Light Weight GNU/Linux for Old Laptops -> Suggestions?

[V.T. Eric Layton]

My aunt and my cousin's wife have three old lappies that they're trying to use. My aunt's is already running Ubuntu, but it's works very slowly. The cousin's wife's laptops a bit newer vintage.

 

I know I can make these guys scream with Slackware, but... it's a bit complicated to install that OS on their systems because I'd have to be over there all the time doing the updates/upgrades. They have no idea what a command line interface is. So, Slack is not a viable option for them. Ubuntu (newer versions) are quite bulky for these old lappies, I think.

 

What else is out there these days that is easy to install and won't freak out longtime MS Windows users?

[raymac46]

Try Linux Mint Xfce, or Lubuntu LXQt. If you really need a light system there's AntiX. Ubuntu MATE or MX Linux (Xfce or even Fluxbox) might also work.

[raymac46]

What those old laptops really need is a cheap SSD.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I wasn't able to get over there to look at them today, so I don't really have much info on age/type. I'll know more when I get over there tomorrow. Thank for the above suggestions. I'll be able to determine more when I see what it is I'm actually going to have to work with.

[abarbarian]

MX linux do two lightweight desktop versions and also do 32Bit versions.  Mx has been very stable for me over the years. Cheap ssd's get my vote too.

 

https://mxlinux.org/download-links/

Edited June 2, 2023 by abarbarian

[raymac46]

If they are 32 bit machines they are a bit of a lost cause. Not enough addressable memory to do much. In that case I'd go with AntiX or some flavor of MX Linux. If you can install Mint Xfce there are options to automate the updates.

[securitybreach]

23 minutes ago, raymac46 said:

If they are 32 bit machines they are a bit of a lost cause. Not enough addressable memory to do much. In that case I'd go with AntiX or some flavor of MX Linux. If you can install Mint Xfce there are options to automate the updates.

 

Yeah, most distros dropped 32 bit support a couple of years ago.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

2 hours ago, abarbarian said:

Cheap ssd's get my vote too.

 

Nah... I won't be doing any hardware work on these laptops. Besides, these folks are almost as financially destitute as I am. They don't have $10 to spare to buy new SSDs. My cousin, g-friend, and two daughters were just evicted from the home they were renting because their rent went from $1800/month to $2800/month. They cannot afford that. They're moving in to my aunt and her husband's little three bedroom home. All of their stuff is in the front and back yards under tarps and all over the inside of the house. It SUCKS to be poor. My aunt and her husband worked their entire lives (in the early 80s now) and they struggle to live on their measly pensions and their SS. A sad state of affairs.

[raymac46]

Well hopefully you won't have too many problems with wifi. Mint has a nice driver manager that can fix most issues - assuming you can wire the laptop up to get connected to the Internet. With any luck you'll have Atheros wifi and it'll just work.

Edited June 2, 2023 by raymac46

[crp]

oh geez, I went through this a couple of years ago. 

An old Vanilla OS (2018 version? 2019?) turned out to be the best of the dozen or so I tried out.

 

laptop went kaput about a year after installation of the OS, but it did run just about 24/7 .

[wa4chq]

I'm not sure if it would be helpful, but what about testing with a live distro?  Do their lappy's have a USB port?

[Hedon James]

18 hours ago, V.T. Eric Layton said:

I wasn't able to get over there to look at them today, so I don't really have much info on age/type. I'll know more when I get over there tomorrow. Thank for the above suggestions. I'll be able to determine more when I see what it is I'm actually going to have to work with.

I was going to ask about specs, so I could figure out HOW lightweight you need to be.  But since we don't know that yet, I'll just say that I think Ray's list is pretty comprehensive.

 

Ideally, I'd suggest Lubuntu LXQT, or Linux Mint XFCE if the machine specs will allow that.  If they dont perform sufficiently with those lightweight distros, I'd look at distros with WMs, as opposed to lightweight DEs.  In that case, I'd be looking squarely at MX Linux - Fluxbox Edition, or AntiX from the list.  I have no experience with MX, but I hear wonderful things about it from everyone who has experience with it....including several folks on this forum...and those opinions are held in high esteem by me, so I trust that recommendation.  AntiX is an excellent choice, with the ability to choose IceWM, Fluxbox, or a third lightweight WM whose name escapes me at the moment.

