so Ive got some old i686 computers, electronics recycle day approaches, but before I do that, I thought Id try to get them working
1st one (toshiba satellite core2 laptop) threw a hard-drive, clunking noises, then finally falls back to pxe-boot.
I put fedora-30-live on a usb (last one with i686 support) but booting it, I get a 2-line error:
This kernel requires x86-64, but only detected i686 unable to boot - ...
I know f30 supports i686 - I have 1 old desktop still running it.
next is hp pavilion g7 pressing power gives brief spin-up of fans, nothing else. f2, f10, esc during boot dont help, screen brightness or vga monitor dont help either I pulled hard drive and memory to force BIOS / POST to do something different, NO CHANGE. Any suggestions?
but at least I have a new/old hard-drive for the toshiba.
I also have a dell pentium2-233, running knoppix with a 2.6.19 kernel, its reluctant to do anything (aptitude is trying forever) I think its too old to have a bios that can usb boot
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
thanks
El 23/5/22 a las 16:59, jim.cromie@gmail.com escribió:
so Ive got some old i686 computers, electronics recycle day approaches, but before I do that, I thought Id try to get them working
1st one (toshiba satellite core2 laptop) threw a hard-drive, clunking noises, then finally falls back to pxe-boot.
I put fedora-30-live on a usb (last one with i686 support) but booting it, I get a 2-line error:
This kernel requires x86-64, but only detected i686 unable to boot - ...
I know f30 supports i686 - I have 1 old desktop still running it.
next is hp pavilion g7 pressing power gives brief spin-up of fans, nothing else. f2, f10, esc during boot dont help, screen brightness or vga monitor dont help either I pulled hard drive and memory to force BIOS / POST to do something different, NO CHANGE. Any suggestions?
but at least I have a new/old hard-drive for the toshiba.
I also have a dell pentium2-233, running knoppix with a 2.6.19 kernel, its reluctant to do anything (aptitude is trying forever) I think its too old to have a bios that can usb boot
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
thanks
Hello
Last release for i686 (i386) is Fedora 25. I've checked the repo. Here are the downloads. Note that 26 and following only is available in x86_64
https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora/linux/releases/25/Work...
On Mon, May 23, 2022, 10:53 AM José María Terry Jiménez jtj@tssystems.net wrote:
El 23/5/22 a las 16:59, jim.cromie@gmail.com escribió:
so Ive got some old i686 computers, electronics recycle day approaches, but before I do that, I thought Id try to get them working
1st one (toshiba satellite core2 laptop) threw a hard-drive, clunking noises, then finally falls back to pxe-boot.
I put fedora-30-live on a usb (last one with i686 support) but booting it, I get a 2-line error:
This kernel requires x86-64, but only detected i686 unable to boot - ...
I know f30 supports i686 - I have 1 old desktop still running it.
next is hp pavilion g7 pressing power gives brief spin-up of fans, nothing else. f2, f10, esc during boot dont help, screen brightness or vga monitor dont help either I pulled hard drive and memory to force BIOS / POST to do something different, NO CHANGE. Any suggestions?
but at least I have a new/old hard-drive for the toshiba.
I also have a dell pentium2-233, running knoppix with a 2.6.19 kernel, its reluctant to do anything (aptitude is trying forever) I think its too old to have a bios that can usb boot
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
thanks
Hello
Last release for i686 (i386) is Fedora 25. I've checked the repo. Here are the downloads. Note that 26 and following only is available in x86_64
Yes I'll accept that I have an old 686 desktop thats still running F30, when they finally abandoned the updates. Its running a 5.16-rc4 kernel now :-) video resolution on distro kernel dropped to VGA quality at some point, I had to do something ;-)
I ended up putting Bodhi Linux on the toshiba laptop cuz it targets low-mem, low-disk, slow-cpu machines, like these old machines I have lying around.
Don't know about the pavilion g7, but i checked at the archive for the F30 release (https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora/linux/releases/30/Work...) and there is no i686 iso. Perhaps the archive is incomplete.
