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linux mint mate problem

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jackdaww
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linux mint mate problem

#275574

Postby jackdaww » January 6th, 2020, 5:32 pm

we have a dell vostro laptop which did have windows xp .

its a dell vostro1700 2.1ghz 2gb ram 250gb hdd ddr2 intel pentium III 32bit 2 duo cpu t8100

ive had linux mint mate 19.2 (tina?) installed for me , and hopefully xp was removed .

it has been working ok - just for emails and web browsing , although quite slow to boot up .

however now , after the LM logo screen it just stops - with the message --

------------------------------------------------
busybox v1.27.2 (upuntu 1:1.27.2-2ubuntu3.2) built in shell (ash)

enter help for list of builtin commands

(initramfs)
---------------------------------------------------------

the builtin commands mean nothing to me .

rebooting just repeats the cycle .

DAK???

many thanks

david

ReformedCharacter
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275583

Postby ReformedCharacter » January 6th, 2020, 6:28 pm

jackdaww wrote:we have a dell vostro laptop which did have windows xp .

its a dell vostro1700 2.1ghz 2gb ram 250gb hdd ddr2 intel pentium III 32bit 2 duo cpu t8100

ive had linux mint mate 19.2 (tina?) installed for me , and hopefully xp was removed .

it has been working ok - just for emails and web browsing , although quite slow to boot up .

however now , after the LM logo screen it just stops - with the message --

------------------------------------------------
busybox v1.27.2 (upuntu 1:1.27.2-2ubuntu3.2) built in shell (ash)

enter help for list of builtin commands

(initramfs)
---------------------------------------------------------

the builtin commands mean nothing to me .

rebooting just repeats the cycle .

DAK???

many thanks

david


This looks useful:

https://prognotes.net/2018/04/linux-min ... t-at-boot/

RC

GeoffF100
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275595

Postby GeoffF100 » January 6th, 2020, 7:47 pm

This appears to be a Minty problem. You could try Lubuntu instead. Lubuntu is smaller and faster than Mint. You must have the patience of a saint:

"Processor (CPU): the minimum specification for CPU is Pentium 4 or Pentium M or AMD K8. Older processors are too slow and the AMD K7 has problems with Flash video."

https://lubuntu.net/lubuntu-18-04-bioni ... -released/

jackdaww
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275686

Postby jackdaww » January 7th, 2020, 10:25 am

many thanks for replies .

i am now wondering if it may be possible to install a better processor , a bit more RAM and a SSD .

then install windows 10 , which i am well used to now, rather than learn about a new OS (linux) just for one machine .

im sure it would cost but hopefully not as much as a new 17 inch laptop of this quality .

thoughts much appreciated.

:)

Watis
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275690

Postby Watis » January 7th, 2020, 10:37 am

jackdaww wrote:many thanks for replies .

i am now wondering if it may be possible to install a better processor , a bit more RAM and a SSD .

then install windows 10 , which i am well used to now, rather than learn about a new OS (linux) just for one machine .

im sure it would cost but hopefully not as much as a new 17 inch laptop of this quality .

thoughts much appreciated.

:)


Looks like it is possible to upgrade the processor on your laptop.

Googling these words: dell vostro 1700 cpu upgrade returned lots of results, including Youtube video tutorials.

Could be an interesting challenge, if the cost is low enough to make the upgrade good value for money.

Watis

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275699

Postby Infrasonic » January 7th, 2020, 11:04 am

Watis wrote:
jackdaww wrote:many thanks for replies .

i am now wondering if it may be possible to install a better processor , a bit more RAM and a SSD .

then install windows 10 , which i am well used to now, rather than learn about a new OS (linux) just for one machine .

im sure it would cost but hopefully not as much as a new 17 inch laptop of this quality .

thoughts much appreciated.

:)


Looks like it is possible to upgrade the processor on your laptop.

Googling these words: dell vostro 1700 cpu upgrade returned lots of results, including Youtube video tutorials.

Could be an interesting challenge, if the cost is low enough to make the upgrade good value for money.

