Greetings, I just recently fired up and dusted off an old Gateway computer. Still works and boots up. It has Windows 7 on it. It is Windows XP. What version of Linux would be good to put on it and how do I put it on this machine? Do I need to wipe it clean first or can I just go for it off a DVD or thumb drive? Thank you.
How to download to an old Windows 7 machine
- Thread starter ADGW
- Start date
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
G'day ADGW, Welcome to Linux.org
make-Gateway
model-?....year model would be good, but not strictly necessary
specs....ram, hdd or ssd
No need to wipe it....the Linux installer will format it, partition it and install on it......all on its own
Use a thumb drive with Balena Etcher to ""Load"" the .iso file of whatever Linux you end up choosing
Info requested first.....then we can give you lots of choices.
The hard part?....distinguishing between the many choices.
My advice?....keep it simple.
You come across like you will need some support to get it on there and then to set it up and etc etc etc
Best support = Linux Mint
choice of flavours in Linux Mint = 3
Linux Mint Cinnamon .....which one of the three will be used will be decided primarily by you, but also by the specs of the pc.
Linux Mint Mate
Linux Mint XFCE
Info please.
make-Gateway
model-?....year model would be good, but not strictly necessary
specs....ram, hdd or ssd
No need to wipe it....the Linux installer will format it, partition it and install on it......all on its own
Use a thumb drive with Balena Etcher to ""Load"" the .iso file of whatever Linux you end up choosing
Info requested first.....then we can give you lots of choices.
The hard part?....distinguishing between the many choices.
My advice?....keep it simple.
You come across like you will need some support to get it on there and then to set it up and etc etc etc
Best support = Linux Mint
choice of flavours in Linux Mint = 3
Linux Mint Cinnamon .....which one of the three will be used will be decided primarily by you, but also by the specs of the pc.
Linux Mint Mate
Linux Mint XFCE
Info please.
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truckerDave
Well-Known Member
Nobody but you can make those decisions.
Do you want to duel boot (have whatever Windows version of the 2 you mentioned AND a Linux distro available on the same pc)?? Or a Linux only pc?
As for what method to install, either works fine. Although, a bootable DVD worked easier for me on one of my older boxes. Not saying it will for you.
Just my opinion. You decide.
Do you want to duel boot (have whatever Windows version of the 2 you mentioned AND a Linux distro available on the same pc)?? Or a Linux only pc?
As for what method to install, either works fine. Although, a bootable DVD worked easier for me on one of my older boxes. Not saying it will for you.
Just my opinion. You decide.
A typical gamble. I'll bet it's another dead-end possibly because of slow file-transfers imposed by SATA2/USB2. So the only reasonable remedy would be a RAMDisk solution available from a few puppies, for example. In any case a preliminary search would seem in order unless this feature is broken... Ah, and try have a live OS with HardInfo pre-installed, ready to go.
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Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forums
If your machine was originally for XP then it may be 32 bit this will depend on age and specification, to run a modern 64 bit Linux you will need, at least 2Gb of ram [4Gb is better] and a 64 bit cpu preferably a twin core, if you can confirm these items or if not give us the full model number of the gateway we may be able to advise you better,
as mentioned, it will be USB2, but this doesn't mean it will also be USB bootable, so be prepared to use the optical drive [DVD]
and if the machine hasn't been used for a long time, use a proprietary optical drive lens cleaner before you start
How Do I Install Linux (A General Guide) • Linux Tips
Today, I will try to answer one of the most common questions asked by the newcomer to Linux; “How do I install Linux”
linux-tips.us
At this stage I will not throw in any suggestions as which distribution to try, I don't want you trying to install one that is not suitable for the machine.
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Indeed, and that's where the 'PLoP' boot loader of Elmar Hanlhofer may prove quite useful, by allowing to burn only 1 CD/DVD instead of many. But then the file transfer bottleneck remains (IDE sounds more like it!), which is why i'd find the load-to-RAM option most appropriate, especially when patience or spare time are short. It seems i've happened to mentioned 'S15Pup64-22.12-240810.iso' and 'PupFoss96-CE_2.iso' in a similar situation just a few weeks ago... 'Porteus' probably still have both options too, at least that would be a start, or rely on Windows 'SysInfo' but my memory about it ain't reliable anymore!
