Do you have an old laptop that is running slow? Are you searching for a lightweight operating system for your netbook? Here is a free list of lightweight OS system that can operate without using much of PC hardware resources. You can bring an old laptop back to life with these lightweight OS. Once you replace Windows or Mac from an old slow laptop with a lightweight Linux distro, you can revive these laptops to a new life, and those can fly. You can enjoy a bunch of open-source Linux games on these revived PCs as a bonus. Since these smallest Linux OS are community-based open source, sometimes these OS Developer teams may drop support and leave users in the dark.
We updated the list of Best Lightweight OS in 2018 for Netbooks, Laptops, and Desktops based on the new Linux distro’s in the community.
Lubuntu
Those who want a super lightweight OS here is the first one on the list Lubuntu. Lubuntu is a fast, lightweight Operating System, based on Linux and Ubuntu. Those who have low RAM and old generation CPU, this OS for you. Lubuntu core is based on the most popular user-friendly Linux distribution Ubuntu. For best performance, Lubuntu uses minimal desktop LXDE, and the apps are lightweight in nature.
Lubuntu is coming in three different installation package, where desktop package for regular users have more than 700MB RAM and 64-bit or 32-bit choices. The Minimal installation can use for a very low resource system, and you require only 64 MB of RAM to run, however, 128 MB of RAM is considered the minimum requirement.
Key Features: RAM: 512MB (128MB min) | CPU: Pentium 4 or Pentium M or AMD K8 | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager:Â LXDE, Openbox | Fork: Ubuntu |Â Download Lubuntu
Related: 7 Best Lightweight Linux Browsers for Ubuntu Users.
Editor’s Note: We recommend you to download and set up a bootable USB (check here for OS to run from USB) with the operating system you choose to test with your hardware. That will help you to make sure that all the hardware drivers are available for the operating system before you try this OS on your local hard disk. If you don’t want to spend money and looking for a free OS, please see Top 7 Free Operating Systems for your Laptop/Netbook that can try on your PC. Alternatively, you can try the best Linux Desktop Environment for Amazing UI experience with Linux Distros.
Linux Lite
Another lightweight distro from the Linux family, Linux Lite. Those who are looking for a lightweight OS that takes low resources to run and the rest of the resource can dedicate to gaming; this Linux Lite is the ideal source for your needs. Linux Lite can run fast with less resource and CPU power which can free up for your heavy load games. Linux Lite also based on Ubuntu LTS releases, which offer longtime support, five years for each release.
The Linux Lite Distro is coming as plug and play and ready to run from the box. The Linux Lite Distro is coming as plug and play and ready to work out from the box. Linux Lite pack is coming with LibreOffice for your Office document needs, firebox to browse internet and Thunderbird email client as built-in install with the package. Linux Lite bundle, one of the best media players, VLC Media Player, has broad support for most of the video codecs.
Key Features: RAM: 1024MB (512MB min) | CPU: 1.5GHz (700MHz Min) |Â 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: XFCE | Fork: Ubuntu |Â Download Linux Lite
Puppy Linux
As the name suggests this is an ultra-portable Linux distribution that you can carry with a 2GB USB drive or DVD. This ultra-lightweight OS can boot from CD or USB and live on your computer RAM. There is no system hard disk required to run this light OS. This Linux is the first aid for your data and laptop.
When your system gets corrupted or hard drive lost, you can directly boot the PC from Puppy Linux USB. You can access the PC hard disk and retrieve the data from the hard drive, once you were done, shut off and take back the USB to carry with you.
This portable Linux distro is coming with a size under 100 MB (core OS size) and boots less than a minute on an older system. Puppy Linux is a newbie-friendly UI based OS, that includes a broad range of applications like Office apps web browser, games, etc. that can detect most of the hardware without any additional drivers.
Key Features: RAM: 256MB (64MB min) | CPU: 333MHz Min) | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: JWM-2.3.2 | Download Puppy Linux
Related: How to Run Windows Programs on Linux
Manjaro XFCE Edition
Manjaro is a very popular Linux distribution and it comes in many versions depending on your use case and your choice of desktop. From full-featured KDE Plasma and GNOME to lightweight MATEand XFCE desktop, Manjaro is available in 15 different versions. The one we’re concerned with is the XFCE Edition which uses the lightweight XFCE desktop.
