See Linux kernel 5.8 booting on a 486 (video)

Posted on Tuesday, July 07 2020 @ 13:35 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck

Can an old 486 boot Linux kernel 5.8 from floppy? Just for the fun of it, Insentricity checked it out and concludes that it's indeed possible.

Since I wanted to see how Linux would detect the drive that meant I needed to find a way to boot Linux. After a bit of googling I discovered the make tinyconfig option which makes a very small (but useless) kernel, small enough to fit on a floppy. I enabled a couple of other options, found a small enough initramfs, and was able to get it to boot on the 486. And as expected Linux has no problem with seeing that the drive is connected and the drive's full capacity.

Nicely done.

About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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