Older Pc, What Linux Should I Use?

[sbk]

1.50 gigahertz AMD Sempron

128 kilobyte primary memory cache

256 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Board: K7S41GX 1.0

Bus Clock: 166 megahertz

BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P2.00 10/28/2004

Drives Memory Modules c,d

10.23 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity

5.96 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

ST310212A [Hard drive] (10.24 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 7EG22LC3, rev 3.02, SMART Status: Healthy 448 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot '0' is Empty

Slot '1' has 512 MB

Local Drive Volumes

c: (NTFS on drive 0) 10.23 GB 5.96 GB free

Can I use the new kubuntu on this or should I go with something for a slower machine?

[jackk]

I set up the lastest Ubuntu (not Kubuntu) on a friend's old laptop. It was a 800Mhz Compaq with 256Mb RAM running XP with 4.5Gb free disk space. It works nicely.

[Phil Conners]

Any Linux version will run nicely on this hardware. Being we're in Thailand where downloads are slow I'd suggest getting a Debian net-boot CD ISO, it's only about 200 MB and enough to boot a PC and start the installation procedure. You then pick which components you want to use and it downloads just that, no need to download a 2 GB DVD ISO with loads of software you will never use.

[Tywais]

Can I use the new kubuntu on this or should I go with something for a slower machine?

Actually most linuxes work well on older machines so don't see you having any problems with (k)ubuntu. Any problems would possibly be with drivers for the video card which isn't mentioned in your post.

//edit - just checked your board. It uses a SiS Mirage Graphics on-board video which doesn't look like a problem.

Edited June 9, 2007 by Tywais

[sbk]

I like the graphical interface of the kubuntu desktop, I have to admit. I also downloaded kubuntu while in the US, using my sister's wonderfully fast internet connection. it is on my laptop waiting to be burned into an ISO CD (gotta get the house clean first )

But then I started thinking and wondered if it might be too much for the old girl. The computer is definitely slowing down, running WINXP pro, comodo firewall, avast anti virus. Sometimes, firefox just slows to a crawl (not the internet, firefox) and it reminds me of my dad's old PC whose processor just couldn't cope with all the latest stuff on the internet.

Anyway, the video display is SiS 741 [Display adapter], does that answer your question Tywais? It is a very old computer but has never given me any serious problems, just keeps chugging away. I'd like to keep her for awhile longer and wondered if using a linux based OS might be easier on the processor?

[dave_boo]

I like the graphical interface of the kubuntu desktop, I have to admit. I also downloaded kubuntu while in the US, using my sister's wonderfully fast internet connection. it is on my laptop waiting to be burned into an ISO CD (gotta get the house clean first )

But then I started thinking and wondered if it might be too much for the old girl. The computer is definitely slowing down, running WINXP pro, comodo firewall, avast anti virus. Sometimes, firefox just slows to a crawl (not the internet, firefox) and it reminds me of my dad's old PC whose processor just couldn't cope with all the latest stuff on the internet.

Anyway, the video display is SiS 741 [Display adapter], does that answer your question Tywais? It is a very old computer but has never given me any serious problems, just keeps chugging away. I'd like to keep her for awhile longer and wondered if using a linux based OS might be easier on the processor?

Kubuntu will run fine on that hardware. Be warned though, the SiS 741 falls into the group of cards that SiS figures nobody wants acceleration on. Thus, all those gee-whiz fancy Compiz/Beryl desktops are a no go. As are any OGL games.

I've only seen my SuSE install slow down when Beagle was updating its database. However, I use "locate" and update that database right as I go to bed, so Beagle's service is not started. There's no issue running the built in firewall, I don't bother with any antivirus, and adware is not an issue on Linux.

Oh, btw, here's my laptop's specs:

2.4 Celeron M, 632 MB RAM, SiS 650. Runs SuSE 10.2 perfectly, with the exception of no DRI, in fact it handles x.264 files that my old installation of windows choked on.

[cdnvic]

Anything with 800mz or more runs Ubuntu/Kubuntu just fine. Below that is Xubuntu which is a minimal sort of installation which I've seen doing just fine on an old 333mz PII laptop.

[sbk]

AARGH! I can't get the cd to burn correctly. I am using Nero, burning an ISO CD, the file is 695 and it just won't burn it onto a 700mb CD without giving me troubles. Either it doesn't finish or the CD has errors making boot up from it impossible.