Watis


Every time I've looked at CPU upgrades on low/midrange older kit the value v performance increase proposition never really pans out.
You'll be restricted by whatever the motherboard/chipset technical limitations are, which in the case of a laptop is going to be specific to the OEM (Dell in this case).

If you aren't naturally a technical person then the amount of homework involved in all of this versus just buying a new machine on steep discount is questionable. If you are paying a third party to do all this upgrading for you then the value aspect of it becomes even more distorted.

The exception would be something like a high end desktop rig with a good (£££) motherboard, where keeping hardware like CPU's/GPU's updated would still make sense performance wise / financially and physical access is less of an issue.

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275706

Postby Urbandreamer » January 7th, 2020, 11:12 am

jackdaww wrote:many thanks for replies .

i am now wondering if it may be possible to install a better processor , a bit more RAM and a SSD .

then install windows 10 , which i am well used to now, rather than learn about a new OS (linux) just for one machine .

im sure it would cost but hopefully not as much as a new 17 inch laptop of this quality .

thoughts much appreciated.

:)


If you are just using it for what you say, then it's far better to stick with some form of linux than try to get Win 10 running on it.
Win 10 is always going to be a dog on this hardware.

I do think that it's worth swapping the hard disk for a SSD, and possibly adding a bit more RAM if possible. You WILL be limited to 6G of memory. More and the BIOS will hang.
https://blog.dhampir.no/content/upgradi ... imum-specs
I regard SSD and memory as easy upgrades for this laptop.

I tend to agree with Geoff100 that Lubuntu would/could be a better choice for the current hardware.
You may need to upgrade the bios if you go too far down the processor swap route.

I'm more of a fan of Thinkpads myself and recently put together a i5 X230 with SSD and mSata dual booting Win 10 and mint for less than £100. Ok, the £30 on the mSata was a mistake, but I had intended to run it without a hard drive at all.
A quick check on ebay and I find that for the X230 with 8G of memory but no HD or psu I paid the same as you would likely pay for a replacement processor for your machine.

jackdaww
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275728

Postby jackdaww » January 7th, 2020, 12:08 pm

good replies , thank you all .

performance and money are not an issue though , my wife just likes the keyboard and screen , and i am now averse to learning a new OS .

it sounds as if i'm limited by the bios.

i have several other laptops spare running win10 , if only i could hook one of those onto the vostro interface , that would do the job.

:)

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275856

Postby cinelli » January 7th, 2020, 9:27 pm

I would be inclined to have a go at reinstalling as you say it had been working. I am typing this on a system about as powerful as yours - Linux Mint Cinnamon, 2Gb ram, @ 1.8Ghz, although it is 64 bit, and it runs beautifully. I have no experience of Mate.

Are you sure you downloaded the 32 bit version?

Cinelli

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275886

Postby JohnB » January 8th, 2020, 4:05 am

I'm puzzled by your motivations. Do you want to switch to Linux overall (a vastly better OS for a power user, but a steep learning curve) or just see Win10 on comfortable hw. If the latter, just use VNC off another machine with the laptop as a thin linux client.

SSD makes a huge difference to Linux performance, allowing 3s boots.

jackdaww
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275893

Postby jackdaww » January 8th, 2020, 7:25 am

JohnB wrote:I'm puzzled by your motivations. Do you want to switch to Linux overall (a vastly better OS for a power user, but a steep learning curve) or just see Win10 on comfortable hw. If the latter, just use VNC off another machine with the laptop as a thin linux client.

SSD makes a huge difference to Linux performance, allowing 3s boots.


======================================

my wife loves this old vostro , excellent big screen and keyboard sitting on a small desk , limited space .

so i just want to keep it running , she only does web browsing , no big streaming etc .

so i want a trouble free OS - i have no probs with win10 , im new to linux and dont want to spend time on it

the vostro wont run win10 as it is .

i think i will give linux another go , this time i want a solid simple reliable version with no frills needing no attention from me except perhaps routine updates.

thanks again.

