make your computer last longer before upgrading

peter_the_planter

I downloaded Knoppix from the site on here but it only loads as far as 'detecting network' section and hangs there. Any suggestions?

bigjohn

when you did the download, did you check the integrity of the download?

because there's usually a "thing" called the "md5sum" as well. it's a small text file that contains a long(ish) number, which under linux is very very easy to check i.e. you compare the number in the md5sum file to the downloaded file, and if it matches then it's a perfect download if only 1 number is wrong it would mean that theres a small or larger corruption to the download.

if you've got a windows system you'll have to get a small free app called md5summer you can get it at http://www.md5summer.org/download.html obviously you'd probably want to get the latest verion (1.2.0.5) and you install that, then you get it to "make sums" using the downloaded iso image of knoppix, and compare it to the md5sum file you get from the same server location that you got the downloaded iso from.

Not having used knoppix very much, I can't offer any help as to whether you're disc might be knackered or not, but I've usually done my downloads via windows and then checked them with the md5summer utility. I usually burn my iso's with burning nero (version 5 is the one I have, but I think that 6 is the latest).

so with that in mind, I've had a look and would suggest that you have a look at the "knoppix forums", which are to be found here http://www.knoppix.net/forum/.

Maybe that helps some. Or perhaps you have a linux user group near you? ..... The usual resource to find that would be the "linux format" magazine website, but they've "frozen" it before upgrading their site, so my "LUG" is http://www.sussex.lug.org.uk/ here and you could always register for the mailing list and then ask the question there, they're a pretty helpful bunch on the list (plus you don't actually have to be in sussex, there's some who aren't already on the list).

Or if you post a rough location (county) I'll look up the LUG list in last months mag and post it for you.

regards

John

oldrimes

If you have an older computer running windows that is slow, giving error messages or crashing. It could be worthwhile investingating LiveCD distributions of Linux.

These allow you to boot the whole Linux OS from a CD, nothing is installed on your hard disk, so allows you to have a go at using Linux, without losing your current version of windows.

Because there are lots of versions of Linux (distro's = distrubutions), there are likewise lots of LiveCD's that you can try out. By booting your computer with one of these LiveCD's you will get an idea of whether Linux will detect your computer hardware, and whether Linux is for you. It allows you to make a more informed choice. Often commonly used applications (office, internet) are already installed.

Ubuntu is a popular one, which I've found gives reasonable performance on older computers, but there are plenty of others. Ubuntu will send CD's free of charge when they release new versions of their system.

Help for windows users, looking to get started on Linux:
http://www.reallylinux.com/docs/consult.shtml

Ubuntu Distribution :
https://www.ubuntu.com

Links to different distributions:
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php

wolfman

I wouldn't totally agree with the title of the post.

The transition between Windows and Linux can take a while to learn, so what you gain in reduced cost, you probably lose in time spent learning. A Windows license can be picked up for £50 too, and usually comes as part of the package anyway (for most people on here), so it's not a huge saving.

Where Linux is very good, is that you don't need to maintain it as much as Windows. Drives don't become defragmented, no spyware to search for etc... It is trickier to setup though, especially if you've never used command lines.

With regards to making your machine last longer, that's a little dubious. I've never really noticed that, unless you're going back to Pentium 2's. I've got an old P3 733Mhz and XP loads faster on that than Linux.

And if you sell your parts at the right time an upgrade doesn't cost that much. I recently upgraded from a P4 2.53Ghz to an AMD64 3500+ for £150, and a Radeon 9700 Pro to a GeForce 6800GT for £100. Not bad for parts that were nearly 3 years old.

Anyone thinking of making the switch, I'd advice to be careful. Maybe try a live distro like Knoppix beforehand. I personally can get by without Linux, but not vice versa. I run with a dual boot to get the best of both worlds.

wolfman

bigjohn wrote:

If linux is so bad, then why do so many of the worlds servers run on it? Because most people don't realise how many times a day they interface with linux - they certainly haven't heard of Apache (except in John Waynes films).

Servers and workstations are very different. And from what I've seen most companies use Unix, rather than Linux.

bigjohn wrote:

Do you really want to pay the £200 to £300 for M$Office, when you can get Open office for the price of the download (practically free) ????

Open Office is available for Windows too, so you have the choice.

bigjohn wrote:

Do you then want to pay £50 to £90 for someone to come and sort out your system if/when it goes wrong, when you can get most types of linux advice/instruction/help free from the community sites?

There are plenty of Windows support sites, probably more in fact. Support in Linux can be quite tricky too, most people here aren't very techie.

I'm not saying don't try Linux, I just think the way you're looking at it isn't very realistic.