[ILUG] Hardware for PC Linux

[Wynne, Conor]

OK, linux is not like windows which is shite. 

Example, I recently decided that my games machine was better off on the
other mobo etc etc, and I decided to add more RAM coz Niall has 256MB and
that was good enough reason for me. So a complete system change was needed,
only the HDD and the case + graphics remained the same. 

If you are upgrading the processor, you may wish to recompile your kernel,
but its not essential. Recommended though, especially if you wan't to
squeese every ounce out of your new kit. 

Also, depending on the type of memory you are installing, you may need to
specify within lilo.conf, this is not always the case, but on two of my
systems I have to do this. e.g.: append="160m" 

If you specify more RAM than you actually have, you may get kernel oops. So
add the append to a particular kernel rather than in the global lilo. But in
your case, this won't cause an oops as you are adding MORE ram, it is more
likely that linux just won't see the extra RAM rather than crash. 
Don't forget to re-run /sbin/lilo afterwards or the settings will not be
written to boot sector.

As you are adding a new hdd, thats the easy bit,  fdisk and update
/etc/fstab to point to the new partition(s). 

Apart from that, you should have NO issues at all (unless you are upgrading
the graphics chip to some new super dooper card latest...  type thing - and
I shall leave this to someone else to answer)
But in any case, if you have important DATA, make three backups, else if
something goes wrong... At least copying to another machine.

Linux does not cry little a baby if the slots change, whereas the
windows2000 box decided it was going to blue screen (its kinda mauve
actually) by doing the same operation. And I had to re-install, coz once
again, windows is shite. 

Am I making sense? I a bit knackered today. Actually do I ever make sense?
So go ahead and don't worry about it, you can always rescue a linux system
with either a boot floppy, or rescue options off the cd. 

Hope this helps. 
CW

-------
 i'm using linux for about three years now and its the best thing since
sliced bread, i can configure any software setting. but when it comes to
adding or physcially adjusting hardware, i'm lost! i have an old p120
gateway machine that runs linux+win98 very slowly may i add!
i want to upgrade eveyrthing in the machine to make it go faster, if that
means new RAM +CPU, and hard drive or CDROM thats cool! but i have never
done that stuff before, can anyone advise me or point me in the direction of
material that will teach me how to upgrade and change stuff in my PC. I
really have to sort out my slow ass computer!

please help!