Installing Mandrake

I am pretty new to Unix/linux and have been itching to use a linux os for a while. And after some research i found that Mandrake was the best for someone like me. I need to know what files i need to download to make a boot disc(s) to make my laptop run only linux. The laptop runs around 200-500mhz though Im not sure, with a 4GB hardrive. So if anyone has the exact files that need to be burned etc.

I tried before with mandrake but couldn't make a linux formatted floppy to help installation. version 10.0
I also tried knoppix which I would rather use. But after installing my screen got scratchy and would freeze. If you know of a way to do the previously listed with knoppix that would be awsome, but whatever.

Mandrake 10.1 Official Edition just got released 2004-12-06.
You can download the installation ISO (disk images) from the Mandrake website. It usually consists of 3 iso images. Which amounts to about 2.1GBs of data you can download. Its not necessary to download all 3. But if your going to download them, might as well.

You can download the ISO's here;
http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=02133\#0

There are also bit torrents for this release as well.
http://qa.mandrakesoft.com/torrent/?C=M;O=D

The CD's are bootable, so you should not need a floppy, unless your machine is unable to boot from a CD. If it doesn't boot from the CD, and is not very old, then you might just need to change the boot order in the BIOS.

Alright, I just download 10.1 Disc 1 ISO which took me 6 hours for some odd reason... Going to try it now. And my machine is pretty old. Which kinda presents another problem, the bios never loads on startup...It just says its their in my control panel. I know this is not windows forums so I won't go itno it. As for the ISO's Im just gonna try the one first...Cause the site said I only need one. Will let know if it works.

Well no dice...After creating the boot disk and running it, it just asks for a floppy with extra drivers. But the autorun menu for mandrake is unresponsive...So I think Im just gonna give up on that and shoot for unix. Thanks for your help though.

Uh...yeah....Didn't work. So Im just gonna try UNIX...But shamefully I don't know where to download it...So if anyone could help me out there...

Dont give up on Linux just yet. Try if your laptop is mentioned on http://www.linux-on-laptops.com

UNIX costs money, Unlike GNU/Linux, for the most part it is not freely offered and can be quite expensive. And may not be the best to learn on considering its cost. What if you pay a license fee of (SCO was asking about $1,500 Per CPU License -thats another story) say the $1,500 and still cant get it to work?

I have installed Slackware Linux on an older Compaq Armada 7800 (300Mhz CPU) some time ago, just finished replacing the LCD CCFT and inverter this weekend. But for a laptop running X it does fairly well.

On the ISO's you burnt for Mandrake-Linux, there are floppy disk images included, usually you need to run the included 'rawrite' program to create the boot disks.

Instead of using GNU/Linux, you could give one of the free *BSD's a try. If you can't get an OS on the laptop, then you have not tried NetBSD. It may be harder to install if your new to the *nix platforms, than a GNU/Linux distro, but it runs on just about anything with a cpu.

The BIOS would have to load, your just not seeing its output. You must have a Compaq, which usually displays a splash screen. You might need, if it is a Compaq, a specific floppy disk to access your BIOS settings.

http://www.netbsd.org

Yes I have a compact...an old compaq. And Im going to keep trying with linux untill I get something running. My laptop is at 146mhz... And yes the bios *splashs*. Would you know where to get that floppy though?

Using a distro like Mandrake-Linux usually requires a little more 'horsepower' to install, since it defaults to a graphical setup routine, you can try installing Mandrake-Linux using the text installer option.
When installing Mandrake-Linux, you may want to select the "expert" install options, and then try using the text installer. Of course, it has been a long time since I've used Mandrake-Linux, not since the 6.0 release. So maybe they no longer give that option. Don't see why they would have removed it though.
If you look on the Mandrake-Linux website, and look in the ftp sites, you should be able to find those boot floppy images if your not able to locate them on the CD.
As for installing Mandrake-Linux on a system with a 147Mhz CPU (?)( - overclocked? or an overdrive Intel chip?) It might not be the best choice. The system requirements may be slightly above what you have to work with, and even if the system does install and work, I do not think you will be too happy with the results, unless you don't go with the default desktop, which was KDE on Mandrake-Linux. You might be ok using Fluxbox, and maybe even XFCE instead of KDE.
If you chose not to use a desktop, and instead go for the console-only route, then you won't have many problems using the system. But for a new user, this might not make using GNU/Linux all that appealing, unless you were comfortable in DOS (no GUI).

For a system such as this, you also may not have the RAM or disk space for a decent installation with a powerful desktop environment.

You may want to consider using TinyX, and opting for the 'Small Linux."
This does not mean you can not get Mandrake-Linux to work on your laptop, but it may not be the best option for you.
I've installed Mandrake-Linux 6.0, Red Hat 6.0, Caldera 2.1 on a desktop machine years ago which only had a 200MHz (non-mmx) CPU, and it worked fine back then, though the box for that time had a lot of RAM (96MBs). But I am sure the requirements were far less back then. Maybe you might want to use an older release of Mandrake-Linux.

There are also floppy distro's of GNU/Linux you can try.

As for getting the COMPAQ system floppy, you just need to look on the COMPAQ website, most likely check under 'Support.'
Fill in your model and you should be able to locate the necessary floppys imgs. can try this link for the COMPAQ
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/static\_software_select?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&

some more Floppy based distros:

http://www.online-center.com/minux/

What are the specifications for your computer?

Sounds like you are trying to play golf with basketball.

Is you system i586 or i386?

That would amount to a i586, i386 processor speeds stop at 33Mhz. i486 stopped at 100Mhz. It is most likely a 150Mhz labeled CPU. Being a Compaq, probably an Intel.