by Maybe there is an old laptop in your house, and you are planning to throw it away. Because you don’t get any suitable OS to run, but stop, there is a way out. The Linux community also thinks of those poor old laptops. There is even some best lightweight Linux distro for laptops that are smaller than a text editor. So, today, we shall discuss a bundle of best Linux for old laptop. Let’s discover the best Linux distro for laptops that are old and planned to throw away.
Best Linux For Old Laptop
In this writing, we shall come across some very lightweight Linux distro which can give life to ancient computers. The minimum system requirements are attached to the recommended distros, which are elaborately discussed. It will provide you with an idea about how light the distro is. I hope you will get the best Linux for an old laptop after consulting with this.
1. Lubuntu
What about a Linux distro that is very lightweight but contains all the necessary facilities you want? Well, Lubuntu is a name that is recommended by almost everyone as a lightweight Linux Distro. To many, this is the best Linux for old Laptop. Lubuntu is originally a derivative of Ubuntu in the C programming language. It has used GTK+ 2 toolkit. As a result, Lubuntu is very smooth and powerful, like Ubuntu. The newbies of Linux migrated from windows will feel at home with this best distro for laptops.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: Pentium II.
- RAM: 258 MB.
- Space: 2 GB.
Important Features
- It runs smoothly on older devices with very fewer requirements.
- Provides same taste and performance as Ubuntu.
- It comes with a big built-in collection of required apps like Firefox, webcam software, office apps, multimedia apps, etc.
- Access to a vast number of supplementary packages as it supports all Ubuntu software.
- It comes with three packages for installation to fulfill the demand of users with different system configurations.
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2. Linux Lite
Linux Lite is another notable lightweight distro that does not demand any high-end hardware. An ancient machine, capable of only running Windows XP is enough to run Linux Lite. It is also beneficial for those who are migrating from windows. The distro is Ubuntu LTS based, thus it provides up to five years of long-time support. A newbie won’t face any problem while booting the computer as no extra software is needed. It has a well reputation on the list of best Linux for old laptop.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: 700 MHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Space: 5 GB
Important Features
- Very lightweight and smooth.
- Need very less CPU power and fewer resources.
- It provides up to five years of support for each release.
- It can free up massive load games.
- A wide range of pre-installed applications which are essential.
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3. Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is a very lightweight Linux distro. You don’t have to use a hard drive even. One USB or DVD is enough to fulfill your demand. It is swift and concise in size. However, you have to limit your need for high graphical applications. It comes with a good number of applications but not too many. All the applications are necessary and essential.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: 333 MHz.
- RAM: 64 MB
- Hard Drive: Optional.
- DVD- ROM: 20x or USB
Important Features
- Highly portable, a USB drive of 2GB is enough to carry it.
- Bootable from CD or USB and on the computer RAM live.
- There is no requirement of system hard disk.
- It takes less than a minute to boot on older machines.
- Highly customizable and flexible.
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4. Bodhi Linux
Bondho Linux is a distro that is suitable for installing and running on an old computer. Even if the equipment has the meager capability, you can smoothly run it. The distro has an Ubuntu LTS-based foundation. Even now, the latest release of Bodhi Linux is based on the newest version of Ubuntu. It offers access. To a lot of free software. You can surely consider this as one of the best Linux distros for laptops, especially the best Linux for old laptop.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: 500 MHz
- RAM: 128 MB
- Hard Drive: 4 GB
Important Features
- Smooth running with low memory usages.
- Guides or tutorials are available for running Bodhi Linux.
- PPAs, which are for Ubuntu, is also suitable for Bodhi Linux.
- Access to numerous free software.
- It comes with essential software and also provides the provision of adding more as required.
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5. Damn Small Linux
It is damn small, and it is so. An ancient laptop is well capable of running this distro. Though it is tiny, it comes with a good number of tools as preinstalled. However, Damn Small Linux has an old version as a stable release. Even though it is one of the best lightweight distros for Linux lovers.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: 486dx or 100 percent compatible processor
- RAM: 16 MB
- Space: 1.44 MB floppy Drive.
Important Features
- It can run from directly CD, USB.
- Can be extended via MyDSL.
- Contains pre-installed tools.
