Despite the fact that support for the âold womanâ XP had ceased in April 2014, this system still stands on thousands of computers around the world. As a rule, these are old and weak cars, on which Windows 7/8/10 is very slow. But this does not mean that such a situation should be left to chance!
Why is the system worth changing?
HR is over 14 years old. Security systems that are not ârefreshedâ in time by patches from the Update Center no longer work. If XP is still installed on your computer, you are at considerable risk of losing all your files as a result of malicious programs (and the antivirus in this case is unlikely to help you). And one of the Linux systems for weak computers will help you out.
Which to choose?
Since the âhardwareâ of old computers can only shake the imagination with its archaic nature, you will have to choose the most lightweight, but at the same time the most âfriendlyâ versions. It is generally accepted that Linux is generally distinguished by extremely modest system requirements, but in recent years this has not been quite so. Firstly, the differences between the versions are huge. Secondly, there are such varieties of the system that can work almost on calculators.
That's just the same Gentoo newbie does not put, but because it is better to look for something simpler. So which Linux for weak computers should I choose? This is not the easiest thing, so the choice should be approached in sufficient detail.
Majority choice
Professionals recommend keeping your eyes on Linux Mint. This system initially comes with a wide variety of graphical skins. All of them are very similar to the old Windows XP. Even Cinnamon (one of them) works well on the old hardware, and Mate or XFCE (or LDXE) is suitable for old computers perfectly.
Until relatively recently, Ubunt could have been recommended for installation on outdated desktops and laptops ... But after its developers switched to Unity, novice users began to have massive problems mastering the system. In addition, the new graphical shell strongly âpressesâ even on the new âhardwareâ, requiring a good graphics card and a fairly powerful processor. In a word, to owners of "antiques" this version of Linux is contraindicated.
If your âdinosaurâ has at least a gigabyte of RAM, then the âtop-endâ Cinnamon will probably suit you. For other cases, we would recommend Xfce. It is this shell that we will discuss in the framework of our article. Even if you choose another Linux for weak computers, but on the same GUI (the so-called graphical environment), our tips will still be useful to you. In any case, you will learn the most basic information, which will still be useful in the future.
How to prepare for the transition?
First you need to download the ISO, the Linux Mint image. Using UltraISO or the like, write it to a USB flash drive. I must say that its volume should be at least 2 GB. Attention! When recording a system, all data that previously existed on the disk drive will be automatically deleted. So make sure that there are no important documents on the flash drive!
Finally, if there is also something important for you on disks with the Windows system, do not forget to save this data on removable media. We strongly advise you not to copy information to disk âDâ or another logical partition! The fact is that inexperienced beginners often install the Windows partition when they install Linux, which means that the data on all hard drives is destroyed!
Start installation
We insert the flash drive into any free USB connector (but it is better to use the rear) and reboot the computer. As a rule, you need to change the boot sequence in the BIOS. On many computers, the F11 and F12 keys are used to quickly access the boot menu. But this is true only for relatively new computers and laptops.
If you find yourself in this situation, you will have to use the BIOS features. The button necessary for this is indicated on the initial boot screen. The most commonly used keys are Del and F2. You also have to find the Boot Priority item and set the start from the flash drive to the first item. After that, you need to restart the computer. To save the settings and subsequent reboot in most BIOS F10 is intended.
And if the computer does not see the USB-drive at all?
If the computer is completely old, loading from a flash drive may not work at all, since the hardware is not intended for this in principle. Well, thereâs nothing wrong with that: use a DVD. There is a must for an optical drive in an old computer! The free program CDBurnerXP or Nero will help you burn the image to the disc. The latter is not free, but more functional. If you have access to a computer with Windows 7/8, then additional utilities are not required, since these systems support burning of discs initially.
Once everything is finished, you can install Linux for weak computers. Most likely, you still have to go into BIOS in the ways that we described above. If you did everything correctly, the installer screen will appear in front of you.
Testing and Installation
Important! Linux installation should only be performed after you verify that the OS is working properly on your computer. Do not worry: you will always find a live version of the system on bootable media. With it, you can definitely find out whether it is worth moving to the new OS completely. So, you can check the correct operation of the wireless communication modules and see if your video card is suitable for this version of Linux.
After Linux Live boots up, click on the gear icon in the lower left corner, calling up the local Start menu. Find the items "System" and "Settings": they collect basic information about the "hardware" of your computer. If everything is recognized, everything is in order. In the remaining paragraphs, you can familiarize yourself with the programs that come with this system.
Let us draw your attention to the fact that in a "live" system the entire interface is English-speaking. This should not confuse you. When the Linux installation will be performed, you can select the Russian language in the first installation window. At the end of the process, you will have at your disposal a completely localized, ready-to-use system.
Installation start
If everything is in order and your impressions of using are positive, just click on the âInstall Linux Mintâ shortcut located on the desktop. As in the case with the installer of any program under Windows, first you have to set the basic parameters.