It isn’t the most lightweight OS you’ll find but it is certainly lightweight enough for any older systems. It comes with the usual XFCE apps pre-installed so you’re good to start using it right after installation.
Key Features: RAM: 512MB | CPU: Pentium | Disk space: 30 GB | Download Manjaro XFCE Edition
Damn Small Linux
Damn Small Linux is a very versatile 50MB mini desktop oriented Lightweight Linux distribution. DSL has a nearly complete desktop and a small core of command-line tools. All applications have been chosen for the best balance of functionality, size, and speed.
Damn Small Linux can act as an SSH/FTP/HTTPS server right off of a live CD. DSL can boot from a business card CD as a live Linux distribution or a USB pen drive. It can run the entire OS in RAM with as little as 128MB and light enough to power a 486DX with 16MB of Ram.
Key Features: RAM: 256MB (64MB min) | CPU: i486/AMDÂ Min) |Â 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: Fluxbox, JWM | Download Damn Small Linux (WiKi)
Xubuntu
Those who want a plug and play operating system for your old laptop that can run with a minimum resource, then try Xubuntu. Xubuntu is built with XFCE desktop environment and on Ubuntu hardware drivers and support that lets you run most of your gadgets as plug and play with this lightweight OS.
For a basic user with a low-end computer, Xubuntu coming with a pre-built package to run everything that you required. You have a web browser to go online, email client, office application and the media app to handle your videos and photos. For advanced users who want to enjoy more flavor of open-source Linux apps, they can visit to get the package repositories from Ubuntu Software Center.
Key Features: RAM: 1024MB (512MB min) |Â 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager:Â Xfce | Fork: Ubuntu |Â Download Xubuntu
Related:Â Top 7 Free Operating Systems For Your Laptop/Netbook
Tiny Core
Adobe Photoshop, Google Chrome, MS Paint, these are some applications that are larger in size compared to Tiny Core. Tiny Core is an OS but it is merely 16 MB in size, as of the time of this writing. A low-quality YouTube video is larger than that. Obviously, corners had to be cut to make the OS so small.
It comes with a minimal interface and very few pre-installed apps. It can run on any ancient computer you may have from the previous decades. The boot speed is faster than any other OS on this list, naturally. A lot of things are missing here though, such as hardware graphics. All of those things can be manually installed but it is certainly not going to be a smooth ride.
There are three variants to this: Core, Tiny Core, and CorePlus. You can consider Core to be the base variant and it has no graphical interface at all. Just the command line which is okay if you know your way around the command line. As of the time of this writing, it is only 11 MB in size. CorePlus provides you with options and installation tools.
Key Features: RAM: 46MB – 64MB | CPU: Pentium II | Disk space: 11 MB – 106 MB | Download Tiny Core
LXLE
There are many lightweight operating systems but hardly any of them are built solely for the purpose of reviving an old system. Well, LXLE was built for that. It is simply a re-spin of Lubuntu LTS version but tweaked specifically for the purpose stated above. It tries to provide an intuitive interface and some eye candy despite being built for aging hardware so that it feels good to use.
That’s how you revive an old computer, after all, not just make it so that it is bootable but also make it usable with some sprinkles of modernism. LXLE is tweaked to improve performance and it comes with a set of pre-installed lightweight apps just like Lubuntu OS.
Key Features: RAM: 512 MB (recommended 1GB) | CPU: Pentium III (recommended Pentium IV) | Disk space: 8 GB | Download LXLE
Debian + PIXEL
The new lightweight OS from Raspberry Pi Foundation to give new life to your old PC. This lightweight OS can run on x86-based MAC and Windows machines. PIXEL is a clean, modern user interface, packed with a bunch of programming tools and productivity software.
This lightweight OS has pre-installed Chromium web-browser with useful plugins, including Adobe Flash and instant access to thousands of free applications. The new software enables you to install a Raspberry Pi like OS on your computer. It boots from a DVD, USB Thumb drive or inside a virtual environment.
Key Features: RAM: 512MB min |Â CPU: i386 Min) |Â 32-bit & 64-bit |Â Download Debian +Â PIXEL
antiX Linux
antiX Linux is a lightweight Debian based Linux distribution that boasts of being a systemd-free Linux distro. Systemd is a suite of software that provides the fundamental building blocks for a Linux-based operating system. It decides which programs run when Linux computer boots up. It’s the first process that starts on boot and it is the last one running when the system is shut down.
