Light but capable

[Yek]

I'm pretty sure they'll be something either on the main server or universe, best to get someone to check for you first.

 

[jakec]

What about a pen drive (USB)? you could install Linux that way, Although you will have to go through the Command line to this, if using Linux. You also have to use command Line in windows to get this to happen.

More tutorials can be found here: Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick | USB Pen Drive Linux

DSL USB in Windows

USB Damn Small Linux install | USB Pen Drive Linux

DSL USB in Linux:

USB Damn Small Linux install | USB Pen Drive Linux

Puppy on USB:

USB Puppy Linux Install | USB Pen Drive Linux

Xubuntu on USB (in Linux)

USB Xubuntu 8.04 Persistent install from Linux | USB Pen Drive Linux

the only issue with the Pendrive install is the fact that not all machines are able to boot from USB

if it has a floppy drive, maybe try a floppy distro

Linux Links - The Linux Portal: Distributions/Floppy

 

[zmatt]

update.

This laptop wasnot designed to have an OS reinstalled. After spending all after noon trying to get it to boot I am not much closer then I was before. I seems the only thing this laptop can boot off of other than the HD is network through PXE which isn't helpful and through the firewire, which Sony re branded as iLink.


External CD drives on usb don't work. I cant try firewire because I don't have any firewire equipment to use. I installed windows xp on a 4gig drive in a host desktop. Made an image opf it with Acronis and then added thre laptop specific drivers to it. Then I cloned the image over to the laptop's hard drive (now attached to an ide-usb converter), and tried to boot. It wont get past the loading screen.


There is another option. Ubuntu has a command line option to do disk cloning. It may work. I have that or clonezilla. Other than those options I'm sunk. I cant understand why it wont boot.

 

[Nitestick]

you can use an Ubuntu network boot image, it's pretty simple. for this you will need a tftp server and a dhcp server (if memory serves i read a good tutorial for doing this with atftpd and dnsmasq). then as long as you have a working internet connection you can install.