 

And if you're looking at WM distros, I'll also suggest Bunsen Labs, based on Debian.  Very well done, looks fantastic, and a strong community supporting it.  Good luck!

[raymac46]

I've played around with a number of junker laptops and to be frank, I've concluded that there are lots of suitable distros so you may as well choose one that makes the "client" comfortable. An Xfce or LXQt desktop should do that.

That said Linux on junkers has more salient issues namely:

1. Wifi chipset. Old Atheros , old IBM and old Realtek are pretty much idiot proof. Newer Atheros and IBM might need nonfree firmware additions. Broadcom and newer Realtek and Mediatek can be dodgy. You have to be ready for the wifi to not work and know how to fix it. I usually have a working old USB adapter to plug in. And forget about Generation 5 (AC) adapters. N level capability will be OK for old stuff.
2.  Memory. Your machine might run nicely on your selected distro but without at least 4 GB of RAM your web surfing and video/audio will suck.
3. CPU. Forget about 32 bit. You can find a distro for it but it'll be a crashbox and frustrate your new user. Nothing I know of is going to make it satisfactory.
4. SSD. Yeah yeah I know you don't want to add one but there isn't anything IN THE WORLD that'll do more to spice up an old laptop. It'll boot in 1/4 the time, programs load in a jiffy, it'll probably be better than it was new. Even a 64 bit used SSD from a thrift store would do the trick. You need SATA2 capability to really cook but SATA2 has been around since 2004.

[raymac46]

Here's an example of what I have had to deal with - 2010 Toshiba NB301 netbook. Runs lightweight and stable Arch Linux LXQt.

1. Wifi - Atheros -works like a champion.
2. Memory - 2GB and cannot be upgraded. Bad. You can run light office stuff and ultralight browsers but it really sucks.
3. CPU - 64 bit Atom. Slow, underpowered but at least a 64 bit distro runs on it.
4. SSD - really old Sandisk that I had in a parts box.

Checks 3 of 4 boxes but the memory cripples it. I keep it around as proof of concept but would I let anybody else have it - Nah.

Edited June 3, 2023 by raymac46

[securitybreach]

3 minutes ago, raymac46 said:

Here's an example of what I have had to deal with - 2010 Toshiba NB301 netbook. Runs lightweight and stable Arch Linux LXQt.

1. Wifi - Atheros -works like a champion.
2. Memory - 2GB and cannot be upgraded. Bad. You can run light office stuff and ultralight browsers but it really sucks.
3. CPU - 64 bit Atom. Slow, undepowered but at least a 64 bit distro runs on it.
4. SSD - really old Sandisk that I had in a parts box.

Checks 3 of 4 boxes but the memory cripples it. I keep it around as proof of concept but would I let anybody else have it - Nah.

 

Yeah, I have an old HP netbook with similar specs. It works fine until you open a browser and the javascript heavy internet bogs it down to a crawl. Its the ram that is the major issue.

[abarbarian]

4 minutes ago, raymac46 said:

Checks 3 of 4 boxes but the memory cripples it. I keep it around as proof of concept but would I let anybody else have it - Nah.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Well... another delay in getting over there, so won't have the chance to see what I'm dealing with until Monday.

[raymac46]

Here is another example of what you could see: HP Pavilion 14 inch from 2015. Runs Linux Mint Xfce.

1. Wifi. Broadcom BCM43142. Fugly. This one ain't gonna work unless you install with a wire or USB wifi dongle, then use Mint's Driver Manager to resolve matters.
2. Memory. 8 GB DDR3 - lots of capacity with a light distro. Runs anything.
3. CPU. Core i5 Broadwell. 2 Cores, 4 threads. Decent Intel graphics.
4. SSD. Patriot Elite Burst 1 TB. Rock and Roll.

