hello, Over the years lots of folks have wondered about how to fix and old laptop to work with gentoo again, cost effectively. There seems to be (2) problems in the majority.
1. Which environment to set up for minimal old hardware:: That discussion can continue, but I like lxqt or lxde. Others should chime in, as I hope to create a howto or wiki page after some input. 2. The other (most common) issue that I think I have solved, is how to replace those old dead ide hard drives:: SYBA SD-CF-IDE-DI IDE to Compact Flash Adapter ( Direct Insertion Mode ) can be had for less that $5 USD. Combined with a 16Gb Compact flash card less that $20 usd and it should just slide right into the old 2.5" ide HD container slot and plug right in. You can up-size if you need to, but prices for the CF go crazy after 16Gb. There are many form factors for the syba card, so make sure you try the Direct connect one in this pic:: [1]. EXT2 w2orks best as a file system. Comments and physical verification are most welcome, as it fits snugly in (2) old lappies I have tested so far. I intend to also insert tiny pieces of bubble wrap for circuit boards, just to wedge it tightly in place. Very little heat generated with this solution. You can prolly get it down to a 4Gb card, if you are going 'thin client' with the restored lappy. I'm looking for all complimentary info to add to a howto or a wiki page on resurrecting old laptops (hardware and software) centric to gentoo, links are welcome too. James http://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=64_147_150&product_id=612