os comparison on sick boards...

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:08 am

knowing that a mobo that posts and detects hdds isn't necessarily in 100% health ...

which is the harder O/S for checking and tolerating slightly off components like dodgy vgas, nics, mobos with bad caps... windows or linux ?

purrkur · Post by **purrkur** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 4:25 am

Linux. No question about it. And I am not saying it because I am a Linux user!

The first thing I do with a oddly behaving Windows computer that someone asks me to fix? I run Knoppix on it so I can fiddle around a bit and get some decent information about the hardware etc that is readily available to the user in Linux but hard to impossible to get at in Windows.

My experience is also that drivers (for example) either work in Linux or they don't. Not the half-ass-can't-decide-if-I-should-work-or-not-but-I-won't-tell-anyone type of drivers you get in Windows (with NIC and MB drivers being the biggest offenders).

If you know how to use it, Linux can be a very powerful tool that has no comparison in the Windows world.

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 12:27 pm

hmmmm.... english.

I read your reply, and while informative, i realise my question was not good enuff, are they ever ?

not so much, is linux harder to install / use, I hate it so far, but I'm a troglodyte.
but which system would use harder techniques to make sure cards are working properly..
as in ...
dos command prompt runs fine, but you don't get to check the vga capability or the sound card, or nic

further, my 'repaired' bp6s, will post, and almost manage to install and boot in win2k. but not quite.
not all the way to the desktop, or not stable. i think they have issues with other caps that weren't replaced, but no time lately to diagnose.

so i want them seti / boinc ing away, but i seem to recall that maybe linux would be worse in getting a flaky board to just work ..

i want it to turn on, not ask for passwords, set it self up, run seti on a network and RealVNC so I can manage it, or something similar.

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 3:17 am

my win2k dual bp6 gets 90% into windows and stops.
but it will go into safe mode, even with networking on. but that means having a keyboard every time i turn it on.

purrkur · Post by **purrkur** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 8:44 am

I have learned a new word today: Troglodyte. I had to look it up

I would say that for me personally, I find Linux much more useful when trying to figure out components that are beginning to break but only randomly show their errors. I think Linux drivers are much more unforgiving than their Windows counterparts in that if things are not exactly like they should then the driver won't work.

But then again I am very comfortable with Linux and I know what to look for and how to extract information from the Kernel on hardware (for example). If you are not a Linux user today then I would say that the learning curve on how to get access to useful and relavant information might be a bit steep.

Have you tried running something like Knoppix to see if that can boot into a desktop?

I would also like to point one thing out. It seems as if you want unstable boards to run seti and the like. In my opinion, that is like saying that you want to take a car and run it flat out in a race even though you know it isn't firing on all cylinders. Is that such a good idea?

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 5:38 pm

it depends on which bit of the board is unstable.
we know the hpt366 isn't good for long term use on a hdd. if it's flaky, i don't care.
the usb circuits, don't care.
same for the parts that run com ports, printer ports, fdd.
if the primary hdd controller circuit is going off, i can use the secondary.
if a ram slot is dead, there's two others.

if i can get it to trun on, the cpu is working, ergo, it will damned well run seti or i want to know why ;-0) i don't want to throw it away.
i have a bp6 with a dead cpu socket.
it still runs fine on one.

such as in, the one that will run fine, in safe mode networking, its running ok, but it's safe mode. very hard to figure out whats playing up.

davd_bob · Post by **davd_bob** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 5:10 am

purrkur wrote:I would also like to point one thing out. It seems as if you want unstable boards to run seti and the like. In my opinion, that is like saying that you want to take a car and run it flat out in a race even though you know it isn't firing on all cylinders. Is that such a good idea?

Hey,
My wife's mini-van burns a spark plug wire from time to time and often isn't firing on all cylinders. She spends quite a bit of time on Houston's 610 loop which is the same thing as a race.
Just what are you trying to say?

purrkur · Post by **purrkur** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:22 am

davd_bob wrote:Just what are you trying to say?

That if you run something (like a car or computer) you suspect to be broken at max capacity then you can't really expect it to perform like the same thing that is working just fine.

You didn't mention if your wife ran your van at full throttle while not firing at all cylinders in a race or not.

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 10:08 am

purrkur wrote:I would also like to point one thing out. It seems as if you want unstable boards to run seti and the like. In my opinion, that is like saying that you want to take a car and run it flat out in a race even though you know it isn't firing on all cylinders. Is that such a good idea?

it's like, my race car is running fine. all six cylinders purring, gearbox tyres are fine.
the A/C is out, the speedo might not work, the radio is off, the windows don't wind up/down,.
the wheels aren't 17" chromes with 30 profile tyres, factory steel with 65 profile works fine.
paint job is bare metal, who needs paint.

it runs, it's running, why have all the extras for show, posing, the missus, when it only needs to run the race ?

davd_bob · Post by **davd_bob** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:13 am

Just where exactly did this train get derailed anyway?

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 5:21 am

damn, Knoppix 'looks' so much easier than that damned RedHat
and it required no playing with at all......
desktop, voila, I'm a hard man to please, so...
without having fiddled with it yet, ...
it gets my vote....

can it be hard installed too ?

purrkur · Post by **purrkur** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 9:29 am

Yeah, it can be installed on the harddrive as well. I found this in the FAQ (I have never done this myself):

Q: Can one also install the distribution from the CD onto a hard drive?

A: In principal, yes (after all, the "master" system also runs on a hard
drive before it is burned to CD). However there is currently no
installation GUI for this, so installation to a hard drive should probably
only be attempted by more knowledgeable Linux users. Assuming the KNOPPIX
system has already booted, installation approximately follows this
procedure:
1.) initialize a free partition with the ext2 file system and mount it on
/mnt/knoppix, for example.
2.) cp -a /KNOPPIX/* /mnt/knoppix/
3.) set up /mnt/knoppix/etc/fstab and /mnt/knoppix/etc/lilo.conf for the
new system (Caution: symlinks in /boot initially point to the Ram
disk!), run lilo.
4.) mkdir /mnt/knoppix/home/knoppix && \
chown knoppix.knoppix /mnt/knoppix/home/knoppix
5.) Reboot, try the system out, fix any broken settings.
(No guarantees.)

I am sure if you google around you will find more howtos on the subject.

purrkur · Post by **purrkur** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:32 pm

Dave Rave and other that are interested in Knoppix: I just found this link on Slashdot. It is a 134 page book (in pdf format) documenting Knoppix. It is for beginners too. I haven't had the time to look at it but I thought I should mention it for all that are interested.

Billl · Post by **Billl** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:47 am

purrkur wrote:Dave Rave and other that are interested in Knoppix: I just found this link on Slashdot. It is a 134 page book (in pdf format) documenting Knoppix. It is for beginners too. I haven't had the time to look at it but I thought I should mention it for all that are interested.

On that same theme Purrkur, I just found a wonderful Book on Knoppix at Barnes & Nobles the other day. Published by O'Reilly it's called Knoppix hacks. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse ... 7876&itm=1

Billl

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 6:58 am

and, looking at the supplied .txt files for clues, it says there is a knoppix installer.

do a 'start - run command' (thingy)
sudo knoppix-installer

I'm running it at the moment, will report (yeh, like my zalman photos, sure sure)

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 6:43 pm

and once you get past the how to partition the hdd, it's in
and looks just like the cd version

now to figure out user accounts, permissions
install seti, and i'll be happy