Any suggestions?

[dave_boo]

AARGH! I can't get the cd to burn correctly. I am using Nero, burning an ISO CD, the file is 695 and it just won't burn it onto a 700mb CD without giving me troubles. Either it doesn't finish or the CD has errors making boot up from it impossible.

Any suggestions?

Try slowing down your burn speed. Also, check your md5sum.

[sbk]

Thanks, I posted the ISO problem in the main computers forum and managed to get it to burn, and now it works. so far, so good. I like the interface. Now I need to partition my hard drive so I can dual boot the kubuntu and winxp. I'd like to have both but suspect I will be using the kubuntu more often.

Can I partition my hard drive (it is not partitioned at all) without having to format first?

[Tywais]

You can get a LiveCD of GParted and boot from it to do the partioning. Here are links to explain how to do it.

http://apcmag.com/5459/dualboot_ubuntu_and_windows_xp (If kubuntu is already installed)

http://apcmag.com/6101/dualboot_windows_xp_and_ubuntu (if XP is already installed)

And for a little fun a video of how to do it > Video Google

[sbk]

If I install kubuntu from the LiveCd will it partition my drive for me?

OOPS! Just checked your apcmag tutorial and the answer is yes!

Thanks for that, I will have to have it open on my laptop while I install on the older pc.

[sbk]

Serendipity!

I just received this tech tip in the mail from Geeks.com (they have an excellent series of tech tips I might add)

Resurrecting an Old PC with Linux

Not only is Linux a viable replacement for Windows on desktop and laptop computers, it's widely touted as being able to breath some life back into old computers. Why even bother? Aside from the potential environmental impact of disposing of an old PC, simply because hardware is out of date doesn't mean it's useless. You can use older computers as file or media servers, stripped-down workstations, or even as low-cost computers in cash-strapped schools. The Linux Caffe, an Internet cafe in Toronto, even uses old ThinkPads running Linux as terminals.

Not all Linux distributions are suitable for an older PC, however – many current ones eat up a considerable amount of memory, processor power, and hard drive space. Luckily, there are a number of small and light, but fully-featured Linux distributions that can be used to resurrect an old PC.

The Top Contenders

While there are a number of Linux distributions (“distros”) that are great for use with older hardware, I've found that three particular distros are really well suited for this task: Puppy Linux, ###### Small Linux, DeLi Linux, and Xubuntu.

Puppy Linux

One of the first lightweight Linux distributions that I tried was Puppy Linux. While it doesn't require much in the way of system resources -- 50 to 90 MB of hard drive space and less than 256 MB of memory -- Puppy Linux gives you a simple but solid graphical environment and a number of useful applications and utilities.

PuppyLinuxFor example, Puppy comes with the AbiWord word processor and the Gnumeric spreadsheet, and the Mozilla-based Seamonkey Web browser. There is also software for editing Web pages, playing audio and video files, working with graphics, and more. And Puppy Linux is fast. In fact, it's easily one of the fastest Linux distributions that I've worked with.

###### Small Linux

As this distribution's name implies, it's small and fast. ###### Small Linux (DSL for short) only takes up 50 MB of hard drive space and needs a mere 128 MB of memory. You can even run it off of a USB key.

###### Small LinuxDSL packs a lot into a small space, though. It has a simple but complete graphical environment (either the Fluxbox or JWM window managers) with dozens of applications, including a word processor and text editors, Web and Internet software, and applications for playing multimedia files. You can even use DSL as a Web server. That's a lot of flexibility in such a small package. While the GUI and applications aren't the prettiest or the most powerful, they do get the job done.

DeLi Linux

Have an even older computer, say a 486 or an early Pentium? Then you might want to check out DeLi Linux. Short for Desktop Light Linux, DeLi Linux is a distribution that is truly light. A full installation takes up less than 250 MB of hard drive space, and can run on as little as 16 MB of memory. I can't think of any other lightweight Linux distro that can do that!

Deli LinuxBut you're not stuck at the command line, unless you want to be. DeLi Linux runs a complete graphical environment. It's not the prettiest, but it doesn't look too bad. On top of that, it uses a number of smaller, less resource intensive applications. Like what? Instead of the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, DeLi Linux runs Siag Office and AbiWord. The preferred Web browser is Dillo, although Firefox is available if you have a faster machine or more memory. All in all, there's little fat in this distribution.