In other words, if you didn’t already know about it, you probably don’t have to. antiX uses the icewm window manager which makes it possible to keep things running even on really low-end hardware. There aren’t many built-in apps which help to reduce the overall size of the OS. It also makes sense given that it is trying to be a lightweight OS. You can install the programs you need, instead of having a ton of programs that you won’t use.
Key Features: RAM: 256MB | CPU: PIII Systems | Disk space: 2.7 GB | Download antiX Linux
SparkyLinux
SparkyLinux is lightweight but it also has different versions for different kinds of computers. The lightest of those, the base version, does not come with many pre-installed apps. So you’ll have to install apps to play media, browse the web, etc. The full version comes with enough apps which aren’t quite lightweight themselves but you can start using your new OS right after installation.
SparkyLinux is also based on Debian but on the testing branch. This means it always has the latest features of a Debian distribution. It comes with many options when it comes to the desktop environment including LXDE, OpenBox/JWM, e17, MATE, LXQt, Cli. Of these, Cli (command line) is obviously the fastest, followed by LXQt which is a lightweight desktop environment.
Key Features: RAM: 256MB – 384MB | CPU: i486/amd64 | Disk space: 5 GB | Download SparkyLinux
Bhodi Linux
Bhodi is another Linux release built on Ubuntu, that updated well and maintained. At the time we wrote this article, April 10, 2017, Bhodi Linux released 4.1 version on Jan 2017. This Linux distro has three different ISO images to make sure that it can install on the latest desktop configuration and also your old desktop and laptops that a decade older. Bhodi is coming with a dedicated desktop called Moksha. The concept of this Linux Distro, you have the freedom to choose the apps you need.
No pre-installed apps are coming with this Linux flavor. However, this package is coming with ePad text editor, File Manager, Image Viewer terminal emulator, web browser and system updater. The Legacy-Non-PAE Kernel utilizes the older 3.2 Linux kernel.
This 3.2 Linux kernel is optimized for up to 15+ years old hardware, to make sure this distribution can run with very low resources, that can revive your computer even if it is a decade old. Those who have an issue with the latest Linux distribution to work on their old laptop or desktop that does not support the PAE kernel extension, then this Bhodi Legacy ISO is the best bet for your laptop.
Key Features: RAM: 512MB (128MB min) | CPU: 1GHz (500MHz Min) | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: Moksha | Fork: Ubuntu | Download Bhodi Linux
Related: 10 Best Linux Server Distributions for your Business & Home
Peppermint Linux
Peppermint, like Bhodi Linux, is a lightweight OS coming as a core Linux OS without much junk or pre-packed apps. This lightweight Linux Distro version 7 built on Ubuntu 16.04 and Long-Term Support (LTS) codebase. The peppermint desktop environment is Lightweight X Desktop Environment (LXDE).
Peppermint have a built-in web application management tool called ICE that lets you make sure to get the same experience while you deal with the web application. Literally, you feel the web application and menus are just like your local app menus.
Key Features: RAM: 1024MB (512MB min) | CPU: Intel x86 | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: LXDE | Fork: Ubuntu | Download Peppermint Linux
Arch Linux
Arch Linux is an independently developed, i686/x86-64 general-purpose GNU/Linux distribution versatile enough to suit any role. Development focuses on simplicity, minimalism, and code elegance.
This lightweight Linux OS is installed as a minimal base system, configured by the user upon which their ideal environment is assembled by installing only what is required or desired for their unique purposes.
GUI configuration utilities are not officially provided, and most system configurations are performed from the shell and a text editor. Based on a rolling-release model, Arch strives to stay bleeding edge, and typically offers the latest stable versions of most software.
Key Features: RAM: 128MB min (256Â MB RAM) |Â CPU: i686-based or x86-64Â |Â 32-bit & 64-bit | Fork: Linux | Download Arch Linux
Slax
Slax is a Live operating system based on Linux runs from an external media without any need for permanent installation. The entire Slax operating system resides in a single directory/Slax/ on your device, making it easier to organize with your other data. Slax is available for 32bit and 64bit processor architectures.
The 32bit version is designed to run on old computers (as old as Intel 486; that dates back to 1989). This lightweight operating system will run properly on brand new computers too. However, this OS is limited to RAM, it can see 3GB of RAM.
