linux advice please

searchlight123

i have an aging netbook that is rarely used (just an occasional backup / travelling machine, it's an asus eeePC 901 running windows xp home with sp2. it has 1gb of ram and a 16gb ssd hard drive with 6gb free on it.
in view of xp support ending i would like advice on the closest linux os to install on this little machine that would most look and feel like windows.
as i will still use the xp os for offline activity like ms office and as this netbook has a built in sim card holder with the vodafone software installed on it i would, if possible, like to keep xp also.
is there a way of choosing at bootup whether to load xp or linux?
any advice will be much appreciated.
many thanks.

closed

support ending isn't a problem, just backup, it's far easier than messing about with linux

sp2 is out of date

debitcardmayhem

closed wrote: »

support ending isn't a problem, just backup, it's far easier than messing about with linux

A bit opinionated closed :cool: Plus it's a netbook, so OP needs a external HDD/32 gig schtich and it only has SP2, plus it could run W7 starter , or perhaps just the fact the OP would like to learn linux....
All of which can be done with a live cd and so on , (I can't spell ect (sic ))

@tonygold why only offline only , why just for MS Office, and yes you can chooses linux and Windows at bootup.

Whatever you do get the XP up to SP3 + all the last few updates

closed

More factual than opinion.

OP has sp2, so has been running without XP updates for years - and guess what, it still works, and will still work next week for the same reason

searchlight123

thanks for answers guys.
if i opt to install lubuntu on this machine how do i choose which os to boot to please.
many thanks.

bat999

tonygold wrote: »

...if i opt to install lubuntu on this machine how do i choose which os to boot to please...

Hi
A GRUB bootloader is installed by Lubuntu ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_GRUB

debitcardmayhem

closed wrote: »

More factual than opinion.

OP has sp2, so has been running without XP updates for years - and guess what, it still works, and will still work next week for the same reason

Didn't suggest it won't, but I did stress that she/he should upgrade to SP3 , and probably she/he is not using sites full of exploits and has been lucky thus far running XP2 , but of course

it's far easier than messing about with linux

is your opinion not a fact, not mine, but I am just trying to respond with my opinion.

closed

doing nothing is always easier than doing something, Fact!

debitcardmayhem

closed wrote: »

doing nothing is always easier than doing something, Fact!

Yep, I often get accused of doing something wrong, by the same person who tells me I don't do anything I got her PPR'd

emptybox

tonygold wrote: »

thanks for answers guys.
if i opt to install lubuntu on this machine how do i choose which os to boot to please.
many thanks.

Yes, as bat999 says, by default Lubuntu or whichever lightweight Linux distro that you choose will install it's grub to the MBR of the boot partition, and will give you the choice between XP and Linux.

Alternatively, if you prefer not to mess up the MBR, you could do a custom install and get Linux to install grub to it's own partition
Then you go into XP and edit the bootloader using something like EasyBCD (there's a free version), and add an entry for the Linux partition.
Thereafter you choose via the Windows bootloader.

henm2

Even better than Lubuntu is an enhanced version called LXLE http://lxle.net/ basically has more software by default than Lubuntu.
If you want to still keep XP on your netbook for odd old windows programs you want to still use set up LXLE as a dual boot with XP. For dual boot advice see http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/dual-boot-windows-7-ubuntu.html

I use LXLE dual booted with Windows 7 on a Acer Aspire One D260 netbook.