There are i386 images in F25 though (https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora/linux/releases/25/Work...).
On 5/23/22 16:59, jim.cromie@gmail.com wrote:
so Ive got some old i686 computers, electronics recycle day approaches, but before I do that, I thought Id try to get them working
1st one (toshiba satellite core2 laptop) threw a hard-drive, clunking noises, then finally falls back to pxe-boot.
I put fedora-30-live on a usb (last one with i686 support) but booting it, I get a 2-line error:
This kernel requires x86-64, but only detected i686 unable to boot - ...
I know f30 supports i686 - I have 1 old desktop still running it.
next is hp pavilion g7 pressing power gives brief spin-up of fans, nothing else. f2, f10, esc during boot dont help, screen brightness or vga monitor dont help either I pulled hard drive and memory to force BIOS / POST to do something different, NO CHANGE. Any suggestions?
but at least I have a new/old hard-drive for the toshiba.
I also have a dell pentium2-233, running knoppix with a 2.6.19 kernel, its reluctant to do anything (aptitude is trying forever) I think its too old to have a bios that can usb boot
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
thanks
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2022-05-23 16:59 UTC+02:00, jim.cromie@gmail.com jim.cromie@gmail.com:
[...]
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
https://www.lxle.net works for me on a netbook from around 2008.
On Mon, May 23, 2022 at 12:07 PM Andras Simon szajmi@gmail.com wrote:
2022-05-23 16:59 UTC+02:00, jim.cromie@gmail.com jim.cromie@gmail.com:
[...]
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
https://www.lxle.net works for me on a netbook from around 2008.
nice screenshots. I like the "prudent" selection of apps. I might have to try it on the next box.
On Mon, May 23, 2022 at 12:08 PM jim.cromie@gmail.com wrote:
so Ive got some old i686 computers, electronics recycle day approaches, but before I do that, I thought Id try to get them working
1st one (toshiba satellite core2 laptop) threw a hard-drive, clunking noises, then finally falls back to pxe-boot.
I put fedora-30-live on a usb (last one with i686 support) but booting it, I get a 2-line error:
This kernel requires x86-64, but only detected i686 unable to boot - ...
I know f30 supports i686 - I have 1 old desktop still running it.
next is hp pavilion g7 pressing power gives brief spin-up of fans, nothing else. f2, f10, esc during boot dont help, screen brightness or vga monitor dont help either I pulled hard drive and memory to force BIOS / POST to do something different, NO CHANGE. Any suggestions?
I used to work in an oceanographic institute where there were old instruments that relied on DOS management software, connected by serial, parallel, SCSI, etc. (often using a PCMCIA card). Some of your old working systems may be irreplaceable antiques to people still using old instruments. Even broken systems may be valuable sources of spare parts. It may be worth checking for listing of your models on for sale sites -- desirable models have inflated prices, but the goal is to help some lab keep an old instrument going.
but at least I have a new/old hard-drive for the toshiba.
I also have a dell pentium2-233, running knoppix with a 2.6.19 kernel, its reluctant to do anything (aptitude is trying forever) I think its too old to have a bios that can usb boot
I have used fedora-live-usb to rescue machines in the past, but Im running out of options. I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
On Mon, 2022-05-23 at 19:50 -0300, George N. White III wrote:
Some of your old working systems may be irreplaceable antiques to people still using old instruments. Even broken systems may be valuable sources of spare parts. It may be worth checking for listing of your models on for sale sites -- desirable models have inflated prices, but the goal is to help some lab keep an old instrument going.
In days gone past I used to accept ancient things to keep them going, rather than scrap them, and at the moment we're resurrecting some ancient non-computer equipment. At times I'd considered passing on things I don't need through ebay, and the like, but worked out that much of the time you won't be providing much needed bits to someone desperate for them, you're providing cheap materials to sharks who'll just try to sell them at obscene prices. Often breaking up working, or workable, units into bits for maximum profit.
Is there any webpage (or some kind of app or service) I could sign up to, stating which old HW I possess and would donate, should any such good cause need it ? I have a few bits.
