i wanted to make use of an old dell laptop i had and tried to install linux on it but have been unsuccessful.
would there be anything about the dell that prevents a linux install?
its an old inspiron 3700. since the specs are weak (P3, 450Mhz, 192MB RAM, 6GB HDD) i tried to first install xubuntu and then two different versions of puppy linux. none would install. xubuntu always got stuck at 15% install and the each puppy got stuck at "searching for puppy files."

i can't figure out why nothing will install.
since i've tried multiple linux versions, i am beginning to think that it's the laptop. any ideas?

I think Mepis antiX 7.2 is a version that is specifically for older machines. You really don't have much memory for most of the newer distros so you might give this one a shot.

i'll take a look at that distro. the ones i tried are supposed to be able to run on low memory specs. one of the puppies can actually run on as little as 64MB. so even though i was at the edge for xubuntu, i technically should have had enough to install and run (maybe not much else, though) all three of them.

You might want to run a scan on your hard drive to make sure it's ok. I use drive fitness test (http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT). If the advanced test fails, replace the hard drive.

Ren memtest+ too. Could be bad RAM or CPU cache.

http://www.memtest.org/

Use Seatools on the Ultimate Boot CD to test your hard drive
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

ya, guess i'll do some testing. i figured that if win98SE was running fine, then the hardware was in good enough condition to run linux.

btw, DFT is made by hitachi, but works with all brands.

ya, guess i'll do some testing. i figured that if win98SE was running fine, then the hardware was in good enough condition to run linux.

Should be. I've got linux running without any problem on an old no name 350MHz Laptop with only 192K of RAM and 4GB HD. The latest version Kunbuntu install without a hitch.

ya, guess i'll do some testing. i figured that if win98SE was running fine, then the hardware was in good enough condition to run linux.
Not necessarily. The hard drive could have accrued bad spots on it which normal usage of win98 would not have encountered. Installing a new OS, however, is more likely to run into those bad sectors.

Plus, Linux is a *real* OS vs Win98 (which is more a GUI on top of DOS), and stresses memory more. Win98 could have a bit flipped occasionally, and keep on going, being the Forest Gump of OS's ;). Linux is more sensitive to memory/cache errors.

I agree with weiwei.

The potential for head lice to travel faster than the speed of light *is* a primary concern.

snuba -- My first experiment with Ubuntu was with 6.04 on a very old Sony laptop (with less capability than your Dell). It worked just fine (the full install) and recognized all the hardware. It sounds like your Dell might have a problem (or try an older version of Ubuntu).

NOTE: Your Ubuntu download may be defective too. You should check the md5 Hash (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuHashes).

I'd make sure you burned the disk okay (at a very slow speed), and that the md5sum matched up... Those will cause install problems too...