Linux recommendation
Discussion
Hi forumites
Have a old 8GB I3 HP laptop of 2010 vintage.
I upgraded it to windows 10 a few years ago however it doesnt sit well on it. The big problem is the fan which is on most of the time as opposed to earlier versions of windows.
It doesnt owe me anything but have decided to put on a lightweight OS on it for browsing.
Havnt used linux for a while so can anyone recommend a lightweight distro?
I did some googling but some of them i have never heard of Nitrux ??
Used ubuntu before but i dont think that is very light.
Any ideas?
Cheers
Have a old 8GB I3 HP laptop of 2010 vintage.
I upgraded it to windows 10 a few years ago however it doesnt sit well on it. The big problem is the fan which is on most of the time as opposed to earlier versions of windows.
It doesnt owe me anything but have decided to put on a lightweight OS on it for browsing.
Havnt used linux for a while so can anyone recommend a lightweight distro?
I did some googling but some of them i have never heard of Nitrux ??
Used ubuntu before but i dont think that is very light.
Any ideas?
Cheers
It might be worth cleaning out the vents as laptops tend to suck up fluff and cause overheating.
If not, I've been running Elementary OS on an I3 with as SSD and it flies.
It looks like a Mac too if that takes your fancy
https://elementary.io/
If not, I've been running Elementary OS on an I3 with as SSD and it flies.
It looks like a Mac too if that takes your fancy
https://elementary.io/
Lubuntu is reasonably light, but in my experience Linux in general tends to draw more power than Windows.
I'd be tempted to check task manager in the Windows install for CPU hogs, or see if the cooling fan/fins are clogged, as I doubt if Linux will run significantly cooler than Windows 10 running properly.
I'd be tempted to check task manager in the Windows install for CPU hogs, or see if the cooling fan/fins are clogged, as I doubt if Linux will run significantly cooler than Windows 10 running properly.
Have a look at Cloudready which is ChromeOS in all but name (and now been bought by Google).
Quite handy if you're already tied into the Google ecosystem and just want a simple user experience. You can also install Linux within it as well if you so fancy.
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload
Quite handy if you're already tied into the Google ecosystem and just want a simple user experience. You can also install Linux within it as well if you so fancy.
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload
XFCE is pretty light weight, most distro can run it. My personal preference has been mint for a few years, which has an xfce specific release
https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_tessa_xfce_whatsnew....
https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_tessa_xfce_whatsnew....
Thanks ppl for the advice.
That elementaryOS does look good !
Ill download the elementary/lubunto and mint iso's and give them a try. See what the laptop responds best to.
If the fan still keeps going mad its going to the junk heap. (ive done all the task/resource manager and startup tweaks so nothing to lose!)
That elementaryOS does look good !
Ill download the elementary/lubunto and mint iso's and give them a try. See what the laptop responds best to.
If the fan still keeps going mad its going to the junk heap. (ive done all the task/resource manager and startup tweaks so nothing to lose!)
eltawater said:
Have a look at Cloudready which is ChromeOS in all but name (and now been bought by Google).
Quite handy if you're already tied into the Google ecosystem and just want a simple user experience. You can also install Linux within it as well if you so fancy.
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload
I came here to post this too. I run it on an old laptop. I think it lacks some of the full ChromeOS support for Android apps. But runs super quick and trouble free on old spec machines. Quite handy if you're already tied into the Google ecosystem and just want a simple user experience. You can also install Linux within it as well if you so fancy.
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload
300bhp/ton said:
eltawater said:
Have a look at Cloudready which is ChromeOS in all but name (and now been bought by Google).
Quite handy if you're already tied into the Google ecosystem and just want a simple user experience. You can also install Linux within it as well if you so fancy.
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload
I came here to post this too. I run it on an old laptop. I think it lacks some of the full ChromeOS support for Android apps. But runs super quick and trouble free on old spec machines. Quite handy if you're already tied into the Google ecosystem and just want a simple user experience. You can also install Linux within it as well if you so fancy.
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload
Will give it a try
I went for a £19 SSD drive and Ubuntu Mate on a machine of this vintage recently.
It is now as fast as day one. It boots from cold in about 5 seconds and the fan rarely kicks in. £19 only gets you 128Gb of SSD storage, but I don't store anything on it anyway.
Install from USB thumb drive, all instructions on Mate web pages.
It is now as fast as day one. It boots from cold in about 5 seconds and the fan rarely kicks in. £19 only gets you 128Gb of SSD storage, but I don't store anything on it anyway.
Install from USB thumb drive, all instructions on Mate web pages.
I'm using POP OS on a couple of older machines, really nice looking and performing OS, recommend.
https://pop.system76.com
https://pop.system76.com
Before you might use CloudReady check the current status on the latest release re running Linux apps.
Google are shuttering it's current method of running Linux apps and switching it over to use Crostini which is about to leave beta on Chrome OS. Makes sense for both OS versions to use the same standards and protocols, which is containers for Linux apps in this instance.
Another worth checking out might be Peux OS. It's very nice and modern looking. Might also be of interest to those who mentioned Elementary OS above based on aesthetics.
https://peux-os.netlify.app/
Google are shuttering it's current method of running Linux apps and switching it over to use Crostini which is about to leave beta on Chrome OS. Makes sense for both OS versions to use the same standards and protocols, which is containers for Linux apps in this instance.
Another worth checking out might be Peux OS. It's very nice and modern looking. Might also be of interest to those who mentioned Elementary OS above based on aesthetics.
https://peux-os.netlify.app/
Edited by Corso Marche on Friday 26th February 09:51
The fan going nuts might be down to incompatible graphics drivers.
I had the same with an old HP laptop a few years ago, which had two graphics cards in it (well, one onboard and one integrated to the CPU). Tracking down the error took many attempts, and Windows updates overwrote the working drivers occasionally too, just to add to the fun!
It was the latest drivers which caused the issue, rolling back to an older version cooled it down and stopped the fan going mad.
It was a metal cased laptop, you could hardly hold your hand on it due to the heat.
I had the same with an old HP laptop a few years ago, which had two graphics cards in it (well, one onboard and one integrated to the CPU). Tracking down the error took many attempts, and Windows updates overwrote the working drivers occasionally too, just to add to the fun!
It was the latest drivers which caused the issue, rolling back to an older version cooled it down and stopped the fan going mad.
It was a metal cased laptop, you could hardly hold your hand on it due to the heat.
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