--
Michal Schorm Software Engineer Core Services - Databases Team Red Hat
--
On Tue, May 24, 2022 at 5:58 AM Tim via users users@lists.fedoraproject.org wrote:
On Mon, 2022-05-23 at 19:50 -0300, George N. White III wrote:
Some of your old working systems may be irreplaceable antiques to people still using old instruments. Even broken systems may be valuable sources of spare parts. It may be worth checking for listing of your models on for sale sites -- desirable models have inflated prices, but the goal is to help some lab keep an old instrument going.
In days gone past I used to accept ancient things to keep them going, rather than scrap them, and at the moment we're resurrecting some ancient non-computer equipment. At times I'd considered passing on things I don't need through ebay, and the like, but worked out that much of the time you won't be providing much needed bits to someone desperate for them, you're providing cheap materials to sharks who'll just try to sell them at obscene prices. Often breaking up working, or workable, units into bits for maximum profit.
--
uname -rsvp Linux 3.10.0-1160.62.1.el7.x86_64 #1 SMP Tue Apr 5 16:57:59 UTC 2022 x86_64
Boilerplate: All unexpected mail to my mailbox is automatically deleted. I will only get to see the messages that are posted to the mailing list.
users mailing list -- users@lists.fedoraproject.org To unsubscribe send an email to users-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/users@lists.fedoraproject.org Do not reply to spam on the list, report it: https://pagure.io/fedora-infrastructure
On Tue, May 24, 2022 at 3:38 AM Michal Schorm mschorm@redhat.com wrote:
Is there any webpage (or some kind of app or service) I could sign up to, stating which old HW I possess and would donate, should any such good cause need it ? I have a few bits.
People often post lists of old equipment being given away on forums used by local computer user groups, but ebay is where people who are desperately looking for a port will look. These days, most used computer dealers buy large lots at auctions and will not bother with single units unless that model is in high demand. Some schools have been collecting older laptops that can run Google Chrome, and have volunteers who configure and maintain them. Again, local computer user groups will know who to contact.
On Tue, May 24, 2022 at 12:58 AM Tim via users < users@lists.fedoraproject.org> wrote:
On Mon, 2022-05-23 at 19:50 -0300, George N. White III wrote:
Some of your old working systems may be irreplaceable antiques to people still using old instruments. Even broken systems may be valuable sources of spare parts. It may be worth checking for listing of your models on for sale sites -- desirable models have inflated prices, but the goal is to help some lab keep an old instrument going.
In days gone past I used to accept ancient things to keep them going, rather than scrap them, and at the moment we're resurrecting some ancient non-computer equipment. At times I'd considered passing on things I don't need through ebay, and the like, but worked out that much of the time you won't be providing much needed bits to someone desperate for them, you're providing cheap materials to sharks who'll just try to sell them at obscene prices. Often breaking up working, or workable, units into bits for maximum profit.
This is the same business model as auto junkyards. People have reasons they need to keep some old car or laptop going. With cars, it may be an older model that has expensive modifications to accommodate a disability or an expensive restoration with accident damage. A junkyard has a large inventory of parts. That represents a big investment that is recouped by selling parts at what the market will bear.
In high school I would buy outdated or broken electronics test equipment, repair it (a few upgrades from tubes to transistors, but mostly replacing bad components) and resell it to ham operators and radio stations. I enjoyed the challenges of troubleshooting and providing a service, but the net returns were small and when I went to college my parts inventory was donated to the local ham radio club. I did keep a couple Simpson multimeters after using the nice screws for the handles to replace identical screws that served as the hinge pivots on my mother's stove.
--
George N. White III
Tim:
In days gone past I used to accept ancient things to keep them going, rather than scrap them, and at the moment we're resurrecting some ancient non-computer equipment. At times I'd considered passing on things I don't need through ebay, and the like, but worked out that much of the time you won't be providing much needed bits to someone desperate for them, you're providing cheap materials to sharks who'll just try to sell them at obscene prices. Often breaking up working, or workable, units into bits for maximum profit.
