Installing Linux on Slow Windows 11 Laptop?

A while back, I purchased a cheap windows 11 home laptop. It is an HP and specs are very bad.


Windows 11 Home

1366x768 resolution

Intel Celeron N4120

4 GB ddr4-2400 MHz

64 GB emmc

Intel UHD Graphics 600



This windows laptop is very slow when you open chrome tabs. I bought it a while back because I wanted a cheap laptop because I needed another laptop to to do a few things. But if you want to use this laptop even as an entertainment laptop, it is way too slow.


Now I want to get another chromebook because my old chromebook that I use no longer has any more auto updates, but screen has issues, keyboard issues and all that. However, what about turning this slow windows 11 hp laptop into a linux and use it as a chromebook. Would that work or not? Could I always go back to Windows 11 Home in the future?


I check online and you are suppose to go to the linuxmint site. Download linux mint cinnamon? The confusing thing here seems to be after you download it, you need to use rufus to boot it? So you have to download several programs to do this process?


I checked youtube and these instructions are either a bit complicated or outdated because there are using older version. Is there any recent tutorial whether online or youtube that has a linuxmint install that isn't confusing?

I've run Peppermint on weak hardware and it worked very well. It has a very user-friendly GUI and the support guys are extremely attentive and helpful.
John

Lubuntu is a light version of Ubuntu.

Try Linux Lite or Linux MINT

I'm using Linux Mint on an 11" Dell Inspiron with a 1.3GHz CPU, 4GB RAM and 32GB drive. It was given to me as it didn't have sufficient storage space for the last 3 or 4 Version Upgrades of Win10 and the client had gone to doing most things she needed on her SmartPhone. Mint required about 15GB space.

I know most people don't really know about the "previous folder" that windows has or just they do not go to storage in settings remove windows clean up

people still hadn't learned to not buy celeron computers

newmann said:

A while back, I purchased a cheap windows 11 home laptop. It is an HP and specs are very bad.


Windows 11 Home

1366x768 resolution

Intel Celeron N4120

4 GB ddr4-2400 MHz

64 GB emmc

Intel UHD Graphics 600



This windows laptop is very slow when you open chrome tabs. I bought it a while back because I wanted a cheap laptop because I needed another laptop to to do a few things. But if you want to use this laptop even as an entertainment laptop, it is way too slow.


Now I want to get another chromebook because my old chromebook that I use no longer has any more auto updates, but screen has issues, keyboard issues and all that. However, what about turning this slow windows 11 hp laptop into a linux and use it as a chromebook. Would that work or not? Could I always go back to Windows 11 Home in the future?


I check online and you are suppose to go to the linuxmint site. Download linux mint cinnamon? The confusing thing here seems to be after you download it, you need to use rufus to boot it? So you have to download several programs to do this process?


I checked youtube and these instructions are either a bit complicated or outdated because there are using older version. Is there any recent tutorial whether online or youtube that has a linuxmint install that isn't confusing?

Click to expand...

Almost any Linux distro is OK on low specced laptops. The trick is not to install things like UBUNTU which have by default an incredible amount of bloat and things like SNAP etc.

The best way is to just install the base (Non GUI) system - Debian and Arch Linux are fine -- then install a base GUI without all the apps, and then install apps you want. Usually a console, a file manager and SAMBA for file sharing are a good start, plus a text editor although nano is OK.

Even large desktop GUI's like KDE and GNOME will be fine if you just start by installing the base GUI rather than all the zillions of applications 99% of which you probably have never heard of or won't use.

Cheers
jimbo

I'd like to say maybe the gpu is causing the cpu lag on windows compared to Linux?

kennybb said:

people still hadn't learned to not buy celeron computers

Click to expand...

This is a total generalisation.

I travel a fair bit, and I do not want to take my main laptop with me, as it would be expensive to replace if stolen.

When I am away, all I need is internet, Office 365 and video capability.

These low end devices are perfect for that use and at less than £250, rather than approx £1500, I can afford to take risk if device is stolen.

If I need some power programming, I just remote connect to my device at home and use that.

Another elderly friend of mine, only uses email and internet shopping mostly.

There are many out there for whom these devices are perfectly adequate at a price less than people can pay for mobile phones.

cereberus said:

This is a total generalisation.

I travel a fair bit, and I do not want to take my main laptop with me, as it would be expensive to replace if stolen.

When I am away, all I need is internet, Office 365 and video capability.

These low end devices are perfect for that use and at less than £250, rather than approx £1500, I can afford to take risk if device is stolen.

If I need some power programming, I just remote connect to my device at home and use that.

Another elderly friend of mine, only uses email and internet shopping mostly.

There are many out there for whom these devices are perfectly adequate at a price less than people can pay for mobile phones.

Click to expand...

Ditto.

