[smalltalk]

Hey guys, I've got an IBM Thinkpad G40 (Pentium 4, 256 mb RAM, 40 gb HDD, no DVD capabilities) and I want to install an OS that is able to run smoothly. Also, the person who will be using it is a noob (will only use Internet and Office).

What do you recommend?
I rule out Windows cause it's not free.
Currently it has Xubuntu 9.10 but you can't install any apps on it.
For some reason I can't install Ubuntu 10.04, it's something about the graphics card, I think.

I've recently read about Zorin, which is Ubuntu based and presumably very similar to Windows. Is this a good OS? It has the following requirements:
For the LXDE based versions (Lite):
266 MHz x86 processor
2GB of Hard Drive space
128 MB of system memory (RAM)
Graphics card capable of 640x480 resolution
Sound card

Suggestions???

Thanks a million

[theandyguthrie]

If the person using it is a noob seriously avoid linux. Everything will seems different and complicated for them.

You can get an oem version of windows xp for like 10pounds on ebay.

Loosen the purse strings a little

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by smalltalk)
Hey guys, I've got an IBM Thinkpad G40 (Pentium 4, 256 mb RAM, 40 gb HDD, no DVD capabilities) and I want to install an OS that is able to run smoothly. Also, the person who will be using it is a noob (will only use Internet and Office).

What do you recommend?
I rule out Windows cause it's not free.
Currently it has Xubuntu 9.10 but you can't install any apps on it.
For some reason I can't install Ubuntu 10.04, it's something about the graphics card, I think.

I've recently read about Zorin, which is Ubuntu based and presumably very similar to Windows. Is this a good OS? It has the following requirements:
For the LXDE based versions (Lite):
266 MHz x86 processor
2GB of Hard Drive space
128 MB of system memory (RAM)
Graphics card capable of 640x480 resolution
Sound card

Suggestions???

Thanks a million

XP at most like the other person stated, anything higher would definitely use up too much of your cpu and ram.

[A.J10]

If they're using office they'll have to stay in windows. The switch to libreoffice is a hard one to convince people of unless they're paying for office.

If it was just internets you'd be fine with a linux distro.

[Herr]

Win XP since all that will be happening on it is internet and MS Office.

[jordanosborn]

Yeah xp would probably be the highest version of windows you could run. But i'd imagine it would run pretty slow as did my old laptop with 256mb ram and processor equivalent. Microsoft office would run but it probably wouldn't be very smooth. Google docs would probably be better when used for an office suite.

But could I recommend puppy linux it ran great on my parents first computer and that was from 1998 and I believe that had a lot lower specs than the laptop you are using.

[Repressor]

Why can't you install any programs on the Xubuntu installation?

[lubus]

windows xp

[smalltalk]

(Original post by Repressor)
Why can't you install any programs on the Xubuntu installation?

It says that the laptop's specs aren't good enough.
For me, it's the fact that the repositories aren't updated (when I try to do a system update, an error comes up: "i couldn't find the repositories"). But I don't know how to update the sources list without updating the distribution, which I don't want to do because newer versions of ubuntu (9.10+) don't work on this PC.

EDIT: for those suggesting WinXP... SP1? SP2? SP3?

[MORPHEUS24-7]

XP 32bit

[theandyguthrie]

try chromium OS as well, you can just use google docs.

It barely uses anything to run.

[KCLeblanc]

I would try and get some more memory for it. With 256mb it's a doorstop basically. If you can 1gb in there it should be a usable XP machine if you're careful not to install too much rubbish on it.

For XP I would recommend SP3. Any of the older SPs will give you issues with modern applications.

[remedy700]

XP SP3, of course.

[mfaxford]

(Original post by smalltalk)
EDIT: for those suggesting WinXP... SP1? SP2? SP3?

