Help me getting Started / Configuration problems

[Novo]

Hello,

I have an IGEL Compact 3200 LX Thin Client VIA 533MHz CPU 128MB RAM with a 128MB CF Card.
After trying Slitaz (they drop my CPU Support in 4 RC2), I want to give TinyCore a try.
Booting from USB and installing on CF Card works. (it was hard to figure out the correct kmap settings )

For now I have some problems:

- I read that TinyCore and their Applications run completely in RAM, how can I disable this? (I have only 128MB RAM)
- Sound does not work. Do you have drivers for VIA AC97 Soundcard?
- If I want to save my settings, i have to say Save or Backup on Shutdown, reboot or poweroff delete my installed / modified settings.
- I want to get my Fritz!USB Stick 1.1 working with ndiswrapper. On Ubuntu and Debian works fine, but not here.
  (Don't get wlan0 and Wifi Tool say, no devices found). Is there something special I need to know?
- Clicking on Config Wbar does nothing
- Installed Pidgin, after adding ICQ, it crash with "illegal operation"
- What Browser do you prefer? Midori? (NetSurf just crash after launch)

Mfg NoVo

[gerald_clark]

Welcome to Tiny Core Linux.
You need to spend some time reading the wiki.
Please read the persistence articles.

Applications run in RAM on all machines.  There is no other way to run them.
Tiny Core's root file system also runs in RAM.
Extensions are loop mounted from hard disk / flash.

I don't know if your USB NIC is supported, but others are.

Start with a basic setup.  Experiment with advanced boot options later.

[gutmensch]

2. More info needed. I already dealt with Igels and had some sound troubles too... you'll have to provide infos like lspci -v and dmesg to say more about it.
4. More info needed. How did you run ndiswrapper? Did you install the correct extensions? Which driver did you use? Also log output/dmesg/lspci/lsusb missing.
5. No idea.
6. Pidgin might need a rebuild (could be this is related to a "wrong" processor type on the building machine), please contact jls_legalize (or he's maybe reading along).
7. With 128 MB of RAM I can only suggest some older static builds of opera maybe, you can find some here e.g.: http://arc.opera.com/pub/opera/linux/927/final/en/i386/static/, or even the 8 series. You will not have much fun running any modern browser with that few RAM. Most of them can easily outrun your memory, when they are just starting.

[bmarkus]

Applications run in RAM on all machines.  There is no other way to run them.

This is simply not true!!!

By default applications are mounted and do not run in RAM.

With AppsAudit you can configure all run from RAM or selectively chose which one you want to get copied to RAM. But you have to configure it yourself, it is not the default behavior of TC.

[gerald_clark]

The application must load from the mounted extension into RAM in order to run.
Processors cannot execute code in a filesystem.

[vinnie]

Gerald, I have always used the flag copy2fs.flg to copy everything into ram otherwise I could not remove the flash memory.
Now I know what a program (on any system) is first copied into RAM before being executed, but I do not think this is what you say 

[gerald_clark]

That is exactly what I say.
The difference is in between stored on and run in.
They are stored on a filesystem ( CD/DVD/HD/FLASH/RAM ) but run in RAM.

[vinnie]

Ok, but all linux distributions are starting applications in ram
However, not using the copy2fs.flg saves space of the copy all packet (simultaneously) in ram, right?

[gerald_clark]

Right.

[Novo]

OK I have Internet over Ethernet for now - ndiswrapper is not the biggest problem that I have.
- Wbar config does nothing
- Opera next, 11, 10 does not start (CRASHING - killed) Opera 9 does start but it's slow as hell. All other browser does not show websites correctly.
- ayttm, pidgin and a lot of other tools that I download do crash, too!

[gerald_clark]

Maybe you are running out of RAM.

[curaga]

According to
http://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/IgelCompact/index.shtml

the unit can take up to 1gb ram. Might be useful to upgrade?

On cpanel not starting, please try to start if from the terminal.

Processors cannot execute code in a filesystem.

Technically, ext2 XIP, but this is way OT

[Novo]

the unit can take up to 1gb ram. Might be useful to upgrade?

yeah. I have a 1GB DDR2 SODIMM from my Netbook, but the RAM does not fit into the Socket (204 instead of 200 pin) - . -

I have installed Debian netinst with IceWM-lite now with Ndiswrapper, Sound, Midori, Pidgin and MPlayer - works fine and still have some RAM free !!!
Sorry for now I do not use Microcore anymore, maybe later when it's more stable.
Microcore is fast - but sadly I had Sound, NDiswrapper and Crashing Apps problems -.-

[curaga]

The 204-pin ram is ddr3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SO-DIMM