Some suggestions here:

One of my Windows 11 computers, its specs even worse than yours, 2GB 32GB emmc. but it's running fine on daily Office work.
my Windows 11 install and updates about the PC posted here. Lenovo IdeaPad 120S, 2GB RAM. 32GB eMMC

Linux MINT may be one to try. but believe or not, eventually you will move back to Windows, where more apps and running more user-friendly.
(Linux is NOT bad at all. but when doing Office jobs (word, Excel, , ,), when running various apps and tools (programming, streaming, , ,), when efficiency is no.1 issue, , I would always go Windows than Linux)

newmann said:

A while back, I purchased a cheap windows 11 home laptop. It is an HP and specs are very bad.

4 GB ddr4-2400 MHz

64 GB emmc

Click to expand...

siliconbeaver said:

(Linux is NOT bad at all. but when doing Office jobs (word, Excel, , ,), when running various apps and tools (programming, streaming, , ,), when efficiency is no.1 issue, , I would always go Windows than Linux)

Click to expand...

I thought the same but then since the free LibreOffice [it's cross-platform, can open and save as Office formats] can do most of what Microsoft Office does for me the little 11" Notebook works fine. I don't do an installed E-Mail Client so not having Outlook is not an issue nor is not having Publisher [prefer Serif PagePlus and A&L Graphics Editor].

I bought this cheap slow windows 11 laptop because I wanted to test some things and didn't want to spend a lot on it.


But does linux mint cinnamon... will it be very fast web browsing and watching video and streaming? Similar to chromebook with same specs or not?

newmann said:

I bought this cheap slow windows 11 laptop because I wanted to test some things and didn't want to spend a lot on it.


But does linux mint cinnamon... will it be very fast web browsing and watching video and streaming? Similar to chromebook with same specs or not?

Click to expand...

Only one way to find out .......

In the end, there is only so much you can achieve with your specs. I suspect it will still be fairly sedate, but will probably be more responsive.

newmann said:

A while back, I purchased a cheap windows 11 home laptop. It is an HP and specs are very bad.


Windows 11 Home

1366x768 resolution

Intel Celeron N4120

4 GB ddr4-2400 MHz

64 GB emmc

Intel UHD Graphics 600



This windows laptop is very slow when you open chrome tabs. I bought it a while back because I wanted a cheap laptop because I needed another laptop to to do a few things. But if you want to use this laptop even as an entertainment laptop, it is way too slow.


Now I want to get another chromebook because my old chromebook that I use no longer has any more auto updates, but screen has issues, keyboard issues and all that. However, what about turning this slow windows 11 hp laptop into a linux and use it as a chromebook. Would that work or not? Could I always go back to Windows 11 Home in the future?


I check online and you are suppose to go to the linuxmint site. Download linux mint cinnamon? The confusing thing here seems to be after you download it, you need to use rufus to boot it? So you have to download several programs to do this process?


I checked youtube and these instructions are either a bit complicated or outdated because there are using older version. Is there any recent tutorial whether online or youtube that has a linuxmint install that isn't confusing?

Click to expand...

I have an Asus laptop with same specs. I'm running the latest version of Linux Mint with Cinnamon and it runs like a dream. Stable and waaaaaaay faster that Windows 11. Especially browsing and multitasking or watching videos with no stuttering or lag. I love it. Makes my machice feel really quick and punchy.

@Judah

Just try out any live distro first -- Fedora spins are good to try as they already have GUI's installed an a sensible amount of decent applications and are ready for the desktop. Just create bootable usb / iso using a tool such as rufus and boot. You can then install to hdd if you like the live distro.

Fedora is owned by Red hat, now part of IBM so it can't be called a "Mickey Mouse" distro and wont go away like many other lesser known implementations.


As for Office on Linux I don't like libre office but the one most compatible to Ms Office I've found by far (even for excel so long as you don't use macros and Ms Query) is WPS office.

Note there's no email client in either libre office or wps office


OK for your laptop this solution isn't appropriate but it will still work for loads of quite low specced (celeron based i3 cpus for example) laptops out there.

For a fast reasonably fast FREE Ms Outlook email client clone on linux without irksome restrictions such as limit nr of accounts, or exchange server connection irritations try Claws mail

However as a normal day to day Linux user I invariable run Ms Office from a W11 VM or even from W11 installed on an external USB (WintoGo variety --easy to create FREE via installing using physica vhdx files) !!. Plenty of info on the board about that

Hello,
By curiosity : why did you install Linux in Windows?
What for ?
I've personally already used Linux. Ubuntu, and Mint
to use some particular apps? To test it by curiosity?
I did it too but I wonder what will I do with it
And besides : It fails on my PC. I get an error in a black CMD window . If someone knows what I could do, thanks for your help.

misterpas said:

Hello,
By curiosity : why did you install Linux in Windows?
What for ?
I've personally already used Linux. Ubuntu, and Mint
to use some particular apps? To test it by curiosity?
I did it too but I wonder what will I do with it
And besides : It fails on my PC. I get an error in a black CMD window . If someone knows what I could do, thanks for your help.

Click to expand...

Not sure --Install Linux in Windows ??? unless you are referring to the WSL. If you want to run a full blown Linux system on a Windows Host use a VM.

Cheers
jimbo