George N. White III:
This is the same business model as auto junkyards.
I don't think so. I consider it more like ticket scalpers. They're not providing a service that's needed, and lying about what they're really up to. With things like ebay, anybody who wants a thing can find it and buy it, directly. Nobody needs a third party buying it, jacking up the pricing, and selling it back through ebay. You might even consider that kind of thing a form of money laundering.
We tried to pass on a vintage Marconi Telecine suite a year or so ago, there were a few people who wanted to "give it a good home" who were just scrap metal merchants lying through their teeth. It eventually made its way to a museum run by retired TV technicians. They'll do it up and maintain its legacy, maybe even resurrect it into operation.
On Sat, May 28, 2022 at 7:42 PM Tim via users users@lists.fedoraproject.org wrote:
Tim:
In days gone past I used to accept ancient things to keep them going, rather than scrap them, and at the moment we're resurrecting some ancient non-computer equipment. At times I'd considered passing on things I don't need through ebay, and the like, but worked out that much of the time you won't be providing much needed bits to someone desperate for them, you're providing cheap materials to sharks who'll just try to sell them at obscene prices. Often breaking up working, or workable, units into bits for maximum profit.
George N. White III:
This is the same business model as auto junkyards.
I don't think so. I consider it more like ticket scalpers. They're not providing a service that's needed, and lying about what they're really up to. With things like ebay, anybody who wants a thing can find it and buy it, directly. Nobody needs a third party buying it, jacking up the pricing, and selling it back through ebay. You might even consider that kind of thing a form of money laundering.
There are many scammers taking advantage of online markets, but for a organization that needs to repair an instrument or industrial controller that runs on some DOS laptop with a proprietary interface, those "jacked up" prices are much cheaper than the cost of downtime or replacing the device that requires the old controller.
People who need to repair a controller don't have the luxury of waiting until something shows up on ebay, but will deal directly with the same vendor year after year. That vendor will try to have inventory by purchasing "in demand" models wherever they can be found. and may also deal with spare parts for the instruments.
At my former work, old instruments generally get retired when the person responsible for the instrument retired. New hires get an equipment budget and can't be expected to master all the ins and outs of keeping outdated gear going, but are familiar with current instruments and software.
We tried to pass on a vintage Marconi Telecine suite a year or so ago, there were a few people who wanted to "give it a good home" who were just scrap metal merchants lying through their teeth. It eventually made its way to a museum run by retired TV technicians. They'll do it up and maintain its legacy, maybe even resurrect it into operation.
Many computer museums will collect several instances of a given model until they are able to cobble together one that works. They may save parts they know they may need in the future, but the leftovers go to scrapyards that specialize in technology artifacts and will provide non-working gear to decorate movie sets, etc.. as well as selling any parts that are in demand.
jim wrote:
I would welcome other distro suggestions for tired old hardware
I'm using CentOS 7 on an Asus Eee PC 701. RHEL 7 doesn't have an i686 version but CentOS supports it as an altarch.
Advantages:
- it has all that familiar Red Hat goodness;
- unlike CentOS 8 it'll be supported until RHEL 7 EOL, so another two years.
Ron
On 5/23/22 07:59, jim.cromie@gmail.com wrote:
so Ive got some old i686 computers, electronics recycle day approaches, but before I do that, I thought Id try to get them working
<(snip)>
If you're willing to step away from Fedora a small distance, you may wish to check out the Mageia Linux distribution, now at version 8.
Mageia publishes a version based on the i586 architecture using rpm-based packages, so there is some degree of direct compatibility with Fedora.
If one uses the compare packages between distributions tool provided online by distrowatch.com, and compares Fedora rawhide versus Mageia cauldron, one will find that there is only a handful of packages that the two distributions do not share.
So, it may well be that the Mageia i586 variant may be the software needed to keep your older hardware active and productive.
And, if you like the Mageia distribution and its community sufficiently well, it might be the case that your skills can be of assistance to that Linux community.
Ken
users@lists.stg.fedoraproject.org