Which distro for VERY old laptop?

[Twizlerr]

I have a laptop with a 4gb hard drive and 64mb RAM. Windows 98 is really slow, so I want to give Linux a shot, though I don't know which distros would work best. Any suggestions?

[TeoBigusGeekus]

With only 64mb of ram, I think the only solution would be tiny core (http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html).

[Twizlerr]

With only 64mb of ram, I think the only solution would be tiny core (http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html).

I noticed on the tiny core webpage it says, "It is not a complete desktop nor is all hardware completely supported. It represents only the core needed to boot into a very minimal X desktop typically with wired internet access." Does this mean that tiny core won't have Internet access with a wireless card?

[TeoBigusGeekus]

I noticed on the tiny core webpage it says, "It is not a complete desktop nor is all hardware completely supported. It represents only the core needed to boot into a very minimal X desktop typically with wired internet access." Does this mean that tiny core won't have Internet access with a wireless card?

I don't know; I've never used tiny core...
...but you could give it a shot; your laptop is a paperweight anyway - you have nothing to lose.

[SE7EN-LOCSTA]

you may also want to try damnsmall linux

[haqking]

I have a laptop with a 4gb hard drive and 64mb RAM. Windows 98 is really slow, so I want to give Linux a shot, though I don't know which distros would work best. Any suggestions?

see here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/LowMemorySystems

and also you may want to look at DSL (http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/) as mentioned above though very out of date now.

Also puppy linux (http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm) and tiny core linux (http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html)

[mörgæs]

Damn Small Linux is indeed outdated. You can try it for fun, but your computer will be one big security hole. In general I think that we should stop mentioning DSL when people ask.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1582027

[haqking]

Damn Small Linux is indeed outdated. You can try it for fun, but your computer will be one big security hole. In general I think that we should stop mentioning DSL when people ask.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1582027

I know i always mention it with trepidation, i used to think it was so cool like 6 years ago when i would carry it around on a 128Mb USB key and run it in its window (still got that somewhere) but now it is dead.

nice link by the way, interesting...cheers

[mörgæs]

Yes, it was a great distro at its time.

I doubt that a 64 MB computer will get running again, but if any distro works it is mentioned in the link.

This might also help:
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/minimal

[bodhi.zazen]

moved to recurring discussions. Lots of threads here on this very same topic.

IMO Slitaz, Tinycore, Gentoo, or Slackware.

[lykwydchykyn]

Just about anything is going to be slow on that machine, and any distro light enough to run on it is likely to give you some challenges when it comes to enabling hardware.

I'd start with slitaz, then try tinycore, and if neither worked try damnsmall as a last resort.

[lykwydchykyn]

In general I think that we should stop mentioning DSL when people ask.


I usually mention it as a last resort. TinyCore and Slitaz are better options, but when you get into stuff that dates from the mid-90's, sometimes there isn't another option, unless there's a modern distro with an option to use a 2.4 kernel and GTK 1.2 that I don't know about.

[galacticaboy]

damn small linux is indeed outdated. You can try it for fun, but your computer will be one big security hole. In general i think that we should stop mentioning dsl when people ask.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1582027

+1

[smellyman]

antix

LINK (http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?title=Main_Page)