Best OS for an old netbook?

InsaneNutter · Feb 7, 2016

MarcusD said:
Sorry for contra, but I wouldn't really suggest installing *that* new version of Windows, if the laptop is too old.
I tried out Win8 (not 8.1, 'cuz it's even worse), and the thermal-hardware-shutdown mechanism kicked in after less than 15mins, because Windows Update (to be more precise, TiWorker.exe) ate up the whole processor (similarly like Chrome eats up the RAM).
Even disabling everything doesn't really help, the neutral load is always around 30-70%, while on XP it's around 4-20%. Okay, to be fair, Win8 runs alot better than XP, doesn't take ages to redraw the desktop, but it's not optimized for single-core processors, so it overhets *really* fast, and opening Firefox freezes the *whole* computer (while generating ridiculous amounts of heat).

Windows 10 is designed to work on tablets with 1gb that have very low end processors, so why not try it on an old Netbook that is no longer used for anything productive? I found it worked as well as Windows 7 ever did on my MSI Wind which was got general web browsing and taking notes in lectures.

You mentioned "the thermal-hardware-shutdown mechanism kicked in after less than 15mins" - the laptop you had was probably clogged up with dust from years of use. You would be surprised some of the laptops i've seen with that problem which have just needed a good clean out. That certainly does not happen on my MSI Wind.

When you initially install Windows its under load from the hard drive been indexed, Windows update and so on. But once that's all said and done it will idle at 3-4% cpu usage, not 30 to 70%.

I actually have a low powered Nettop with an Atom N2800 and 2gb of ram in it, that idles at 2% cpu usage.

Sono · Feb 7, 2016

InsaneNutter said:
Windows 10 is designed to work on tablets with 1gb that have very low end processors, so why not try it on an old Netbook that is no longer used for anything productive? I found it worked as well as Windows 7 ever did on my MSI Wind which was got general web browsing and taking notes in lectures.

You mentioned "the thermal-hardware-shutdown mechanism kicked in after less than 15mins" - the laptop you had was probably clogged up with dust from years of use. You would be surprised some of the laptops i've seen with that problem which have just needed a good clean out. That certainly does not happen on my MSI Wind.

When you initially install Windows its under load from the hard drive been indexed, Windows update and so on. But once that's all said and done it will idle at 3-4% cpu usage, not 30 to 70%.

I actually have a low powered Nettop with an Atom N2800 and 2gb of ram in it, that idles at 2% cpu usage.

Nah, I regularly clean the inside of my laptop, it has exactly zero dust in it

Also, it's a not-so-new Win8 installation, so everything is settled down. I have disabled indexing, I have disabled Windows Update (+ I suspended TiWorker.exe from ProcessExplorer), I even disabled themes, and it's still 30-70%

Since Win8 has improved driver system, I can put Win8 on an external drive (which is how it's installed for me), and if I plop it in my Potato Toaster (this is how I call my underpowered main PC), the idle CPU usage is 0-1%

I'll try out Win10 later just for a performance comparsion, but I'll stick with good ol' Experience

nxwing · Feb 7, 2016

InsaneNutter said:
Windows 10 is designed to work on tablets with 1gb that have very low end processors, so why not try it on an old Netbook that is no longer used for anything productive? I found it worked as well as Windows 7 ever did on my MSI Wind which was got general web browsing and taking notes in lectures.

You mentioned "the thermal-hardware-shutdown mechanism kicked in after less than 15mins" - the laptop you had was probably clogged up with dust from years of use. You would be surprised some of the laptops i've seen with that problem which have just needed a good clean out. That certainly does not happen on my MSI Wind.

When you initially install Windows its under load from the hard drive been indexed, Windows update and so on. But once that's all said and done it will idle at 3-4% cpu usage, not 30 to 70%.

I actually have a low powered Nettop with an Atom N2800 and 2gb of ram in it, that idles at 2% cpu usage.

I thought Windows 10 didn't work on the Atom N2800?

Seriel · Feb 7, 2016

Uhh that mini linux thing. Whatever the name was

nxwing · Feb 7, 2016

I've successfully installed Xubuntu 15.10. Runs blazingly fast and works like a charm! Thanks for all the help guys!

The Real Jdbye · Feb 7, 2016

Jackus said:
Uhh that mini linux thing. Whatever the name was

Damn Small Linux? Puppy Linux?

grossaffe · Feb 7, 2016

The Real Jdbye said:
Damn Small Linux? Puppy Linux?

Crunchbang?

Jayro · Feb 7, 2016

nxwing said:
I also forgot to mention that I need an OS that is user friendly

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Also I found out that some distros require you to have a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 but my netbook's resolution is only 1024 x 600 but i can sclae down to 800 x 600

Linux is actually pretty flexible when it comes to resolutions, and should fit your netbook's resolution without a hitch. Any kernel and video driver from roughly 2012 and forward should support netbook resolutions, and Lubuntu is probably your best bet.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Lucar said:
I kinda wish it was installable, actually. :3

If I can figure it out, that would be cool.

Saiyan Lusitano · Feb 7, 2016

I'd go with Lubuntu. If Lubuntu was a paid distro I'd be very happy to pay for.

DinohScene · Feb 7, 2016

I got Windows 10 running on me UMPC
HTC Shift x9500

800Mhz Intel A110
1GB RAM
40GB HDD

it isn't fast but it runs.

As for Linux, try puppy linux.

Margen67 · Feb 10, 2016

MarcusD said:
you pay for your data to be stolen, if you choose Win10

Source?

