Cheap Laptop...

Liquid · June 20th, 2003, 09:23 PM

I'm looking for an all right Laptop, refurbished or otherwise, that I can install Linux (Most likely Slackware) on. Take heed, I am thinking in Canadian dollars here. It doesn't need to be able to do anything amazing, just run Linux well, with a decent resolution. Any ideas?

Pendragon · June 21st, 2003, 07:53 AM

I suppose eBay is your best bet. Just do your research before you bid. check out linux.org for the hardware compatability... Also do a Google search on the name of the laptop. The reason I say this is that every time I look up a laptop it always returns a page on installing linux. I think there is an active comunity of linux users trying to install and use linux on old laptops. One other thing to remember is that batterys are considerd to be consumibles... They are expencive and some times hard to find. If your not carfull you could end up with a portable, not a laptop...

Rudders · June 25th, 2003, 08:36 AM

Hi,

Well I know that in general, most Compaq laptops are frowned upon by those in the know, but the old LTE 5000 series seem to be one of the best older generation ones. They offer processors of 75 MHz to as much as 150/166, and depending on version, have great TFT screens of 10.4 to 11.5" I think there might be some 12.1" versions too.

The bonus of these wee machines is that the HD is removable, and is held within a cartridge.
Compaq provided up to a 2 gig drive for them, but you can simply swap them out and fit up to a 6.4 or 8 Gig unit with no worries.
This means that you can buy additional drives and cartridges/cradles (lots in ebay, and cheap), and run a different OS from each drive.

Flexibility and robustness all in one.
Be sure to get one with at least 64MB or 72 MB though!

My LTE 5000 with 10.4" TFT and a mere 75MHz Pentium runs SUSE quite swiftly with 72MB RAM and a 4.8 Gig drive. Then again, I have Win95, 98, NT, and BEOS running on other drives from the same machine after a quick swap around!

One other thing, there are plenty of them in ebay, and the spare parts are also easy to fit should you need any (unlikely...very reliable).

Just my tuppence worth.

Rudders

kato2274 · June 25th, 2003, 08:58 AM

too bad about the canada thing. www.compgeeks.com always has a nice selection of used/refurbed laptops that would be just what you are looking for. . . . . . but you might get killed on shipping.

confus-ed · June 26th, 2003, 07:15 AM

The laptop market moves swiftly on ... there's lots of 'bargains' to be found at the bottom of the market ranges NEW ... not just pre-owned

... then you could run something current as well, but if you just want to run linux then pre-owned is the way ... but you pays your money & takes the chance !

Radical Dreamer · June 26th, 2003, 03:55 PM

Im not sure if they ship to Canada, but Tigerdirect.com usually has some good deals on refurbs. btw, how much are you wanting to spend?

June 20th, 2003, 09:23 PM	#1
Liquid Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 13	Cheap Laptop... I'm looking for an all right Laptop, refurbished or otherwise, that I can install Linux (Most likely Slackware) on. Take heed, I am thinking in Canadian dollars here. It doesn't need to be able to do anything amazing, just run Linux well, with a decent resolution. Any ideas? __________________ ..."This is what is sad when one contemplates human life, that so many live out their lives in quiet lostness . . . they live, as it were, away from themselves and vanish like shadows. Their immortal souls are blown away, and they are not disquieted by the question of its immortality, because they are already disintegrated before they die."...

June 21st, 2003, 07:53 AM	#2
Pendragon Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Portsmouth,Hampshire,UK Posts: 99	I suppose eBay is your best bet. Just do your research before you bid. check out linux.org for the hardware compatability... Also do a Google search on the name of the laptop. The reason I say this is that every time I look up a laptop it always returns a page on installing linux. I think there is an active comunity of linux users trying to install and use linux on old laptops. One other thing to remember is that batterys are considerd to be consumibles... They are expencive and some times hard to find. If your not carfull you could end up with a portable, not a laptop... __________________ Regards Steve... (]TSS[)Pendragon

June 25th, 2003, 08:58 AM	#4
kato2274 Tech-To-Tech Mod Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Bentleyville, Pa Posts: 2,317	too bad about the canada thing. www.compgeeks.com always has a nice selection of used/refurbed laptops that would be just what you are looking for. . . . . . but you might get killed on shipping. __________________ Nonsense prevails, modesty fails Grace and virtue turn into stupidity - E. Costello

June 26th, 2003, 03:55 PM	#6
Radical Dreamer Avatar Goes Here Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Fairmont, West Virginia Posts: 4,866	Im not sure if they ship to Canada, but Tigerdirect.com usually has some good deals on refurbs. btw, how much are you wanting to spend? __________________ :::Asus A8N-Sli Premium:::AMD 3500+ @ 2.4ghz:::2x80GB 8mb cache RAID0 Array:::GeForce 7800GTX OC:::2GB Corsair XMS Memory:::500 Watt Enermax Liberty PSU:::16x Lite-on DVDRW::: Counter Strike Source Forum and Server @ http://www.nvpclan.com -=Ninjas Vs. Pirates=-

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June 25th, 2003, 08:36 AM	#3
Rudders Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 54	Hi, Well I know that in general, most Compaq laptops are frowned upon by those in the know, but the old LTE 5000 series seem to be one of the best older generation ones. They offer processors of 75 MHz to as much as 150/166, and depending on version, have great TFT screens of 10.4 to 11.5" I think there might be some 12.1" versions too. The bonus of these wee machines is that the HD is removable, and is held within a cartridge. Compaq provided up to a 2 gig drive for them, but you can simply swap them out and fit up to a 6.4 or 8 Gig unit with no worries. This means that you can buy additional drives and cartridges/cradles (lots in ebay, and cheap), and run a different OS from each drive. Flexibility and robustness all in one. Be sure to get one with at least 64MB or 72 MB though! My LTE 5000 with 10.4" TFT and a mere 75MHz Pentium runs SUSE quite swiftly with 72MB RAM and a 4.8 Gig drive. Then again, I have Win95, 98, NT, and BEOS running on other drives from the same machine after a quick swap around! One other thing, there are plenty of them in ebay, and the spare parts are also easy to fit should you need any (unlikely...very reliable). Just my tuppence worth. Rudders

June 26th, 2003, 07:15 AM	#5
confus-ed Geezer Join Date: Jul 1999 Location: In front of my PC.... Posts: 13,091	The laptop market moves swiftly on ... there's lots of 'bargains' to be found at the bottom of the market ranges NEW ... not just pre-owned ... then you could run something current as well, but if you just want to run linux then pre-owned is the way ... but you pays your money & takes the chance !