Thinking of using my old pc to run Linux on....
XP Home with sp3
Intel Pentium 4
CPU 2.00GHz with 767MB RAM
Graphics-- GForce 6200

I tried using this tool to give me some idea of what to use : Linux Distribution Chooser.............Has anyone used this tool before?

The Site above come up with using "OpenSuSE"....I was kinda leaning towards "Ubuntu" ??? Probably use Ubuntu unless I'm talked into something else:)



With the PC spec's given, would Linux run ok ??
I know with more Ram it would be heeps better, as it is right now, it's SOOOOOO bloody slow!!

But spending even a tiny amount on it would put me in the dog house.

I'm more than likely to install it along side windows to start with.

Thanks.

Edit--- WUBI installer...Went with Ubuntu

Good idea, Linux will run faster, boot quicker and is far more secure than XP. Personally I would back up all your stuff, do a clean install of Ubuntu or Mint.

I think Ubuntu using gnome not KDE would suit your hardware,

After you have installed check here for some great Ubuntu stuff- http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/

It will be a learning curve but it is worth the jump, I rarely use my windows 7 partition anymore as I have found everything I could do in Windows I can do in Ubuntu, even Photoshop works through Wine, (Which is software that allows installation and running of Windows software.)

solerida, I don't think you'll have any problems running linux on your machine. I fancied with ubuntu, arch and fedora on an even weaker pc (half of your specs), I'm still running ubuntu on it btw. So it's not a question if you can install linux on your pc, it's more of what do you want to do in linux after you install it.

Thanks.....After sorting out the grapics card drivers, everything seems to be going ok.
Cheers ilesal, that site is a good help.

I think adyopo has a valid point, it depends what youwant to do with the pc when you have linux installed. Ubuntu is a good general choice, the support is great and there's lots of applications written to run on it. I always had issues running windows programs on Linux using WINE though.

WOW.....This has turned my ****box old PC into a new machine!!!...

Tempted to put this on my main PC........:)

Some programs do have issues on WINE but usually it can be resolved with either a OpenSource version for linux or a different version of the software. For example FlashFXP doesn't run under WINE but the portable edition runs just fine. So if your having issues try a different version of the software if available.

Yep, it's a great feeling the first time you see the difference,,,,I remember it well.


Thanks for the advice Flatline.

I love a good news story! :)

If you're happy with the current performance then all good. If you'd like to squeeze a little more out of it, you could try installing LXDE (Light X Desktop Environment) rather than the default Gnome. Do a bit of research though before you do anything like that so you can find out the potential pitfalls before you bork something.

Something that you may not have realised solerida, (my apologies if you already have) most of the main ISPs have a Linux mirror, so you can get all your official updates and any of the software included in the repos (literally 100s GBs) quota free. Just do a google search for "<your ISP> ubuntu mirror".

FYI One of my favourite pieces of software for Ubuntu is RemasterSys. This great piece of software allows you to create a bootable CD/DVD of your current install (basically your own personalised version of Ubuntu). Be aware though that unless you use in in backup mode (which will also atempt to copy all the files in your /home directory) it won't include any apps you've installed with Wine or other current user settings. But it does include all the apps you've installed. Its really handy for replicating your current setup onto new hardware or to share with friends and family. I usually run a DVD off prior to an upgrade just in case something gets borked.