Best Linux Distros for Asus F5R Old Laptop: Lightweight OS for Intel T2250, AMD X1100M, 1GB RAM

Question

Recommend some simple Linux for a Windows XP laptop that is already running, so that this laptop is not suitable for browsing the Internet.
Laptop parameters are Asus F5R:
Intel T2250 processor
RAM memory 2x 512 MB DDR2 667 MHz
120 GB Sata drive
AMD X1100M Graphics
DVD recorder
Camera 1.3 MPx
What kind of Linux would work comfortably on it and would it be possible to watch Youtube, Iple, Onet VOD or Microsoft Silverlight and Skype and browse the Internet on it.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

For example some Linux Mint

Anonymous · Answer

Zorin OS 12.2 Lite

safbot1st · Answer

This is a giant compared to Puppy Linux. Puppy enters fully RAM and takes up 256MB max: It can be hard to switch, but I haven't seen a more meaningful linux for grandpa laptops. And do not install the latest Firefox, because versions from 52.x are also heavy blocks. You have a Pale Moon browser in the Tahr Puppy version, you know, not fully compatible, but it works like lightning. On this processor, YT over 360p will cut, you can't help it, full HD is out of the question. Added after 6 [minutes]: Out of curiosity, I came to this link from post # 3, on the same page: installation of Zorin = 1.5-2.5GB Puppy installation = 150! -500 MB . Of course, if you need applications like Office etc., it's best to install a bare system and then add whatever you need to, for example, Mint has all this often redundant software in it. Added after 1 [minutes]: The truth is, if you took care of that XP, the 1GB you have should work fine. What on the bank muli You, this PC is a 120GB disk, give me God if it takes 60MB / s. Turtle.

leonov · Answer

More distribution Link

safbot1st · Answer

@leonov Hah, Dam Small Linux is only 50MB. ; D I wonder what's left in it ... of the software.

leonov · Answer

The distribution uses its own MyDSL package manager and the .dsl format as well as.uci i.unc, which include, among others, OpenOffice.org, GIMP, Skype or Opera. After installation on the hard drive it is possible to unlock apt manager and use .deb packages

You can check it out for yourself you download it unpack it, and run dsl-base.bat. This will run DSL in a virtual machine (QEMU).

Punkxp · Answer

Tested Linux Mint 18 and even it works fine, only movies actually start to cut at HD.
Plus there is support for Microsoft Silverlight and practically all devices in this laptop where Ubuntu 14 Remix had a problem with detecting some devices.
I fumbled a bit and it turns out that MS has removed the support for Skype for 32 bit under Linux, but it's strange that it still supports Windows 32 bit, e.g. XP or Vista has a new Skype.
Unless there is a newer version for Linux than 4.3 for 32 bit system.
As for the disk, when testing it with HD Tune, the beginning showed about 46 MB / s, but then, i.e. around the middle, already 38 MB / s, yet this Mint collects quite well, certainly better than XP and Vista, which were kneeling with 2 tabs.

safbot1st · Answer

Try 4.2 and below. Added after 3 [minutes]: HDtune's plateau tests will always follow the parabola. So the slowest component of this PC. I assumed 60MB / s, and here it is not 50 even it turned out.

Punkxp · Answer

I still have a question because a friend gave me an old Toshiba netbook with Atom N455 and 1 GB DDR3 today.
Would any Linux make sense for such a tiny 10.1 inch?
I fired Mint and unfortunately part of the window is not displayed in the settings because the Netbook screen is too small.

safbot1st · Answer

And how does this skype work, apparently on ubuntu?

Punkxp wrote:
I fired up the Mint

Maestro, this is a technical forum, so it makes no sense to ask without even giving the version.
This is typical Mint behavior when you have drivers integrated in different versions and for different layouts. X can go crazy on older machines.
The quickest way is to play in the settings or just try another Mint.
I wrote that on SIS Mirage only 1 - the only Mint worked for me. Probably 7.0.