Xubuntu

Ubuntu is widely considered to be one of the most user-friendly desktop Linux distributions around. It's easy to use and very flexible. But, it also requires a considerable amount of horsepower in order to run. Most of that is involved in running Ubuntu's window managers -- GNOME and KDE. However, Xubuntu brings the ease of use, flexibility, and power of Ubuntu to older computers.

Like Puppy Linux, Xubuntu comes with a number of smaller and lighter applications like AbiWord and Gnumeric instead of OpenOffice.org. There are also tools for using the Web, various utilities, and more. Using the built-in package manager, you can quickly install a number of other applications. All that you need to run it is under 200 MB of memory and just over 1.5 GB of hard drive space. One aspect of Xubuntu that makes it suitable for older PCs is its window manager, Xfce. Xfce is a simple, attractive, but fully featured window manager. On top of that, Xubuntu (like its other Ubuntu siblings) lets you take advantage of Synaptic, the Ubuntu package manager. Synaptic makes installing software a breeze.

A Real World Test

Recently, I decided to test whether or not a lighter Linux distribution could actually bring an older computer to life. And I had just the PC. Last year, my mother gave me an old Pentium 333 with 265 MB of memory and a four megabyte cheap hard drive. That computer was running Windows 98, but it had been pummeled by adware and spyware. The computer took several minutes to boot up, and applications loaded slowly. All in all, this was the perfect computer for my test.

I chose Xubuntu for the test, for a couple of reasons. First, I had standardized my two cheap laptops on Ubuntu -- it was familiar, and I'm really impressed with Ubuntu's package management tools. Second, the specifications of my old PC fit well with the requirements for Xubuntu. I downloaded the ISO image for Xubuntu and burned it to a CD (see this TechTip for more information on burning ISO images).

Then, I popped the CD into my old PC and booted up the computer. After a minute or two, the installation process started. It's fully graphical, so I was able to do everything point and click. The installation encountered only one glitch. I ran off to answer the phone, and when I came back there was a message on the screen that said Xubuntu couldn't create a file system. When I saw this message, I got a bit worried thinking that the hard drive was damaged. What had happened was that I had told the installer to create a new FAT 16 file system (the one used by Windows 98). Obviously, Xubuntu didn't like that. So, I backed up a couple of screens in the installation and told the installer to use the more Linux-friendly ext2 file system. After that, the installation went smoothly.

Since I was installing on an older, slower computer, the process took about 25 minutes. Slow, but not glacially slow. Relative to a fresh Windows install, 25 minutes is actually pretty speedy. Once the installation was completed, I had a working desktop that actually performs quite well even on the older hardware.

Post InstallIf you're wondering, the computer sits on my home network. It's in constant use as both a publishing server -- compiling documents typeset using LaTeX and DocBook -- and as a file and PDF print server. Sometimes, my daughter uses that computer to practice her typing and mouse skills (she's autistic and this helps her fine motor skills) or to play the educational games that I installed on the system.

In the end, resurrecting that old computer only cost me a little bandwidth for the download, a blank CD, and the time needed to burn Xubuntu to the CD and install it. Regardless of the Linux distribution that you choose, you can probably get the same results. Instead of spending several hundred dollars on a new computer, you can turn an older PC into a powerful workstation for practically no cost.

[sbk]

My PC has way more power than those listed here, so I think I will stick with kubuntu for now, but thought the article well worth posting for those interested in Linux on an older PC

[dave_boo]

If you really want to, any modern install can be configured to use only what you want it to. In fact, I only do "netinstalls" of Linux, because I can custom tailor it to download and install exactly what I want it to, turn off the monitor and go to bed. Waking up the next morning, I just set up users and timezone stuff and I'm good to go.

If you want a lightweight, respected distro that's been around forever, check out Slackware. It's going on 14 years old now, and thus makes it the oldest maintained distro. It's super light, and while you can install KDE, it defaults to XFCE. Another option, if you're brave, is to use a Gentoo install. That way everything is compiled to your system and you know it will run as fast as Linux can run on your hardware.

[sbk]

My sisters boyfriend swears by slackware but I am Linux newbie and want to try it out with something easy