GreatCrippler · Feb 10, 2016

Is there a ram slot? If so, go from the 2GB to 4GB, and keep 7. If not, another vote for Lubuntu. Runs well, and is light as hell.

Gettwobirdsstone · Apr 5, 2016

I'm curious about a better OS as well.
Here are my specs;

Gateway model: MD7311h
Memory: 3.8 GIB
Processor: Intel Pentium dual cpu t3400@ 2.15 GHz x 2
Graphics: Mobile Intel GM45 express chipset x86/MMX/SSE2
HDD: 310.8 GB

Right now I'm using Ubuntu, but it seems sluggish and crashes watching fullscreen videos.
I've tried Windows 7 and it seems sluggish as well.
Maybe a different flavour of Linux.

edit - I also need it to be able to charge my iPhone 5s, ubuntu keeps crashing when I plug it in

nxwing · Apr 5, 2016

Gettwobirdsstone said:
I'm curious about a better OS as well.
Here are my specs;

Gateway model: MD7311h
Memory: 3.8 GIB
Processor: Intel Pentium dual cpu t3400@ 2.15 GHz x 2
Graphics: Mobile Intel GM45 express chipset x86/MMX/SSE2
HDD: 310.8 GB

Right now I'm using Ubuntu, but it seems sluggish and crashes watching fullscreen videos.
I've tried Windows 7 and it seems sluggish as well.
Maybe a different flavour of Linux.

Others suggested running Lubuntu or if you set it up, Arch Linjx

FireEmblemGuy · Apr 7, 2016

Gettwobirdsstone said:
I'm curious about a better OS as well.
Here are my specs;

Gateway model: MD7311h
Memory: 3.8 GIB
Processor: Intel Pentium dual cpu t3400@ 2.15 GHz x 2
Graphics: Mobile Intel GM45 express chipset x86/MMX/SSE2
HDD: 310.8 GB

Right now I'm using Ubuntu, but it seems sluggish and crashes watching fullscreen videos.
I've tried Windows 7 and it seems sluggish as well.
Maybe a different flavour of Linux.

edit - I also need it to be able to charge my iPhone 5s, ubuntu keeps crashing when I plug it in

I'm gonna guess that was originally a Vista machine? Windows 7 and (probably) Windows 10 will still work fine, although the Modern apps in the latter will be slow if they work well at all. As far as Linux desktop environments, I would definitely not recommend Unity or anything GNOME 3 based (Gnome Shell, Cinnamon, etc.); LXDE or Xfce would be the best balance of lightweight and usable - if you're familiar with Ubuntu and wanted a fresh install rather than simply switching desktop environments, I'd look at Xubuntu or Linux Mint Xfce for an Xfce environment, or Lubuntu for LXDE. If you're a casual user I definitely wouldn't recommend Arch unless you're interested in actually getting to know how Linux works; it's very easy to screw up an install and have to start from scratch if you're not careful.

As for the iPhone thing, I actually have no idea how to help you there. I have an iPhone 5 that charges fine on both my notebooks and my gaming rig, although I don't generally try syncing with it. There is/was a bug with Rhythmbox crashing that could be solved by doing an iTunes sync in Windows/OSX if a new app or something had been downloaded from the app store; I have no idea if that's related or not.

The Catboy · Apr 11, 2016

Linux Queen, coming through!
Here are the ones I've used on my Netbook, with great results
Linux Mint XFCE
Manjaro Linux
elementary OS
Lubuntu or LXLE
Peppermint OS
Distowatch might also help
Netbook
Old PC

D34DL1N3R · Apr 11, 2016

MarcusD said:
I tried out Win8 (not 8.1, 'cuz it's even worse)

Not suggesting it for an older netbook, but 8.1 is leaps and bounds better than 8.

The Catboy · Apr 11, 2016

Gettwobirdsstone said:
I'm curious about a better OS as well.
Here are my specs;

Gateway model: MD7311h
Memory: 3.8 GIB
Processor: Intel Pentium dual cpu t3400@ 2.15 GHz x 2
Graphics: Mobile Intel GM45 express chipset x86/MMX/SSE2
HDD: 310.8 GB

Right now I'm using Ubuntu, but it seems sluggish and crashes watching fullscreen videos.
I've tried Windows 7 and it seems sluggish as well.
Maybe a different flavour of Linux.

edit - I also need it to be able to charge my iPhone 5s, ubuntu keeps crashing when I plug it in

Ubuntu running Unity is really horrible for netbooks and old computers. So here's a list of the best Linux distros I ran on my Acer C7 chromebook.

Crystal the Glaceon said:
Linux Queen, coming through!
Here are the ones I've used on my Netbook, with great results
Linux Mint XFCE
Manjaro Linux
elementary OS
Lubuntu or LXLE
Peppermint OS
Distowatch might also help
Netbook
Old PC

SlappyTheDummy · Apr 13, 2016

I would recommend a network install of debian 8 with MATE desktop, also recommend to install laptop-mode-tools , cpufreq-utils , cpufreq-indicator to increase battery life.

Lacius · Apr 13, 2016

My friend's primary computer is an Acer Aspire One D270. It runs just fine with Windows 10. It can experience some slowdowns with multiple Chrome tabs plus Office running, but that's going to be a limitation of its hardware. For fun, I checked to see how Lubuntu runs, and it's about the same as Windows 10 when you do comparable tasks.

Best OS for an old netbook?

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