[clug] Sad, sad waste of time: Ancient Computer Project, or, Reading some old floppies

steve jenkin sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au
Thu Oct 27 00:08:05 MDT 2011


If anyone is interested, I've written up what I can remember of fighting
with my old 386 recently. A bit disorganised, AIA :-(

<http://lab-notes.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-ancient-computer-project.html>

I managed to boot two different Linux distros [BG-TLB & floppyfw] on it.
And discovered 'FreeDos' looks like its built on Linux boot & kernel.

What I couldn't understand is how to build the kernel for the BG-TLB...
The 'source' consists of some patch files, presumably for a 2.4 kernel.
[Advice welcome!]

But not at all sure, which kernel, so how to get the source.
Did I just not read enough?
Suspect from the boot messages, a Debian kernel :-)

Anyone know where to source floppy *cleaning* disks?

I'd offer to read 9 (a few) old 5.25" floppies for people if I knew I
could keep the heads clean....
[In the end, I moved the 5.25" drive to a 2001 vintage m/c running FC3]

Found that Officeworks sells USB 3.5" floppy drives for $30.
People can copy their own 3.5" floppies easily still :-)

-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin


More information about the linux mailing list