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| '''PAE, Physical Address Extension''' | = PAE, Physical Address Extension = |
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| '''2013-5-2: The page is in writing. Please don't edit now ''' A guide for getting computers with older Pentium M processors to work with the latest Lubuntu. |
=== A guide for getting computers with older Pentium M and Celeron M processors to work with the latest Lubuntu === |
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| ----- === Summary === If you encounter an error related to PAE while installing Lubuntu 14.04 the solution is as follows: |
|
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| Physical Address Extension (PAE) is a feature found on almost all 32 bit processors produced after Pentium Pro, that is younger than around 1995. Because PAE is close to being ubiquitous it is now a requirement for Buntu: During installation the processor is prompted for the PAE flag, and only if present the process will carry on. | At the boot menu screen the options are |
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| Up to and including 12.04 Buntu offered a PAE and a non-PAE release, but from 12.10 only the PAE release is maintained. | * Install * Command-line options * Advanced options * Help |
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| A number of older Pentium M processors produced around 2002-5 (the ones with 400 MHz front side bus) do not display the PAE flag, and hence a standard installation fails. However, these processors are in fact able to run the latest (and hence PAE-demanding) kernels if only the installation process is modified a little. | With the cursor on the top choice press F6. |
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| In spite of their age many of the affected computers (IBM Thinkpads, for example) are suitable for today's use if given a light distro like Xubuntu or Lubuntu; among other advantages they have a low power consumption. This guide describes a workaround for installing the latest Lubuntu and bringing them back to life. | A menu with a number of options appear. The option 'forcepae' is not there, so press Escape to close the list. Now a string of options is visible, often with 'quiet' or 'quiet splash --' at the end. Add 'forcepae' to the string after the two dashes. Press return, and the installation begins. The warning about forcepae being experimental does not matter for Pentium M or Celeron M processors. {{attachment:forcepaeubuntu-boot.jpg}} If everything appears to work you don't have to read further. Technical note: After booting, "dmesg | grep -i pae" will now show "PAE forced!". You can use this as a check. |
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| The process might take some time but is not difficult. Everybody can manage, and if you are unfamiliar with giving commands at the command line, fear not! Just write the commands exactly as they appear here, keeping in mind that upper- and lowercase are different. | ----- === Details === |
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| [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension | Physical Address Extension]] (PAE) is a feature found on almost all 32 bit processors produced after Pentium Pro, ie. younger than around 1995. Because PAE is close to being a standard it is now a requirement for Ubuntu: During installation the processor is prompted for the PAE flag, and only if present the process will carry on. | |
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| Lubuntu and Xubuntu offered a PAE and a non-PAE release up to and including 12.04, but from 12.10 only the PAE releases are maintained. | |
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| Before proceeding: If the installation is failing, are you sure the problem is related to PAE? A lot of misunderstandings flourish, and lack of PAE support is often blamed as the reason for a failed installation when in fact | A number of older [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Pentium_M_microprocessors | Pentium M]] processors produced around 2003-4 (the Banias family) do not display the PAE flag, and hence a normal installation fails. However, these processors are in fact able to run the latest (and PAE-demanding) kernels if only the installation process is modified a little. The problem is not missing PAE, it's about the processor not displaying its full capabilities. |
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| As a first step please try installing a regular 13.04 Xubuntu or Lubuntu ISO (including the alternate Lubuntu). Only if you get the error ”” this guide comes into play. | Pentium M's of the Dothan family display the PAE flag correctly and support the latest Buntus without modifications. The same distinction (Banias versus Dothan) goes for the lower performing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeron_M#Pentium_M-based_Mobile_Celerons | Celeron M]] processors. In spite of their age many of the affected computers (IBM Thinkpads and Dell Latitudes, for example) are suitable for today's use if given a light distro like Xubuntu or Lubuntu; among other advantages they have a low power consumption. This guide describes a workaround for installing the latest Lubuntu and bringing them back to life - actually the guide is usable for any member of the Ubuntu family, but because we are dealing with old hardware we focus on Lubuntu. For 14.04 a boot option has been added which makes the install straightforward, as can be seen at the top of the page. General note: If the installation is failing, '''are you sure the problem is related to PAE?''' A lot of misunderstandings flourish, and lack of PAE support is too often blamed when an installation on old hardware fails. Only if you get the error '''kernel requires features not present on the CPU: PAE''' or similar this guide comes into play. |
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| A. Install 14.04 as described at the top of the page. For most users this is the easiest and best solution. | |