The 64bit Slax version has no such limits, but will not run on computers older than a few years. If you plan to use Slax on a very old computer, or you seek for a system with maximum possible compatibility, then choose 32bit. If you intend to use Slax on a brand new machine, you’ll better go for 64bit.
Key Features: RAM: 256MB (48MB Min) |Â CPU: i486/AMDÂ |Â 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: KDE | Fork: Slackware | Download Slax
NimbleX
NimbleX is a small but versatile lightweight OS that can boot from CD, flash memory (USB pens or Mp3 players) and even from the network. Because it runs entirely from a CD, USB or network, this portable OSÂ doesn’t require installation.
With NimbleX you can browse the web with Firefox, chat with your friends using the Kopete multi-protocol IM application, download torrents with Transmission, use DC++, connect remotely to other computers and much more.
Key Features: RAM: 256MB (128MB Min) |Â CPU: Pentium IIÂ |Â 32-bit & 64-bit |Â Download NimbleX
ZorinOS
Zorin OS is a multi-functional operating system designed specifically for newcomers to Linux. It’s based on Ubuntu Linux so that you can rely on it for rock-solid performance, dependability, and support. Zorin OS features unique look changer program that have created exclusively for Zorin OS.
Zorin allows users to change the user interface at the touch of a button. Other unique programs include Background Plus, Web Browser Manager and more. It allows you to use Zorin OS along with your current operating system and run Microsoft Windows programs in Zorin OS with the help of WINE and PlayOnLinux.
Key Features: RAM: 1.5GB (512MB Min) |Â CPU: 1.5GHz (700MHz Min)Â |Â 32-bit & 64-bit | Fork: Ubuntu | Download ZorinOS
GeeXboX
GeeXboX is a free lightweight, and Open Source Media-Center purposed Linux distribution for embedded devices and desktop computers. As you know, GeeXboX is not an application; it’s a full-featured OS.
Geexbox can boot from a LiveCD, a USB key or from an SD/MMC card or even you can install on a regular HDD. This Media Center-based OS provides you a ready-to-be-used, plug-and-play Media Center application that can play any multimedia content.
Geexbox has been designed to be fully controllable through either keyboard, mouse or a remote controller and does not require any particular computer-related skills. This Linux laptop OS features the state of the art technologies to provide you with the best multimedia experience to make the most out of your hardware.
Key Features: RAM: 64MB Min | CPU: 400MHz Min | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: NA | Fork: NA | Download GeeXBoX
For those who want to enjoy Android OS flavor apart from Linux or Windows OS, there are Android-based builds for your laptops. This will be an ideal choice for Android owners, and they want to keep the same experience on their desktops and laptops. There are two main Android-based OS builds on the desktop in the open-source community, Remix OS, and Phoenix OS.
Remix OS
Update: Remix OS has been discontinued.Â
The perfect solution for those who want to make an Android PC. Whether it is a desktop or laptop, you can run this Android-based OS from USB or direct from PC hard disk.
Remix OS is a collaborative version of Android xX86 and launched in 2012, and Android Marshmallow powers the latest version. Instead of installing Remix OS direct on PC, you can boot from USB, and there is an “exe” file available to convert USB that can load Remix OS later.
We are talking about the lightweight OS here, and I can’t say this is a super lightweight OS compared to other Linux Distro we listed here. But Remix OS is to make break the wall between your Android Smartphone and Personal Desktop.
Remix OS is not limiting you from doing the PC activities, you can still browse the web, office applications, prepare presentations, Taskbar, File manager, etc. With Remix OS, you can enjoy all the Android Apps and wonderful games on your Desktop or Laptop PC.
Key Features: RAM: 2GB | CPU: 2GHz Dual Core | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: Android-as-Desktop | Fork: Android | Download Remix OS
Phoenix OS
For Android Lovers, PhoenixOS is another Android Build OS for Desktop Computers. The x86 version can be downloaded for PC and run just like Linux or Windows OS. Just like your Android Phone OS, the PhoenixOS provides the desktop menu where you can get the settings, system information, power settings, etc.
Once you install Phoenix OS on your desktop, your desktop mouse will work as a regular Windows mouse, you can drag and drop files, do file compression, and you have a chromium core-based browser to use the internet.
PhoenixOS will bring you the Android experience and features on the desktop, like the notification center, App messages, etc. Since Phoenix belongs to the Android ecosystem, you can enjoy thousands of Android games and apps on your PC with this Android Built OS.
