A Linux Computer

[Dabomb18359]

My advice - don't bother with Windows . Install some Linux distro , and then install Cedega on top of it . That will allow you to play most games .

First , however , you need to tell us the specifics of your machine . We'd like

1) The motherboard manufacturer name and model name/number of your motherboard
2) Processor manufacturer , name , and model number
3) Graphics card manufacturer name and card model number ( don't bother with this if you have integrated graphics )
4) Monitor manufacturer , name , and model number
5) Modem manufacturer ( if you have a modem ) and model number
6) Soundcard manufacturer ( if you have a separate souncdad ) , name , and model number

Also all the relevant information ( manufacturer , name , and model number ) for any other peripheral device which you have .

If this information is given , we could provide much more help .

I looked through the information I have and didn't find a specs list so do you know where I could find it. I got it from Fry's a year 1/2 ago apprx. It was around $280, AMD Athlon XP 1800+, Lindows Linux, 40gb HD, 128 ram, and probably crappy graphics. Where do you think I could find the manufacturers? Should I open the computer up and look at each part?
Please help me some more. Thanks!
btw: I'm still going to look for the specs of it online if I can find it.

 

[aneeshm]

Don't open the case unless you know what you're doing ! It's easy to fry the BIOS with a flash of static unless you're careful .

But if you want information about what the computer has , then I'd say you go to the Fry's dealership you got it from , show them the proof of purchase ( though it may not matter ) , and simply ask them the details that I asked for above . If you find them online , good .

I'd recommend you download Ubuntu Linux . It's installation is easy enough - almost everything is automatic .

After having installed and tested whatever distro you want , you can go to TransGaming's website , where you can purchase Cedega and Point2Play ( these are enhanced versions of WINE that allow you to play the games listed in their database of supported games ) . Note that support for most games comes about a month after the game's release . The cost of a subscription is 15 $ , for three months ( which is the minimum subscription time , from where on you can xeep extending your subscription if you so feel it ) . Note that you get to keep the software they provide even after your subscription has expired - but you don't get any updates .


If , however , you want immediate support for all Windows games and applications , or if you want a game that is not in their database , then I'd say you go with Windows - though then I'd recommend upgrading your RAM to 512 MB ( or 256 MB at the very least - Windows XP runs very slowly without that much ) . In fact , even if you are going with Linux , try to get your RAM upgraded to 256 MB or 512 MB , as only a lightweight Window Manager like XFCE will work fast with 128 MB of RAM .

 

[Dabomb18359]

Okay. Sorry to bump up an old thread, but I decided to do that instead of making a new one.

If you don't know about my computer (with Linux) read above.

I was looking for free ways, but if I get Windows XP (by buying it or borrowing it) would that work? Would it come with the drivers I was missing in Windows 98 when i tried that? Because I know Xp is better but if I still won't have the drivers I don't want to pay for it. Thx again.

 

[Padma]

Well, if you don't want to pay for it, then legally, you can't install XP.

FWIW, XP *probably* has most of the necessary drivers you need, but I won't guarantee that.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Unless the device is rather old or very new XP has drivers for it. Unless the device is rather old Linux won't have a driver for it

 

[Padma]

Linux should have drivers for almost anything older than a few months. And even then, I would almost guarantee there are patches available for your system that have those drivers.

If it doesn't have a Linux driver, it is almost always because it is *very* new, or *nobody* uses it in Linux.

 

[Speedo]

Depends on what your devices are. Most things XP will pick up automatically, but things like video cards (unless they're integrated) and sound cards he often won't. Sometimes he may also need chipset drivers and etc.

I'm assuming from skimming the thread that the main problem is that you don't know exactly what hardware you have?

 

[Dabomb18359]

Well it's not that, it's just that the computer came with Lindows Linux, in which I assumed the components worked (since it came with all that) but when I tried putting Windows 98 on the hard drive like 4 drivers (sound, resolution options, ethernet, and USB drives) didnt' work. So I couldn't play any games because no sound and no resolution changing.

 

[Speedo]

Ok, dumb question: You weren't trying use linux drivers for Win98, were you?

You should be able to find Win98 drivers for *most* hardware, and you can definetly get WinXP/2000 drivers for just about anything.

 

[Dabomb18359]

No. I was trying to look online for the Windows 98 drivers for the parts that came with the Linux computer. But I don't have alist of the actual parts so it's kinda hard... And I can't try automatic online search for driver since ethernet don't work.

 

[Speedo]

Then really all you can do is either try to look up your comp by model no, serial no or etc, or open it up and look at what's inside.

Actually, did you say that everything works in linux? Can one of our linux gurus direct him to *nix's equivilent to device manager (surely to God it has one)? Hopefully it will list everything.

 

[aneeshm]

I'm no Linux Guru , but the output of "lspci" would be useful .