I learned three things today:

[geekboy]

1) When you are given an old 486 computer whose mainboard is supposedly fried, try removing the CPU, rotating it 90 degrees, and re-inserting.

2) Windows 98 will actually run on a 486 DX/66 with 12MB of RAM.

3) Genome@Home will actually run on said platform.

I figure the extra WU per month I'll get is great considering the computer was free... :D

[X-Calibur]

Originally posted by geekboy
1) When you are given an old 486 computer whose mainboard is supposedly fried, try removing the CPU, rotating it 90 degrees, and re-inserting.

2) Windows 98 will actually run on a 486 DX/66 with 12MB of RAM.

3) Genome@Home will actually run on said platform.

I figure the extra WU per month I'll get is great considering the computer was free... :D
Wanna ear a horror-story.
Get a copy of Win95 when it got out (20 + disk cuz CD-Rom are not mainstay at the time and you don't have one...)

Take 6 hours of your free time.
Start install on a 486 DX2 w/ 4 (I said FOUR) megs of RAM, proceed to install... get kicked out of install at disk 18 for insufficient space. Go back to DOS (old faithful) and DElete ALL games and stuff.
Repeat previous step.
You have a functionning win95 box... but cannot install anything else... did I mention the HD was 120 Megs?

:eek:

[dnar]

Originally posted by geekboy

1) When you are given an old 486 computer whose mainboard is supposedly fried, try removing the CPU, rotating it 90 degrees, and re-inserting.





2) Windows 98 will actually run on a 486 DX/66 with 12MB of RAM.





3) Genome@Home will actually run on said platform.





I figure the extra WU per month I'll get is great considering the computer was free... :D

Much better installing a trim Linux firewall on the 486, & run the client too. :D

[X-Calibur]

My next project

[dnar]

X you will laugh when you see how easy a firewall installation is....:D

I downloaded coyote and installed / running in 20 minutes, start to end.....

[siggy]

That is because you are the Linux Guru.....:)

[Yo_Mama]

How did you get it to run in 12 megs? I tried to install 98 last pm on one of those 486 laptops w/8 megs. It said no go, needed 16 to install. I've been pulling my hair out today looking for a 95 cd. I used to have boatloads of 'em. :(

[Dave S]

Man that’s 2 more than me, the 1 thing I learned today is when a JCB cut through your fiber U get really board really quick [right in the middle of Babylon 5 doh!!!] took 4h to fix:(

[MechCD]

Dude, try thin linux or other small distro, RedHat prolly won't fit. I think slackware cna be trimmed down, or maybe its mandrake...... I dunno. Can't beat thin linux though

[geekboy]

Originally posted by Yo_Mama
How did you get it to run in 12 megs? I tried to install 98 last pm on one of those 486 laptops w/8 megs. It said no go, needed 16 to install. I've been pulling my hair out today looking for a 95 cd. I used to have boatloads of 'em. :(

It could be that I cheated a bit... the computer only had a 170MB hard drive, and the installer said there wasn't enough space. To get around this, I put a clean install of Windows 98 onto another (newer) computer, and mirrored it's drive onto the smaller one. It did fit - just barely. ;) I stuck the little hard drive back in the 486 and Win98 fired right up. :D

[Bruce]

Originally posted by geekboy
It could be that I cheated a bit... the computer only had a 170MB hard drive, and the installer said there wasn't enough space. To get around this, I put a clean install of Windows 98 onto another (newer) computer, and mirrored it's drive onto the smaller one. It did fit - just barely. ;) I stuck the little hard drive back in the 486 and Win98 fired right up. :D

I've been known to cheat like that-- but what do you plan to do with WIN98 on a 486? I've got a 66Mhz, but I don't think I'll get enough WUs to pay for the electricity. (Even though this is one of the few 486s that has enough ram to keep it from paging itself to death.)

[Bruce]

Originally posted by MechCD
Dude, try thin linux or other small distro, RedHat prolly won't fit. I think slackware cna be trimmed down, or maybe its mandrake...... I dunno. Can't beat thin linux though

Where do I get thin linux?

[geekboy]

Originally posted by Bruce
What do you plan to do with WIN98 on a 486?

Truth be told, getting the 486 working was just a hobby project to occupy me until the parts arrive for a slightly more capable Celeron machine. I plan on leaving the 486 with my father when I go away to college. ;)

[MechCD]

www.thinlinux.org

Hmm, dnar, thin linux only seems to available for Alpha CPUs. Isn't there one for x86s?

[dnar]

Several, for starters:
cLieNUX (http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/cLIeNUX/)
Small-Linux (http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/distributions/small-linux/)
BasicLinux (http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/baslinux/)

[siggy]

Well I finally turned on the Compaq 386s (future linux machine) and it just keeps saying disk error hit any key.

I keep trying different keys but nothing seems to help.

[MechCD]

deeeeeeer, I think a 386 would be too slow for linuix or windows, stick with dos 5 on that......

Linux might werk ok, but don't exepect to run the GUI or X on it. It would be command prompt only, and bootup would take forever (unless its a thinlinux type)

[dnar]

Originally posted by siggy
Well I finally turned on the Compaq 386s (future linux machine) and it just keeps saying disk error hit any key.



I keep trying different keys but nothing seems to help.
Siggy, that 386 has probably lost its CMOS setup. Try F1 or DEL (whatever the POST screen says for CMOS) and setup the drive type for C:

As for Linux, coyote would run on it, command line only, boot disk firewall distro. Stay with DOS 5 though.....

[siggy]

I guess I will scrap it. It seems to be getting hung on the 3 1/2 drive. I will try a few more things but I don't hold out much hope.

[MechCD]

Oh oooh oooh! Can I have the busted parts? I like desoldering busted drives and stuff................ Pretty lites and lil stepper motors that i can't get to turn (don't have the circuit knowledge for controller board)

[MechCD]

dang that sounded like I'm moochin' off of other peeps stuff

[siggy]

You want to pay for shipping its all yours.