Solved. What distro doesn't need PAE?

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krh1044

Solved. What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by krh1044 »

I have an older laptop that I really would like to turn into a linux machine but the PAE is not enabled on the processor. I would really like to run linux mint what distro should I use?
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xenopeek
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Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by xenopeek »

Moved here and changed the subject to clarify the question.

Getting back to Linux Mint:
- Linux Mint 13 doesn't require PAE. It is supported till April 2017.
- Linux Mint 17 has instructions in the release notes for using it on computers without PAE. It is supported till April 2019.
Booting with non-PAE CPUs
To boot Linux Mint 17 on non-PAE CPUs, please append "forcepae" to your boot arguments. At the boot menu of the live DVD/USB, press Tab to edit the boot arguments and add "forcepae" at the end of the line.
That won't work on all processors, but it doesn't harm to try.
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DrHu

Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by DrHu »

Any Linux distribution that has a non-PAE packed set (usually a downloadable ISO file)
--an example is Puppy; they have pae and no-pae versions
http://www.linux23.com/search/non+pae+distributions
--there's a list of such distributions..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_ ... _Extension
  • In computing, Physical Address Extension (PAE) is a feature to allow 32-bit IA-32 central processing units (CPUs) to access a physical address space (including random access memory and memory mapped devices) larger than 4 gigabytes.
When I don't have more than 4GB, I don't even bother with PAE; and most of the time, if I don't have larger amounts of RAM, lets say 8-16GB, I also don't run 64bit Linux OS versions..
  • Of course that will depend on the apps running
    --if needed, I would go to 64bit OS and let the system go fast--
Nilla Wafer

Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by Nilla Wafer »

I followed the links in the previous post to try finding out if I should install a non-PAE distro on a friend's really old computer, but it's all technobabble to me. My old machine runs fine with Mint Xfce which is PAE, but it's alot slower on my friend's old computer. This is the output of "lspci" when running Mint from a LiveDVD:

Code: Select all

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82865G/PE/P DRAM Controller/Host-Hub Interface (rev 02) 
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82865G Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02) 
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02) 
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02) 
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02) 
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02) 
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev c2) 
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02) 
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) IDE Controller (rev 02) 
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) SMBus Controller (rev 02) 
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02) 
01:01.0 Communication controller: Conexant Systems, Inc. HSF 56k Data/Fax Modem 
01:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82562EZ 10/100 Ethernet Controller (rev 02) 
I can't even tell from these hieroglyphics which of these things is the CPU, how much RAM the computer has, or whether or not it needs a non-PAE distro!

But since my computer is pretty old too, let me ask another question:

Even though my old computer runs well on a Mint Xfce (PAE), would it run any better or faster using a non-PAE system? Does using PAE make it slower or not?

~nilla
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xenopeek
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Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by xenopeek »

Nilla Wafer wrote:This is the output of "lspci" when running Mint from a LiveDVD
Is that on your computer, or on your friend's computer? Generally if you want to share information about your computer the following command provides a lot more useful information:

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz
The aptly named "lspci" lists only PCI devices installed in your computer; just like for example "lsusb" lists only USB devices. Only a subselection of hardware devices in your computer are PCI devices, and for example the CPU and RAM both aren't PCI devices. Hence use inxi, the system information tool.
Nilla Wafer wrote:Even though my old computer runs well on a Mint Xfce (PAE), would it run any better or faster using a non-PAE system? Does using PAE make it slower or not?
PAE = Physical Address Extension. All it does is to allow you to use more than 4 GB RAM with a 32 bit operating system. Linux Mint ISOs are available both in 32 bit (for older computers) and 64 bit downloads. PAE is only for 32 bit, as 64 bit can already address over 4 billion times as much RAM as 32 bit. It doesn't make a computer faster or slower to use PAE or not.
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Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by austin.texas »

Nilla Wafer wrote:I can't even tell from these hieroglyphics which of these things is the CPU, how much RAM the computer has, or whether or not it needs a non-PAE distro!
To check for pae, run the command:

Code: Select all

cat /proc/cpuinfo
Look at the Flags section. pae will be listed if the processor is capable of pae
EXAMPLE:
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr

I just installed Mint 13 xfce on an old Dell Inspiron 700m that was polluted with XP. Now it runs significantly faster.
Mint 17 xfce with forcepae worked, but not perfectly. Mint 13 is better.
Netrunner 2014-04 (based on Arch) worked well, also. But the memory usage was twice that of Mint 13.
Mint 18.2 Cinnamon, Quad core AMD A8-3870 with Radeon HD Graphics 6550D, 8GB DDR3, Ralink RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
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killer de bug

Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by killer de bug »

LMDE doesn't require PAE.
Nilla Wafer

Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by Nilla Wafer »

Thank you austin.texas, that was helpful! It turns out that her computer supports PAE after alll, so great sigh of relief!

And like you, I find Mint 13 Xfce a bit faster than 17. I wonder why. I also wonder if even my lightweight Mint will get to be too much for my computer by the time we reach Mint 18!

~nilla
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Re: What distro doesn't need PAE?

Post by austin.texas »

:D :D
Nilla Wafer wrote:Thank you austin.texas, that was helpful! It turns out that her computer supports PAE after alll, so great sigh of relief!
And like you, I find Mint 13 Xfce a bit faster than 17. I wonder why. I also wonder if even my lightweight Mint will get to be too much for my computer by the time we reach Mint 18! ~nilla
Between now and the time Mint 18 comes out, put $10 a month into your piggy bank, and you can have a new computer to install Mint 18 on. :D :D
Mint 18.2 Cinnamon, Quad core AMD A8-3870 with Radeon HD Graphics 6550D, 8GB DDR3, Ralink RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
Linux Linx 2018
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