quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
After you folks suggested VM, I did a lot of searching and reading. Invariably in multiple comparisons, be they reviews or threads, the MS Hyper V was said to be a lesser choice to other solutions ...

FWIW (and that's not much): The people who installed the ERP system for my ex-employer, when I asked them about it, expressed the opinion that VMware was superior to Hyper-V in most respects--including, IIRC, stability. They used Hyper-V, anyway. I don't recall why. Something to do with licensing, maybe?

(I didn't press the point. I didn't care. It was going to be MS-Win-only services running under MS-Win <something-or-other> Server instances. My only involvement was giving the thing(s) network connections and IP addresses. Other than that, it was all on Somebody Else. [And, boy, did that ever turn out to be a wise decision on my part!])

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Agreed which is why I selected a Samsung 860 EVO 1Tb SSD for my desktop. But the laptop is only SATA I not II or III and can't take advantage of the refinements of the more upscale offerings (MX500, EVO 860, etc.). Research showed this 2017 BX300 model from Crucial was a solid bet even over their 2018 BX500 model. Plus the price was right.

Unless I'm missing something, the BIOS v2.6.3 won't need any setting changes to accommodate the new SSD.

Looking at a clean 19.1 Mint Mate install rather than messing with Clonezilla, etc. and an external USB HDD. Just boot into F12 and my Mint installation DVD and install to the virgin SSD.

Good point about SSD performance being somewhat "throttled" with your hardware configuration. That said, Crucial shows the BX500 as "compatible" with Dell Vostro 1000 ... https://www.crucial.com/usa/en...for/Dell/vostro-1000

I think the only reason the BX300 isn't shown in Crucial's compatibility list is because the BX300 is a legacy product and no longer available directly from Crucial ... and probably why price is so low too. But, you should be fine with it.

My google-foo doesn't find any BIOS issues with the Vostro 1000 and SSD upgrade. I've installed SSD upgrades in three computers, two of which were Dell products and haven't had to change anything in BIOS. Keep in mind that with a SATA drive, your BIOS should have AHCI selected, not IDE. I did check my BIOS after SSD installation just to verify AHCI drive mode.

I'd backup any personal files in the home folder to a USB stick, such as documents, pictures, music etc ... and simply do a fresh Mint install on the SSD. Doesn't take very long at all to install Mint, so I wouldn't bother with a clone adventure either.

Once Mint 19.1 is installed, you will want to optimize your SSD for Mint. There are several guides for doing so but the best I've found is here ... https://easylinuxtipsproject.b...t.com/p/ssd.html#ID2

Chief,
Appreciate the SSD tweaking link but my Dell Phoenix BIOS isn't very sophisticated. Here is what it looks like. Other stuff like TRIM and swappiness are over my head at present. More reading is obviously necessary.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

I can clearly see your concern. BIOS in my old Dell Latitude D830 has "Onboard Devices" and options for either ATA or AHCI SATA operation and ATA is the default setting but now set to AHCI.

Two things make me think you will be okay with an SSD. One, Crucial says there are SSD products compatible with the Vostro 1000. Two, in google I find talk of SSD upgrades in the Vostro 1000 and no mention of BIOS issues. I also did verify on the Dell site that you do in fact have the latest BIOS v2.6.3, A06 as you had already stated earlier.

Bald1, in our former careers, we HAD to be 100% on every decision ... we aren't there yet on this one. SOooo ... all I can say is give it a try. If the SSD shows up in BIOS under the Boot menu, you should be good to go.

As far as the link I provided for SSD Mint optimization, all I can say is that there is much I don't understand either. But what is way over my head is the depth and breadth of Mint knowledge that guy has. I find each and every one of his "Easy Linux Mint Tips" articles to be spot on and implementing them has always enhanced my Mint experience. No bricks or blue screens yet LOL. So, I just go with it. I do carefully consider if a tip applies to my configuration.

TRIM. It wasn't implemented until the advent of SSDs. Think of it as the SSD equivalent of defrag for hard drives. A trim command simply allows an operating system to inform an SSD which blocks of data are no longer considered in use and can be wiped internally ... sorta kinda like defrag, just not moving data around.

Gotcha! Seems Easy Linux Tips Project and Fossbytes are the two gold standards to look to for Mint optimization and tweaking. Lots to examine and implement there.

And yeah my searching never found any BIOS setting comments for adding a SSD to the Vostro 1000 either. I'm sure I'll be okay. Gonna not tempt fate with that shaky Seagate HDD and simply leave the old gal alone until the SSD arrives. Once installed and with a fresh Mint Mate package I'll set off down the tweaking path.

Bored and deciding to risk lighting off the old Vostro 1000 laptop with its shaky flaky HDD while awaiting delivery of a replacement SSD, I first pulled out my Brother laser printer DVD and setup networking WiFi via the desktop. Booted up the lappy and went to the control panel for printers and whoa! The sucker already showed as during boot up it apparently did a WiFi handshake using the SSID and password it already had for internet. Driver was also auto installed. We're talking seconds here. Looked over all the settings and found them spot on. Checked the "make it default" box and queued a wireless test print page. Bingo... good to go. Easiest printer setup I think I've ever made.

This whole Linux package, OS and the boatload of quality apps (many of which I use on my desktop already), runs around 2.1Gb is all. No dumbass registry to be plagued with either. The terminal command line is there for the advanced user which I'm not...yet. Reminds me of the old DOS and UNIX terminal lines and prompts. It really is a great fit for my old laptop.

In years past I had been tempted to play with Linux. Even bought a Corel Linux OS Second Edition (with KDE, Mandrake, Storm, etc.). Checked and found it was released in late 2000 for $29.99 MSRP. Dug it out of storage for the picture. Note the media provided (included a 3.5" floppy)! Never used it though. Talk about a blast from the past! LOL

HA !!! Careful Bald1, you might slick that junk off your desktop and install Mint instead of dual boot LOL

Linux Mint ... from freedom came elegance