What is a good Linux for an old laptop?

[Ryoukun]

Hello, guys I have a question.
What is a good Linux for an old laptop?
My aunt gave me a laptop that she use it for engineering, but she gave it to me to use it.
I can't really use it well because of slow specs, and I heard Linux make old system run fast.

I think it is Fujitsu Lifebook or something like that.

[caf4926]

try: http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=113

else something much like Puppy

[Koji]

A very light but useful Ubuntu based distro (Mint is also based on Ubuntu, to give you an idea) is called WattOS. Works well on my daughter's 900mhz system (uses it for gcapri and mini tube mostly but it also handles web browsing through Midori like a champ).

[nunol]

Do you know the computers specs? RAM? CPU? HDD? Only with that information can we provide useful answers for that computer.

[Adelante]

Second WattOs. Also recommend Peppermint Three.

[cwsnyder]

Puppy Linux for much older computers with less than 256M RAM.

For more modern computers with less than 512M RAM, http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=98 until the LXDE version of Mint 13 comes out.

If you have 512M RAM or more, regular Linux Mint 13.

[Pierre]

Do you know the computers specs? RAM? CPU? HDD? Only with that information can we provide useful answers for that computer.

+1

use anti-X if it has less than 512Mb ram
http://antix.mepis.com/

[Beardedragon]

DSL "Damn Small Linux" Has been revised. Check it out here: http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

[hoppimike]

My laptop is 10 years old with only a RAM upgrade 1-1.5 gigs of RAM and modern Mint Xfce runs very well.

If it was even slower I'd go for modern Lubuntu

[Ryoukun]

Do you know the computers specs? RAM? CPU? HDD? Only with that information can we provide useful answers for that computer.

It'll take me forever to get on the computer.
Anyway, I think this is the specs as I can remember properly.

CPU: Intel Celeron
RAM: 502 MB DDR1 or SDRR1 (not sure)
HDD: 80GB

My max for the RAM is 2GB, but it's pretty pointless to buy 2GB RAM Stick for like 30+ bucks.
When I could've got a better laptop that is faster, anyway I am just trying to use this Linux and put 1GB Ram or 2GB Ram for my mom to use.

[Asimov]

If the performance is your concern. It's not the the distro who's cause the difference, but the desktop. In the case, stay aways of KDE. Gnome , LXDE or XFCE. Mint with Gnome is a very good choice, if you take ergonomic in consideration.

[nunol]

With 512MB of RAM you can run every Mint desktop except KDE. Try MATE, Cinnamon and XFCE to see what work's better for you. XFCE is lighter than Cinnamon or MATE. All Mint 13 LTS editions are supported until 2017 and available as DVD.

If you can't boot from DVD try Plop. It allows you to boot from USB even if your computer BIOS doesn't so you can use a CD with Plop to boot from USB.

If (even with Plop) you only have CD boot try Mint 12 LXDE CD, its faster but it's only supported until April 2013.

If you like XFCE but Mint 13 XFCE it's to slow try LMDE XFCE.

[Adelante]

I have an older laptop with identical specs. It runs perfectly on LXDE, let's see, for three years now. If you added two 1-GB of RAM you would have more options, but if you install whatever you and your mom would actually use, rather than trying for a heavily populated system from the start, really, your laptop most likely would do very well on LXDE. It's light and fast. I don't know how old your mom is, but I am probably older and I learned Linux very easily on LXDE. It doesn't make me an expert, but I can get it done. Good luck.

CPU: Intel Celeron
RAM: 502 MB DDR1 or SDRR1 (not sure)
HDD: 80GB

My max for the RAM is 2GB, but it's pretty pointless to buy 2GB RAM Stick for like 30+ bucks.
When I could've got a better laptop that is faster, anyway I am just trying to use this Linux and put 1GB Ram or 2GB Ram for my mom to use.