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> Sindi wrote
>
> > It was suggested that I use a newer distro for more recent hardware (1997
> > and beyond).  For support of USB and cardbus wireless.
> >
> > So I am trying the Puppy Live CD on any laptops with at least 48MB RAM
> > (because it won't run a graphical browser in less).


Puppy Linux needs 1024x768 to see all the icons and the bottom of the 
dialup internet dialog box.  At 800x600 you cannot retrieve trash or 
disconnect.

Not good for Puppy but should work with DSL linux:

A pair of computers, both with neomagic video (XFbdev but not Xvesa, also 
works with Xorg - Xfree86) and opl3sa2 sound.  800x600 res.  1997

Gateway Solo 2000 - 200MHz, upped to 112MB RAM (three slots).
Specify CD-ROM boot in setup and it will still boot from hard drive if 
there is no CD.  F2 setup.

Puppy Linux worked.  Sound worked in Win98 but not in Puppy or BL (IRQ 
problem).  Usable if I could find a way to disconnect using an rxvt.
Sound not usable - ran ALSA wizard, it looked for ISA IRQ and DMA 
settings, and got them wrong.  (In BL it insists I specify parameters and 
never likes the IRQ setting).  Sound works in Win98.

DSL linux messed up the video - washed out. (The computer was given to me 
with this problem in Win98).  Has a stretch feature. Disabling it fixed 
Win98, not DSL linux.

Hitachi Travelbook (Traveler?) 133MHz, 32MB memory (2 slots of 16MB). VERY 
slow CD-ROM drive.  In setup you have to specify CD-ROM boot or floppy or 
hard drive boot and switch back and forth.  Ctrl-Alt-S for setup.

Puppy Linux needs more RAM.

DSL linux managed the video this time.  But automatically put me into 
1024x768 resolution (offscreen - worked on a plugged in monitor).
I tried booting boot:dsl fb800x600 - again 1024.
The cure was to boot: dsl vga=788 - then you are asked to choose Xfbdev 
or Xvesa.

Sound - DSL said the driver was ad1848.  I had to manually insmod ALSO 
mpu401 and opl3sa2 (DSL uses pnp- no need to specify io and irq).  Worked 
after that.  (Someone at a DSL forum tried to use SBPro settings).


HP Omnibooks are said to have the same video and sound chips.  Someone 
else got it working. This sound chip has SBPro emulation.  The HP has an 
internal mike, and my two have in addition to mike and headphone ports 
also line in and line out (quite rare).  opl3sa2 chipset is a sister to 
cs4231, which also uses ad1848.  The HP sound chip can be made to work 
with ad1848 and not opl3sa2.o, but only with 2.2 kernel not 2.4 ..... 
OSS sells drivers that let you use the neomagic as sound.  NM256 driver 
for video and sound?  At this point I am happy even the video is working. 
I use these two small light (you can remove FD and CD drives) laptops at 
the library for file downloads.

YMF7XX is another name for this chip.
711 - SA2
711 and 719 - SA3

The driver is set to use MSS and not SBPro in linux.

MSS is CS4231.

port for the HP was 534.  For my Gateway 370, which won't work for the 
Hitachi.  Win98 died when I installed a driver so I cannot check which 
port worked. Is there some other way to determine the correct port besides 
trial and error? Or pnp?

cs4232 was suggested as a driver.
No such device.  Nor does sb work (io=0x220)

Wireless cardbus continued:

DSL linux supports one wireless cardbus card. It has yenta_socket, which I 
thought was needed for cardbus but it was not made when I compiled pcmcia. 
Maybe I need a later gcc?  Can't figure out which gcc DSL use. (dmesg 
tells me for BL). Without yenta_socket cardbus ethernet still works but 
cardbus USB and wireless cannot assign IRQ.



BL also does not work out of the box with neo video chips - but you can 
add no-xvesa.tgz to use XF86_SVGA.  Xfbdev uses less RAM.  I don't have 
sound working yet even in the Hitachi (which works with DSL lniux) because 
it the opl3sa2 is not io=0x377 or 370.  For older ISA-type sound chips 
like this DSL is superior.