Key Features: RAM: NA | CPU: Intel x86 | 32-bit & 64-bit | Window Manager: Android-as-Desktop | Fork: Android | Download Phoenix OS
EasyPeasy
Update:Â EasyPeasy was discontinued.
The Ubuntu Netbook Edition is great, but a lot of things don’t work out of the box. MP3s, for example, can’t be played until you install the codecs. EasyPeasy aims to be simple by offering proprietary applications and codecs out of the box.
This lightweight Linux OS is designed for the cloud, configured with WiFi and wireless drivers. These built-in Wireless drives let you easily connect your netbook to the Internet and enjoy web applications straight from the desktop. EasyPeasy OS is optimized for low power consumption and was from the early start developed with better battery performance and mobility in mind.
Key Features: Window Manager: Ubuntu | Fork: Linux | Download EasyPeasy
Jolicloud
Update:Â Jolicloud has been discontinued from April 1, 2016.
Jolicloud is a Linux-based lightweight operating system that became the best replacement OS for old PC sitting in homes, schools, and universities.
Designed around the Jolidrive HTML5 interface which designed for the cloud, but works great offline. Jolicloud automatically updates your software, relies heavily on Chromium-based packages for running web-based applications with a curated list of 1,500 free apps.
Download:Â Jolicloud
If you want to get the list of a free operating system that you want to try for your laptop, please try Top 7 Free Operating Systems For Your Laptop / Netbook. Once you have a list of Operating Systems, then you can add extra protection for your computer and please select the best one from the list of free Light Weight Antivirus that can Save Computer Memory and CPU Power.
There are many reasons to leave your buggy Windows and Join the lightweight OS community. As far as you know, the most Lightweight Operating Systems are Linux distros. The benefits of these Linux distro are open-source, community-supported, and OS are super lightweight.
All these operating systems mentioned here are capable of running under 1GB RAM and low CPU speed. Instead of installing on a hard disk, most of these Operating Systems can be loaded to a USB stick and run from it as a standalone OS. These lightweight OS are the best in from the available smallest Linux distribution, and those are light, fast and stable, which can give life back to your old, low resource laptops.
really helpful article thank you so much.
really helpful, I want to replace my netbook os since my windows 8 was crash and can’t booting. I’d like to know if I boot from flashdisk is erase data in hard disk or not? thank you
No,if you boot from flash-disk the data on your hard-drive stays untouched. Most Linux distros that are booted from flash or CD don’t even mount the local hard-drive unless you specifically change the setting for it to do so.
For the Toshiba Satellite, try ‘CloudReady’ flavour of Chromium. I have it running an old Asus EeePC 901.
Correction: Best 5 Lightweight DISTRO for you old laptop and netbook.
While downloading Zorin, I noticed that on their homepage the system requirements suggest 1.5 gigs of RAM – The article above states ” 215 MB of system memory “.. It looked great and I thought it would do, but yeah. Very informative article nonetheless 🙂
Thank you. We updated the article with Zorin Light and Ultimate system requirement.
Jolicloud is also discontinued. It redirects to “Desktop” another project by the same maker.
@Will,
Thank you for the feedback, updated the changes on the article.
Why are there no Android based builds? Remix OS, Phoenix OS,….
@Johny
Thank you for the feedback. Our editorial team is working on it.
EasyPeasy (and the Ubuntu Netbook Remix it was built on) has been discontinued for years now, in fact the last full release was in 2010, though they did have an alpha out in 2012 it never got to final release.
@Mark,
You are right, we are not seeing any recent updates from EasyPeasy team
I use Android x86 is the most lightweight OS I saw in my life and I thing sister operating systems like Prime OS and Phoenix OS would be fast too should they be on this list bye the way in the past I was have Linux Mint is super slow with freezing lagging and much RAM usage even when just Browser so please add Android operating systems
Out of all of these which would be best for a netbook using Intel Atom?
Yeah, this is really old. I personally have an EeePC with 2GB of RAM and a SINGLE CORE 1.6Ghz CPU. It is SLOWWWW with Ubuntu MATE, which is supposed to be fast on old hardware. I found that Neverware Cloudready, (basically ChromeOS, which is used on Chromebooks) runs quite nicely, and something like Mate works well with Midori web browser.
If you’re still reading, eeePC/2MB ram works well with LinuxLite 3.8 32bit.