I had to tear the whole laptop down to replace the HDD with an SSD. But this one is a keeper. Perfect for the grandkids to use. It's well within the 10 year window of useful hardware for Linux. I think a new Linux user might be frustrated with no wifi though.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I have a sneaking suspicion that these two laptops that I'm going to look at are substantially older than 2015.

 

My aunt's laptop that I fixed up for her is an old Dell D810 w/ Pentium M (32 bit). It's running Ubuntu, but the last upgrade was to 18.04. It will upgrade no more because Ubuntu is no longer supporting that version. Also, there's not much I can do to change things on that machine because of the 32 bit limit... not many Linuxes out there still offering 32 bit support.

 

I don't think the two laptops that belong to my cousin's girlfriend are as old as the above mentioned Dell, but they're probably not to "young" either. We'll see...

 

And yes, FUGLY broadcom... had issues with that running Slackware on all my previous laptops. There is a simple fix to get it working, though. Fortunately, I don't have any laptops these days.

[raymac46]

You might try antiX on that old 32 bit machine. Probably a better solution than Ubuntu 18.04.

[crp]

if older than 8 years, i would just go find a clunker on eBay or a thrift shop.

[raymac46]

My collection of junker laptops are ones I've had quite a while (aging gracefully) or I got from my neighbor when he upgraded his systems. With the exception of the Netbook all work just fine - no gaming but they'll do anything else I need. I keep them around to experiment with various distros on the rails. They are not daily drivers, but I don't need to dual boot anything or run VMs to test things out. The oldest useful one is a tank-like Thinkpad T430 that I take on holidays and never worry about theft or breakage. If on a cruise, I like to take it to the ship's Internet support lounge and when the attendant asks me what OS I'm running I say "Debian" and watch him choke on his Dr. Pepper.

[securitybreach]

BTW I have mentioned it before but you can get a 3 year old laptop without an OS on ebay for less than $300. Corporations have to dump their laptops every three years due to warranty reasons. So if you search for "used business class laptops" on ebay, they are plentiful. The nice part is that most never even left the docking station with minimal wear and business class laptops are higher spec'd and have tons of accessories you can also purchase new or used from ebay. The only reason I know this is because years ago when I was filling up a pallet with laptops I wondered to myself, what would I do with 500 laptops? Sure enough they are all on ebay, I even seen a listing with boxes with our asset tags on them. Oddly enough, they were being sold via Finland. Who knows what these disposal companies do? Must be nice to get paid to take away hundreds of laptops and other IT equipment.

 

Also, the last 3 laptops that I have bought were via this method. Current one is an HP Elitebook 830 G7 with an i7, 1tb nvme ssd and 32gb of ram. I bought it for $250 and bought another 16gb of ram for like $50 or so, installed Arch and it was good to go. Actually no, I didn't even install arch. I cloned the previous laptop's harddrive using clonezilla and restored it to the new machine. Gotta love linux.

[Hedon James]

if those old lappies are 32 bit, your options will be quite limited.  But I agree with Ray that AntiX would be a solid choice for any 32 bit machines.  And Bunsen Lab....they have a 32-bit option also.

 

IF the machines are 64 bit, and IF they're light on RAM (4GB or less), they might be solid candidates for ChromeOS Flex?!  Google maintains a list of "supported" machines, but it's not comprehensive...it's only what they support.  It's entirely possible Chrome will run just fine on those old machines.  So if your folks are already invested in the Android/Google ecosystem with their phones, perhaps ChromeOS will be a very seamless, painless, and trouble-free transition for them?  For you to decide...and maybe their hardware won't allow it...but perhaps an option to consider?

 

As an exercise of curiousity, I put ChromeOS Flex on a thumb drive and booted into a Live Session of Chrome to test compatibility of an old Toshiba Satellite and 2 Gateway NVS laptops.  The Toshiba is circa 2005ish, while the Gateways were bought as like-new refurbs circa 2009.  All 3 came with Win7 OEM, but ChromeOS Flex ran perfectly fine, with no issues whatsoever....everything worked OOTB.  In fact, ChromeOS ran better on those machines than Windows EVER did.  And since they all had 250GB-500GB+ HDDs (no ssds, just old school platter disks), they resolved one of the things I don't like about Chromebooks...."cloud storage".  The large disks made them local storage, with google services available as a backup!  I do like redundancy in my setups!

