I'm looking for some help installing Linux on my brother's old school laptop. It has really low specs, and Windows 10 is just too slow for it. I know a bit about Linux and its capabilities, but I want to find a user-friendly distribution that won't have a lot of bloatware. The goal is to set it up so he can have fun and play games rather than just scrolling on his phone.
3 Answers
You can install Linux on it just like you would with Windows! I suggest having your brother try out the quiz at distrochooser.de to find what he likes. Just make sure to back up any data first because you'll be erasing everything on the hard drive. You can use tools like Fedora's Media Writer to create a bootable USB for installing. It’s pretty straightforward! Just boot from the USB and follow the instructions. If you run into issues, disabling secure boot in the BIOS may be necessary.
Definitely go for either Ubuntu or Mint if you own the laptop. They're both pretty easy to use and work well on older hardware.
If the specs are really low, gaming might be tough to pull off, but for a good Linux distro, I'd recommend trying out Linux Mint or Pop!_OS. If you're looking for something super lightweight, Zorin OS could also be a good fit!
That's a great tip! I’ve found using Media Writer super easy for installations too.