Distro-hoppers anonymous

DeepDayze · 2024-12-02 14:51:40

Colonel Panic wrote:

Thank heaven, or someone, for Gentoo Live (and other live disks of course). My computer's developed a weird fault whereby it won't boot or recognise the keyboard at all from the hard drive, so I can only get it to work by booting up a live disk, and when I do that it's fine.

Perhaps try switching USB ports for your keyboard as there's a chance your USB ports are no longer working properly or that your keyboard is failing.

Colonel Panic · 2024-12-03 08:52:27

DeepDayze wrote:

Colonel Panic wrote:
Thank heaven, or someone, for Gentoo Live (and other live disks of course). My computer's developed a weird fault whereby it won't boot or recognise the keyboard at all from the hard drive, so I can only get it to work by booting up a live disk, and when I do that it's fine.
Perhaps try switching USB ports for your keyboard as there's a chance your USB ports are no longer working properly or that your keyboard is failing.

Thanks. I've changed the keyboard as you suggest for a spare (got another one on the way from Ebay) and used the boot repair tools on the MX live disk to get back into MX on the hard drive, and I've at least got something I can use again. I still can't use the grub boot menu but I can live without that for the time being.

It may be that this computer's getting old now though (the motherboard dates from 2012) and I need to look at getting a newer one.

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2024-12-03 08:54:30)

DeepDayze · 2024-12-04 17:16:40

Colonel Panic wrote:

DeepDayze wrote:
Colonel Panic wrote:
Thank heaven, or someone, for Gentoo Live (and other live disks of course). My computer's developed a weird fault whereby it won't boot or recognise the keyboard at all from the hard drive, so I can only get it to work by booting up a live disk, and when I do that it's fine.
Perhaps try switching USB ports for your keyboard as there's a chance your USB ports are no longer working properly or that your keyboard is failing.
Thanks. I've changed the keyboard as you suggest for a spare (got another one on the way from Ebay) and used the boot repair tools on the MX live disk to get back into MX on the hard drive, and I've at least got something I can use again. I still can't use the grub boot menu but I can live without that for the time being.
It may be that this computer's getting old now though (the motherboard dates from 2012) and I need to look at getting a newer one.

If you wanted to keep the CPU and RAM from your old system you can find another motherboard that supports those on eBay.

Colonel Panic · 2024-12-04 20:08:10

DeepDayze wrote:

If you wanted to keep the CPU and RAM from your old system you can find another motherboard that supports those on eBay.

Thanks. I could do, but I don't know if it's financially worth my while when whole second hand base units (case, power supply, motherboard, CPU, RAM etc.) are still relatively cheap and the CPU is a fairly old i5 so probably not worth all that much on the secondhand market.

I'd definitely want to keep my present optical drive because those are getting scarcer now.

EDIT; in the spirit of trying to make the most of my current machine, I've just installed the latest version of AntiX (the runit edition) and it's working well so far. I've added a couple of extra programs to it though such as smplayer (for playing mp3 files) and epyrus (for an e-mail client) where I haven't been keen on AntiX's own choices.

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2024-12-06 18:16:05)

Colonel Panic · 2024-12-12 18:45:14

My new keyboard (a Cherry G230) finally arrived last week and everything's working OK now; it seems that the old keyboard or its connection was largely responsible for the problem I was having. The Cherry's got a flatter action than my old Logitech K120 had, more like a laptop keyboard, but so far I haven't had much in the way of RSI that some people have reported with these or similar keyboards. In any case I've got something now that will keep me going for the foreseeable future (or at least the time being).

I'm focusing more at the moment on updating the distros I currently have on my hard drive than on acquiring new ones. I've just updated Nobara (2.2 GB), and before that Gecko Cinnamon Rolling (about 1.6 GB) and Mint (about 900 MB). Sometimes less really is more.

