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a tricky question
does anyone know of a good stable OS for an old 486 with 16 meg ram? i was thinking of a 3.11 server but im not sure if that will work with my network
and most of all can it be downloaded off the net? coz i doubt theyd be selling software from the 486 era
thanx
a tricky question
does anyone know of a good stable OS for an old 486 with 16 meg ram? i was thinking of a 3.11 server but im not sure if that will work with my network
and most of all can it be downloaded off the net? coz i doubt theyd be selling software from the 486 era
thanx
i think your best bet would be a linux server and only install the console. dunno what linux ver cos i know next to nothing on linux
i think your best bet would be a linux server and only install the console. dunno what linux ver cos i know next to nothing on linux
if u have big disk,u can try linux.
but i think the 486,16M memory so slowly run as a server
if u have big disk,u can try linux.
but i think the 486,16M memory so slowly run as a server
You might try one of the various Linux distros, FreeBSD, or UNIX. Most of these OSs run fine on 486 machines.
FreeBSD: http://www.freebsd.org/
Unix.com forums. This site is packed with useful information on UNIX
http://www.unix.com/index.php?s=
I hope this helps a bit. ;)
<edit>If I sound redundant it is because I started this post when the phone rang :rolleyes: oh well... I hope these links help anyway</edit>
You might try one of the various Linux distros, FreeBSD, or UNIX. Most of these OSs run fine on 486 machines.
FreeBSD: http://www.freebsd.org/
Unix.com forums. This site is packed with useful information on UNIX
http://www.unix.com/index.php?s=
I hope this helps a bit. ;)
<edit>If I sound redundant it is because I started this post when the phone rang :rolleyes: oh well... I hope these links help anyway</edit>
ive got a 166, with 32 mb of ram that i want to network with my other 2 pc's and use that as a gateway kinda thing...orginally i wanted to install freebsd but i couldnt get the desktop to load right (i think i know how to get it to run now but i installed 2k on it)
but what i want to know is will it run a desktop ok? as i dont have the first clue how to use the cli bit
ive got a 166, with 32 mb of ram that i want to network with my other 2 pc's and use that as a gateway kinda thing...orginally i wanted to install freebsd but i couldnt get the desktop to load right (i think i know how to get it to run now but i installed 2k on it)
but what i want to know is will it run a desktop ok? as i dont have the first clue how to use the cli bit
2k ran a bit slow on my 166 pc, Have you got a copy of windows NT server anywhere? That might run better Black Mantis
Has for the main question, I am not sure what to run on it lench.
Peanut linux might run good it, its a cut down version designed for 486 based systems
http://www.peanutlinux.org/
Try it, I have'nt really used it much, but it might help out with your problem
2k ran a bit slow on my 166 pc, Have you got a copy of windows NT server anywhere? That might run better Black Mantis
Has for the main question, I am not sure what to run on it lench.
Peanut linux might run good it, its a cut down version designed for 486 based systems
http://www.peanutlinux.org/
Try it, I have'nt really used it much, but it might help out with your problem
try SuSe i had an old Compaq that like yours was an old server and i installed SuSe on it and it worked fine. It was a 166. I installed KDE on it and everything. Kinda hard to play Jezzball once you get more than 8 balls though.
-rasem
try SuSe i had an old Compaq that like yours was an old server and i installed SuSe on it and it worked fine. It was a 166. I installed KDE on it and everything. Kinda hard to play Jezzball once you get more than 8 balls though.
-rasem
I`d use OpenBSD, no gui for a start, so much easier on the limited resources you have, and it is very secure as well.
I`d use OpenBSD, no gui for a start, so much easier on the limited resources you have, and it is very secure as well.
well i havnt really heard anyone say this, but try out pico BSD for the most part you can get this thing on two floppies, its really small, and also as the others have said i agree with them, Linux or any UNIX variant should work out fine for you.
you might wanna check out a few sites to, that way you can pick something that will work best for you, try out
http://library.psyon.org/os/linux/ncllkm.html
http://www.xs4all.nl/~l0rd/linux.htm
^this site has alot of types of Linux and flavors, i recommend checking this one out for sure!
also scroll down, they have the micro distributions.
check out Linux router too, it fits one a floppy and can be found on that site.