I think Tiny Core Linux should be added to this list. At its smallest, w/ desktop, it is 16mb. I use it on an old HP Pavillion ze4900, which is about 13 or so years old. It boots in about 5 seconds.
Loved the article… warm wishes for you as passing bye…(:
Can’t this be narrowed down better for those of us who don’t know much about this? Even a best choice? I have a 9 yr old Toshiba Satellite that has Vista on it that I’m looking for doing this for, hoping to make it much faster, secure, and function well for someone who has not used Linux before.
I appreciate your feedback. However, the best OS depends on the user requirement and the PC configuration. For example, Debian+Pixel is coming with a pack of free tools, good for those who want basic tools with the OS. Arch Linux is coming with very minimal with no pre-installed tools, ideal for Devs. So the best system, it depends on your requirement. However, we tried our best to help you by projecting the unique features of each OS. Hope this helps!.
There a couple of distros that are dead and a couple more that really aren’t lightweight. NimbleX, DSL have been long gone, for example. How about antiX as a replacement? Tested it a few days ago, very impressive. Note: I’m referring to the non-MX version. Turns out that antiX-MX is more middle-weight.
I can’t believe there are still people making article about long obsolete netbook. And on that note, I thank you very much. I’m still trying to find a use for my undead netbook. That thing won’t die.
Great article. For my netbook 1,5GHz and 2Gg of RAM Xfce distros are quite heavy. I would recommend LXDE or lighter DEs for those machines. Thanks
i’ve just tried easypeasy on my intel atom netbook with 2GB RAM… i works great..but unfortunatelly… the firefox is too old to open some websites (some newspaper sties) – and firefox cant open some pages …
I suggest some distro that suitable for the netbooks . I’ve tetsted those distros
LXLE –
LXpup
Macpup
Linux mint with LXDE
Wow, really great list, it’s just awesome the variety of Operating Systems that are out these days, but honestly I have 1 PC that NEEDS to run a fairly new Windows OS just get a newer version of Directx for newer games for my kids, But my personal PC runs XP Black edition, just crazy fast on an older dual core overclocked to 4.5ghz with SSD which also doubles as HTPC duties, as it’s got 4 terabytes of movies TV shows, it’s an older Nvidia Nforce motherboard, when I installed it 2 years ago, I installed Ubuntu and was disgusted with how terrible slow it was even compared to Windows 7, and million times slower compared to XP Black, I may have to give one of these on your list a try……….I get an old dual core with Nvidia built in graphics, but my kids have an 8core with 32gb of ram with a monster video card , where’s the justice in that????? Lol
I installed Bodhi linux after reading this article. So thank you so much ☺?
others to consider are openuse and centos
Open SUSE and Centos are best for expert users and admins, and we listed here: Best Linux Server Distributions for Business.
I have a old windows pc with 4 GB ram and it gets slow when i open few extra tabs on it. I am confused between Remix and Lubuntu ? which one should I go for
Lubuntu will be your best bet.
lubuntu is a good choice, but it is better to use ubuntu instead, i have the same ram, Don’t wory about performance
If you want, better performance use debian stable 9.4 it is has better performance than lubuntu and other
If it hasn’t been mentioned, Remix has been discontinued as well.
@Chase,
Thank you. We have updated the article.
Look to Q4OS , Debian based, superb perfomance on oldies ( Lenovo s10e – Atom N270 tested).
Good day!
I just ran Lubuntu from Usb Boot in an old AMD 64 dual core, pretending to install it as the main OS. Thing is from the desktop once it started, when I tried to install, it woudn’t let me cause apparently it needs at least 1Gb of Ram (being that this computer has 9xx Mbs or so – besides it also asked for internet connection which I cannot have before installing Linksys Wireless drivers for the external device)
So, just wanted to point out that not small detail, I’ll see if I can install another OS that works with that amount of memory and doesn’t need internet through the install. By the way I downloaded the last version of Lubunto which is 18.10 I think, so maybe before it was compatible and not now? Thanks anyway for this great article. Does anyone know the best way to get wifi whilke installing a new OS? Can I at some point load the driver from an usb stick? ALthough of course the driver I had is for Windows so I think I’ll have to see if there’s one for Linux.
That’s all, take care!