 

If your folks are already using google services, it might actually be the BEST choice for them?  If they are not, it still may make sense.  I was able to install Linux VMs on the Toshiba and 1 of the Gateways with no issues.  The 2nd Gateway wouldn't allow it, and I don't know why, as the 2 Gateways were IDENTICAL.  Maybe a virtual setting in the BIOS?  ChromeOS uses Crostini as a "sandbox" VM, with Debian Bullseye as the base repo.  I installed LibreOffice Writer, Calc, Draw, Firefox, PCManFM, and some utilities like "top", "inxi", etc...  Once installed from the terminal, icons are placed in the "app drawer", just like Chrome or Android apps, for selection; or even dragged into the launch bar as a "frequent" software choice.  I was BLOWN AWAY by how well those old decrepit machines ran ChromeOS, and with a LinuxVM enabled, I was able to install my PREFERRED Linux apps for use, in place of Google's default offerings.  Google's offerings are there, and available for those who actually prefer them; but Linux apps allowed me to eliminate the 2nd thing I don't like about the Google ecosystem.  Another bonus, IMO, is that ChromeOS automatically updates itself when updates are available.  No more users causing their own issues by refusing to update when notified....ChromeOS does it in the background, then notifies an update was installed and suggests a reboot to finalize.  That reboot takes about 10 seconds or less.....no reason NOT to do it.

 

I just donated these machines to a charitable organization last week, or I would've gladly sent them to you!  But for a fellow who can install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Slackware, ChromeOS Flex on a LiveUSB should be a walk in the park.  If you determine that ChromeOS Flex is a viable option you want to pursue, I'll be available to answer questions or help resolve any issues.  But like I said, probably a very simple task for a bona-fide Slacker!  FWIW...

[V.T. Eric Layton]

These folks have no options for anything requiring $$$. If it weren't for his mom (my aunt), my cousin and his two daughters would be living in their car.

 

So, I'll fudge up something that will work with these laptops they already own... or, they're screwed. They'll ALL have to share my aunt's old Dell.

[raymac46]

From what I can gather about the Dell D810 it'll have an old Intel wifi solution so antiX should work fine.

The big problem will be lack of memory. A low end browser like Midori or Falkon can be a lifesaver on something that old.

I believe HJ's suggestion of ChromeOS Flex might be a solid option as well - but you'll probably need a 64 bit CPU for that as he mentioned.

Edited June 4, 2023 by raymac46

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Nah.. that 810 is definitely 32 bit. I upgraded it as far as it could go (2Gig, I think) with RAM when I first set it up for her four or five years ago. The Ubuntu 18.04 is just very, very slow these days. It all still works, you just have to let your beard grow a bit while waiting.

[raymac46]

Well you could install Midori and see if your aunt can surf OK with it. It'll be better than Firefox or Chromium.

[wa4chq]

Peppermint?

[raymac46]

As an experienced Linux user, I always have trouble recommending one distro for new users - not because I don't know what they need, but because my choice is stupefyingly boring. Hence I keep coming back to Linux Mint.

• Mint gives you trailing edge software, but it's based on LTS and you get 5 years or so of support. It can be upgraded in place when the time comes, and you don't have to reinstall.
• The full-featured and lightweight Mint releases have stable, well designed interfaces that are familiar to anyone who used Windows XP or 7 back in the day.
• Mint can be configured to update and backup automatically.
• Mint has handy graphical tools to do a manual update and resolve wifi and video issues.
• Mint has most codecs you need for audio and video playback.

Any other distro that does the above would be fine. But I've found that Mint does it with class. Mint is like driving a Toyota Camry. No points for style, but it will get you where you want to go.

My case in point: My 9 year old granddaughter has been using Mint on an ancient Acer desktop system for two years without any intervention on my part, or any glitches. Half the time the box gets left on for weeks without a reboot. She does schoolwork and lots of browser gaming with an Nvidia 1060 graphics card.