The Peppermint (OS) Story...

Ya ya ya… it's my linuxy story again, I know you're probably bored by now… but then, ah ha… I'm not… therefore, I'm still blogging loads about it, right?

Ok… back to that very old, super old notebook, HP Omnibook 6000,

Probably you'll suggest me to chuck it away, but then… hey… besides, there're some cracks somewhere (due to the carelessness of the previous owner, aiyo~ how can anybody uses notebook until like that…) it's still a functioning notebook… except that the battery's dead… the rest, still good and sound…

Anyway, well… I put that ubuntu 9.10 on it, works fine, just that, it's really pretty slow… ok, I now know that, ubuntu's still pretty resource hunger, if you've to put this soul into a 70-year-old body… kakaka…

So, I tried another no-problem-to-be-installed OS, ie. peppermint OS, (peppermint ONE)

It's a very lightweight linux distro, I've taken a look at it, as it doesn't really install a lot of local apps, most of its by-default programmes are web-based, for eg. If you go to office directory, it'll show you all the google docs links bla  bla bla…

So, I thought, this is lightweight..

Anyway, the touch and feel is… yes, it's faster, faster than ubuntu…

So, I installed it…

The problem is, it doesn't recognize that netgear wg511 at all, NOT AT ALL!!

As I was prepared loooooooooooong ago, so, I went ahead to try that ndiswrapper thing… ya, try to be smart… kakaka… try to be techy too…

I hooked it up with the LAN cable, the super conventional way, by doing that, ie. I'm limited to my workdesk LO!!! @_@

There, I got internet connection, (ya, wired, gosh!! That sounds so old!)

And then, I started doing that ndiswrapper thing, by following all the steps on the forums/wiki bla bla bla…

Fine!!! At first, it's fine, the command could be used, and netgear wg511 (from windows, that *.inf file) could be installed, and that, the OS actually recognized it… ooh~~~ cool NE!!!

HOWEVER!! Still… that network card didn't blink, AT ALL…

So, I went further troubleshooting (if it is…) and type this type that, type like a pro, I mean, all the commands…

Suddenly, damn! That NDISWRAPPER command failed…

It's installed, loaded,

And whatsover…

BUT THAT, when I did that modprobe thing… damn!! It kept saying that, it doesn't exist…

This was worse than not having that driver to be recognized…

I said, I was prepped to do that ndiswrapper thing TO install the netgear driver,

But I WAS NOT PREPPED AT ALL, to solve that pre-requisite, ie. NDISWRAPPER!!

Now, I've 2 problems to solve, damn!!

In the end, yes, I declare…

I gave up…

Wack the whole machine, give it back its happily-run OS, ie. ubuntu 9.10…

@_@

Oh! Happy Day!!! Netgear WG511 finally is willing to marry Ubuntu 9.10

Yes… finally!!!

Finally!! Finally… I know it doesn't mean much to you, and to most of the people,

But I've to talk about it,

When there no solution, it doesn't mean that there's no solution,

You get what I mean??

For eg. If a patient's incurable, it doesn't mean that the patient's really incurable, simply because the doctors don't know what to do about him/her…

Sad, but true!!

See!! I've 2 hurdles to overcome, ever since I got that super old computer, yes, you read super old, not super computer, HP Omnibook 6000,

I tried different windows (of course, it's stupid choice) XP, to 2000, well.. It's built for win2000 anyway…

Eventually I've to resolve to win2000…

Well… in the first place, when I get that notebook, my intention is to give it an ubuntu…

Ok… I'm not like expert in anything, neither in ubuntu…

Ubuntu works like bliss in my near super old notebook, ie. twinhead efio 121A, so, I thought ubuntu can do wonders…

I tried with ubuntu 10.04 LTS, nope, it's loaded, but then, it failed to recognize that netgear WG511 wireless card…

Gosh!!! My twinhead which I thought was old enough, at least have a built-in wireless card, but this HP Omnibook, need a PCMCIA wireless card, and I'll tell you, netgear's not the best choice…

Though I've a second choice, some usb d-link wireless card too… again, it's not the best choice, they're equally bad as each other… I mean this d-link, and that netgear…

Fine!!! I still "beh gam wan" (hokkien) and searched in and out…

Serious, in and out, many nights… same forum read through and through…

Hoping to get some direction out of it…

Eventually I gave up, yep, that moment, I gave up… win2000 I installed…

The problem is not just netgear driver not identified or anything,

Another problem is that, this old notebook, kinda load the liveCD SLOWLY!! If not unsuccessfully…
So, after I finally decided on win2000 (just as how it's given to me) I kinda put that notebook to the storage…

Then one day, I took it out, hands itchy…

I tried again, cos, I just installed linux mint 9.0 on my twinhead… which is even better… and I simply love it…

So, I "beh gam wan" again, and stried that linux mint 9.0 on this super old notebook…

Cos, in fact, I was prepared to do that ndiswrapper thing… after reading to much on the ubuntu/linux forums,

Ya… I was ready to do that ndiswrapper thing, to at least prove that REALLY~~ THERE'S NO SOLUTION!

I tried that linux mint 9.0 again, gosh!! Took a long time to load the liveCD and it doesn't load nicely, some errors… fine! It just refuse to install properly, while the CD keep spinning in the drive… (linux mint 9.0 came with the ndiswrapper)

Then, I tried knoppix, where one of those people actually mentioned… that it works… it works? With netgear WG511??? Ok, I must try…

No!! The HP Omnibook 6000 didn't even want to load that ISO… fine!!!

So, I tried the new ubuntu, ie. lubuntu, and xubuntu, downloaded their liveCD ISO, same as knoppix, refused to be read by the notebook, AT ALL!!!

Like I said, I couldn't even proceed…

Since I've tried that ubuntu 10.04 which didn't have a good result either, ie. installed, but can't recognize that netgear driver…

I saw my old ubuntu, ie. 9.10, and I was thinking, maybe I should give it a try, since it's such an old notebook, maybe it'll like it…

Ya… installing is a bliss… ^_^,

Upon rebooting…

I went to the notebook… standing, thinking that how it may look like…

Suddenly I saw the top panel… reading "eclipse"… ooi? Isn't that my netword SSID?

Ooi? How come?? Bizzarre!!

I couldn't believe it, cos, it's asking for the SSID password…

Ooi!!! O.o..

Hm…

I keyed in, I saw the network card blinking…

It's blinking… ie. the OS recognized the card's driver, I mean the OS has that driver…

Wow!!!!!

Cos, I read in and out, up and down, left and right, all the forums, I came to 1 conclusion,

There's NO DISTRO which could just identify the driver, OUT OF THE BOX!!!

That's the reason, I was all geared up, and prepared to do that ndiswrapper thing…

And now??

Gosh!!! Same my work… it's happily running now, notebook happy, I happy!

And I told myself… on those forums that I've looked into, yes, there's no solution,

Cos, I guess, most of the time, either those people gave up, bought a better notebook, OR,

Bought a better card!

Yes, these people gave up…

In fact, there IS a solution...