What OS you would install if you had this old laptop [Archive]

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asifnaz

January 5th, 2011, 06:16 PM

This is Pentium I 166 Mhz with 32 mb ram and 2gb HD .

I have this laptop and looking for some OS (GUI ) for it .

thnx

Simian Man

January 5th, 2011, 06:25 PM

PaperweightOS.

asifnaz

January 5th, 2011, 06:29 PM

PaperweightOS.

you must be kidding

NightwishFan

January 5th, 2011, 06:29 PM

Debian 2? :)

First thing I would try would be DSL: http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

asifnaz

January 5th, 2011, 06:33 PM

Debian 2? :)

First thing I would try would be DSL: http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

oh plz no DSL ....Its so ugly I will prefer CLI over it . I will look for Debian 2 if you are not kidding .

can slitaz work on such laptop..???

Spice Weasel

January 5th, 2011, 06:35 PM

Alpine Linux + FreeDOS (for games).

I got a GUI working on 60MB of memory but I think you would have a hard time getting one to work on 32MB. Bare X with a small window manager (LWM) will probably run fine.

Andrew Jeyaraj

January 5th, 2011, 06:38 PM

Puppy Linux Should Work. They do recommend at least 128 mb,so that it can run entirely out of R.A.M.However, it might be possible to run puppy even with your particular configuration.
http://puppylinux.com/

The GUI on puppy linux is pretty good too.

Check this out (2nd comment):
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/puppy-71/puppy-ram-requirements-479538/

:)

TBABill

January 5th, 2011, 06:48 PM

This is just me being funny, not a serious answer....

I would install MS Windows 95 on it just to refresh myself of my Windows frustrations, then I'd take it outside and use it as a target for some low and high powered weapons!! :)

End of sarcasm...

mips

January 5th, 2011, 06:55 PM

Dos

donkyhotay

January 5th, 2011, 07:02 PM

DSL and puppylinux are probably your best bets. Personally though I think paperweight/doorstop is going to be the most useful thing you can do with that computer.

oldsoundguy

January 5th, 2011, 07:06 PM

there comes a time when you should consider recycle as an option .. think that is the case with the aforementioned laptop.

The frustrations you will go through just waiting for something (anything) to happen, really isn't worth it .. working unit or not!

I got rid of all my P III units over a year ago because the slowness became such an irritation. ALL of the boxes still worked, but attempting to DO anything was a real chore.

Pogeymanz

January 5th, 2011, 09:46 PM

I would try Haiku just to see if would work.

JRV

January 5th, 2011, 10:18 PM

I would try Puppy.

HoKaze

January 5th, 2011, 10:29 PM

I would have suggested Tinycore myself but even that lightweight, super-minimalistic distro requires 48mb as an absolute minimum. Of course, microcore would probably work, but no GUI there. There may be one of those heavily-stripped down versions of X (or equivalents) that may be actually usable on such a system but to the best of my knowledge no distro uses them as default and thus you'd probably have to setup your own distro either from scratch or from a minimal install or something.
Older distros from way back when are advised and personally, I'd have gone for some old Debian install and built a console-based system with maybe a few graphical (non-X) apps that use the framebuffer...

I know that there are distros still supported that can fit into your system specs (like ttylinux, only needs 24mb) but again, they all seem to be command-line based only. If you ever do get a graphical system running on that old box it might be wise to document it XD

snowpine

January 5th, 2011, 11:42 PM

I would recycle the computer and find better hardware through Craigslist, Freecycle, thrift store, etc. You'll find some good advice here: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/howto-find-an-old-computer/

sudoer541

January 5th, 2011, 11:48 PM

This is Pentium I 166 Mhz with 32 mb ram and 2gb HD .

I have this laptop and looking for some OS (GUI ) for it .

thnx

A stripped down/tweaked version of Windows xp should do it.

Other options:

http://www.menuetos.net/

and

http://www.instantfundas.com/2010/02/kolibrios-linux-distro-on-144mb-floppy.html
(http://www.instantfundas.com/2010/02/kolibrios-linux-distro-on-144mb-floppy.html)

the links above provide you OSes with extremely low graphics and minimal features.
They require a floppy disk, but I think you can use a CD as well.

Tell me if it works ok?

Hur Dur

January 6th, 2011, 12:02 AM

You expect to have a sexy desktop with 32mb RAM? lolno.

