I have a really old laptop currently running Windows 7. I mainly use it for storing games (ROMs) and want to start using emulators, but Windows 7 is just too slow and frustrating since it's outdated. I figured this might be the perfect time to try out Linux, but I'm a complete beginner and would love some advice. What should I consider as a newbie, and which Linux version would be best for me? I've seen a ton of options out there. Also, I'm curious about the security of Linux. Any tips or guidance would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
For very old hardware, I'd suggest going with Debian with LXDE as the desktop environment. It's lightweight and uses fewer resources than Mint's XFCE, which might be too heavy for your RAM.
You could try running Linux from a USB stick first to see how it performs on your machine. I have Linux Mint Cinnamon on an older Lenovo laptop, and it takes about 2 minutes to boot but runs well. By the way, Linux is quite secure! If you go with Mint, just make sure to enable the firewall.
How much space do I need on a flash drive to run Linux? My laptop only has 2GB of RAM (1.85GB available).
If your system is 64-bit, Linux Mint with XFCE could be great for you. Just keep in mind it might take some time to get used to it, but once you're familiar, it should run smoothly.
Yes, it's definitely a 64-bit system.
My processor on this thing is Intel Celeron B800 1.50GHz with 2GB of RAM (1.85 GB usable).
Using Linux on older hardware can be a great idea! It's all about the specs though. Since you mentioned Windows 7 is slow, don’t expect a miracle with a modern Linux distro. What are the specs of your laptop?
My laptop has an Intel Celeron B800 1.50GHz processor and 2GB of RAM (1.85GB usable), and it runs a 64-bit operating system.
For older systems, I highly recommend looking into lightweight Linux distributions. XUbuntu with XFCE is a solid choice that won't bog down your laptop.
I was hoping to run PlayStation emulators after switching to Linux, but it sounds like it might not handle that well?