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2024-12-12 21:46:23)

Döbbie03 · 2024-12-23 18:23:27

Currently 75% the way through of a full Gentoo install. I have a working desktop, dwm, and am currently waiting for the very painful webkit-gtk and nodejs to finish compiling. Only been waiting around 45 minutes so far.

PackRat · 2024-12-23 20:10:13

Döbbie03 wrote:

Currently 75% the way through of a full Gentoo install. I have a working desktop, dwm, and am currently waiting for the very painful webkit-gtk and nodejs to finish compiling. Only been waiting around 45 minutes so far.

Döbbie03 · 2024-12-23 20:37:41

Exactly, well I made it through. I have a very nice and complete Gentoo install.

PackRat · 2024-12-24 01:08:58

Döbbie03 wrote:

Exactly, well I made it through. I have a very nice and complete Gentoo install.

Awesome

Döbbie03 · 2024-12-24 02:39:46

It was a breeze this time, other than a minor issue where I thought it had all gone kaput.

Gentoo is set as my default boot now

Let's see how long this lasts.

Colonel Panic · 2024-12-24 11:00:55

Excellent! I feel honour bound to point out though that there is an easier, or at least quicker, way to get Gentoo up and running - the ExGent distro (which I'm posting from now);

https://exgent.exton.net/

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2024-12-24 12:13:01)

Döbbie03 · 2024-12-24 18:12:47

Today was the day I learnt of ExGent! Thanks for the link, I will save that for another day.

I'm glad I did it the traditional way, it's real sense of satisfaction.

Sun For Miles · 2024-12-27 09:48:20

Döbbie03 wrote:

Currently 75% the way through of a full Gentoo install. I have a working desktop, dwm, and am currently waiting for the very painful webkit-gtk and nodejs to finish compiling. Only been waiting around 45 minutes so far.

Full stage1 compilation? Respect!

Döbbie03 · 2024-12-27 16:33:54

Maybe one day I will attempt a Stage 1 but no, Stage 3

Sector11 · 2024-12-27 21:27:46

Wait one!

Gentoo has stages?

Sun For Miles · 2024-12-28 13:03:18

Correct!

Gentoo Handbook: The stage file.

I just skimmed through their officials documentation, and it seems like stage1 and stage2 are now used for development only. I could swear there were nice user docs last time I installed Gentoo on my home machine (2007-2008).

PackRat · 2024-12-28 16:01:26

Sun For Miles wrote:

Correct!
I could swear there were nice user docs last time I installed Gentoo on my home machine (2007-2008).

I noticed that too when I checked them out after @Dobbie03 posted his screenshots. I was thinking the Gentoo Handbook was more user friendly ~10 years ago.

Sector11 · 2024-12-28 22:51:30

NTS: SELF, stay away from Gentoo, Gen too and or Gent oo

Döbbie03 · 2024-12-29 00:08:53

@S11 especially if you have an underpowered machine and your network is slow. Would be painful.....

Sector11 · 2024-12-29 16:42:54

Döbbie03 wrote:

@S11 especially if you have an underpowered machine and your network is slow. Would be painful.....

And a memory system that looks like a badly made block of Swiss cheese.

#2541 2024-12-02 14:51:40

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2542 2024-12-03 08:52:27

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2543 2024-12-04 17:16:40

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2544 2024-12-04 20:08:10

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2545 2024-12-12 18:45:14

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2546 2024-12-23 18:23:27

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2547 2024-12-23 20:10:13

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2548 2024-12-23 20:37:41

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2549 2024-12-24 01:08:58

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2550 2024-12-24 02:39:46

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2551 2024-12-24 11:00:55

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2552 2024-12-24 18:12:47

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2553 2024-12-27 09:48:20

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2554 2024-12-27 16:33:54

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2555 2024-12-27 21:27:46

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2556 2024-12-28 13:03:18

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2557 2024-12-28 16:01:26

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2558 2024-12-28 22:51:30

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2559 2024-12-29 00:08:53

Re: Distro-hoppers anonymous

#2560 2024-12-29 16:42:54

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