tried looking around in the bios for the boot order, but I couldn't find it... could anyone help? I tried to give an much information as possible. Is my computer too old for this os?

[faulkner132]

A lot of older machines have trouble booting from CD's even when it is an option in the bios. Try loading Smart Boot Manager (Google it) on a floppy and booting to the floppy. This will allow you to boot from the CD.

On a side note... I wouldn't recommend running Ubuntu on a 100Mhz machine. It is too resource intensive of a distro, you would want something along the lines of a 500Mhz with 256MB Ram and 10G HD to run it comfortably. Something smaller like Damn Small Linux would really be best for a system like that.

[Two|Bit]

So I downloaded Smart Loader, how do I make it into a bootable disk? I wasn't sure which one to get, their were alot. http://btmgr.webframe.org/index.php3?body=download.html I got the DOS version. Is "damn small linux" easy to use? Im no linux pro, this is my first time touching the thing. Does it have an easy interface, etc.

[flawedreality5]

Damn Small Linux would be a good starting place for you. You can burn it into a Live cd without installing anything to the hard drive. It should run perfectly on an old machine like that as well. I thought it was very easy to use. Not too much functionality but it's not really made for that.

[faulkner132]

So I downloaded Smart Loader, how do I make it into a bootable disk? I wasn't sure which one to get, their were alot. http://btmgr.webframe.org/index.php3?body=download.html I got the DOS version.
The Smart Boot Manager you download is the program you use to create your floppy. The steps would be:

1. Download SBM (Windows/DOS version is fine)
2. Run it and follow the instructions
3. Reboot to the floppy drive on your old computer
4. Select the CD drive as the boot drive

Your CD install should fire right up.

[kilgoretrout]

Your cd may fire up but you are unlikely to have sufficient ram to run ubuntu; 128MB is pretty much minimal with the heavy duty gui(gnome) used in ubuntu. DSL would probably work much better as it uses a lighter window manager requiring less ram.

[Two|Bit]

Whenever I click SBM, it opens up a DOS prompt, but than instantly closes... it doesn't give me a chance to read what the prompt says...

[faulkner132]

You want this one:
3.6 release 4 - sbminst.exe (DOS executable)

After you download it, run the executable from the command prompt and it should ask you for a drive to format. Select your floppy drive and it will create the disk for you.

[Two|Bit]

How do I execute the file in the command prompt? Sorry, I don't know DOS commands.

[faulkner132]

Download the file to your C:\ directory and then go: Start > Run > cmd (this opens a command prompt. At the prompt type "c:\sbminst" and a list of available options will present itself.

[Two|Bit]

Sorry but this is nooby....I got the file to open in the command prompt, and I got a list of commands available. There is a command for "set the drive you want to install Smart Driver on. It says "0 is floppy and 128 is for the harddrive". I don't know how I execute these commands.

[faulkner132]

Enter 0 for floppy, you do not want to install it on your hard drive. After you install it on the floppy, reboot using the floppy you just formatted.

[Two|Bit]

Enter 0 for floppy

If all I do it type "0" and enter, it says "0" is not a command, or something like that. Do I need to type C:\sbminst.exe 0 or something? Sorry i know NOTHING about DOS prompt

[faulkner132]

Did you read the documentation about SBM? It is really strait-forward. If you are going to be running Linux, you will run across things like this all the time. It's good to learn to troubleshoot them, otherwise you will spend all your time posting to Linux message boards when you are doing something as simple as trying to mount a floppy.

Try going through the SBM documentation and see if you can figure out how to get it to work. I'm not trying to be rude, but rather prepare you for using Linux... as you will have a lot of things like this ahead of you. :)

[Two|Bit]

Yes, I suppose you are right... I will try to read through some of the documentation and see what I can find. Thanks for your help this far