[AT] Linux powered old tractors (Off topic)

[Spencer Yost]

It’s been so long since my machines have had a CD-RW drive I forget the folks still have them :-) Since you have a CD-RW you can burn a bootable CD also.   For you that might even be better than messing with a stick that may or may not work.


Another note.   At first you’ll just want to burn a “live” CD (the OS runs off the CD) rather than an installation disk(will try to install rather than run).  Linux is generally MUCH faster than windows but you may notice some performance concerns since you will be running off a CD.  After you play around and are comfortable you can then create an installation CD and try your hand at a dual boot machine(if you have enough disc space).


Spencer 



Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 17, 2020, at 10:03 AM, Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> 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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