I've checked all the linux laptop sites (about 4-5 of them) but I still am having problems with putting linux on my system. Mandrake 9.0 won't finish booting correctly and ends up at the terminal login screen, then it keeps timing out and I can't do anything about it. RedHat 7.2 won't configure my screen or video card, and I really can't get anything out of it. I'm just going to try gentoo this weekend. Does anyone know much about it? Or about linux on my laptop in general? I'm quite a novice on Linux, so things are a little bit of a pain in the ass. Presarios aren't the best computers for linux...but I would like to make a distro work for me. Would RedHat 9.0 work any better? If I can just get the box to boot into the GUI, then I can run the terminal from there and work on things, but I haven't even that far yet....Help please. Thanks. More relevant computer info: ACPI 64 MB shared video memory (ATi Radeon IGP 345M) Conexant 56K ACLink modem National Semiconductor Corp. DP83815/816 10/100 MacPhyter PCI Adapter LAN-Express IEEE 802.11 PCI Adapter

Have you thought about trying SuSE ? You can now download it from their FTP site and install it "on the fly". Also, they just came up with a Live Eval version that you can download. I have been using SuSE for a little over a year (8.0 Pro and 8.2 Pro) and am very happy with it. I run it on both an old desktop box and had it on an old IBM Laptop (TP 240). Regarding info about "old laptops" and Linux, try LinuxFormat.com. It is the site of Linux Format magazine (British), which in my opinion, is the best Linux mag around. Reason why I point you there is because the Brits are fanatical about Linux in laptops and you can research the archives AND their forums to ask for experiences that they might have had. I have read posts of people installing in laptops older and "less capable" than your Pressario. Lastly, you could also try Debian. They way I understand it, it is "easier" than Gentoo to install/configure, and apparently very good on laptops. (I'm getting ready to try it myself soon, since I have been reading some good "stuff" about it). Good luck! Regards...

I now feel like a total idiot! I read the model number of your Presarion run! My bad!!! LOL Your notebook is not old at all! So, now that my head is screwed-in somewhat properly, I wonder why Red Hat and Mandrake are giving you problems with that laptop? All the info I mentioned earlier still fits and as long as you can boot from your CD/DVD ROM (which you shoudl be able to) you should not have any problems with SuSE or Debian, or Gentoo for that matter. (Maybe trying a newer version of Red Hat, for it will have a more recent support for newer hardware) Sorry again and hope that helps! Regards....

OK I have a simaliar laptop compaq 2175US it has an athalon instead of the pentium. The rest is basicly the same . I used RedHat 9 . The only problem I had was with X. I finnally got it to work by using the generic VESA driver at the end of the install instead of the radeon mobility. Then I picked a moniter that would do 1024x768 @ 60 hz. It works fine. The winmodem doesnt work and the 54g wireless doesnt wok. But I havent looked for drivers. I cant ever find any wireless access with XP so why bother. BTW I did a dual boot since I knew bill g would not refund my XP Pro tax. Good Luck Ron

After your install of mandrake, you should have rebooted and at the boot prompt typed: linux 3 This would have booted you into text mode, from there you can sort out your X/GUI problem with XFdrake (that was probably the timing out bit - X trying to start but failing so it starts again...and fails etc). A VESA driver woould probably be a good idea together with a sensible choice of monitor (generic 1024x768@60Hz?). Gentoo is cool. It takes a long time to install as it downloads all the source from the internet and then compiles it based on your system. If you have broadband you could go for it but don't bother if you are still on dial-up. Gentoo is aimed more at the advanced user (although you will learn a lot when you do install it)....If you have nmanaged to get mandrake installed on it without failing I would suggest trying that again with the steps I mentioned above.

SuSE8.2 works well with this laptop..The only 2 things that don't work are my 3D Video and Wireless .....But at this time there are no Drivers for them......