A new OS for when old computers can't handle Windows 11

mackie · Feb 19, 2022

AdamE said:
Tried it on my Dell XPS One 27 and it won't even boot from USB ... just ignores it then boots to Windows 11.... even when I select it from the boot options menu! Weird!

Yesterday afternoon I created the USB drive from the Chrome Recovery Utility, booted and it came up fine.

Last night, I tried to boot again from same usb drive, got to the Chrome logo and froze.

I recreated usb drive all over again, and it worked.

It's in testing channel.... very, very basic and light compared to CrOS (things missing).

glasskuter · Feb 19, 2022

I've had good luck running both Ubuntu and Linux Mint Cinnamon on older machines. Out of all the Linux distros, they are the most usable for a Windows convert who uses their computer to do just everyday stuff. Between the 2 it's really a toss-up but I might lean to Ubuntu by just a hair.

thomaseg1 · Feb 19, 2022

glasskuter said:
I've had good luck running both Ubuntu and Linux Mint Cinnamon on older machines. Out of all the Linux distros, they are the most usable for a Windows convert who uses their computer to do just everyday stuff. Between the 2 it's really a toss-up but I might lean to Ubuntu by just a hair.

Don't feel too bad about it, while others are using enterprise, kde, etc , I still comfortable with gnome.:)

mackie · Feb 19, 2022

glasskuter said:
I've had good luck running both Ubuntu and Linux Mint Cinnamon on older machines. Out of all the Linux distros, they are the most usable for a Windows convert who uses their computer to do just everyday stuff. Between the 2 it's really a toss-up but I might lean to Ubuntu by just a hair.

Yeah, the day when Windows 10 turns the support lights out, there are going to be options for all those other pc's. I like Mint w/ Cinnamon flavoring myself.

shaocaholica · Feb 19, 2022

Ubuntu is terrible on slower computers and overall not that great.

Wynona · Feb 19, 2022

shaocaholica said:
Dual/triple/etc boot is easy when you have multiple physical drives

I partition my drive for a dual boot system.

Wynona · Feb 19, 2022

CornishRattler said:
Same disc, different partitions

Yeppers.

AdamE · Feb 19, 2022

mackie said:
Yesterday afternoon I created the USB drive from the Chrome Recovery Utility, booted and it came up fine.

Last night, I tried to boot again from same usb drive, got to the Chrome logo and froze.

I recreated usb drive all over again, and it worked.

It's in testing channel.... very, very basic and light compared to CrOS (things missing).

OK Maybe I'll try creating it again. The stick is recognised as a boot device - just loterally nothing happens then Windows boots as normal LOL

Winuser · Feb 19, 2022

glasskuter said:
I've had good luck running both Ubuntu and Linux Mint Cinnamon on older machines. Out of all the Linux distros, they are the most usable for a Windows convert who uses their computer to do just everyday stuff. Between the 2 it's really a toss-up but I might lean to Ubuntu by just a hair.

Before I became a Windows 7 tester, Mandrake linux was the only OS I would use. Now I use Linux Mint in a VM.

AdamE · Feb 19, 2022

AdamE said:
OK Maybe I'll try creating it again. The stick is recognised as a boot device - just loterally nothing happens then Windows boots as normal LOL

Didn't work still ... Just gets a black screen, then reboots and starts Windows. It's super quick as my pc boots in about 10s anyway.

jvickers · Feb 23, 2022

Now, when you buy a Chromebook, it's set to expire within a certain number of years. (Or that used to be the case.) With Chrome OS Flex, is there an expiration date? I was just wondering...

jimbo45 · Feb 23, 2022

shaocaholica said:
Ubuntu is terrible on slower computers and overall not that great.

Arch Linux is lean -- boots up almost instantly even on an old laptop -- you can also install KDE or GNOME on it -- the trick is just to install the GUI without all those zillions of applications that get installed by default on UBUNTU etc.

Install the base KDE then install just the apps you want -- normally things like KONSOLE (terminal), Partition Manager, firefox, Kate (text editor), Dolphin (a file explorer), rsync, grsync (GUI app for backup data etc), Samba (network access) VLC, filezilla, KVM (if you want to run VM's), ntfs-3g (read/write access for ntfs files)

Assuming you've installed the base arch linux system then follow the link -- don't install the kde-applications as a whole . Install individual ones like I've suggested. Note arch linux base is installed in command line mode - so that takes a bit of work if new -- as this is a Windows Forum you'll have to google on how to install the base system. The link below is for the KDE GUI once you've installed the base system.

How to Properly Install KDE on Arch Linux [Step by Step]

Learn how to properly install and configure KDE Plasma desktop environment on Arch Linux. This step by step guide can be followed by beginners and experts alike.

itsfoss.com

Then you should have a really mega fast lean mean system. KDE Gui is really simple for Windows users as it looks relatively similar.

Cheers
jimbo