Old XP laptop

henm2

bsod wrote: »

reinstalling xp refreshes the original speed as will more ram if it's on the low side, linux is a leap into the dark if you're used to windows.

With LXLE one of the 4 so called desktop layout paradigms is one that looks like XP therefore making it easy for someone moving over from Windows and not much of a leap at all. Linux Mint is also another operating system that is easy to use. More RAM would help though.

Gillor

There are as many versions (distros) of Linux as there are opinions about which is best. Everyone has their favourite but it all comes down to what suits your machine and what you feel comfortable with.

But getting to the stage where you can make an informed choice when, apart from a few of the more well known and publicised distros, there is so little information available, can be a daunting process.

I know because I went through this process last year looking for a suitable Linux OS for an aging Samsung netbook running Windows XP.

I must have tried half a dozen or so recommended distros that would were suposed to work on a lowish spec. machine and provide an experience as close as possible to Windows.

Others will have their own favourites bit for me Linux Lite ticked all the boxes. I have been running this now for six months and have installed it on my son's old HP Vista laptop with no problem whatsoever.

Minimum system requirements: :

700 MHz processor
512 MiB RAM
5 GB of hard-drive space
VGA capable of 1024×768 screen resolution
CD/DVD drive or a USB port for ISO

Take a look here for a selection of reviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItmVYDA2txw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bCGD8qkfAQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlMr2n6q7QA

As I say, others will have their (equally valid) opinons but as a Linux newbie this is mine. But try as many as you want - they're free.

maimee_magic

Just looked at the system requirements for the Linux mint 17 qiana recommended by henm2 and it's size is 1.2 MB so I assume I'd need to buy and add the memory? Maybe it's too difficult for a non techy like me but I just hate to give in!

maimee_magic

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. Gillor looks like Linux lite might be the one to try.

NiftyDigits

Just back from my little excursion.

You should be able to use a couple of these to upgrade the laptop to 2GB for £12.66.

Marketed here for £14.99. Though they look the same to me.
As for Windows 7, I'll need a bit more info from the machine. Will send you a PM to that effect.

Let's hope that you haven't installed Linux yet, as it will make the job all the more difficult.

Cycrow

Most linux distros have a livecd available. So you could try different versions of linux and see which one, if any, is suitable before wipeing XP and installing it

John_Gray

Cycrow wrote: »

Most Llinux distros have a livecd available. So you could try different versions of Linux and see which one, if any, is suitable before wiping XP and installing it

Sorry to be a pedant, but surely if you run a succession of LiveCDs of different Linux distributions, all you are doing is testing how well the various LiveCDs perform against each other?

Actually installing the distribution onto the hard disk and running it from there could well give different results, since a hard disk is ever-so-many times faster than a CD.

Of course, if you don't like the look of a specific distribution when running it from a LiveCD, then you can stop at that point!

henm2

maimee_magic wrote: »

Just looked at the system requirements for the Linux mint 17 qiana recommended by henm2 and it's size is 1.2 MB so I assume I'd need to buy and add the memory? Maybe it's too difficult for a non techy like me but I just hate to give in!

System requirements: for Linux Mint 17 xfce as per http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2656

x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor. Linux Mint 32-bit works on both 32-bit and 64-bit processors).

• 512 MB RAM (1GB recommended for a comfortable usage).
• 10 GB of disk space
• DVD drive or USB port

esuhl

John_Gray wrote: »

Sorry to be a pedant, but surely if you run a succession of LiveCDs of different Linux distributions, all you are doing is testing how well the various LiveCDs perform against each other?

Actually installing the distribution onto the hard disk and running it from there could well give different results, since a hard disk is ever-so-many times faster than a CD.

Of course, if you don't like the look of a specific distribution when running it from a LiveCD, then you can stop at that point!

The point of trying a LiveCD is just to see if you like the distribution; if you can get your head round the way it works, get to grips with the package manager and see how easy it is to configure. You wouldn't use a LiveCD to test real-time speed performance.

fenlander_uk

I may be unusual but I find the quickest way to be discouraged with Linux is to run it from a live cd. So slow! Even a dual boot setup tempts you back to Windows each time you encounter a minor problem. It was only when I installed Mint as the sole OS on my old laptop that I really appreciated how good it is.