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| * Install Xubuntu 12.04, which is supported through april 2015. Lubuntu 12.04 is only supported through october 2013. | B. If for some reason the computer does not run 14.04 a number of 12.04-based distros are available: Install [[http://xubuntu.org/getxubuntu/ | Xubuntu 12.04]], which is supported through april 2015, [[http://torios.org/ | ToriOS]], which is NON-PAE by default and super lightweight (still under development), [[http://www.nos.net.nz/ | nOS]] With support until april 2017 or [[http://www.bodhilinux.com/ | Bodhi Linux]] with support through 2017, [[http://www.lxle.net/download|LXLE 32-bit Revisited alias 12.04.5]] with support until april 2017. Lubuntu 12.04 is out of support and should not be used. |
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| * Install the 12.04 non-PAE kernel and follow a certain upgrade path. | C. Move the hard disk to a computer on which the processor has PAE capability and PAE flag (that is, almost everything else than a Banias). Install the system as usual but don't add restricted drivers. After the install move the disk back. |
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| * Install a modified Lubuntu 13.04 which supports non-PAE processors. | D. If you are handy with hardware and you can get your hands on a Dothan-class Intel Pentium M CPU with a 400MHz front-side bus, replace the non-PAE Banias CPU with a Dothan. Dothans with 400MHz FSB are marked Pentium 7x5, i.e. 715, 725, 735, 745, 755 and 765. |
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| * Use another distro like Puppy Retro. The guide is focusing on option 2: We are going to add a fake PAE flag to the output of cpuinfo, and after that we are able to upgrade to 12.10 and 13.04. The idea comes from a thread posted by 7bit. An upgrade is always a risky process, and in general a fresh install is preferred. In order to minimise the risk of something going wrong we keep the installation as small as possible during upgrade. Only when the system has reached the latest version the full selection of packages is applied. |
E: [[PAE/PentiumM | Advanced options]]. |
PAE, Physical Address Extension
A guide for getting computers with older Pentium M and Celeron M processors to work with the latest Lubuntu
Summary
If you encounter an error related to PAE while installing Lubuntu 14.04 the solution is as follows:
At the boot menu screen the options are
- Install
- Command-line options
- Advanced options
- Help
With the cursor on the top choice press F6.
A menu with a number of options appear. The option 'forcepae' is not there, so press Escape to close the list.
Now a string of options is visible, often with 'quiet' or 'quiet splash --' at the end. Add 'forcepae' to the string after the two dashes.
Press return, and the installation begins. The warning about forcepae being experimental does not matter for Pentium M or Celeron M processors.
If everything appears to work you don't have to read further.
Technical note: After booting, "dmesg | grep -i pae" will now show "PAE forced!". You can use this as a check.
Details
Physical Address Extension (PAE) is a feature found on almost all 32 bit processors produced after Pentium Pro, ie. younger than around 1995. Because PAE is close to being a standard it is now a requirement for Ubuntu: During installation the processor is prompted for the PAE flag, and only if present the process will carry on.
Lubuntu and Xubuntu offered a PAE and a non-PAE release up to and including 12.04, but from 12.10 only the PAE releases are maintained.
A number of older Pentium M processors produced around 2003-4 (the Banias family) do not display the PAE flag, and hence a normal installation fails. However, these processors are in fact able to run the latest (and PAE-demanding) kernels if only the installation process is modified a little. The problem is not missing PAE, it's about the processor not displaying its full capabilities.
Pentium M's of the Dothan family display the PAE flag correctly and support the latest Buntus without modifications. The same distinction (Banias versus Dothan) goes for the lower performing Celeron M processors.
In spite of their age many of the affected computers (IBM Thinkpads and Dell Latitudes, for example) are suitable for today's use if given a light distro like Xubuntu or Lubuntu; among other advantages they have a low power consumption. This guide describes a workaround for installing the latest Lubuntu and bringing them back to life - actually the guide is usable for any member of the Ubuntu family, but because we are dealing with old hardware we focus on Lubuntu.
For 14.04 a boot option has been added which makes the install straightforward, as can be seen at the top of the page.
General note: If the installation is failing, are you sure the problem is related to PAE? A lot of misunderstandings flourish, and lack of PAE support is too often blamed when an installation on old hardware fails. Only if you get the error kernel requires features not present on the CPU: PAE or similar this guide comes into play.
Now we know that the problem is in fact related to the PAE flag. This gives several options:
A. Install 14.04 as described at the top of the page. For most users this is the easiest and best solution.
B. If for some reason the computer does not run 14.04 a number of 12.04-based distros are available: Install Xubuntu 12.04, which is supported through april 2015, ToriOS, which is NON-PAE by default and super lightweight (still under development), nOS With support until april 2017 or Bodhi Linux with support through 2017, LXLE 32-bit Revisited alias 12.04.5 with support until april 2017. Lubuntu 12.04 is out of support and should not be used.
C. Move the hard disk to a computer on which the processor has PAE capability and PAE flag (that is, almost everything else than a Banias). Install the system as usual but don't add restricted drivers. After the install move the disk back.
D. If you are handy with hardware and you can get your hands on a Dothan-class Intel Pentium M CPU with a 400MHz front-side bus, replace the non-PAE Banias CPU with a Dothan. Dothans with 400MHz FSB are marked Pentium 7x5, i.e. 715, 725, 735, 745, 755 and 765.
E: Advanced options.