Well, as this articles comments kind of reveals on its own, my recommendation as an OEM hack, is to select Distros that have a fairly long track record, since they do come and go. With comments here as old as May 2016, you can see how the original data had to be updated with a lot of “discontinued”, so do your research on a Distro, even Wiki it to see when it was launched and any other hints that might expose an end in sight. More familiar names are Lubuntu (since May 2011); Peppermint (May 2010); Xubuntu (June 2006), and so on. If they’ve been around awhile, such success means they should continue to be.
Peppermint is unique among these, in that it’s really Mint wrapped in a cloud based paradigm: It’s awesome if you’re using a laptop (new or old) as a secondary and portable device. If you have a newer PC (or laptop), then L-Mint is the way to go, at least until you somewhat master Linux Distros in general. Once you do; e.g. once the terminal no longer scares you, and the stock programs grow on you, then you’ll never want to go back to MS/iOS proprietary machines.
I use an Intel NUC-PC at home (L-Mint 19.1 Cinnamon); it has an Intel I-3 core processor & 16G RAM: plugged into two 55″ HDTV’s (to split-screen if I want), it does all the heavy lifting; ripping, video editing, and so on. Then I have a small laptop (and an android phone) for more portable light weight stuff. By doing it this way, you need not spend a lot on your portable devices. Plus my home PC is also my media core; you can stream far-far more via a full-on PC w/a Chrome/FF browser, than with any portable device. I got Mash Tips linked at my blog! Good resource.
Thanks Steve for a informative article. Really good stuff!
I was told of a cloud based free software, Neverware/Cloudready https://www.neverware.com/freedownload.
It turns a old computer into a cloud based Chromebook.
Cheers
yeah ive already tested it out and it worked a bit more faster
Hi!
And thanks for good ideas on lightweight OS:s.
My question is, have you tried Dietpi? I tried the Dirtpi Native PC for UEFI on an old desktop from around 2005, and choose from the installation menu to use it with the LXQT desktop. It worked perfectly well.
/ Andreas
Leeenux works well with netbooks. It is designed specifically for the Asus EEE PC. It has various subdistros with different weights. It is LUbuntu based. I am using it on an HP Mini, and it runs more efficiently than LUbuntu, Puppy Linux and XUbuntu. It is not good with netbook screen resolution recognition, yet is good with auto detecting external monitor resolution from an EEEPC. On an HP Mini it does not recognize an external monitor.
Well,for what it’s worth, Lubuntu 18.10 is the last 32-bit Lubuntu, and it chokes on less than a GB of ram. I’m running antiX on the laptop that I tried Lubuntu on, and yes, it’s nice and works well. Thoroughly recommended.
I love Lxle (pronounced like tile except with an ‘L’) which I’ve downloaded and burnt to DVD.
I’ve been using it on my various old 10″, 32gb netbooks for 3 years. Lxle installs without hassle, finds the WiFi without problems and works out of the box effortlessly.
After a few years, I sell the netbooks on ebay and buy ones in better condition then replace Windows 7 Starter with Lxle OS again.
All are just Linux. I were looking for some more instersting project. From any linux distro you can do the same, remove or install any software.
Linux cannot be considered as an alternative to itself.
I am still looking for real operating system list.
Hey, there I need a little help. I have an 10 old netbook, Acer Aspire one. 1gb Ram, 160Gb Hdd, 1.66ghz, intel Atom.. so,it was dead. When I turned On after Ages ,the screen popped up then it stayed on a black screen with ” _ ” mark. Then I got to know that Os was broke. I tried installing Lubuntu with bootable USB pendrive. But, everytime it says, Base system error. I didn’t find any solution in the internet, please someone help me. Or Suggest me Os which is suitable for my netbook. I want to use it for some reasons.
Only ISO, bootable through USB. Coz I’m not in a stage to buy, DVd/CD Os.
I have the same aspire one and had tried a lot of distros. Slitaz works good, but the mouse cursor is blinking, I dont know why. Another fast one on this laptop is Easy OS, then Antix and Bodhi. Lubuntu, Peppermint and Zorin needs more than 1 gb ram for a comfortable use. You can see that when you use firefox. Browsing the web with Dillo is much faster.
Google
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Please update the information on Peppermint – it’s 10 Respin version is based on Ubuntu 18.04
Google
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Which r low ram and working ? No one will build or event port planty of programs so it needs to have planty of working , tested code and helping community . Why on GitHub there is no always sending logs hearts Beats along error logs so we know what r the most common problems . Arch with fixt realize ?