By Jonathan Johnston
Posted on August 3, 2022
Reviving my HP Mini with Lubuntu, I share my journey of setting up a LAMP server. Despite hardware limitations and resolution challenges, I find solutions to wifi and video issues. Join me as I breathe new life into this old machine for web server experimentation.
I've also got a full LAMP server running on an HP Mini. I bought it used, for college, when my old computer crapped out. It was slow then. It doesn't even have a Intel or AMD CPU, the CPU was made by VIA. The HP 2133 Mini had a VIA C7-M processor. The cool thing though, it had a, aluminum/magnesium shell, and it was "waterproof", I could use it in the rain, and I did. The reason I still have it.
This wasn't the version with Linux, so I installed Lubuntu. When I rebooted, the resolution wouldn't recognize above 640x480 (I think max is 1280x768, so it should), there was a problem with the wifi driver, it needed a proprietary Broadcom version, so I had to hardwire the connection to download drivers and update, and would you believe it, the only ethernet cable I had in the house was the one between the modem and router. I added cord to my wifes Walmart pickup order, and put it down for the day.
Finally got everything updated, rebooted, wifi works but video still won't work. vbeinfo didn't turn up anything, only reported 640x480. Linux doesn't have drivers like Windows, you get what you get or hope the manufacturer developed a Linux driver.
So, onto the web for troubleshooting and nothing is working. The most common answer (which honestly pisses me TF off, ignorant close minded gatekeeping arogant tech elitists thinking everyone is stupid), "dude, its an old computer, you don't get higher resolutions", fresh outta gradeschool with no idea of the timeline. Ignorant arogance grates under my skin, sandpaper on raw muscle scrubbing back and forth. The ultimate lack of curiosity. Ug.
ANYWHO! Somewhere in the install process, something got interupted and the GRUB settings file recorded the wrong resolution. The fix was to delete the line, reboot and let the startup reinitialize it. Seems like a default check with resolution problems with no downside.