[!!] Install the GRUB boot loader on a hard disk

[JARA MELAGRANI, Mariano]

On Mon, 2011-05-23 at 18:27 +0100, Liam Proven wrote: 
> On 23 May 2011 15:43, JARA MELAGRANI, Mariano <marianojara at afip.gob.ar> wrote:
<snip> 
> 
> Fair enough! I can certainly understand that. One of the great
> strengths of Ubuntu is apt-get - it means that it's easy to update
> (unlike, say, PC-LinuxOS) and it's got a huge range of 3rd-party
> software which is easy to install (unlike, say, Mepis).
> 
> Given the difficulties with GRUB, I would suggest 2 things:
> [1] check your BIOS settings - e.g. see if it has any options enabled
> concerning virus protection, which can prevent some programs writing
> to the boot-sector of the hard disk (which is where the important part
> of GRUB lives);
> [2] Update the BIOS to the latest version, if at all possible.

I'll check and do that, thanks. 

<snip> 
> Debian has been getting easier to install in recent years, but Debian
> 6, the current version, has deliberately removed all drivers that
> include proprietary firmware. This means that it no longer works on my
> elderly IBM Thinkpad, for instance. I might be able to /install/ the
> drivers, in theory, but since I have no network connection - none of
> my 2 available Ethernet cards or 2 available Wifi cards work any more
> - I can't download anything to install!
> 
> Slackware's install program is a nasty flashback to the bad old days
> of the mid-1990s, but if you can get past that, it works well on
> low-end hardware. As such it has a number of derived distros aimed at
> lower-end machines:
> * VectorLinux (but your machine is /too/ low-spec, I thikn)
> * Zenwalk (might be worth a look)
> * Zipslack (aimed at removable drives, so possibly not ideal)
> 
> >> Other options are fairly few. Sadly, Damn Small Linux (DSL) is no
> >> longer being updated. Puppy Linux is easy and friendly, but it is
> >> insecure by design, so I do not recommend it. It is also not trivial
> >> to install it to hard disk, update it and add new software.
> >>
> > Liam, many thanks for your insightful analysis! Cheers,
> 
> You're welcome. Low-end Linux distros have been an interest of mine
> for some years now. There are not many left, sadly.
> 
Thanks again Liam! food for thought. Cheers,

-- 
Mariano