Windows is getting more and more resource-hungry. Older PCs, with lower specifications, are not able to run the latest versions of Windows. So is it time to dump your old PC and buy a new one? Well, that's one option. And that costs money. However, it's not the only option. You can give your old PC a new lease of life by installing Linux as the operating system. Have you tried doing that?
I must say i already did on my pc that i really don't use to often. To be "real" you can run windows 7, xp (yes i know there are no updates for it but it's still good) on older machines. Some people won't like Linux because of it's interface, on first look it looks a bit different and it is. For me, i had to find on google how to instal .exe files on linux not knowing there was an app called Wine. Also linux has some problems with drivers, that was a case for my graphics card. If you don't like Linux you can always install some older version of windows.
I am using Puppy Linux. This distro is suitable for people who migrate from Windows. Its user interface is rather like Windows. And it's meant to be single user, so there is no need to change to root to get things done. Also, Puppy Linux can be run from a usb drive. In fact, it can be used totally from a usb drive. So if your hard drive is dead, and you just want to use your computer for surfing the net, using Puppy Linux is an option.
I didn't know that you can still surf even when your hard drive is already dead. I also intend to use Linux in the future if it will make me immune to keyloggers. I just have to study how to navigate it in general.
Oh yes, you can still surf when your hard drive is already dead. The simple reason is that when you use Puppy Linux running from a usb drive, it doesn't need a hard drive at all. I have actually taken out my hard drive and used Puppy Linux to surf the net. No problems at all.
I have dual booted my laptop with Windows 8 and also Linux. Maybe the reason that it works very well without any trouble is it is comparatively new. But I have never heard of puppy Linux. Are they the ones which are bootable from pendrive and are required for beginners?
I've played around with linux on older desktops but every time I try to install a version on an older laptop, something doesn't work. The webcam or the touchpad mouse are my usual problems. I like linux that's setup for the non-techie-user, like Mint. Unfortunately, troubleshooting it without the programming skills is difficult even when you haunt the forums for solutions. Of course, troubleshooting windows can be a headache too.
Have you tried Puppy Linux Retro? That distro was designed for older machines. There are many drivers in it which may be what you need.
After the first install, getting Linux onto an old Windows PC is one of the easiest tasks out there. There are plenty of options as far as Linux is concerned, too, so users can usually find a build that suits their preferences for UI and other features. In most cases, it's far easier on older PCs and laptops, as you've said. Far too many people avoid this solution because they think it's so difficult to switch from Windows to Linux, but that's really not the case. I recommend this option to anyone with a PC that can't handle Windows anymore.
Have you tried installing odesk tracker on Puppy linux? i've successfully tried it and works well now. i guess its possible still to work online using this operating system. Its faster than using windows Xp in my old laptop.
I've been meaning to try that. I have an old xp in the closet I as hanging on to in case I could use it to stack up swag bucks or perk points sometime if I can an OS that can do that on websites that are up to date.
I use a Puppy Linux on a very old ThinkPad laptop. I run Lucid on a flash drive. The ThinkPad had Window XP which ran okay, but the hard drive was failing. It feels like a fairly new computer when I use Linux. Lucid is very close to Windows so the learning curve was very small.
Windows 7 actually doesn't have too brutal requirements. I have found that even old PCs can run it just fine, as long as they could run XP. My old Duron 950 is currently running Windows 7 without problems. I did not expect it to be able to handle that system, but.. yeah, what do you know.
This is what I did with my old desktop computer. And it's just so great because I was able to use that computer without having to buy a software legally speaking. But even the linux ones are better with their advanced OS, so it'd still boil down to your hardware. It's not just the software that would make your old computer fantastic but also it's hardware. And there are very affordable ways to upgrade your experience with your computer and that's by upgrading some of its parts. Let's say upgrade its RAM. And if you don't really want to let go of it, if it holds some sentimental value, then you could replace your hard drive with and SSD to supercharge its speed and storage durability. It's just that get ready to spend.
I'm doing this presently on a fairly new computer with low system resources. My Toshiba C855 -- It was running windows 7 which it didn't handle well at all. It's a bargain computer that I picked up strictly to do all sorts of different work. Email. social media, a little bit of image editing. Nothing wildly extensive. I tossed Linux Mint on it a few weeks ago and couldn't be happier. I find the most recent version to have everything I could ever ask for in an operating system. The only think ever keeping me from making the full-time leap to linux is gaming and even that I've been finding has improved tremendously in the Linux ecosystem. One day maybe Microsoft will finally give me a solid reason to leave the family.
I have a used tower pc. Tried everything to change from windows 98 to Linux. CD don't work, USB didn't work. I can't use external CD or USB. The Dell latitude business model I got from a garage sale had a window XP operating system installed in. The Hard drive was so corrupted I had to replace it. When I did, the hard drive won't format so I had to wipe the hard drive clean and started up with Ubuntu. I had Ubuntu for 8 months and it quit working for me. So I experiment the install of Window 7 Starter. The Dell latitude have 120gb hard drive, with 1.2gb memory. Audio/video won't upgrade. I tried to put in Mint Linux and another Linux I don't remember the OS before the window 7 starter. I'd like to get back to Linux I think its easier to get freeware from them than windows. Right now, window 7 starter was the 3rd option for this laptop. Experiment it a little before I dump it to buy a new pc to experiment it on. Maybe I'll try the duel boot option for puppy Linux. A project that I might just try.
I once tried installing Ubuntu on an old tower - and I never used it. It was just too 'hard' for me (yes, even ubuntu)! Partly it was because I couldn't get my wifi card working, but I think when you have two machines and you're already running one on a system that you're comfortable with, it doesn't make any sense for you to even touch the other one.
I am currently using a Linux system and its pretty easy to use for me. I could probably just use the command line if I wanted to. I didn't switch to Linux because my computer is old, I did it because my computed totally crapped out and erased the hard drive; so since Linux (namely Ubuntu) is free I just switched to that. Since I use Ubuntu for my web server images it wasn't that hard of an adjustment. Yeah I miss some of the programs from Windows, but WINE can handle most of them (a lot of them will crash but you just have to restart them).