Trinux is a portable Linux distribution that boots from 2-3 floppies (or a FAT 16 partition) and runs entirely in RAM. Trinux contains the latest versions of popular network security tools and is useful for mapping and monitoring TCP/IP networks. Trinux transforms an ordinary x86 PC into a powerful network [security] management workstation without modifying the underlying hardware or operating system. The default configuration uses a stripped down version of kernel 2.0.36 that should boot on any 386 or better with at least 12-16 megabytes of RAM. Hardware support for NICs is provided through kernel modules which may be downloaded and copied to the boot medium.
my friend has actually used it, he said it was cool but kinda odd.
well, hope that helps you.
well i havnt really heard anyone say this, but try out pico BSD for the most part you can get this thing on two floppies, its really small, and also as the others have said i agree with them, Linux or any UNIX variant should work out fine for you.
you might wanna check out a few sites to, that way you can pick something that will work best for you, try out
http://library.psyon.org/os/linux/ncllkm.html
http://www.xs4all.nl/~l0rd/linux.htm
^this site has alot of types of Linux and flavors, i recommend checking this one out for sure!
also scroll down, they have the micro distributions.
check out Linux router too, it fits one a floppy and can be found on that site.
Trinux is a portable Linux distribution that boots from 2-3 floppies (or a FAT 16 partition) and runs entirely in RAM. Trinux contains the latest versions of popular network security tools and is useful for mapping and monitoring TCP/IP networks. Trinux transforms an ordinary x86 PC into a powerful network [security] management workstation without modifying the underlying hardware or operating system. The default configuration uses a stripped down version of kernel 2.0.36 that should boot on any 386 or better with at least 12-16 megabytes of RAM. Hardware support for NICs is provided through kernel modules which may be downloaded and copied to the boot medium.
my friend has actually used it, he said it was cool but kinda odd.
well, hope that helps you.
Tiny Linux seems to be exactly what you want: See at http://tiny.seul.org/ and enjoy ;)Quote:
TINY LINUX is a small Linux distribution designed especially for
old recycled computers.
----------------------
Technical requirements
----------------------
- processor : i386 or better
- RAM : 8 Mo minimum, 12 to 16 if possible
- Hard Disk : 50 Mo is enough for installation itself, but you will do
better with at least 80 Mo
- 3 1/2 ' floppy drive
- keyboard and mouse
Tiny Linux seems to be exactly what you want: See at http://tiny.seul.org/ and enjoy ;)Quote:
TINY LINUX is a small Linux distribution designed especially for
old recycled computers.
----------------------
Technical requirements
----------------------
- processor : i386 or better
- RAM : 8 Mo minimum, 12 to 16 if possible
- Hard Disk : 50 Mo is enough for installation itself, but you will do
better with at least 80 Mo
- 3 1/2 ' floppy drive
- keyboard and mouse
ill give u two links:
www.linux.org
and
www.distrowatch.com
if you go onto linux.org and search for minimalist packages for i386.
my first was brutalware and keeper linux
but if you wanna steer clear of linux for now try Freedos
Preep
ill give u two links:
www.linux.org
and
www.distrowatch.com
if you go onto linux.org and search for minimalist packages for i386.
my first was brutalware and keeper linux
but if you wanna steer clear of linux for now try Freedos
Preep
well ... seems u had all answers ... so, nothing to add .... but just to double sure u ....
BSD or Linux .... no third choice
www.openbsd.org
www.freebsd.org
enjoy :)
well ... seems u had all answers ... so, nothing to add .... but just to double sure u ....
BSD or Linux .... no third choice
www.openbsd.org
www.freebsd.org
enjoy :)
Sounds like the other people already gave you some answers to your question, but I've got one for ya. You say "486 with 16 megs of ram" right? But what actual speed is the CPU? I'm just courious.
Sounds like the other people already gave you some answers to your question, but I've got one for ya. You say "486 with 16 megs of ram" right? But what actual speed is the CPU? I'm just courious.
thanx to all who responded your real life savers been needing a working server for ages now even tho its a 486
and to answer your question infernal_cheese it runs at about 100MHz
thanx to all who responded your real life savers been needing a working server for ages now even tho its a 486
and to answer your question infernal_cheese it runs at about 100MHz
I think KoolKiss is right you should look for a little linux distro.I also think you can install freeBSD on that computer and It would do just fine.....just no "X server"
I think KoolKiss is right you should look for a little linux distro.I also think you can install freeBSD on that computer and It would do just fine.....just no "X server"