DELL Dimension 8250 to Linux
 

I have a DELL Dimension that used to work fine with Windows XP. I tried to put Windows 7 on it, but it is too slow and 7 will be gone soon anyway.

I have heard my whole computer life-time about Linux.

Will Linux run on this computer?

Can I search the Internet with Linux?

Do DVDs work, and can I use the sound card and graphics card that worked well with XP?

I want to give this computer to my daughter.

Is the learning of Linux very cumbersome?

Thank you,

John Carter

Best to google "Linux on older computers" to find something, also the link below has a list of Linux distributions which should run on something that old.

Obviously, you can access the internet but your hardware is old and you may not have the necessary drivers for some hardware, network cards, graphic card and sound.

Learning Linux for someone who has been a windows user requires "un-learning" windows as the systems are very different. The ability to read minimizes the problem as there are sites for most distributions with numerous tutorials. Going through the site below should be a good start.

https://www.maketecheasier.com/best-...der-computers/

Hi ningsojourning,

Welcome to LQ! I recommend either Debian or Mint with XFCE desktop. I had a Dell 2400 p4 2gb of ram running Debian 9 with XFCE just fine. I donated it to my local library.

Good luck!

Thank you all very much. I have been starting to learn about Linux. Surprisingly during a visit my son made, he put the Linux version he had to use for a college thesis - Ubuntu or something, but as I have learned from this very nice "self-help" site, it seems to have been the Rolls-Royce version of Linux which proved to be too "tough" for my DELL. Since then I put another one on it, Bionic Beaver LTX (LXDE) which was/(is) actually almost fast enough. I want to give this computer to my daughter instead of throwing it away. It was my first "store-bought" computer and I still have a 'nice' emotional attachment to it. Right now my question has to do with the version I am about to put on it. It is linuxmint-19.2-cinnamon-32bit.iso. I cannot boot from a USB stick from the DELL and have had to burn the downloaded file to a DVD which has now worked twice, although after the "Bionic Beaver install" I did get a slew of statements that something didn't get correctly installed. As mentioned, the OS did work nevertheless fast enough, for my taste, however, the pertinent question has to do with something about me needing to click on the version I downloaded to make sure it is the right iso file or something. I am not sure if I can just burn the previously mentioned file address to the DVD or if I need to check something out first.

I have become a life-long Linux fan even though I have not yet found the Linux version that will make my Dell great again :)

Lastly, important for me to be able to learn, will be how to make VLC work with all the different country codes AND how I can "update" the drivers for the DVD player and sound card on the DELL in order that the video - which now 'functions' but quite "unsmoothly".

LQ forum, I thank you already and am grateful to have found people who are dedicated to a high-quality "computer world".

Motherboards with Intel 850E chipsets as https://www.manualslib.com/manual/67...s.html?page=42 suggests you should have an AGP slot. AGP cards are quite limited in performance compared to newer PCIe graphics. What's worse is that you could have onboard Intel video, in which case graphics support is likely to be much poorer, or even absent. In either case I wouldn't attempt to use Cinnamon on anything that didn't do well with LXDE. The 850E supports a maximum of 2G of RAM. Onboard Intel graphics uses a portion of installed RAM, reducing RAM available to the system.

I suggest any of the distros recommended for old hardware is precisely what your daughter will need, but that basically means you need good support for old hardware, and a lightweight (non-demanding) desktop environment. If it was me given no choice but to do the installation on that PC, I'd start with a minimal Debian or openSUSE or Mandriva installation as a mainstream distro base, then add Trinity Desktop Environment, well featured yet light enough in weight that a youngster should be un-flustered by waiting that her friends' newer PCs are likely not subjecting them to. If TDE proved to be too demanding, which IME with similar aged PCs isn't likely, only then would I go with one of the less mainstream distros intended specifically for old hardware, most likely AntiX, even though I don't like its under the covers structure personally. The reason for preferring the mainstream base is foundational, for when a newer, faster PC becomes available to her she'll have need for little to no relearning resulting from quirks.

Thank you kindly.

This issue is not yet finished. A <minimal Debian or openSUSE or Mandriva installation as a mainstream distro base>, am I supposed to figure out where the distro is ??? Can you post a link to such a version ?

https://antixlinux.com/download/
(you want the base or full version)

Thanks, I do not know. I want a version that works and makes the DELL faster. I guess I'll try this link. THANKS and I'll see. Maybe the base first ??? I AM a Newbie and think in a year I'll have understood much more, but right now.... dang....

