What distro should I use for an old computer?

tokyo_seoul27 · 06-18-2009, 02:03 PM

Hello everyone! I have been a long time reader of this blog and a lot of the things up here have helped when I installed Ubuntu 9.04 on my other computer so I thought this would be the best place to come to find information about my latest project.

I have an ancient Compaq Presario 4504 desktop PC that has the old pentium processer 75-100 (200 mHz), 32 MB of RAM, 66 mHZ bus, and roughly about 1.45 GB to work with in hard drive space. It used to work windows 95, but a virus wiped that out and it has been hanging out in my guest room for a couple months now ready to be fixed over the summer. I have already tried the smaller linux distros like DSL, puppy, deli amd debian, but none have worked. DSL was the best in terms that it said that it had installed on the computer and to restart, but then when I restarted all I got was a blank screen.

I want to use it for really minimal stuff like surfing the web (checking e-mail, IMing) and be able to have open office on there to do some school stuff.

Please tell me if there would be something that would work for this computer and you would really make my day.

Thank you everyone!

Courtney

repo · 06-18-2009, 02:11 PM

puppy, dsl, minimal debian
However, I would consider adding some RAM

the trooper · 06-18-2009, 02:43 PM

32mb of ram is really pushing it.
Have a look at Tinycore:

http://www.tinycorelinux.com/

According to their faq 32mb is the absolute minimum.
Good luck!

DotHQ · 06-18-2009, 02:47 PM

Have you tried booting Ubuntu from CD on the old machine? I'm wondering if that would work?

tokyo_seoul27 · 06-18-2009, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotHQ

Have you tried booting Ubuntu from CD on the old machine? I'm wondering if that would work?

I wish since I really like that on my other computer. I think that like Fedora and OpenSUSE, it needs more RAM to operate than I have now.