Installed Bionicpup not too long ago, have some questions

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

I didnt know about a forum, so i signed up.

I installed i think i did it off a thumb drive (and it took me awhile to learn) on my first ever PC a 2006 Dell INSPIRON E1505. This thing is a beast and i refuse to let it go, im going to try making it last as long as i can. I have fixed things on it and upgraded to a 100gb SSD (the max i can go i think). I'm older now but this PC is sentimental.

Anyway, im new to linux type stuff and it is difficult to re-learn how to navigate being a windows user forever. I primarily use this computer to read PDF files, write notes and documents, and use it as a database for my car project. I also want to install an old standalone game on it like morrowind or something old and offline. I want to get to a point where i can make this a standalone PC that rarely connects online and has specific uses.

BIOS Vendor: Dell Inc.
Version: A04
Release Date: 04/20/2006

Distro: BionicPup32 19.03

CPU:
Genuine Intel(R) CPU T2300 @ 1.66GHz
Min/Max Speed: 1000/1667 MHz
Current Speed of Core 0:1667 MHz, 1:1667 MHz
Core Count: 2

Memory Allocation:
Total RAM: 2012 MB
Used RAM: 1874 MB
Free RAM: 138 MB
Buffers: 161 MB
Cached: 1344 MB
Total Swap: 4095 MB
Free Swap: 4095 MB

Total Size: 110G
Free Space: 98G

1. I'm having figuring out how to uninstall or delete a download, i tried looking and its confusing because ubunutu is different
2. How hard would it be to install an old game straight from CD or should i use client, steam does not work, root user? i ran it as spot but my computer too old (morrowind etc)
3. Can this support python 3? currently self learning on it, i know it has the earlier version already (Python: 2.7.17) but i tried looking it up and i think i was look at bionicbeaver not pup, whats the difference?

Any tips to running better? if you reply i appreciate it!

[rockedge]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER Hello and to the Kennels!

I also have a INSPIRON E1505 which is 32 bit only. The laptop runs Tahr-6.0.5, Xenial-7.5 and Bionic32 very well for me. The machine came originally equipped with Windows 7 which I was able to upgrade to Windows 10. Using Win10 though, the machine struggles and is slow in responsiveness. Tahr-6.0.5 runs really well on it and both Xenial and Bionic32 are right there as well. I feel that the E1505 runs a bit hot these days but still does it's job well using Puppy Linux instead of Windows, which runs really hot.

Using Puppy Linux most features of the E1505 worked as expected.

Can this support python 3?

Yes it can. Though 32 bit systems are being supported less and less.
The Python packages from ActiveState I have used with success though using Python3 installed by PPM or better with pkg

This new system might be of interest to you and should run well on the INSPIRON E1505
BookwormPup32

[mikeslr]

Hi, INSPIRON_E1505_USER, and to the Forum.

These are my notes and questions regarding your post:

"Total RAM: 2012 MB
Used RAM: 1874 MB
Buffers: 161 MB
Cached: 1344 MB
Free RAM: 138 MB"

The above is surprisingly little and may not really be meaningful. Please use Menu>System>PupSys-Info, Click Devices>Memory and report "Actual Free RAM". Puppies are really good about freeing up RAM. I would expect Actual Free RAM to be somewhere in the 1600 range: Free + (buffers + cached + reclaimable).

How did you install Bionicpup? Provide details.
What boot-loader: grub4dos, grub2config, something else? Can you provide your 'boot-stanza': its a text file. There are boot-arguments which may free up even more RAM.

Before you get 'deep into the weeds' with bionicpup, maybe switch to Friendly-Bionic32 v1.0, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 883#p49883. Not only does it provide more up-to-date components, but wizard has done a marvelous job in creating a 'User-friendly' version eliminating much of the learning curve 'window-emigree's' face. I has help files and provide the alternative File-Manager xfe: choice of two panes with tree view.

What games? If they are 'XP', they may run under wine, and you could use Mikewalsh's Wine-portable 4.0.4, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 191#p68191,

Sorry, can't help you with steam. Suggest you open a specific thread about running it under your Puppy. I looked at the Forum's posts about it [plugged steam & steam bionicpup into https://rockedge.org/psearch/ but the posts related to problems running under 64-bit systems (which you don't have) or are 'old'.

