RandomGoon,

Sorry Knoppix didn't work out for that system... Usually, Knoppix supports a lot of machines that "Windows" won't, can't, or has been left in the dust by "Windows".

Shame too...

If you don't want to keep some of the "ancient" parts of the machine, may I suggest selling them on "EBay" - I am sure that you will find "many" people looking for those "hard to find" parts, and considering that EBay is an auction, you might get a few bucks to buy "newer" stuff

As for using Knoppix - why not use the Knoppix Live CD on your current machine? You can use the CD to explore Linux/GNU, and as long as you don't go mounting and touching hard drives in your booted system, you are completely safe. Using the CD is a great way to see "whats under the hood", so to speak, of Knoppix....

When your done working in Knoppix, just tell Knoppix to shutdown, just like "Windows", remove the CD, and you are back to your "working" Operating System. Knoppix was designed for that. If/when you are ready, Knoppix can be installed to your hard drive, and can be run as a "full-blown" Debian Linux/GNU Operating System. (thats nice too)

Just some thoughts,
Cuddles