wa4chq Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Good morning.... I have two laptops that I use, the Lenovo E420 is my main lappy which runs Slackware. The other is an older Dell which dual boots WinXP (don't ask) and Mint something.... I really only use the Dell for watching movies. Mint had been playing my Netflix DVD's just fine up until maybe a month ago when every other one I received would hang up but resume sporadically or not play at all. I'd clean the discs and even cleaned the reader....no luck. During my research for solutions I found something about pclinuxos. I know there are users here. I've never messed with it but the article sparked my interest and I decided to download the latest Mate Desktop and install it to a flash drive and then test drive it booting the live format. Let me back up a little... when I had the problems with the movies, I tried using the Lenovo and couldn't get them to play either, missing slackpkg maybe? Booted it using the Lenovo, I inserted the movie and saw that it would not play....looking at the VLC log it said "lib64dvdcss2" was missing. So I added another repository, found the lib and installed it. VLC played the movie (The Martian)! OK, so it wasn't the disk. Now, the latest version of PCLinuxOS is for 64bit and the Dell is 32....so I'm gonna have to download and earlier version. It would be great if I could create a persistent, bootable flash version but I didn't see anything for doing that with PCLinuxOS....maybe Unetbootin? Either way, having the live version I will be able to test the Dell to see if Netflix DVD's play. If it does I have no problem getting rid of Mint and just install a 32bit PCLinuxOS to the Dell.... Now why Mint quit playing the movies, I don't know unless it's an update issue (or I could look at the VLC log and see if there is an error and try and fix it) but to be honest, I'd rather try something different. Have a great weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Any errors on Mint while playing a movie? Can you launch vlc via the command line and look for any errors when trying to play the dvd? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 No, I haven't done that but will this evening. But I think I may still install PCLinuxOS if the live version for 32bit boots and etc.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I, (of course) suggest you format the drive with one ext4 partition, and use PCLinuxOS LiveUSB Creator to do the live install. If you select, when offered the option, to include a 'Persistent' boot option then it will retain changes you make and they will be there the next time you boot in Persistent mode, and not there if you boot in Standard mode. http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=138097.15 Couldn't reist The quote is from post 18. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Texstar isn't supporting 32 bit anymore, huh? That's interesting. I noticed, though, you can download community versions of PCLinuxOS that do support 32 bit. I'm assuming that's probably what you did already, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 BTW does the processor in the Dell not support 64bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedon James Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 BTW does the processor in the Dell not support 64bit? Did WinXP ever come in a 64-bit version? I honestly don't know. I know there are 32-bit and 64-bit Win7s, but Win7 tends to be 64-bit. Likewise, WinXP tends to be 32-bit, unless its WinXP Pro, which tends to be 64-bit. DOH....brain fart. Just because WinXP 32-bit was installed, doesn't necessarily mean his CPU was 32-bit. Certainly could've been a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit CPU. My bad... Type "lscpu" in a terminal wa4chq and you will have your answer. More info here on deciphering the output: http://askubuntu.com/questions/37159/is-my-processor-64-or-32-bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Yes, there was a 64bit version of Windows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Edition And you are correct, just because 32bit came installed doesn't mean that the processor can do 64bit. For a long while, company's based it upon how much ram came preinstalled but that doesn't mean it is a limitation. I had a few machines that came with a 32bit OS but was 64 bit capable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 Hey abarbarian....I looked at pclinuxos live usb creator...but it said that I needed a working installation of pclinuxos....which I don't..... Eric, I tried two 32bit versions from the community and I couldn't get them to work on my flash drive for some reason....I found another site with older version that I'm gonna try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 What model Dell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Hey abarbarian....I looked at pclinuxos live usb creator...but it said that I needed a working installation of pclinuxos....which I don't..... Eric, I tried two 32bit versions from the community and I couldn't get them to work on my flash drive for some reason....I found another site with older version that I'm gonna try. http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=82277.0 PCLinuxOS-liveUSB Creator This is an explanation of what one should expect from this utility which is available from the PCLinuxOS repository and mirrors. This refers to version 0.8 (or greater) which should be in the repository very soon. This is a PCLinuxOS utility only and is not designed to work with any other OS or ISO of a different distro. It can be run from a ‘live’ session, either CD/DVD or USB device, or from an installed version of PCLinuxOS. It installs only on removable media. http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Operating-Systems/Linux-Distributions/PCLinuxOS-22543.shtml However, one should not think that PCLinuxOS is a KDE-only distribution, as it is distributed into several different editions with other desktop environments. The GNOME, MATE, LXDE, Xfce, Openbox, and Enlightenment (E17) editions are also very popular among the PCLinuxOS community. All of them support both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. http://www.pendrivelinux.com/all-in-one-usb-pclinuxos-minimezip/ Note: This is a very old (but popular) version of Minime! Essentials for creating a Portable PCLinuxOS MiniMe: A 512MB or larger USB flash drive pclinuxos*.iso Universal USB Installer Well if all else fails then there is Easy2Boot http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?showtopic=68683&hl=easy2boot Also once you have the tool set up on your usb adding or changing from an older version is pretty darn easy too. Add in the fact that you have the ability to add persistence to the relevant os's, and you have a very easy way to show folks just what they have been missing. Did I mention it is free ! Have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 No love for the tried and true dd ? # dd bs=4M if=/path/to/linux.iso of=/dev/sdx status=progress && sync Replace sdx with the drive letter, not the partition. Example sdg not sdg1 Example: # dd bs=4M if=~/Downloads/archlinux.iso of=/dev/sdg status=progress && sync 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Abarbarian....tnx for the info with links. I will have a look at it. Securitybreach, that's what I used for the 64bit, worked fine....but I couldn't get to work for the 32bit community versions. Found another 32bit version and that would not boot either. Tried using Unetbootin...no luck. I ended going with Porteus which does does what I want. thanks for the info and suggestions, you guys.