Installing an OS without being able to boot from USB

[bobfacemoo]

I need some help reviving an old laptop. I want to install a very lightweight OS because the specs on this laptop SUCK (1GB RAM, 1.66GHz processor), but it's an old laptop and the BIOS setup is blocked with a password that I don't know.

I want an OS that can actually handle having a web browser open. Windows 7 gives me a "Your computer is low on memory" and force closes Chrome whenever I try to open it. Same with firefox and even Maxthon browser.

I tried distros of Linux, especially one that I don't remember the name of but it was for SUPER low resource computers, and that didn't even help.

I -want- to install XP, specifically the "Black Edition" which can be found if you look well enough, but I can't install that FROM windows ONTO a USB HDD like you can with most other OS.

I really need some advice because this is the only laptop I have (I'm using my Android to post this) and I just want a working laptop that I can browse the web on. x.x

Help would be appreciated.

 

[Ryupower]

look up the MB/BIOS info of the labtop and see if there is a way to reset it
also
you can try to remove the CMOS/BIOS battery(if you can get to it) for wait at least five minutes before putting back in and power on again and see if that reset the BIOS and removes the password

 

[bobfacemoo]

look up the MB/BIOS info of the labtop and see if there is a way to reset it
also
you can try to remove the CMOS/BIOS battery(if you can get to it) for wait at least five minutes before putting back in and power on again and see if that reset the BIOS and removes the password

I can't get to the CMOS battery, let alone know if it even has one. I have no idea what the MB is. The only piece of information I have is it is a Gateway model.