Punkxp · Answer

I tested a few linuxes and it turns out that the last one that works well is version 14 of the regular Ubuntu Remix and it was set up like that.
It took me a long time to bring it to a usable condition, because unfortunately it is too old system for modern times.

Anonymous · Answer

Old Linux works fine for old hardware. Also, Ubuntu Trust is still supported, so you've made a good choice.

wojtek2004 · Answer

I can tell you that Lubuntu is very good.
Lubuntu is a popular variation of Ubuntu that is characterized by speed.
Thanks to the use of the desktop environment, LXDE is lighter, less resource-consuming and more energy-efficient.
The LXDE desktop uses the Openbox window manager, has low hardware requirements, and is designed for older computers.
I have two computers at home: a desktop and an older HP Compaq 6110 laptop.
It flashes nice. Mostly the laptop has all the drivers.
What's important is reading-scrolling text in the Touchpad, the trackpad is working.
And in the stationary no name sound card. Everything works ... Now I will be changing a computer with a multi-core processor. Currently, I have Turion in stationary. Time to change the disc ...
PS I run the latest version of Lubuntu 18.04 LTS 64-bit (Desktop)
link to download:

http://ftp.belnet.be/pub/lubuntu.org/daily-live/current/

tomek_602 · Answer

For comfortable work on old equipment, I recommend Sparky Linux with LXQT.
I have been using it on various computers for several years and recommend it with full conviction.
Thanks to it, even my old Pentium IV computer works fine for office / internet purposes.
LXQT is a very simplified LXDE, but built on the basis of the newer version of the QT library. It works quickly and smoothly, and if you need to use some fancy application, programs written with KDE in mind will work without any problems.
Sparky uses not only its own repositories, but also extremely rich Debian repositories, so you can easily find applications for (almost) anything ..

For ascetics, I recommend the minimalist Damn Small Linux.
I have it always at hand for service purposes. It works on literally any hardware, but it's really minimalist and doesn't give you any comfort.

wojtek2004 · Answer

Lubuntu is supported (LTS).
Sparky is not updating at the moment.
I don't know, maybe it will install it on the laptop. I will try.
Probably there will be no drivers.
Maybe there will be no Polish language. The lean system has pros and cons ...

tomek_602 · Answer

1. Updates are daily. 2. And try it - that's why Sparky also works in live mode (ie it starts up from pendrive or CD without installation). 3. There are drivers. 4. The language is Polish 5. The environment is lean, not the system. In the case of Linux, just because it's optimized to run on less powerful hardware doesn't mean it's slimmed down from some features or languages. On the contrary, it ensures that the new kernel and current modules work properly on old hardware. To think that only old or truncated systems can run on old hardware is a mistake carried over from Widows. As I wrote, I have been using Sparky for years. I have Sparky 5 64b with KDE on my computer, and 5 32b with LXQT on my home computer. On another one, I have 5 32b from KDE. Everything works fine. I have Mageia on another one. The system is easy to use and visually nice, but I'm leaving it for Sparky.

siewcu · Answer

I used to use fluxbunt - but maybe because fluxbox was convenient for me. Small and fast, ubuntu did not allow you to run 2 tabs in the browser and on fluxbunt several tabs, background music and flickering. I just don't know if there is a fresh version - but if not and you are not afraid of challenges, you can always put up a stable debian and throw fluxbox on it

This is a guarantee of a clean system, of course, if you do not throw in the graphical environment during the installation and set up a clean system with the console itself (contrary to appearances, thanks to tutorials it can be quickly mastered).

@down: thanks for the fix, I didn't notice

tomek_602 · Answer

I guess fluxbox?

leonov · Answer

Please refer to ....

siewcu · Answer

He's right after all. Fluxbuntu is a system, and you won't throw the system onto the system, and fluxbox is probably the lightest desktop environment.

Anonymous · Answer

Of the currently supported ones, I recommend Antix 16 based on Debian Jessie. I put it on laptops / notebooks with a 1.6GHz CPU and it works fine.

tomek_602 · Answer

Antix already has a newer version 17. According to the list on the Antix project website, there is no Polish language version.

