> Val Dokuzovic wrote: > >found out that I can not install > >it on my laptop. ... Turned to my sons old PC NEC Ready 60 Which laptop do you have? what leads you to the conclusion that you can not install linux on your laptop? In my experience, very few laptops actually entirely resist installation of linux. I've done it on a IBM TP365X, which is a quite bitchy machine... You can probably get help at the debian-laptop-mailing-list. > >I installed one copy of linux to my C: drive and one > >to my D: drive. The idea was that if I manage to get one crashed I will > >simply use the other one, (maybe try to fix the first one with it - > >remember I do not really know a lot?) My principal copy was on C: drive. > >My "backup" is on D: drive. I got them both running reasonable well. I > >had only one problem left: RAM. I have 104M, and machine thought I had > >64M. This is where append="mem=104M" in etc/lilo.conf became an option > >to try. Last time I tried it I got a bad crash from which could not > >recover. (That was what gave me the idea of the two copies). This time I > >tried it on my "backup" copy. It did work as far as RAM but boy am I in > >a mess now. I can not get my C: copy to run. D: copy I can barely get to > >too. It is now for some reason my first "suggested" choice and my C: ... If you specify the amount of ram reported by the bios, you will probably get an error like the one you're describing. You need to specify the amount available to linux, after the kernel has taken what it needs. Try specifying 4-8 Mb less than the actual amount, and you should be fine. (Some of the gurus can probably give you a more in-depth explanation...) > >With all the trouble I went through (and all I still probably will go > >through) I am becoming more and more attached to linux, as I slowly > >learn its intricacies. But a thought went through my mind. Linux is > >supposed to be a free software. Is Debian really free? Is it free if > >only programming elite can use it? Or are we mousemen really retarded > >now after prolonged use of windows? Attached are my messy etc/lilo.conf > >files. One with root at dev/hda2 is my C: copy. Please help. I do not > >dare to do anything on my own anymore. If any debian expert lives in > >Toronto area I am willing to pay him to get my mlinux machine in a > >perfect order. Thank you for help. Val.
Why don't you try a straightforward Debian install? I did my first install half a year ago, and except for a bitchy on-board sreen-card, it went completely smooth. Later when I put in more ram, someone at the list was able to inform me that I had to specify slightly less than actually installed. That was it!. You shouldn't need to have a dual install; I suggest you use a rescue-disk instead of confusing you (and the system) with having two installs... About your "free"-remarks: I was a 'doze-handicapped average user ½yr ago. I think you're right: you will be retarded after prolonged use of windows; but you don't have to be a geek to run linux. Please be very specific when reporting errors, try to give errormessages, and describe what happened before the "crashes". BTW, you (or your hardware) must be doing some high-quality strangeness: Linux (almost) never crashes. I've had one "crash" in 6 months; when the cable to my /hdd (/usr) worked itself loose... Please: you gotta dare. You'll love it, once it's running. hth Vitux -- Death comes to us in various guises, swiftly changing as a baby's mood... Debian GNU/Linux Micro$loth-free Zone