:)

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275899

Postby GeoffF100 » January 8th, 2020, 8:50 am

I have been using Lubuntu 18.04 Long Term Support (LTS) since it was released. The OS has been totally reliable. I have had the file manager crash a couple of times, but I just relaunched it. (You can install a different file manager if you do not like PCManFM.)

Updates happen automatically, every few days. You just have to click "yes". Sometimes you have to enter your password. Updates happen in the background. They do not take over your PC as they do with Windows.

I did some customisation of the user interface to get rid of some frills, and fix screen tearing. I can give click by click instructions from my notes. Lubuntu looks like an old version of Windows, and is the lightest weight version of Ubuntu.

Lubuntu 18.04 has support until April 2021. The next LTS version uses a new desktop and may not be as reliable. The corresponding version of Xubuntu will probably be rock solid, but is uses about 400 MB more RAM than Lubuntu. People here have reported issues with Mint (also a Ubuntu derivative), notably at log on, even for Mint Xfce, which is supposed to be the most stable version. Mint Xfce is the lightest version of Mint, but uses about 200 MB more RAM than Lubuntu.

Lubuntu, Xubuntu and Mint all have very similar user interfaces, and can all be adjusted to look like an old version of Windows. Mint looks best "out of the box". Xubuntu needs a little tweaking, Lubuntu rather more.

Nonetheless, for balance, I have to say that if you just want to buy a new PC switch it on and use it, Windows is your best bet.

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275900

Postby swill453 » January 8th, 2020, 9:11 am

GeoffF100 wrote:Updates happen automatically, every few days. You just have to click "yes". Sometimes you have to enter your password. Updates happen in the background. They do not take over your PC as they do with Windows.

Most Windows 10 updates just happen unobtrusively in the background, in my experience.

Scott.

GeoffF100
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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275904

Postby GeoffF100 » January 8th, 2020, 9:31 am

swill453 wrote:Most Windows 10 updates just happen unobtrusively in the background, in my experience.

Yes, that is right. I am thinking of the bad old days. I shut down my computer, remembered that I had forgotten something, and had to wait ages while Windows updated before it actually shut down, and then ages more while it configured the updates. That still seems to happen sometimes, but I now have a much faster machine with an SSD, so it is no longer a serious issue. Nonetheless, there is never any waiting with Lubuntu, which runs on a heap of junk.

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275922

Postby GeoffF100 » January 8th, 2020, 10:51 am

Another possibility is a refurbished Dell Vostro:

https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/Inv ... b&frid=150

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#275969

Postby UncleEbenezer » January 8th, 2020, 3:55 pm

I don't know, but inability to boot suggests something pretty fundamental has been lost or corrupted. I take it you've tried whatever rescue options your lilo or grub offer you - which would be the normal way to fix this kind of situation?

Do you have an up-to-date backup? If not, the first thing you should do is rescue your data. Either mount the disc[1] from another (working) machine, or boot the problem machine from a clean USB or CDROM (if you don't have one, you can download a boot image on another machine to make it), then mount the disc[1] from there, and copy everything under /home, and whatever else can't just be reinstalled.

If you can't mount it, that's the point where you take the disc to a specialist. :ugeek:

Once the data are secure, if you haven't figured out how to rescue it, a reinstall may be your path of least resistance. Don't repartition or format anything unless you have to 'cos it's corrupted. And if you partitioned the disc as commonly recommended when you originally installed, there's a good chance your data will be there and fully intact after reinstall.

[1] Or rather, the partition(s) containing your data.

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Re: linux mint mate problem

#276007

Postby GeoffF100 » January 8th, 2020, 6:41 pm

If you have not got a backup, it should be possible to boot from a live DVD or USB and make one. It looks as though the procedure described in ReformedCharacter's link should enable the installed OS to be booted:

https://prognotes.net/2018/04/linux-min ... t-at-boot/

It is necessary to read the comments in that link. In particular, it appears to be necessary to type the full path name.

If all else fails, you should be able to reinstall.


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