• What OS is best for my old lappy?
    14 replies, posted
Ive had this thing for quite a bit and im going to give it a fresh wipeout and install. What os is best for it? [QUOTE] Dell XPS M140 Notebook Computer for Home (Pent-M 1.73GHz/60GB/512MB) specifications * General * Platform Technology Intel Centrino * Built-in Devices Wireless LAN antenna , Stereo speakers * Width 13.0 in * Depth 9.6 in * Height 1.5 in * Weight 5.5 lbs * Localization English * Notebook type Thin-and-light (4-6 lbs.) * Screen type Widescreen * Wireless capabilities IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g * Processor * Processor Intel Pentium M 770 / 1.73 GHz * Data Bus Speed 533.0 MHz * Features Enhanced SpeedStep technology , Execute Disable Bit capability , Power-optimized processor system bus * Chipset Type Mobile Intel 915GM Express * Cache Memory * Type L2 cache * Cache size 2.0 MB * RAM * Installed Size 512.0 MB / 2.0 GB (max) * Technology DDR2 SDRAM - 400.0 * Memory specification compliance PC2-3200 * RAM form factor SO DIMM 200-pin * RAM configuration features 2 x 256 MB * Environmental Parameters * Min Operating Temperature 32.0 °F * Max Operating Temperature 95.0 °F * Humidity Range Operating 10 - 90% * Shock Tolerance 122.0 g @ 2ms half-sine pulse (operating) / 163.0 g @ 2ms half-sine pulse (non-operating) * Vibration Tolerance 0.66 g @ RMS (random) (operating) / 1.3 g @ RMS (random) (non-operating) * Storage Controller * Storage controller type IDE * Storage * Floppy Drive None * Hard Drive 60.0 GB - 5400.0 rpm * Storage Removable None * Hard drive type Portable * Optical Storage * Type DVD±RW - Integrated * CD / DVD read speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD) * CD / DVD write speed 16x (CD) / 8x (DVD) * CD / DVD rewrite speed 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD) * Optical Storage (2nd) * 2nd optical storage type None * Card Reader * Card reader type 5 in 1 card reader * Supported flash memory cards Memory Stick Pro , MultiMediaCard , CompactFlash , xD-Picture Card , SD Memory Card , Memory Stick * Display * Display Type 14.1 in TFT active matrix * Max Resolution 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) * Widescreen Display Yes * Video * Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel GMA 900 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0 * Video Memory 100.0 * Audio * Audio output type Sound card * Audio codec STAC9200 * Audio output compliant standards AC '97 * Audio Output Features High Definition Audio * Input Device(s) * Input device type Keyboard , Touchpad * Telecom * Modem Fax / modem * Max transfer rate 56.0 Kbps * Protocols & Specifications ITU V.92 * Networking * Networking Network adapter * Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes * Wireless NIC Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG * Data link protocol Fast Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Ethernet * Networking standards IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g * Expansion / Connectivity * Expansion Slots Total (Free) 1.0 ( 1.0 ) x ExpressCard - SO DIMM 200-pin , 1.0 ( 1.0 ) x xD-Picture Card , 2.0 ( 1.0 ) x Memory , 1.0 ( 1.0 ) x CompactFlash Card , 1.0 ( 1.0 ) x SD Memory Card , 1.0 ( 0.0 ) x Memory Stick [/QUOTE]
A light version of xp.
I would put Antix or Slitaz on it.
XP would run fine on it, but that is getting old and clunky, and is butt-ugly IMO. If you're looking for something other than windows, I would say look into Xubuntu 9.10, it's a light version of Ubuntu designed for slower machines and is still quite packed with features.
I have a shittier laptop that ran Vista fine. Windows 7 BSODed on start because I had an old BIOS that didn't support ACPI properly. It's better now, but I loaded XP on there because it was designed for XP.
Linux, whichever distro you prefer. :D
Linux, or xp, depending on which one you prefer.
Win 7 might be alittle much for 512 mb ram. I'd say XP of any Linux Distro
The newest version of Ubuntu as it is lighter than windows :)
Open SUSE!
Facepunch distro. :science: Not sure if it's released yet, or they're still working on it.
Why not try Chrominum OS or whatever? It's supposed to be pretty lightweight.
You can throw XP on there, add the zune theme and some black and white wallpaper from interfacelift. I have it running on my netbook and it looks stunning.
[QUOTE=Fragny;20253121]Why not try Chrominum OS or whatever? It's supposed to be pretty lightweight.[/QUOTE] Why not? Because its basically a bootable browser, and not much else. Ubuntu I've found to boot and shut down slower than XP on older hardware, which is why I recommended Xubuntu (same support base, but faster OS). You might be able to get away with Windows 7, as well.
I would suggest [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCs"]WinFLP[/URL] but it would be very hard to get a copy legally. Otherwise, I would say XP or Xubuntu.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.