Anyone here installed Linux on Dell Inspiron 700m?

So, the final installation looks good. I did a lot of crazy stuff trying to fix a problem with my computer's speakers not working (I can only listen to sound with a headset), crashed the computer, so I followed all the steps and did a fresh install. The computer runs beautifully, I will deal with the speakers later. Thanks @wizardfromoz @atanere @Condobloke !

LUBUNTU 16.04.3 INSTALL STEPS FOR MY DELL INSPIRON 700m:

1) Download Unetbootin for Windows: unetbootin-windows-657.exe from UNetbootin

2) Download Lubuntu 16.04.3 (Lubuntu Desktop 32-bit) from LUBUNTU

3) Get an USB drive (try different ones if the first one is not recognized by Unetbootin) and format it FAT32.

4) From Condobloke:
Open unetbootin. Plug in your USB. At the bottom of its window...click on 'Diskimage. Then go to your right, and click in the box with the three little dots......that opens a window where you will proceed to find the download for Lubuntu. In trhe bottom left hand corner of the unetbootin window it says 'Type"....and that box should already show USB Drive.....then next to that it should have the name of the USB drive......PLEASE CHECK THAT THE USB DRIVE IS NAMED CORRECTLY...AND THAT YOU WILL BE INSTALLING THE LUBUNTU OS TO THE USB......NOT SOMEWHERE ELSE !!!!!
When you are quite certain that is correct,....click OK. Allow it to do its thing....it could take as long as 10 minutes...but typically it takes around half that time.

When finished, you need to change the boot order to boot from the usb.

5) After booting from USB drive, select Install option, press [TAB]. A string will be displayed with "---" at the end. Substitute it for "forcepae --- forcepae" (the spaces before and after '---' are important). press [ENTER]

6) After the installation is done, go to Terminal and type "sudo ufw enable"

7) Run all updates. Done!
 
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@angelmpb

GOODONYER! :D:D

I've said it before and I'll say it again. One of the things I enjoy about the time zone differences is when I can be on my first morning coffee (as I am) and read good news here :p. Particularly when the Member has done so much of the work him or herself. It's very uplifting.

If the sound issue persists after a couple of reboots without your solving it:

  • It can still be considered as an issue within the parameters of your thread Title, which is install, and covered here, or consider
  • Start/ing a new Thread, with key words Lubuntu 16.04 and Sound/Speakers included, and then it stands out straight away as something the "Sound Boffins" can zero in on to help you, and allows The Viewers with sound issues to perhaps gain something from.
Cheers and enjoy your Linux ... I do, every day :):)

BTW - @atanere @Condobloke ... hey guys, does that mean we can call ourselves The Three Amigos? Can I be the tall one? It would be such a change.

Edited added BTW

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
@angelmpb
If the sound issue persists after a couple of reboots without your solving it:
  • It can still be considered as an issue within the parameters of your thread Title, which is install, and covered here, or consider
  • Start/ing a new Thread, with key words Lubuntu 16.04 and Sound/Speakers included, and then it stands out straight away as something the "Sound Boffins" can zero in on to help you, and allows The Viewers with sound issues to perhaps gain something from.
wizardfromoz

I wouldn't had done it without you guys :D
I like the option to start a new Thread, it makes more sense. I'll take a break for a few days to deal with other issues, but I'll be back soon.

Cheers!

Angela
angelmpb
 
c u soon :):cool::p:Do_O... enjoy!
 
Greetings, this may be an epiloge to an old thread, but I hope it may be of use to anyone who is looking for this information in the future.

Yes, I have loaded Lubuntu LXLE 18.04.3 LTS 32-bit on this machine and in fact and drafting this entry on that machine.

Based on memory it's powered by an Intel Centrino 1.6 GHz (aka) Pentium-M (which will be important later), 1Gig RAM and 80 GB IDE HDD. I have set this machine up as a donation machine to be gifted to schoolkids.

SETUP - I used the YUMI USB bootloader and the 32-bit version of LXLE 18.04.3 LTS 32-bit, since the machine is based on 32-bit architecture. Significantly, LXLE is one of the few distros that still maintains Long Term Support for 32-bit architecture, which this machine has.

I initially tried Lubuntu and Linux Lite on this machine, but LXLE 18.04.3 LTS 32-bit for the primary reasons that it runs very nicely on older technology with just a little bit of RAM, and yet comes with a fairly complete software suite OOTB.

Another advantage is that it recognizes many devices that other distros do not. Q4OS, for instance, installs easily and zips along with 1 Gig of RAM, but it suffers from difficulty recognizing such things as WiFi cards and webcams.

CHALLENGES in INSTALLATION

This machine is powered by a Centrino / Pentium-M (mobile, laptop) version of Intel's CPU. For some reason you have to interrupt the initial install screen at the first screen by hitting TAB, which will spawn a small terminal entry at the bottom of the screen.

You must hit space once, which moves the cursor at the bottom of all text and in that space, enter FORCEPAE (in lowercase), and hit ENTER. THEN, after the machine goes through the FORCE PAE procedure, will install as you follow through the install menus. FORCEPAE is needed for Centrino / Pentium-M processors.

BLANKING SCREEN

- the Dell 700m has been noted to continue to blank the screen repeatedly (e.g. hibernate) and somewhat annoyingly. Evidently this is a design flaw related to the hibernation mechanism wedded to the close lid sensor.

The Close Lid Sensor is a tiny little stub of plastic protruding upward near the right side lid hinge. Hit that little stub whenever the machine starts to blank its screen / hibernate and it will wake up again. Once the install is completed, that hibernation issue seems to settle down, but you need to be aware of it because it will otherwise it drive you mad.

PICKY RAM

- This particular machine has two SODIMM memory slots of DDR1 type RAM. According to CNET the machine can handle 2 Gigs of RAM which will be quite nice. But it is quite picky as to which modules it will recognize, so if you mail order the memory, make sure you have a compatibility guarantee, because if the machine doesn't like that memory, it it will just act as if it refuses to switch on at all.

WORKING WITH LXLE 18.04.3 LTS. - It zips along like new.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
Yes had one of these for years till it died, Had 32bit xp so replaced with Puppy Linux particurlarly Slackos. Nowt but Puppies.
 

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