Try SliTaz, TinyCore, Debian, DSL, or BasicLinux. All should run relatively well on 32mb of RAM.

Also, I would like to note that Kolibri is NOT Linux, but it should run well on your computer.

Spice Weasel

January 6th, 2011, 12:37 AM

A stripped down/tweaked version of Windows xp should do it.

Haha, no. XP Fundamentals for Legacy PCs crawls on 400mhz, never mind 166.

Chasey

January 6th, 2011, 12:43 AM

Windows 95se

aziz.joh

January 6th, 2011, 12:46 AM

I'm not sure it will work but you can try lubuntu

Hur Dur

January 6th, 2011, 12:47 AM

I'm not sure it will work but you can try lubuntu

Most likely: Kernel Panic
If he's lucky: CLI

KingYaba

January 6th, 2011, 12:53 AM

I wouldn't install anything. In fact, I'd just trash the computer.

Hur Dur

January 6th, 2011, 01:06 AM

I wouldn't install anything. In fact, I'd just trash the computer.

Or give it to me.

But, really, there is a use for all hardware. Don't trash it. There is even use for computers with worse specs than yours. I remember reading on here about a guy in India who had a computer similar to yours, and he had Debian working on it. Not just working, but playing some audio and using Lynx to browse the web. So, it's not absolutely worthless, and could be good to turn back to if your main computer ever breaks down.

ekjsim

January 6th, 2011, 03:53 AM

Very true :). Time to trash the computer!

RiceMonster

January 6th, 2011, 03:56 AM

OpenSuSE 11.3 x64 with KDE

anystupidname1

January 6th, 2011, 03:59 AM

Hmmm
http://www.netbsd.org/ports/i386/hardware.html
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/install-hardware.html
http://wclp.sourceforge.net/main.html

Thanks, I learned something today :p

Ahava591

January 6th, 2011, 04:06 AM

I wouldn't install any OS on the laptop. I would send it to be recycled.

Good luck.

Dr. C

January 6th, 2011, 04:35 AM

There many options. Including Free DOS with a GUI say GEM (this will run real fast on those specs), very light versions of GNU / Linux, MS DOS and either Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, early versions of Windows NT, OS/2 (eComStation) Etc.

My suggestions:

For Free Software fans: ConnochaetOS (http://www.connochaetos.de/wiki/), a very light 100% Free Software as per the GNU standards version of GNU / Linux.
For Microsoft Windows fans: Windows NT Workstation 3.51.

One can of course dual boot the two.

Gremlinzzz

January 6th, 2011, 06:33 AM

http://www.minix3.org/
you might find one here
http://www.freebyte.com/operatingsystems/#unix

johntaylor1887

January 6th, 2011, 06:37 AM

First thing I would try would be DSL: http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

I agree. And if it can't run DSL without trouble, it's not worth doing. (unless you just want to have fun with it) Put that PC in mothballs and it may be a few $$ in 20 years.

ctrlmd

January 6th, 2011, 07:35 AM

none i would give it away and i don't think anyone would accept it :lolflag:

Spice Weasel

January 6th, 2011, 10:08 AM

none i would give it away and i don't think anyone would accept it :lolflag:

I would. There's lots of use for a machine like that:

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/

There are also lots of people in the world that have never used a PC before and would love to accept one with DSL on it.

That machine would make a great torrent slave (http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/case-in-point-rtorrent-slave-at-100mhz-16mb-810mb/).

asifnaz

January 6th, 2011, 10:13 AM

I wouldn't install anything. In fact, I'd just trash the computer.

I am going to use it for experiment not for primary use

asifnaz

January 6th, 2011, 10:58 AM

Zero2Nine

January 6th, 2011, 11:18 AM

Windows 95, I'm serious. You have at least a desktop and you can also boot in DOS to play all those nice retro DOS-games. :p Preferably not use it to go online.

piquat

January 6th, 2011, 12:51 PM

I found a COMPLETE Apple IIe once while fishing. Yes fishing! It was sitting in the bushes. CPU, Monitor, 5 1/4 drive ect... And it all works!

If I ever get my computer room sorted out it's going to be sitting on it's own table in the corner.

Conversation piece.

I'd do the same with that computer, even if I could only get some version of DOS to run on it.