How to uninstall or delete a download? You delete a downloaded file by merely file-browsing to it, Right-Clicking it and selecting "Delete" from the Pop-Up Menu. But once you've installed it to uninstall you open Menu>Setup>Puppy Package Manage, Click Uninstall from the Top Left Menu, and scroll to the application you want to uninstall, Left-Click to select and Click the "Remove" button.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

Thanks for reply, yeah i need to figure out how to put python 3 on here that would be excellent for what i need to get use out of this old timer machine. I remember this labtop always ran a little hot, if i do multiple things it gets into the 60s

[mikewalsh]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER / @rockedge :-

A-ha. A T2300, huh?

Wasn't this one of those semi-mythical beasts from that hazy "transitional" period.....when Intel were finally making the move to dual-core stuff, yet hadn't fully got their 64-bit manufacturing process properly sorted?

Socket 479 - like the single-core, previous-gen Pentium 4-based Pentium Ms.......and I believe this was early Core architecture, before they eventully morphed into the well-known Core2Duo line of CPUs. I'm pretty sure this was one of the "CoreDuo" family (not the Core2Duo).

Yup. Thought so:-

https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_Duo ... 2300).html

I've heard of these things, but to date haven't yet come across anyone that actually had one. You must be the first, Erik!

Ayup. Rare beasts indeed.....

-------------------------------

With regard to Steam; nah. Not a chance in hell. The Linux package has been 64-bit ONLY for quite some time...and even if you could manage to run the Windoze version under WINE, that 2GB RAM is, frankly, unworkable. There just isn't enough of it.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but I believe in being "up-front" with folks. No point in leading you on when it really IS a "lost cause".

@mikeslr :-

Interpreting the "free" command takes some figuring out. For instance, here's what I've currently got showing:-

Code: Select all

root# free
              total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
Mem:       32805328     5057272    18796984      556576     8951072    26520972
Swap:      67108860           0    67108860

Total - 32 GB
Used - 5 GB
Free - 18 GB
Shared - 5.5 GB
Buffers/cache - just under 9 GB
"Available" - 26 GB

Like, since when does 32-5=18? But that's the Linux kernel for you; whatever memory you've got, it puts it ALL to use.....with the promise that as soon as you NEED it for something, it WILL be available for your application to use..... Here, just under a third of my available RAM is being used for "disk/drive caching".

(*shrug...*)

"Free" is much less than you would expect.....but "Available" is far closer to the mark.

This explains it in a nice, noob-friendly kinda way.

Mike.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

@mikeslr

ok i check it out from your instructions:
Actual Used RAM: 521 MB Used - (buffers + cached)
Actual Free RAM: 1491 MB Free + (buffers + cached)

-i dont know what a boot stanza is but if you show me ill share it. i know loaded it onto a thumb drive from my desktop and booted from the thumb drive. i went to a pupplinux website and got the bionicpup32 8.0 and followed a video and installed it.

-they were my old XP games i still have, thanks for the reference.

now seeing i couldve keep my XP OS too i shouldve never removed it but its not supported no more anyway.

[rockedge]

I've heard of these things.....

I was given the machine by my brother who used it while project manager at AMGEN to control many of the facility systems with it. The fact it is only 32 bit made it's main role these days to run tax software with Windows 10 once a year. I can of course dual boot with several different Puppy systems. This is the machine I booted a Tahr-6.0.5 from CD-ROM, ran Grub4Dos directly on the HDD and successfully set up dual booting Windows 7 (now Win10) without any problems launching either Windows 10 or a Puppy Linux 32 bit model (or any Linux 32 bit distro). Windows XP was installed from the factory I believe which was upgraded to Windows 7, yet with Grub4Dos and adjusting the boot stanza in menu.lst to chain the Windows boot loader when selected, works really well to hand over control to the Microsoft stuff.

now seeing i could've keep my XP OS too i should've never removed it but its not supported no more anyway.

it would be possible to reinstall Win XP to run the games. Stay offline while in Windows if needed. And then reboot into a 32 bit Puppy Linux to do the rest!
Problems now are getting a decent browser to work in a 32 bit environment.