First, the program will independently check the amount of available disk space and the presence of an Internet connection. Just note that it would be better to connect to the Network, as this will reduce the number of further âgesturesâ: all the necessary updates and localization packages will be downloaded already at the installation stage, so you do not have to do this in the future. You just have to choose your time zone, assign a password, username, and keyboard layout. Unlike Windows, you cannot refuse to select a password, so itâs better to write it down somewhere so you donât forget.
Only after that, the Linux system begins to copy its files to the hard drive. It should be noted that this process takes from 30â45 minutes. After everything is ready, the system will prompt you to reboot: look carefully at the display, as it will tell you exactly when to remove the installation media.
What to do after installation?
As we said, any version of Linux that uses the Xfce environment should, by its nature, work vigorously with older hardware. Immediately after entering the system, you will see a fairly simple and functional desktop. If you have at least some experience working with a computer, you will probably figure it out quickly and without any problems. As a rule, questions may arise except with the display resolution. This changes through the âSettings / Resolutionâ menu. All names will already be in ânative and powerfulâ: Russian Linux in this regard is even easier to configure and learn!
If this is the case in your case, that is, the resolution must be set independently, then the automatic
configuration of the video card for some reason did not work. You donât have to worry: you need to go to the âSystem / Driver Managerâ menu, select the one marked âRecommendedâ from the list, click on the âApply Changesâ button, wait until the process is completely completed, and then restart the computer. If you have any questions with wireless connection, also use the âDriver Managerâ.
In general, when working with Mint, more or less experienced Windows XP users rarely have problems. So configuring Linux may not be too familiar, but dealing with it is easy enough.
Work with application utilities
All major programs are accessed through the Start menu. Through the search bar, it is easy to find those utilities whose locations you do not know. For example, if you start typing th or "mail", the system immediately displays the Thunderbird mail application. We recommend pinning the most frequently used programs to the "Taskbar". To do this, right-click on the application shortcut and select the desired item in the pop-up menu.
The âProgram Managerâ will help you install those application applications that are not initially in the system. To start it, you must go to the "System" menu. Since the âManagerâ has thousands of programs sorted into categories, even inexperienced users will not happen: âInternetâ, âAudio and videoâ, âGraphicsâ, âGamesâ will help you choose the right application. There is also a search function that makes it even easier to work with this useful package. For example, you can enter Skype in the search bar so that you are immediately thrown into the installation window of this client.
In general, Linux users have thousands of alternatives to Windows programs. Just in most cases they will be called a little differently. To find the most suitable application for you, you can turn to the omnipotent Internet for help.
The search question can be formulated here as you wish. Rummaging through the links, you will surely find the solution you need. By the way! Do not disdain the help of the Ubuntu community. These two distributions (I also mean Mint) are built on a completely similar basis, so the advice of experienced users will definitely not be superfluous.
Advantages of the Installation Center
Suppose that you have exactly figured out the name of the program that you need to work. Its name can simply be copied and pasted into the search bar in the "Manager". Note that for inexperienced people, we strongly recommend using it, rather than downloading installation packages from the Internet. Firstly, this way you will get the most reliable and proven releases. Secondly, you can be completely sure of the absolute safety of programs that are obtained in this way. Even the best Linux will not provide any protection if you install the "left" applications from obscure sources.
Thirdly, all these applications will be updated centrally, simultaneously with the system itself. This is not only convenient, but also extremely important for the security of your computer and those documents that are on its hard drive. By the way, the presence of updates informs the icon in the form of a shield, located in the lower right corner. If there is a need, then by going to the "System" menu item and selecting the appropriate value, you will start the system update process in manual mode.
Forget about "My Computer"
To open the analogue of âMy Computerâ, you need to click on the icon with the folder icon in the left corner (on the âTaskbarâ). In the window that opens, there is an icon of the house, on which is written the name that you selected when installing the system. We click on it. A window opens for the file manager of a completely familiar form, in which it will be possible to select folders with the names "Video", "Photo", "Documents", etc. We think that you will be able to figure out their purpose on your own.
In principle, access to removable USB media will be even easier and will not require any effort from the user. Unless you have to firmly grasp the fact that in "Linux" there are no letters to indicate hard drives. When you connect a flash drive or optical disk, the system will not only inform about their successful installation (connection), but also display their icon on the desktop. Simple and very convenient!
In the event that there are two systems on your computer (Windows and Linux), note that Linux partitions from under Windows are not visible without special utilities! So be careful and do not remove Windows because of inexperience!
Security questions
In principle, security issues here do not play such an important role, as if we were discussing the familiar Windows. But here, unfortunately, you should not relax. Some basic precautions must be observed.
The basic elements of protection have already been mentioned by us. First, a password must be set on the system, and it is impossible to get around this condition. You have to enter it when performing any operations that somehow affect the security of your computer. Without a password, a hypothetical attacker will not be able to inject any malicious program onto your computer. The second element is the constant installation of updates. Fortunately, in "Mint" this procedure is easy and obvious.
If you pay special attention to security issues, you can install additional programs that govern this setting. Note that many of these utilities work using the command line to run. To do this, use the terminal, which is called the key combination Win + T.