[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-base.iso 2019-03-28 13:52 658M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-base.iso.md5 2019-03-28 13:16 60
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-base.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 13:16 92
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-base.iso.sig 2019-03-28 13:16 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-base.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 16:24 1.3M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-core.iso 2019-03-28 14:04 310M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-core.iso.md5 2019-03-28 16:23 60
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-core.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 16:23 92
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-core.iso.sig 2019-03-28 16:23 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-full.iso 2019-03-28 13:56 1.0G
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-full.iso.md5 2019-03-28 13:17 60
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-full.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 13:17 92
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-full.iso.sig 2019-03-28 13:18 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-full.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 13:18 1.9M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-net.iso 2019-03-28 14:17 162M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-net.iso.md5 2019-03-28 16:24 59
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-net.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 16:24 91
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-net.iso.sig 2019-03-28 16:24 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_386-net.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 16:24 284K
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-base.iso 2019-03-28 13:51 632M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-base.iso.md5 2019-03-28 13:24 60
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-base.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 13:24 92
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-base.iso.sig 2019-03-28 13:24 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-base.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 13:25 1.2M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-core.iso 2019-03-28 14:04 300M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-core.iso.md5 2019-03-28 16:25 60
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-core.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 16:25 92
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-core.iso.sig 2019-03-28 16:25 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-core.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 16:25 525K
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-full.iso 2019-03-28 13:55 953M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-full.iso.md5 2019-03-28 13:25 60
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-full.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 13:25 92
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-full.iso.sig 2019-03-28 13:25 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-full.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 13:25 1.9M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-net.iso 2019-03-28 14:17 155M
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-net.iso.md5 2019-03-28 16:25 59
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-net.iso.sha256 2019-03-28 16:25 91
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-net.iso.sig 2019-03-28 16:25 310
[ ] antiX-17.4.1_x64-net.iso.zsync 2019-03-28 16:24 271K
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-base.xdelta 2019-03-28 13:04 82M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-base.xdelta.md5 2019-03-28 13:14 67
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-core.xdelta 2019-03-28 13:51 31M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-full.xdelta 2019-03-28 12:35 93M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-full.xdelta.md5 2019-03-28 13:15 68
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-net.xdelta 2019-03-28 14:10 22M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_386-net.xdelta.md5 2019-03-28 14:15 67
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-base.xdelta 2019-03-28 13:20 78M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-base.xdelta.md5 2019-03-28 13:25 68
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-core.xdelta 2019-03-28 13:42 30M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-full.xdelta 2019-03-28 12:15 89M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-full.xdelta.md5 2019-03-28 13:15 68
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-net.xdelta 2019-03-28 14:06 22M
[ ] antiX-17.4_17.4.1_x64-net.xdelta.md5 2019-03-28 14:15 67


Which one should I choose ?!?!?!!? I just want the minimum, would be great if a browser and VLC player was on it, and a word program, but still just trying to learn.

Links and synopses to a hundred or more distros are on https://distrowatch.com/. Look at the right side after scrolling down a page and you should easily spot all three "base" distros. Each has roots in the 1990s. AntiX, Debian-based, is there with them.

The place to start learning, including what to download, is on its home page, so that you'll know what base and full mean.

Your hardware is not likely to be able to handle systems such as a default Ubuntu or Linux Mint, particularly with Cinnamon Desktop so something like AntiX or other lite systems listed at the link I posted above or at the DistroWatch site. If you decide you want to try AntiX, their home page is the best source. As to which to choose, you need the one which ends in iso such as the first one on the list you posted if you have 32Bit hardware. You can also tell by the size which is listed on the line. The member who suggested ANtiX recommends the 'base' iso and I doubt is you download the minimal, core iso file that you will have things like VLC, probably not even a graphical enviroment. Best to get those details from their site.

Thank you yancek,

I need to boot the DELL from a DVD. This guy is talking about USB booting. I will give the basic, the first one a go, attempting to put it on a bootable DVD.

Nothing will make your DELL faster.
GNU/Linux is cool, but it does not perform miracles or voodoo on hardware.

Something that ends in .iso and is for your 32 bit architecture = 386.
I still think you should go with the full version, because it means you need to install less yourself.

And as was said, you should go to the distro's web pages' installation instructions and take it from there:
https://antixlinux.com/ - then, after some clicking, maybe here: https://download.tuxfamily.org/antix...oot/begin.html or here: https://antixlinux.com/video-tutorials/

Using whatever operating system you have and CD/DVD burning software, you should have an option to "burn as an image" or something close to it as simply copying to the DVD won't make it bootable. Lots of sites with explanations/tutorials on creating a bootable DVD. Good luck.