General TC > Tiny Core Netbooks

TC on an old "ultrabook" Sony VAIO VGN-T150 - CF as HDD, USB boot?

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nitram:

--- Quote ---Rich wrote:
Regarding open tabs in a browser. The problem often isn't having many open tabs, it's what's in those tabs. I normally have 12 to 14 tabs
open on the browser on an 800Mhz cpu with 512Mb RAM machine with no problems.
--- End quote ---
Agreed. IMO using the NoScript add-on is the only way to run older hardware with a modern browser.

@MX372: Since everyone's still giving opinions :) Maybe i missed it in the thread but i would not spend any money on the machine, would just use AC (no new battery) and keep the old/slow hard drive until it totally dies. Some hobbyists crack open the battery pack and re-wire or solder in new individual cells to minimize expense...a project for another day perhaps!

MX372:
@ nitram - I understand (I think) where you are coming from with not spending any money one a 2005 laptop, but that does defeat my purpose, which is to have a small, lightweight laptop with great battery life (other than being old technology, this machine is exactly that - or was, 10 years ago). Battery life can be fixed with a new $40 battery, and extended some by going from a mechanical HDD to a solid state storage medium. There is no doubt in my mind that I could get 7-8 hours on a full charge. Can't name another laptop that I could buy new for under $400 that has that battery life. And then there is the portability - this thing weighs under 3 lbs.

So, my other option is to sell it as-is (maybe $50-60 on CL or ebay) and also sell my TB ($350 or so) and take that $400 and but a new laptop (in reality, likely a netbook), which I would promptly wipe and install Linux on. Most people would likely go that route. I think it is more challenging though to take it and optimize it (hardware and software) and make it just as useful as a new laptop, and save the money for something else. That may or may not be possible, I'm really not sure. I think it is.

I want to try TC and see how that affects current performance, which may help me make that decision. If I can plug a CF card directly in place of the HDD (unknown at this point) and see how that affects performance, then even better. I do have a 512MB (and a 4GB) CF card I can use as a test medium, and that is my plan. I'll run some benchmarks on it the way it is right now (LXLE 12.04.5), and then with TC run from a live CD (since it loads completely in RAM, it should be the same as if installed to HDD), and then with TC on the CF card (if I can), and then compare. Matter of fact, I'll post the results here for those that are interested.

Rich:
Hi MX372
You might consider a bootable USB flash drive like this:

It's small enough that you can leave it plugged in all the time, only protrudes about 1/4 of an inch. I found the 8Gb version at Staples
for 5 dollars.

MX372:
@ Rich - Thanks for the suggestion, and I've thought about that as well. I was actually considering using this: SanDisk Ultra 64GB USB 3.0 micro flash drive for $34 on Amazon. It is very similar to what you are talking about, and on a per-GB basis, very well priced. Comparison:

$34/64GB= $0.53 per GB
128GB Kingston 1.8" SSD (50 pin PATA)=$92, $92/128GB= $0.72 per GB
your suggested 8GB drive= $5/8GB= $0.63 per GB

The problem is, this machine does not support USB boot devices, at least it's not listed in the boot options of the BIOS. I've found what may be a workaround (Plop), but since TC is so small, I could literally fit it (and many applications) on a CF card, and since the IDE interface for this laptop's HDD is a 50-pin CF-card style plug, I might be able to just plug a (bootable) CF card into it and go. That is, assuming the pinout is exactly the same, which I'm not sure. I do know that CF cards have an IDE mode and will act just as any other IDE HDD. Anyone out there have any experience with this?

The SSD would be guaranteed to plug in and work. It has the highest capacity and I suspect will be the fastest as well, and will extend battery life over the current 1.8" HDD, will not consume a USB port, and will not protrude from the side of the laptop. It does, however, cost over $90 and is the most expensive option per GB as well. Which then brings into question the argument of whether a 10-year-old laptop is worth spending $92 for an SSD + $25 for a new KB (already spent) + $40 for a new battery = $157. New 12" netbook (many choices) for around $250-ish, with more RAM, comparable (or better) storage, and a new/faster processor? When you start looking at it from that perspective, the SSD might not make sense because it pushes the total cost up significantly.

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