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Author Topic: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.  (Read 5300 times)

Bowdon

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Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« on: April 09, 2016, 12:48:37 PM »

Hi guys,

I have been thinking about the old winxp laptop I have. Thinking of replacing the old hard drive with an ssd. But I know I can't re-install winxp on there. So I was wondering does Linux support SSD drives?

Also what would be a good very basic linux version for me to start off with?

Thanks for any advice.
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broadstairs

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2016, 01:10:48 PM »

Yes all the latest distros support SSDs. Just download a live CD and boot it first to make sureit is OK on you laptop. All live CDs support installing on to the HDD or SSD.

Stuart
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licquorice

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2016, 01:44:44 PM »

Ubuntu or Mint are very user friendly.
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burakkucat

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2016, 05:53:45 PM »

There is also PCLinuxOS, which might be worth considering.
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Chrysalis

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2016, 06:06:43 PM »

ssd's will work on anything supporting the underlying protocol e.g. ide or ahci.

The question is are advanced functions supported such as trim and command queuing, and the answer is yes on all the modern distro's.
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c6em

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2016, 06:17:23 PM »

Interestingly I was thinking of trying a similar thing on my old Win XP desktop machine
Get a small (cheap) ssd such as
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transcend-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00VX82PJC/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
Which actually comes with a 2.5 size to desktop size 3.5 inch disk size converting plate
and try out various distros'..just for fun.
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broadstairs

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2016, 06:26:40 PM »

Personally I prefer the KDE desktop which is available on all distros, however better to stick to KDE4 at present as the new version 5 is a tad flaky. KDE is very like a Windows type desktop, I know others prefer Gnome as the desktop which is the default on some distros.

Stuart
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tickmike

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2016, 09:50:13 PM »

There is also PCLinuxOS, which might be worth considering.

+1
If you go on there forum and ask which is the best for your spec.

KDE for me also.
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MartinGoose

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Re: Contemplating trying Linux on old laptop.
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2016, 05:51:16 PM »

PCLinuxOS for me as well on all my PCs (net-top, mini tower and laptop). KDE is great for those migrating from Windows on a relatively modern PC. On older PCs the XFCE desktop is lighter weight (Xubuntu is a popular choice).

Might be worth going to http://www.pclosmag.com/special.html and downloading the Windows Migration Guide Special Edition for anyone wishing to make the move.
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