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Eric, it's a Dell Latitude D620. It came preloaded with Mint. I deleted it, partitioned the hard drive and added XP so I could do some flight sims (which I really haven't messed with since doing it... ) and put Mint back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Abarbarian....tnx for the info with links. I will have a look at it. Securitybreach, that's what I used for the 64bit, worked fine....but I couldn't get to work for the 32bit community versions. Found another 32bit version and that would not boot either. Tried using Unetbootin...no luck. I ended going with Porteus which does does what I want. thanks for the info and suggestions, you guys.... We have a Porteus thread here at Scot's http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?showtopic=49230&hl=porteus mind you it is quite a while since anyone posted in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Thanks Abarbarian..... I'll look at it. I've used it before but only on a flash drive. I may just leave Mint on the lappy since I'm mainly interested in using it for movies. All I have to do is boot the flash drive and I'm good to go.... Porteus has gmplayer instead of VLC but it wouldn't be hard adding the vlc to porteus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Eric, it's a Dell Latitude D620. It came preloaded with Mint. I deleted it, partitioned the hard drive and added XP so I could do some flight sims (which I really haven't messed with since doing it... ) and put Mint back on. Neil, That machine came with the same processor as my Dell Latitude 1521 (the one Josh gave me). It's an Intel Core2 Duo. It is most definitely a 64bit processor. http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2duo/mobile/specifications.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Hey Eric..... OK, I didn't know that. This afternoon I'll give the pclinux64 live a try.... thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedon James Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Not that I don't trust VT, but I'd verify before spending a whole lot of time downloading/booting, etc... Verify by typing in terminal lscpu If it's not obvious after that, follow post #7 above... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Not that I don't trust VT, but I'd verify before spending a whole lot of time downloading/booting, etc... Verify by typing in terminal lscpu If it's not obvious after that, follow post #7 above... Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Ah... you guys saw that post on G+ today too, huh? The one about the usefulness of the ls command. Oh, and I got the info about the processor in that lappy from Dell, and the specs on the CPU from Intel. If you can't trust them, who can you trust? Microsoft? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Ah... you guys saw that post on G+ today too, huh? The one about the usefulness of the ls command. Oh, and I got the info about the processor in that lappy from Dell, and the specs on the CPU from Intel. If you can't trust them, who can you trust? Microsoft? I didn't see the ls rant and I just rechecked too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Ah... you guys saw that post on G+ today too, huh? The one about the usefulness of the ls command. Oh, and I got the info about the processor in that lappy from Dell, and the specs on the CPU from Intel. If you can't trust them, who can you trust? Microsoft? I didn't see the ls rant and I just rechecked too... I can't remember who posted that on G+ today... TechBytes? No... it was... umm... AHA! Found it. It was Nixcraft --> https://plus.google.com/+CybercitiBiz/posts/aZwPeurhnJR And the actual webpage --> http://www.cyberciti.biz/open-source/command-line-hacks/linux-ls-commands-examples/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Oh I thought you meant that you posted it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedon James Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 (edited) Ah... you guys saw that post on G+ today too, huh? The one about the usefulness of the ls command. Oh, and I got the info about the processor in that lappy from Dell, and the specs on the CPU from Intel. If you can't trust them, who can you trust? Microsoft? BWAHAHAHA! LMAO! Edited September 13, 2016 by Hedon James 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 Good advice Hedon James....I don't trust that dude! Just kiddin'..... It's no problem since I already have it on a flash drive. Couldn't mess with it last night but will this evening after work. Has a good Tues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 OK, the Dell I have is not 64bit. I bought it used and was preloaded with Mint. I don't know that much about computers but can a processor be swapped out for another with out changing anything else? tnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Yes, cpus can be changed out, but I don't think there would be a compatible 32 bit processor for a 64 bit mobo. I'm not sure, though. According to your model number that you gave me, dell says that thing is a Core2 Duo. That's definitely a 64 bit processor. However, the best way to find the specs for that particular machine would be to enter the "Service Tag Number," usually located on the bottom somewhere into the Dell website support page. If it was a custom built machine for someone, Dell will have all the specs for whatever build they did for the person who ordered it from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 If it is a Core2Duo, then it is definitely 64bit. Now if it is a CoreDuo, then it will only be 32bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 From the specs page at Dell regarding the D620 The Latitude D620 is equipped with the latest Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology: an available dual-core Intel® Core™2 Duo processor... http://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/latitude-d620/pd From the Intel spec sheet: • Intel® 64 architecture http://www.versalogic.com/support/Downloads/Leopard/Intel_Core2_DUO_Datasheet.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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