[mikewalsh]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER :-

Actually, WINE 'test' results for Morrowind look pretty encouraging (this IS "The Elder Scrolls", yes?) With the exception of the 'Morrowind Overhaul' - which rates as Garbage, BTW - most results are either Gold or Platinum. Which is GOOD.

https://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?iAppId=1015

What you need is some more memory. If you could take the E1505 up to 4GB, maybe?.....that would definitely help. XP-era stuff is nowhere near as demanding as much of today's modern AAA games/sagas. DDR2 came in max size of 2 GB per module, so you would THINK that 2GB x 2 slots would give you 4 GB, but I have a feeling your chipset will be the stumbling block, because I doubt it would support 4 GB.

(Just throwing a few thoughts out there, like...) I have great fun messing around with the GZDoom 'emulator' on the (very) odd occasions I feel like it. And ya know how old the original Doom is...don'tcha?

Mike.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

i think for this computer 2gb is max

i did play games on it when i got it a long time ago

[wizard]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER

Good old e1505 (same as 6400). I had two of them, sold one and gave the other to my neighbor who uses it with Puppy every day. Your t2300 CPU is 32bit only. I upgraded both of mine to t7200 CPUs (about $6 US on ebay), pretty easy as laptops go, here's a youtube video that shows you how. The t7200 is 64bit and it just about doubles your speed and power. You can also take the ram up to 4gb pretty cheap. If you do both it's like a whole new machine.

wizard

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

@wizard

i did not know that i will def look into it, i not afraid of building stuff, i built my own desktop PC, i wounder if i do this do i have to reinstall the bionicpuppy?

[wizard]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER

if i do this do i have to reinstall the bionicpuppy?

Nope

wizard

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

SUPER LOST on trying to download wine 4.0.4 and install it, i downloaded the applmage etc, is bionicpup terminal commands different than other linux terminals?

[mikeslr]

wine 4.0.4 does NOT install. It's a portable. Following the link from here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 191#p68191you download the tar.xz from here, https://mega.nz/folder/uOAAnJwK#1UuLhPF ... r/SX4lzYpK. When the download completes, Right-Click the tar.xz and select pExtract or UExtract from the pop-up Menu. This will generate an 'extracted' folder within which will be another named something like WINE_4.0.4-portable. Move that folder to /mnt/home. [Could be elsewhere, but the top of your Home partition is usually the most convenient location]. You can also Right-Click WINE_4.0.4-portable and just name it "Wine_4.0.4"

Inside Wine_4.0.4 you see a file named Wine_Link: Note graphic is of 5.11, which is otherwise identical. Empty spaces are because I 'whited-out' portables programs I deployed. Placing portable programs within the Wine-portable folder eases creation of menus and makes it easy to transfer the entire set-up.

Wine-portable.png (48.84 KiB) Viewed 1123 times

With connection to the internet having been established Left-Click the bash-script named WINE-Link. Various files will be downloaded into your portable folder. You'll also have the choice of installing gecko and Mono.

Once Wine-portable has been linked to your OS (via running WINE-Link) you can Left-Click the menuadd script to install menu entries to basic, builtin, Wine programs.

Don't forget to execute a Save to preserve this setup.

I think the Wine 4.0.4 AppImage Mike included has already been set to be executable. But it can't hurt to check. File-browse into /Wine_xxx_portable/WINE and Left-Click the AppImage named WINE64. Select "Properties" from the pop-up menu. Make sure that all boxes under the Exec column have an 'x'.

For general information --not all relevant to Mike's 4.0.4-- see this thread https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 075#p68075.

[Unnecessary Rant: It took over an hour to post this because FIOS has deployed 5G without adequate testing. At least 7 times wifi connection was lost. 2G worked great and was more than adequate in almost all instances. 5G consumes more energy to transmit, and more energy to receive and manage; both generating heat as a waste product into an environment already challenged by excess heat production. I am no longer in a position to initiate proceedings to address FIOS's Consumer Fraud under State Laws and/or violation of FCC rules; nor in a position to initiate a Class-Action Suite or Qui Tam proceeding. All I can do during the intervals while waiting for wifi to be re-established is think how much pleasure might be derived from blowing up some Fios transmission towers.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

@mikeslr

Hey i just want to say thanks for your help on that!! i really appreciate it, you taught me some stuff

[mikewalsh]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER :-

Let me just add this.

Having been largely responsible for development of the Puppy 'portable' eco-system as it now is - inspired by the native ROX-Filer 'application directories', or RoxApps as they're better known, along with Puppy's traditional usage of SFS packages - I appreciate that the method of usage & operation IS somewhat different to what most 'traditional' Linux users have come to expect.

