• Registered: 2009-12-31
  • Posts: 5

Topic: Thanks from a Sony Vaio user

Just had to drop by to say thank you for this excellent little distribution (I am using the lite version). I own the laptop from hell - at least as far as Linux is concerned. It is only an old machine and not worth updating, but it runs Windows like a slug on Valium and I have been trying for years to get a version of Linux on it to save it from the scrap heap. Here is a list of versions that I have tried in the last couple of months:

Ubuntu, Mandriva, Xubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Opensuse, Mepis, Antix, Debian, PcLinuxOS, PartedMagic, SuperGrubDisk, System Recovery.

None of those will even run the live CD let alone install anything. (There is nothing wrong with the CD's btw, they run perfectly well on several other machines).

Puppy Linux will run but only in a tiny window (680x420?) - something useless anyway and any attempt to resize it results in it crashing.

Slax runs and even installs, but it runs as root all the time which is madness. Knoppix will run too, but doesn't have an installer.

Then I tried Crunchbang. It not only ran from CD straight away but it installed perfectly and runs pretty respectably given the low spec of the machine. Not only that but because of its Debian/Ubuntu type roots it is simple to look after.

So thanks again for saving the life of my old laptop - and please can you organise a masterclass for the rest of the industry to teach them how to make live CD's that actually work - I would love to know the secret myself.

  • Registered: 2009-12-31
  • Posts: 5

Re: Thanks from a Sony Vaio user

I started this thread a few months ago and I am still happily running Crunchbang Lite on my old Vaio and never cease to recommend it to others.

Today I decided to try the Statler alpha alongside it on a separate partition

It wouldn't run in live mode, it wouldn't run when installed, it wouldn't run in 'recovery' mode, it wouldn't run in text mode (ie single user), it just wouldn't run full stop. So I don't know what you have done to it (maybe because it is the full version not the 'lite' version?) but the fact is that it just will not run on this machine any more, I can't even get a terminal prompt (and yes I have checked the md5sum etc etc) all I ever get is the appearance of a normal boot followed by a blank screen with no further disk, or processor activity.

This is very disappointing given my extreme satisfaction with the previous version. I must add that you are not alone, no other version of Linux (except slax) has ever run on this machine but I really thought that Crunchbang had this little mother licked, but apparently not any more.

I know it is an alpha so maybe there is time for it to recover yet. I am not all that concerned about it as I only use this machine for testing purposes now, so I am not asking for assistance, on the other hand you did ask for feedback from alpha users so here it is.

  • aaro
  • #! Die-hard
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-11-15
  • Posts: 648

Re: Thanks from a Sony Vaio user

why don't you post this in statler thread adding the exact model of your laptop, i'm sure it would help solve this in future versions and/or someone give you a workaround.

- closed account - gone to better places -
  • Registered: 2009-12-31
  • Posts: 5

Re: Thanks from a Sony Vaio user

aaro wrote:

why don't you post this in statler thread adding the exact model of your laptop, i'm sure it would help solve this in future versions and/or someone give you a workaround.

I thought about that but I didn't do it for a couple of reasons. First it is feedback and this forum is called 'Feedback and Suggestions' and  second, I think it really needs to be read in conjunction with my opening  post on this thread (which goes into some detail about just how linux-phobic this laptop is). However if you are a mod and would like to move it then please do so with my blessing!