Anonymous · Answer

I do not recommend Antix 17 for old computers, this version is rather for newer ones. For old people Antix 16, it's important that it is updated.

What language version are we talking about? After all, every Debian-based system is polonized, and so is the IceWM frontend in Antix. You just need to set a Polish location.

rafish · Answer

I recommend debian stable with LXDE there (gnome or kde will definitely be too heavy for such equipment), recently I installed on celeron 1.6 (I don't remember the Prock model but it's still the old 775 socket) + 512 ram and everything was flickering, is HD on YT working I don't know, I haven't tested, I generally recommend well-known distributions, you have a large community, forums where you will usually find answers to all problems

tomek_602 · Answer

With this lack of Polish, that's my mistake. And Antix 17 is not for newer computers at all, but still (as the name suggests) antique. I definitely stick to what I wrote earlier: When installing Linux for an old computer, always install the latest version of it. Since someone recommends Debian in some post, I recommend Sparky from LXQT again (it is a more modern solution than LXDE). Sparky is based on Debian, uses Debian's repositories, and is beginner-friendly And one more thing: No matter how old your computer is, add extra memory to it. Although with 2x512 Linux will also work, adding memory is the cheapest afterburner. Even my old Pentium iV computer got a kick when I swapped out the 4x256M for the 4x1G. Insert as much memory as your motherboard can handle. Recycled memory modules are now very cheap.

Anonymous · Answer

What is old hardware? Nowadays, one from 5 years ago is already old. And the one with 1.6 GHz or ~ 1.8 GHz processors, such as the author's T2250 supporting only 32-bit, is pure archaism. And I do not recommend Antix 17 for old laptops with such a meager CPU, because it is muddy, I approached it, but I was not convinced. You do not need to install the latest versions of distributions, only the supported ones that have updated packages, and this is the case with Antix 16. Similarly with Ubuntu, if I installed the latest release on Atoma 1.6 GHz, it would not be possible to work on it, and Ubuntu Trusty LTS works and has support for another year. The good old Ubuntu Xenial LTS will also be supported until 2021. From my observations and practice - the distributions that were released when we bought the equipment work best. I would never abandon Debian Squeeze (and everything based on it), if it was still supported, as it has performed fantastic for virtually all old folks. Added after 5 [minutes]: Advice for those looking for old-fashioned distributions - let them download, say, 5 recommended distributions and run each from a pendrive in live mode. The one that handles the hardware right away and likes the most is suitable for installation.

Anonymous · Answer

Linux Mint 18.3 32 bit for 1 GB / 64 bit for 2 GB Added after 1 [minutes]: Additionally, Memtest86 + Added after 2 [minutes]:

Anonymous · Answer

I am a practitioner, I recommend a very simple performance test, equipment with 1.6GHz Atom on Antix 16 in action:

Best Linux Distros for Asus F5R Old Laptop: Lightweight OS for Intel T2250, AMD X1100M, 1GB RAM

What lightweight Linux distribution should I install on an Asus F5R with an Intel T2250, AMD X1100M and 1 GB RAM, and will it handle YouTube, VOD, Skype, and web browsing?

Topic summary

FAQ

Quick Facts

Which lightweight Linux distributions run best on an Asus F5R with 1 GB RAM?

Will YouTube or Netflix play smoothly?

Is Skype still available for 32-bit Linux?

Does Silverlight content still work under Linux?

How much RAM do common lightweight distros need?

How do I test several distros without installing?

My 120 GB SATA drive benchmarks at 38–46 MB/s. Can I speed things up?

Is Polish language support present in Sparky or Antix?

Which distro fits a 10.1″ Atom N455 netbook?

Should I install the latest release or an older LTS?

What lightweight browser alternatives exist to Firefox 52?

How do I enable the ATI X1100M driver and webcam?

I need an ultra-small live system for rescue tasks—options?