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topazThis is largely for my own benefit so I can refer back to these notes later. (My first employer got me in the habit of keeping a physical journal next to the computer for keeping notes in every day. It was amazingly useful and I should get back into that routine.)
But some of you geeky people may find some of this interesting, or, my god, even useful.
Goal: set up the Dell Optiplex GX260 as a Windows/Linux dual boot machine in the living room, for the kids to play games and me to check e-mail on.
Challenge: your only available XP install CD is for a four-year-old Dell Inspiron 5100, and your only available network connection is through a 3COM USB wireless fob.
- The Inspiron WinXP install CD installs XP fine on this machine. It really doesn't want to install along with any other operating systems, but Ubuntu's installer claims to be able to do the repartitioning itself, so let's just assume they're right.
- The 3COM USB 10075 wireless driver install CD is bushwah. After installing the drivers, you still have to hit "Update Driver" from the Device Manager and tell it to install from C:\WINDOWS\...\OEM0.INF.
- Do the same for the video controller -- the drivers for the i810 controller are there, they're just not installed by default on the Inspiron.
- Expect to have to restart the machine twice just to get frigging Windows Update installed.
- Expect to spend about eleventy-leven hours downloading the last four years of XP security updates and service packs.
- You are behind a firewall, right? Right? Right.
But some of you geeky people may find some of this interesting, or, my god, even useful.
Goal: set up the Dell Optiplex GX260 as a Windows/Linux dual boot machine in the living room, for the kids to play games and me to check e-mail on.
Challenge: your only available XP install CD is for a four-year-old Dell Inspiron 5100, and your only available network connection is through a 3COM USB wireless fob.
- The Inspiron WinXP install CD installs XP fine on this machine. It really doesn't want to install along with any other operating systems, but Ubuntu's installer claims to be able to do the repartitioning itself, so let's just assume they're right.
- The 3COM USB 10075 wireless driver install CD is bushwah. After installing the drivers, you still have to hit "Update Driver" from the Device Manager and tell it to install from C:\WINDOWS\...\OEM0.INF.
- Do the same for the video controller -- the drivers for the i810 controller are there, they're just not installed by default on the Inspiron.
- Expect to have to restart the machine twice just to get frigging Windows Update installed.
- Expect to spend about eleventy-leven hours downloading the last four years of XP security updates and service packs.
- You are behind a firewall, right? Right? Right.
