[AT] Linux powered old tractors (Off topic)

[Stephen Offiler]

OK, I've got the laptop on my desk now.  I had the model wrong.  Actually a
Dell Precision M4400.  Vintage 2009 unchanged ;-)

F12 Boot options:

CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive
Internal HDD (IRRT)
Cardbus NIC
Onboard NIC

But it appears that maybe it will boot from USB.  Not sure on that, but
here's an observation:  when a thumb drive (non-bootable) is plugged in
prior to power-up, this prevents booting from the internal hard drive.  It
just sits there, locked, with some ROM info on screen.

Now that I'm this far, I should probably download a Linux flavor onto USB
and see what happens next.

SO



On Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 9:22 AM Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> "I've got a Dell from about 2009 or so, perhaps a 3000-series (?), running
> XP.  At the time it was a workstation-class laptop, capable of running 3D
> CAD software.  I don't use it much anymore, but it definitely comes in
> handy sometimes.  Nothing important is stored on it.  Hard drive has given
> me a few scares over the last several years, but it comes back every time
> (on it's own; I have not done anything heroic).  This bootable thumb drive
> thing is intriguing because you don't need any hard drive at all with it.
>  In your scenario, with the hidden partition, you still need a functional
> hard drive.  Plus, there's been enough discussion of Linux here on ATIS
> (and elsewhere) that I'm curious.
> SO"
>
>
>
> One of the advantages of Linux is that you don't have to put a half
> zillion hours on your old hard drive cranking and chomping seemingly
> forever doing defrags on it. The Linux file system makes it generally
> unnecessary. Only geeks and crazy people ever defrag a Linux hard drive.
> :-)  Now if you dual boot with Windows you probably need to defrag the
> Windows partition with Windows but it's been a very long time since I ran a
> dual boot setup and I have forgotten.
> Since it is a Dell it might have a USB boot option in the BIOS at that
> vintage but you will need to check.
> I guess you could do the same thing with a good sized SD card... I've
> never tried that. I keep a good sized micro SD card in our phones for
> storage.
> ****
> Old tractor reference:
> I am currently testing and installing Linux in several "OLD" boxes (picked
> up at yard sales or freebies) trying to pick one to install in a
> heated/cooled cabinet in the farm shop so I have a bigger screen available
> to look up tractor details instead of chasing glasses to read my phone.  :-)
>
> .
>
>
> --
> --
>
> Francis Robinson
> aka "farmer"
> Central Indiana USA
> robinson46176 at gmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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