The advantage of using one of the Ubuntu based distributions (like the first group I mentioned) is that they have extensive software repositories. I don't recommend using a really outdated version of Linux, but there are distributions that work well on very little memory, like Puppy, or if you have not quite so little perhaps something like Salix Openbox. If you have less than that, these distributions may still work, but not as well. If you have at least 1GB, then you should be able to run one of the slightly lighter distributions like Linux Mint XFCE (as mentioned in the article), Xubuntu, or LXLE. One issue you might run into with older hardware is RAM. Most likely the hardware in these laptops will be well supported, though there can be something that will be harder to get working (like perhaps an old Broadcom wireless card).
HOW TO INSTALL LINUX ON A WINDOWS LAPTOP DRIVER
You are more likely to run into device driver issues with bleeding edge hardware. Generally in Linux older hardware is well supported. People should be afforded that opportunity, don't you think? If you have expanded knowledge, then you have expanded options for the world. Ninety-nine percent of the public has never experienced using the same computer with both Windows Vista and Linux. It can be instructive for a public library, school, or makerspace to install Linux as a dual-boot on these laptops so that members of the public can have hands-on experience to see how much faster Linux runs on the same hardware as Windows Vista. These sometimes run Linux three times faster than Windows Vista. I should mention, too, that there are a huge number of Windows Vista laptops that are also for sale on eBay. I'm hoping the YouTube video I made can spur such thought. However, can we afford to have a future society built in a piece-meal fashion? Someone needs to give some deeper thought to this topic. I do that kind of volunteer work on a small-scale, piece-meal fashion.
Here is the big question to wonder about: Who will be the intermediaries to rescue Windows XP laptops for the benefit of those members of society who can't afford a new laptop?. After installation of Linux, these could be ideal for a high school or college student. While there are not a lot of $20 laptops to be bought on eBay, there are a lot of Windows XP laptops selling in the $50 to $100 range. I was indeed surprised when I won the auction! No one else had bid on the laptop.Īfter installing Linux Mint 16 XFCE, I felt compelled to make this YouTube video showing how well this laptop works. The description of the laptop was that it was in perfect working condition, so I bid $20. Someone was selling such a laptop on eBay for $20. So, my curiosity got the best of me, and I searched eBay to find that particular laptop model: a Dell Latitude C640, manufactured in 2002. Many of these run really well with a light Linux distro, such as Linux Mint XFCE.Īt my public library job, I installed Linux Mint 16 XFCE on someone's Windows XP laptop and was amazed at how much faster the laptop ran.
Now that Windows XP has been officially discontinued there are a huge number of Windows XP laptops for sale on eBay.