Neither of the afore-mentioned package types installs like a traditional .deb or .rpm package either. The one loads/unloads, 'on-the-fly', as & when required. The other is self-contained - everything needed to run is within a single directory - and runs from there.

My own interpretation was inspired as much by the Windows PortableApps as by anything else; the big difference being that these keep all their config stuff within their folder/directory, too. Neither SFSs or RoxApps do this; they still write their config stuff to standard, fixed locations within the file system. So in this respect, although the apps themselves are 'portable', the config stuff is not, needing to be re-written whenever you move from one OS to another. Thus, you end up with a bunch of possibly 'orphan' config stuff, waiting for an app to come along and make use of it.....and cluttering the place up in the meantime.

You do this enough times, and you eventually begin to waste a considerable amount of disk space through multiple cases of duplication. Make sense?

-------------------------------------------------------

MY 'portables' emulate the Windows versions, in that their config stuff is also within the portable directory too. So; you can take the 'portable' app, move it from one Puppy to another, and carry on exactly where you left off. You can even run them from a suitably-formatted flash drive (needs a Linux format as opposed to the OOTB FAT32, because sym-links don't work with the latter).

The way I use them myself is to keep all my portable apps within a single large directory on a secondary 'data' drive that's auto-mounted at boot......then 'link' them into each Puppy via scripts which add a .desktop file and an icon - to provide a Menu entry - along with the portable's 'LAUNCH' script linked nearly always into /usr/bin (thus giving the Menu entry something to point AT).

And it all works beautifully.....and means you can share a single application, often between multiple different Puppies , instead of re-installing the same thing, over and over again, into each Puppy you may choose to add to your 'kennels'.

It's certainly a different approach, I'll grant you that......in my humble opinion, it suits Puppy down to the ground. But it's definitely not a BAD approach...

Mike.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

this got a bit a learning curve, the game worked though once i installed it. After turning off the computer and rebooting now im trying to figure out how to run it again, do i have to manually find the .exe and run it? but when i do that it runs to the title then error as it tries to execute. Once i figured this out i think i can finally turn off the wifi and leave it as a standalone, everything i need to use will be on the computer.

[mikeslr]

"do i have to manually find the .exe and run it?" Later --hopefully today-- I'll post a explanation about how to create menu entries and launchers. [There are some old posts concerning Wine; but these pre-date Mikewalsh's portables which requires some adjustments],

For now the 'quick & dirty' way is to find the exe and drag it to the desktop. That creates a symbolic link to it --Linux's more powerful version of Windows 'Short-cuts'. You can make it 'less dirty' by Right-Clicking the exe file on the desktop and selecting "File>Set Icon", then dropping a suitable icon onto the GUI which opens. It usually doesn't matter; but sometimes it's best to first copy the icon to /usr/share/pixmaps which is where Puppies first look for icons; then drop it from there. Icons in 'png' format work best; in ICO format, not at all.

Don't forget to Save your changes to your SaveFile/Folder.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

i think that might be where i mess up at too: "dont forget to save your changes" i may have miss that or did it incorrectly

[mikeslr]

i think that might be where i mess up at too: "dont forget to save your changes" i may have miss that or did it incorrectly

Reviewing this thread I've just noticed two things you mentioned:
"I installed i think i did it off a thumb drive" and
"i dont know what a boot stanza is"

Please answer this question: How did you install Bionicpup? Provide details.
What boot-loader: grub4dos, grub2config, something else?

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

i think it was confg, i downloaded and made my usb boot-able, my usb has been since formatted and used for other things

i went in and deleted everything and re-installed, i got a runtime error but it successfully installed and it works right from install when it says launch game, no issues, runs it well actually in full screen or windowed etc but when i exit and try to launch it again i get this message:

Font 0 not found in .\Morrowind.ini.
Current path: Z:\root.

Weird actually.

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

i think the easiest way to get around the issues is to dual boot option, load up XP and see what happens, see if i can install it and keep pup as my main

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

JUST AN UPDATE! yall can close the thread or keep it, the information helped me.

I just want to say i appreciate everyone and Bionicpup32, it took me awhile but i figured out things. So i reinstalled Windows XP to run my old games on my old laptop and i now have bionicpup32 capable of dual booting off my main hard drive instead of using the USB.