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
I think you have, but as our resident kennel master has said on many times, puppy is an acquired taste and not really suitable for beginners.
Oh? I find it lightweight and it comes with the necessities required to make further progress, no need to rely on it indefinitely if it's not this user's own taste. Right now though we lack the specifics...
Wow! Thank you for all the replies. Here is the info on the Gateway.
Gateway 825 GM 2005yr
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Installed
Intel Pentium 4 processor
8.25 GB Double layer 16X DVD+/- and 16X DVD drive
250GB Sata HDD
7200 RPM with 8mb cache
1GB DDR Dual Channel Memory
8 in 1 Digital media reader
2 Fire Wire and 7 USB ports
Hope all that helps. It was quite the machine in its day.
I am used to Ubuntu that I have on a laptop that I downloaded many years ago. I actually found the DVD with Ubuntu 15.04 on it and tried to put that in the gateway. But did not work out.
So, its been a few years since I have downloaded Linux to anything. So, I appreciate any help in the best way to go about doing that now to this Gateway. Thank you.
Gateway 825 GM 2005yr
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Installed
Intel Pentium 4 processor
8.25 GB Double layer 16X DVD+/- and 16X DVD drive
250GB Sata HDD
7200 RPM with 8mb cache
1GB DDR Dual Channel Memory
8 in 1 Digital media reader
2 Fire Wire and 7 USB ports
Hope all that helps. It was quite the machine in its day.
I am used to Ubuntu that I have on a laptop that I downloaded many years ago. I actually found the DVD with Ubuntu 15.04 on it and tried to put that in the gateway. But did not work out.
So, its been a few years since I have downloaded Linux to anything. So, I appreciate any help in the best way to go about doing that now to this Gateway. Thank you.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Alarm bells going off everywhere
Not enough to run a full modern Linux build [you will need a light build]
it is unlikely to be USB bootable
now the killer, the The 825GM Computer only supports 3.4GHz Intel Pentium 4. this is a 32 bit CPU.
32-bit Linux is going the way of MS & Mac in that it will shortly run out of support, in the interim you can get it going with any on the following list
Top 15 Linux Distros That Still Support 32 Bit Systems
If you have vintage hardware with 32-bit processor and you would like to keep on using it, here are the best choices of Linux distros with 32-bit support.
itsfoss.com
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Debian or mint would probably be best for you, but they are all good
The Gateway does have 7 USB ports on it. So, plenty of places to plug in.
I think I am going to go for Debian. Give that a try. If I can get it on to a stick at all. The Windows machine I have access to does not make anything easy and it does not have a DVD drive, so I will try to see if I can accomplish a USB.
Thank you very much for all the help.
I think I am going to go for Debian. Give that a try. If I can get it on to a stick at all. The Windows machine I have access to does not make anything easy and it does not have a DVD drive, so I will try to see if I can accomplish a USB.
Thank you very much for all the help.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
I have my doubts if a USB will work, they started changing over from optical around 2007, as it has working windows you could use that to download a couple of Linux builds and burn to DVD [use blank DVD-r at no faster than x3 speed for best results]
All i could find was that this appears to have SATA 1, so maybe USB1 as well... The good news i guess is that a CD may be tolerable compared to USB 1, but i must insist that more specifics would have been appreciated. You'll still find 32-bits Linux though as a restricted selection, 'slax-32bit-slackware-15.0.4.iso' (448 MB) for example, which used to have 'PLoP' installed and ready - but not anymore, or at least i don't see it.
I also find 2 more which are Puppies but i doubt those offer 'PLoP' to boot from a USB device:
We can presume the last one is Debian-based.
I also find 2 more which are Puppies but i doubt those offer 'PLoP' to boot from a USB device:
'S15Pup32-22.12-240919.iso' 417M3 (2024-09-19)
'BookwormPup32-23.12-240919.iso' 593M5 (2024-Sep-19)
'BookwormPup32-23.12-240919.iso' 593M5 (2024-Sep-19)
We can presume the last one is Debian-based.