XP with SP3 is the only version of XP that's supported by MS (and I don't think that ends in a year or so at which point there won't be any new patches)

With that amount of RAM anything is going to be slow. It might be worth seeing what RAM it needs and seeing if you can upgrade to at least 512MB (ideally get to 1G if you can)

[A.J10]

(Original post by KCLeblanc)
I would try and get some more memory for it. With 256mb it's a doorstop basically. If you can 1gb in there it should be a usable XP machine if you're careful not to install too much rubbish on it.

For XP I would recommend SP3. Any of the older SPs will give you issues with modern applications.

I can say from experience that xp sp3 is usable on half a gig of ram, as is ubuntu (10.4 at least).

Usable though, in no way smooth (especially on xp).

A gig of DDR ram will cost you at most £20, though I found some on sale for £5 before. If you get a bargain like that, max out the pc slots.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my E15i

[Dez]

If you're comfortable enough with doing so, you could make a custom XP install using nLite, which should run a fair bit quicker. You'll still need to purchase a license key though.

[retrogamer104]

I have an IBM thinkpad (X22), it came with a formatted hard drive and I found the best OS to be Puppy Linux, I haven't sorted out the a bootloader yet, but if you have a memory stick just always have it in the USB slot and you can boot into it. I tried various distributions (lubuntu, Slitaz, but all would fail during installation, due to some problem with the Graphics card).

If you need instructions, they are below:

Steps to install on formatted HDD (this is for a Thinkpad without a HDD): (if you need them)

1. Download your chosen Linux distribution (it's free), in .iso file format.

2. Within a working computer use a piece of software to create a bootable USB (I recommend Unetbootin)

3. In the IBM BIOS (The thing that you get when you start it up), press F2 or F12 and change the bootable device to the USB stick.

4. If the USB stick is inserted you should be away with an OS.

5. You can find instructions online in how to make Puppy Linux a permanent OS on the hard-drive so you don't need the USB stick, but I haven't done this yet.

Puppy Linux includes an internet browser, E-Mail client, Free equivalent of MS-word/office and even a few games. It's also very small and easy for anyone to use (It looks like Windows 98)

I hope that was useful. Sorry for posting instructions if you didn't need them, just realized you have XUbuntu, so I probably wasted your time telling you how to make a bootable USB.

[BP_Tranquility]

I recommend you look into the following distros:
Linux Mint XFCE version: http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=113
Puppy Linux: http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview ...ng Started.htm
Lubuntu: http://lubuntu.net/

These two distributions are very popular (if you are not aware of them) since Linux Mint XFCE is analogous to Xubuntu (since they run in the same desktop environment) while Puppy Linux is renowned for its simplicity and lightweight aspect, so it is not resource hungry. Lubuntu is also considered to be one of the most lightweight linux distributions so it should be able to run on your computer. All these operating systems contain a web browser and an office suite I think (perhaps someone could verify) so choose whichever you find to be the most suitable (remember to check whether all your hardware works on a Live CD)

EDIT: I have just found out that Linux Mint XFCE has a slightly higher system requirement for RAM (384 Mb) than what you already have but it may still work efficiently.

[heyhey922]

(Original post by BP_Tranquility)
I recommend you look into the following distros:

Lubuntu: http://lubuntu.net/

Lubuntu is also considered to be one of the most lightweight linux distributions so it should be able to run on your computer. All these operating systems contain a web browser and an office suite I think (perhaps someone could verify) so choose whichever you find to be the most suitable (remember to check whether all your hardware works on a Live CD)

I would definitely Lubuntu. I'm currently using it for my old Netbook after switching it from windows 7. It works a lot better now, obvoisly the issues is if you expect to game on it, but if not Lubuntu all theway!!

[Jadrian]

Crunchbang is a nice stable linux OS based on debian. It runs on openbox so it should be pretty snappy even on a P4. (I use around 80MB of RAM on boot.)
I'd either use that, or download an Ubuntu minimal CD and only install the packages you need to give you a leaner OS.

XP is an option too but that's a decade old now.