I'm planning to switch from Windows 10 to Lubuntu on my laptop, but I'm running into a space issue. I've got about 28 GB of total disk space, but Windows is taking up a lot of that, leaving me with only around 4 GB free. I've already uninstalled some unnecessary software like OpenOffice and tried to get rid of other bloatware that came with the laptop. I don't keep much data on it besides a few small documents that are backed up elsewhere. I know that Lubuntu will take up less space than Windows, but I'm looking for ways to either clear enough space for the installation or get Lubuntu installed even with the limited space I have.
4 Answers
You should consider booting from a USB. Just create a bootable USB drive with Lubuntu on it, and start your laptop from there. Once you're in the installer, you can choose to wipe the entire disk if you don't need anything from Windows anymore, which will give you plenty of space!
If you want to explore alternatives, consider using an external SSD. They’re fast and not too pricey, and that way, you can run Linux from the external drive without worrying about your laptop's internal storage limitations. Just remember you'll need a USB for the installation media.
You don’t necessarily need to free up space manually if you're okay with erasing everything. The Lubuntu installer will give you the option to delete everything on your disk during installation, which will clear up enough room for the OS. Just make sure you’ve backed up anything important before doing that!
People are surprised by my small laptop too! It works fine for what I need, even if it's a bit slower due to the limited RAM. It’s perfect for carrying around for conferences. I just really want to speed things up by switching to Linux since this laptop can't handle Windows 11.
I totally get that! A lightweight Linux distro can make a world of difference, especially on hardware like yours. Just remember to check the RAM requirements too!