- It can run on non-graphical Linux with much fewer requirements mentioned above.
- Debian style installation is also possible.
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6. LXLE
LXLE is a small and good looking distro. It is based on the Ubuntu LTS release. The performance is smooth, though it is a lightweight distro. The purpose of this distro is to provide the users with a ready-to-use distro. It has a good range of software which is useful and essential. Besides everything, the distro is stable and provides support to the users. The distro, also known as Lightweight powerhouse, has the aim to revive old computers.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: Pentium III.
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Space: 8 GB.
Important Features
- It provides an intuitive user interface.
- It comes with a good number of default applications.
- Updating is super easy with the uCareSystem that comes by default.
- Maintains a good look with hundreds of delicate wallpapers.
- A good range of pre-installed applications.
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7. Peppermint
Peppermint is the fusion of cloud-based infrastructure and regular desktop applications. This distro is fast, light, and one of the best lightweight Linux distro. It performs well in old laptops. The distro maintains a good look with minimal experience. It has incorporated the ICE application that integrates any websites like a desktop application. Besides, it provides a dedicated support team that provides help to users. it has earned good name and fame in the list of best Linux for old laptop.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: Intel x86 Architecture based.
- RAM:512 MB.
- Space: 4 GB.
Important Features
- Integrates websites as a desktop app.
- Dedicated help and support team.
- Starter guide for the newbies.
- Supports both 32 bit and 64-bit hardware.
- Working in SSB (Site-specific browser) is possible.
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8. Antix Linux
Antix is a Debian based one of the best lightweight Linux distros. It ships as a system-free distro. It can run on a very low-performance machine by using an ocean window manager. The ISO size is less as it comes with less default software. However, there is always a door to install more software if necessary. Full, Base, Core, and Net are four flavors of Antix Linux. With all these qualities, Antix Linux is one of the best Linux for old laptop.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: PIII Systems.
- RAM: 256 MB.
- Space: 2.7 GB.
Important Features
- Ships as system-free.
- Supports both 32 bit and 64-bit hardware.
- It comes with four flavors.
- Provision of adding software after installation.
- It offers ‘antiX Magic’ that suits the environment for old and new computers.
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9. Tiny Core
Tiny Core distro is so small that it is lower than a modern text editor. The fantastic thing is that it has a graphical user interface, though the size is only 16 MB. Tiny Core comes with a small number of packages and uses very minimal resources. However, there are always ways to add new software. It is one of the best Linux for Old laptop.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: i486DX
- RAM: 46 MB.
- Space: 16 MB.
Important Features
- Three versions to suit different choices for users.
- Provides GUI.
- Runs on critically dying old laptops.
- Boots very fast.
- Provision of adding software after installation.
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10. Arch Linux
How about a Linux distro that is lightweight, customizable, and possible to personalize all together? Well, Arch Linux is just that distro that fulfills all the requirements. The developers aim to make it a pure, minimal, and code elegance distro. The configurations of the system are mostly executed from shell and text editor. You can get a taste of the latest release of any software for this distro.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor: i686 based.
- RAM: 128 MB.
- Space: 800 MB.
Important Features
- Simple and uses minimum resources.
- Highly customizable.
- A vast and active help and support the community.
- Excellent looking desktop environment.
- A lightweight distro with a Learning Platform for Linux knowledge seekers.
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Some More In the List for ‘Best Linux for Old Laptop’
Above mentioned distros are recommended for ancient laptops. There are some more and best lightweight Linux distros, which can be considered as some of the best Linux for old laptop. Let’s see the list of those:
- Crunch Bang++
- SparkyLinux
- Xubuntu
- Slax
- NimbleX
- ZorinOS
- Ubuntu MATE
- Absolute Linux
- Porteus
- Vector Linux
- BunsenLabs
- Elementary
Did you Find the Best Linux for Old Laptop?
When you have a chance to save your old laptops, then why should you skip? The Linux community is giving you a very lightweight Linux distro, which works super on old computers. The distros mentioned above are just guidelines so that you can find the best Linux for old laptop.
Please let us know your thoughts about the best Linux distro for Laptops. We value your kind suggestions. We also request you to share our effort with everyone. Wish your old computers will get life once again after reading this writing.
