After my experience with Windows over the years, the trouble Windows 10 has given people, especially for gamers, and the fact I do not appreciate being constantly nagged to “upgrade” to Windows 10, well...
A bit of background. I was never overly fond of Microsoft although I would always prefer it to killed-Flash-and-uses-slave-labor Apple, but Windows XP and 7 were all right- except for that infuriating hassle of activation- Windows 8 was never a favorite and I do NOT want Windows 10, or 11, or whatever.
Over the past year I’d been having more trouble with the ASUS, long story short a couple of weeks ago I once again “reset” it, only used the LICK-installed Puppy Linux 6.0.5 Tahrpup, but one day later...sorry Charlie, no boot, no way. It’s very likely a bad hard drive.
Note that I have no intention of calling Microsoft. All I ever get is someone who either tries to blow me off or has no idea what to do (flip books don’t cover much). The one time it worked was when I was reactivating XP and got a computer on the line- that worked well. Once the “tech help” kept parroting that XP was outdated so upgrade (duh the Sony can’t handle later ones but explaining that got me nowhere) or the classic “try reinstall try reinstall try reinstall...”).
Looking through a small black box with SD cards and USB sticks there was one with...Puppy Linux 6.3.0 Slacko. It took a bit of tinkering to get the ASUS to boot from a USB stick, but...ah, there was the cute logo! Uh oh, Pause” (what, not “Paws?”), oh wait, there it goes...
It worked. The ASUS lived again.
I never save the Operating System changes so each time I have to reinstall everything, the whole thing from start to this takes maybe three to four minutes- no big deal- I could access the files on the bad drive so most of them could be saved, earlier versions were on other USB sticks, so about 95% was saved.
An obvious problem is running games in progress, but the DOS games typically save in themselves, it is not difficult to find the “save” files for SWF games, and of course EXE games in progress are stored either in the AppData folder or the Regedit files- somewhat inconvenient but games in progress can be saved. Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Genesis (“Tanglewood!”), and even Playstation 1 games- and some Linux games- all play.
Now, the version I’m using is 32-Bit so 64-Bit games won’t work. I was not impressed overall with Fossapup as the 32-Bit programs, DOSBox, and certain other things did not work as well as with Tahrpup or Slacko, or even Lucid.
It’s curious that on Slacko GIMP won’t recognize JPG files but the same PET file installed on 5.2.5 Lucid will- so you just have to convert JPG files to PNG with the native art program.
VLC Rincewind 2.0 “No Deps” installs and works nicely on Slacko. By the way it installs and fires up on Lucid but never works.
WINE gets most Windows programs running. Not all, especially games, but most. If anyone knows how to find portable Linux games that would be nice.
So- Slacko, an older distro, works nicely enough.
Once I can get the new law firm to FINALLY do the one simple thing needed to get a passive-aggressive relative to stop holding up legal matters as he has been since January by the mighty maneuver of not signing a piece of paper* I’m going to buy and install a new hard drive. I’m leaning towards installing an “actual” Linux (Ubuntu?) Operating System, but NOT Windows. But I’ve been very pleased with Puppy Linux.
So:
1) Is it worth it to get a Solid State Drive or should I just stick with a regular one?
2) I assume one can permanently install Linux- like Windows XP- off a CD-ROM. How does one do this with Puppy Linux distros? Same way?
3) Using Puppy Linux 6.3.0 Slacko I want to prepare other USB sticks, these using other distros. Could someone give me step-by-step instructions as to how to do this? When I try all it wants to do is install Slacko, say I want to install Lucid, Fossapup, or Bionic Pup. What’s more Slacko is using the 32-Bit version, can one put a 64-Bit distro on a USB stick that way? Note that Slacko is all I have now, LICK cannot be used. Wait- the ancient Sony does have Puppy Linux 5.2.5 Lucid. Can that do it? And is there a Palemoon 28 that will work on Lucid?
Please note that I do not have the Internet where I live. Therefore I can only check from time to time using public wifi in town.
The implications here are incredible. A poor person can’t afford a new laptop, or even a decent used one. There is however a laptop for a few dollars, it’s more for parts, without a hard drive- but everything else works. He gets a cheap USB stick, puts Puppy Linux on it to boot (can this be done with Windows at a pubic library?), a cheap SD card for permanent storage, and for maybe twenty dollars or less he has a perfectly good if somewhat less than perfectly convenient laptop! This is a huge boon for many people without money. Videos, utilities, music, games...all there for not much money, it just needs a bit more effort.
Again many practical applications and most games work with 32-Bit Slacko, so he has a good all-round device right there. Slacko, like Tahrpup, needs that PET file so SD cards are recognized, but others don’t.
* I’ll never have to serve on jury duty. All I’ll have to do is tell the court about this legal mess caused by someone who won’t sign a piece of paper and...
