I have an old desktop computer which I am trying to install Linux to. It looks Dell-ish to me. So far I have tried Linux LiveDVD (I have no LiveCDs) and the computer only has a CD drive. The BIOS is too old to support boot off of USB, and an attempt at using Ubuntu's Wubi software failed, saying that it could no install. The computer has the ability to boot from floppy. I have 5 floppys, but both old computers (Windows Xp Pro and Ubuntu Linux 10.10) collapsed in uninformative IO errors every time I tried to read or format them (even dd
didn't work). I may be able to get my hands on some different floppys, but I need to get Linux on this thing. I think the computer has:
- A CD drive
- A floppy drive
- Etherent Internet (shared through another computer)
- An Intel CPU
- Windows XP Pro
- Plenty of spare hard drive space
- USB ports
I have a multitude of DVDs at my disposal, I might be able to get some floppys, a Linux Live USB, a Mac, and a Linux laptop. How can I install Linux to this thing? NOTE: I have physical and admin access on all of the computers. EDIT: The computer currently has Windows XP Pro.
EDIT: I solved this problem by going off and getting some floppys and a stack of 30 CD-Rs. Thank you for putting up with the bizarre question.
EDIT: This computer seems to be borked. I am going to be trying to figure out how to pull out the hard drive and access it through a computer, as opposed to a heap of overheating electronics that are old and dusty.