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@ADGW :-
Heh. Oh boy; a P4 and a gig of DDR1. Happy days...(NOT).
The thing about Puppies - and TBH, this applies to every distro regardless - is that the quoted size is ALWAYS that of the ISO file. Everybody conveniently overlooks the fact that most of 'em, when unpacked & installed, usually occupy 2½-3 times that space. Even veteran Puppy users are frequently guilty of this in their enthusiasm to recommend it.
OK; in "our Pup's" case, she will (if possible) fully load into RAM and run from there.....and because the entire thing runs from RAM - the fastest component of machines of that generation - you need to have sufficient RAM for this process to work. Which your Gateway, in its present configuration, simply doesn't have.
If that's the P4 I think it probably is, it has the 800 MHz FSB (front side bus) and H/T - which means it'll behave like a dual-core - but even though it runs at 3.4 GHz it'll STILL be as slow as molasses on a cold day.......because it's stuck with only SSE2s. And because it's 32-bit only, as m'colleague @Brickwizard says, you'll be distinctly limited in what you can run on it.
Most major distros - including Canonical with Ubuntu - have long since dropped 32-bit builds and gone 64-bit only.......but then, 64-bit home systems have been around for about 20 yrs at this point. It's hardly "new" technology any more.
The reason I won't recommend Puppy to new Linux users is quite simple; despite being simple and easy-to-use, if said noob starts with Puppy as their first distro, then later wants to try a mainstream release, because Puppy is rather different to standard Linux they'll end up having to re-learn a lot of stuff all over again......and I don't think it's fair to put new users in that position.
I always recommend going with a easy-to-use mainstream distro like Mint, cutting their teeth on that and getting used to how Linux works for a while. If, after that, they're still curious about Puppy, they'll be in a rather better position to comprehend the differences AND why/how Puppy works the way she does.
Mike.
Heh. Oh boy; a P4 and a gig of DDR1. Happy days...(NOT).
The thing about Puppies - and TBH, this applies to every distro regardless - is that the quoted size is ALWAYS that of the ISO file. Everybody conveniently overlooks the fact that most of 'em, when unpacked & installed, usually occupy 2½-3 times that space. Even veteran Puppy users are frequently guilty of this in their enthusiasm to recommend it.
OK; in "our Pup's" case, she will (if possible) fully load into RAM and run from there.....and because the entire thing runs from RAM - the fastest component of machines of that generation - you need to have sufficient RAM for this process to work. Which your Gateway, in its present configuration, simply doesn't have.
If that's the P4 I think it probably is, it has the 800 MHz FSB (front side bus) and H/T - which means it'll behave like a dual-core - but even though it runs at 3.4 GHz it'll STILL be as slow as molasses on a cold day.......because it's stuck with only SSE2s. And because it's 32-bit only, as m'colleague @Brickwizard says, you'll be distinctly limited in what you can run on it.
Most major distros - including Canonical with Ubuntu - have long since dropped 32-bit builds and gone 64-bit only.......but then, 64-bit home systems have been around for about 20 yrs at this point. It's hardly "new" technology any more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The reason I won't recommend Puppy to new Linux users is quite simple; despite being simple and easy-to-use, if said noob starts with Puppy as their first distro, then later wants to try a mainstream release, because Puppy is rather different to standard Linux they'll end up having to re-learn a lot of stuff all over again......and I don't think it's fair to put new users in that position.
I always recommend going with a easy-to-use mainstream distro like Mint, cutting their teeth on that and getting used to how Linux works for a while. If, after that, they're still curious about Puppy, they'll be in a rather better position to comprehend the differences AND why/how Puppy works the way she does.
Mike.
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I guess i'm too polite to tell the guy to jump through the window, so if he must insist it's still going to be 'S15Pup32-22.12-240919.iso', which can load to « RAM Only » and comes with 'HardInfo' v0.6 alpha ready to run. Too bad Slax ain't compatible with my 'YUMi-exFAT' drive while i'm not interested about the CSM boot option anyway!
