Is there a (boot) CD simply for mondo hdwre detection?

Post #260,092

6/26/06 11:42:14 PM

6/26/06 11:47:06 PM

Am looking for latest/best distro to pass around locally, but not have to later "help install".. if'n ya knows what I mean.

As I try a number of Designer-nix demos on machines of ~'00 to '05 BIOS vintages - I note the varied detection dbases and perhaps algorithms(?) Obv. each builder chooses a different mix of older | newer | stuff.

Still, seems kinda silly to choose any distro just on basis of better random detection of some box, and not for its adherence to Debian or sub-Debian pkg. management. Not smart for a newbie's first impressions either, while trying to kick the Doze crack/virus. After training wheels, they Will want to change the drapes.

While I wonder about the compromises made - how anyone ever decides.. I suppose it's about the limited content of one CD - though Herr Knopper seems to have first demonstrated just How much stuff you can cram on there, while also detecting P.F.W.

So then: is there (yet) a boot-test CD or two containing lots of the existing device data that's Out There?
The distro wouldn't matter for that purpose - right?

That, plus requisite basic config files for each, could make distro-hopping much easier; would let person choose best maintainer, at install time. ('Course, some help would need to happen re any such driver change - but at least you'd know in advance that a driver exists. And: that you have it.)

PS - yes, I expect that, armed with a complete list from mobo guts through display, one can search.. (I'm also on dial-up, and the local monopoly is still marketing to another planet for the foreseeable.) I'd much prefer that HAL do all that stuff, though. Took a pretty good magnifier to read the #%*&@ chip used in the USB/HD adaptor box thingie, for a Doze driver. Not willing to disembowel others' gadgetry.

Thanx for any tips.

Ashvald

Ed: omit pic of nymph in shower

Edited by Ashton June 26, 2006, 11:47:06 PM EDT

Is there a (boot) CD simply for mondo hdwre detection?

Am looking for latest/best distro to pass around locally, but not have to later "help install".. if'n ya knows what I mean.

As I try a number of Designer-nix demos on machines of ~'00 to '05 BIOS vintages - I note the varied detection dbases and perhaps algorithms(?) Obv. each builder chooses a different mix of older | newer | mixed specimens.

Still, seems kinda silly to choose any distro just on basis of better random detection of some box, and not for its adherence to Debian or sub-Debian pkg. management. Not smart for a newbie's first impressions either, while trying to kick the Doze crack/virus. After training wheels, they Will want to change the drapes.

While I wonder about the compromises made - how anyone decides.. I suppose it's ever about the limited content of one CD - though Herr Knopper seems to have first demonstrated just How much stuff you can cram on there, while also detecting P.F.W.

So then: is there (yet) a boot-test CD or two containing lots of the existing device data that's Out There?
The distro wouldn't matter for that purpose - right?

That, plus requisite basic config files for each, could make distro-hopping much easier; would let person best maintainer, at install time. ('Course, some help would need to happen re any such driver change - but at least you'd know in advance that a driver exists. And: you have it.)

PS - yes, I expect that, armed with a complete list from mobo guts through display, one can search.. (I'm also on dial-up, and the local monopoly is still marketing to another planet for the foreseeable.) I'd much prefer that HAL do all that stuff, though. Took a pretty good magnifier to read the #%*&@ chip used in the USB/HD adaptor box thingie, for a Doze driver. Not willing to disembowel others' gadgetry.

Thanx for any tips.

Ashvald

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Post #260,110

by imric

6/27/06 7:21:04 AM

Knoppix is very good

Mepis is very good
Ubuntu is good - though I ran into my first failure with it - it has trouble with the wireless on my friend's Gateway laptop.

These are my current favorite 'every hardware' distros. Of course, YMMV, etc, etc.

Imric's Tips for Living

Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.

Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.

Post #260,205

by Ashton

6/27/06 9:55:24 PM

Thanks - have those; concur --

Was just hoping for a Tool: a detects-All Wizard - whose discoveries could be incorporated in (whichever) distro partly-flunks. For the inept as well as the lazy (moi.)

Hmmmm - biz opportunity?

Post #261,021

by Another Scott

7/7/06 8:09:41 PM

7/7/06 8:18:51 PM

grml might be a good one to try.

What's the difference between grml and Knoppix?

grml comes with a vastly different set of software. Missing KDE and OpenOffice provides the opportunity of shipping more than 800 packages which Knoppix does not provide on its CD version. grml boots a 2.6.x kernel but no X for faster startup. Knoppix is based on Debian/testing-experimental (using apt-pinning), but grml is basically based on plain Debian/unstable providing more current versions of software and less painfull upgrades. grml was once based on Knoppix but nowadays (except for a similar initial ramdisk) has nothing in common with Knoppix:

# locate knoppix
# find / -iname \\*knoppix\\*
#

We consider Knoppix as a brand name for live-cds nowadays and provide most of Knoppix' features as well. grml uses (mostly) the same cheatcodes for booting as Knoppix and even provides some extra ones. So if you are used to the basic Knoppix features you might find them on the grml-system as well. Ripping out the Knoppix stuff makes it possible to create a grml system out of a Debian system and vice versa. Running 'apt-get install grml' on a Debian box will be officially supported in an upcoming version of grml.

It doesn't look quite as friendly as Knoppix or Mepis, but since it doesn't start X initially, it should be very good for quick-and-dirty checking of new systems. Being based on straight Debian should make updates much less painful than trying to update Knoppix - if you ever want to do that...

[edit:] I note in the comments at NewsForge, a pointer to [link|http://frenzy.org.ua/eng/|Frenzy] which is a 200 MB live CD based on FreeBSD. Being on dialup, that might be a slightly less painful way to go. :-) I haven't tried it myself.

Luck!

Cheers,
Scott.

Edited by Another Scott July 7, 2006, 08:18:51 PM EDT

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Post #261,823

by Ashton

7/15/06 5:41:03 AM

Missed, first pass -

On top, for next foray into this chasm.

What with neighbor and all, her Superdrives and sleek black AND silver boxes - and High Speed: no sweat. Hmmm - a DVD with (to steal Mr. Gurdjieff's title) All and Everything.. becomes imaginable.

And here I expected I'd have to quit with just the Library of Congress.
I just thought... a Detect-everything CD would be on everyone's to-do list.
Wouldn't that be logical?

Thanks.

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