Whats cool is i can save state my bionic pup on the USB and use it on any computer if i have to. Also i can use the internet on Bionicpup32 if i have too instead of risking it on windows XP. Making my old 2006 laptop still a viable tool and standing the test of time.

Future Goals:
I plan on upgrading the T2300 CPU to best one i can that is M socket and allows me to run windows 32bit OS, install bluetooth, and see if i could get a better battery with updated cells.

Thanks Yall....it truly took me awhile, i had to wipe and redo everything, it was a learning experience.

well i may have one question my bionicpup32 is only allowed 1gb of space how do i increase that on dual boot? just in case

[mikeslr]

INSPIRON_E1505_USER: "well i may have one question my bionicpup32 is only allowed 1gb of space how do i increase that on dual boot? just in case".

I'm not sure what you mean. See these posts: How Puppy Linux Works, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 827#p55827 and How Puppy Linux Save Works, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 818#p63818.

The system files included in the ISO are READ-ONLY and can be located on any partition. The only thing which changes are your SaveFile/Folder. When you shutdown the first time you're asked if you want to create a Save. If yes, you're offered further choices. A SaveFile can be on any drive/partition. A SaveFile is a block on a partition which has been formatted by Puppy as Linux. But, if your locate it on a Fat32 formatted partition it can only 'grow' --AUTOMATICALLY as you Save stuff-- to 4GBs. If you choose SaveFile you're asked to specify how large.

A SaveFolder has to be on a Linux Formatted partition. Initially it's just a specially named folder. It can 'grow' to the entire available space on its partition.

So, if you're limited to 1Gb it would seem that Puppy is on a partition with only 1Gb of unused space OR you're using a SaveFile that you chose to make that small. Assuming that's the case. you'll find on Menu>Utility>Resize personal storage file. Run it. Increase the size. Requires a reboot.

But, if you're Save is on a Linux formatted partition, you may want to convert the SaveFile to a SaveFolder. It just makes life easier. gyrog has provided a pet to do that which bigpup has made available. https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 5003#p5003. FYI, bionicpup is considered a 'new puppy' with respect to the versions of this pet.

[wizard]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER

The fastest CPU would be a T7600, but they sell for a premium price. Go for a T7200. almost as good and a lot cheaper. Your CPU Passmark v9 score will jump from 669 to 1167 and you'll see a big difference in performance. Get the ram up to 4gb and the 1505 will do really well.

wizard

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

INSPIRON_E1505_USER: "well i may have one question my bionicpup32 is only allowed 1gb of space how do i increase that on dual boot? just in case".

I'm not sure what you mean. See these posts: How Puppy Linux Works, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 827#p55827 and How Puppy Linux Save Works, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 818#p63818.

The system files included in the ISO are READ-ONLY and can be located on any partition. The only thing which changes are your SaveFile/Folder. When you shutdown the first time you're asked if you want to create a Save. If yes, you're offered further choices. A SaveFile can be on any drive/partition. A SaveFile is a block on a partition which has been formatted by Puppy as Linux. But, if your locate it on a Fat32 formatted partition it can only 'grow' --AUTOMATICALLY as you Save stuff-- to 4GBs. If you choose SaveFile you're asked to specify how large.

A SaveFolder has to be on a Linux Formatted partition. Initially it's just a specially named folder. It can 'grow' to the entire available space on its partition.

So, if you're limited to 1Gb it would seem that Puppy is on a partition with only 1Gb of unused space OR you're using a SaveFile that you chose to make that small. Assuming that's the case. you'll find on Menu>Utility>Resize personal storage file. Run it. Increase the size. Requires a reboot.

But, if you're Save is on a Linux formatted partition, you may want to convert the SaveFile to a SaveFolder. It just makes life easier. gyrog has provided a pet to do that which bigpup has made available. https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 5003#p5003. FYI, bionicpup is considered a 'new puppy' with respect to the versions of this pet.

thanks this help and i was able to increase it to about 12gb

[INSPIRON_E1505_USER]

@INSPIRON_E1505_USER

The fastest CPU would be a T7600, but they sell for a premium price. Go for a T7200. almost as good and a lot cheaper. Your CPU Passmark v9 score will jump from 669 to 1167 and you'll see a big difference in performance. Get the ram up to 4gb and the 1505 will do really well.

wizard

yeah i think this will work, sounds like a plan, if i have to wipe everything and install windows and bionicpup again i can, i do have the 64bit install files, keep windows 32 and pup 64