Which distro and version for older computer

[TheBig3]

Hello, this is my first time actually asking for help here, so forgive me if I make any mistakes.

The other day I was trying to install Ubuntu 9.10 on my mom's old system (not too old, has vista on it) and even from the live cd it wouldn't boot. Then I tried 8.04 because I know that works on my XP system. However it would freeze during boot but at least showed that it was booting (the bar was starting to fill).

The system is an eMachine T5226:
CPU : Intel® Pentium® D Processor 925 (Dual-Core)
64-bit processor with Intel® EM64T Technology
(Each core operates at 3.0GHz | 2 x 2MB L2 Cache | 800MHz FSB)
Operating System : Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Chipset : Intel® 945G
Memory : 1024MB DDR2 Memory, Dual-Channel Capable
(2 × 512MB), 533MHz (PC4200)Expandable to 2GB
2 DDR2 Slots (Total), 0 DDR2 Slot (Available)
Hard Drive : 250GB SATA II (7200rpm, 8MB Cache)
Optical Drives : DVD±RW 16x Multiformat Dual-Layer Optical Drive
Up to 8.5GB with Dual-Layer Media
Video : Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Up to 224MB Shared Video Memory
PCI-Express® (PCI-E x16) slot available for upgrade
Sound : 6-Channel (5.1) High-Definition Audio
Communications : 56K ITU v.92-ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 port)
Intel® 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)

Since we bought it it's been upgraded to 2 GB of ram and has a nVidia 8400gs video card and a belkin wireless adapter now. I can't understand why the live cds won't fully boot since my single core 2.2Ghz boots just fine with 8.04.

I was thinking of trying 6.06 to see of that might work. However I was unsure if the system is capable of running Ubuntu and might need Kubuntu or another distro.

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanyou in advance.

[nothingspecial]

An older version will not run any faster.

In fact Ubuntu tries to make itself run faster with each release.

I run Ubuntu 9.04 minimal and build it up from there.

Or try Crunchbang which is an actively developed Ubuntu derivative for slower systems.

[XubuRoxMySox]

That hardware is more than sufficient for any of the 'buntus. I like Xubuntu on my older hardware for it's speed and ease, but I also like it for it's simple, newbie-friendly interface. Crunchbang (http://crunchbanglinux.org) (one of my favorites!) is less "familiar-looking" and has a little steeper learning curve (which is really fun actually). It's stark minimal appearance belies it's power and versatility.

The latest version of X/K/Ubuntu will boot and run much faster than the earlier versions! Xubuntu (9.10) does not ship with most of the software that has given some people fits (PulseAudio, for example - Xubuntu uses ALSA instead) and runs trouble-free on my 'puter after all the updates.

-Robin

[mkvnmtr]

Your computer should be perfect for full Ubuntu. Check your disk for errors. If it is fine you could try the alt install disk. Even better is the minimal install disk. It seems to boot on everything. You will need to read up on minimal install but it is pretty simple. From the command line install xorg then Ubuntu desktop and you have a pretty normal install.

[Feenix217]

Hey there!

I'm happily running 9.04 with all updates on a Thinkpad A22m.

I don't try to do much with videos since it only has 128mb RAM.

Dave

[TheBig3]

I want to thank everyone for their help and support. Apparently the problem was somewhere in the BIOS settings. I disabled a few items and it was then able to boot to the live cd!!! Unfortunately this is after I purchased a new cd drive and harddrive to install Ubuntu onto.
Once again thanks to all for your help and support.