Older distro versions for older machines...

[harrysholycows]

Hello,

I am looking at an older pentium 166 mhz with 96 megs of ram and a 512k video sis (that is 1/2 a meg, it has next to no video memory). Most of the inside is ISA with 2 PCI slots (1 PCI is being used for the nic card).

Are there older versions of linux available for a PC like this that can be downloaded? I tried to instal Debian Woody on it, and everything went fine except that X-windows will not start.

So I am thinking about getting a version of Red Hat that came out around the same time as this machine (1998 I am guessing). Is this a good idea? Or should I leave Woody on that machine and not tinker with X-windows? I can still edit files and do everything from the command line. It would just be nice to browse the web in something better than lynx.

Any input would be welcome. Thanks!

[sclebo05]

i am typing this from my mini server, which is a pentium 200 with 64 megs of ram. i am using slack 9 on it, with gui. and it runs rather well

slack 8 or 9 would be worth a look. if you like editing config files, slack is for you. the utility xfree86setup can help you get started on your gui when you first start.

OR you could try vector. it is slack with a more friendly install and it is designed for older machines. it does a good job of detecting hardware and setting you up. i had an older laptop and i installed vector on it for general desktop use - and i was happy with the results.

an older redhat won't steer you wrong either. just try to match up the version with the date of the PC (like you said).

so many choices!