- Is your PC grinding to a halt every time you try to use it?
- Did you buy a "low cost" PC over 5 years ago?
What happens, especially with Microsoft Windows Operating System (MSW-OS) based PC's, is that the software gets ahead of the hardware. Eventually the "resource" demands of updated software outstrips the hardware resources (such as RAM, and CPU power) to a point where the machine can literally grind to a halt. The problem is not the machine hardware... the problem is the software. Too often, the "Old Clunker" PC is still a perfectly good computer, it simply just cannot handle the new software.
Top 5 Lightweight Linux Distros @ "The Linux Site"
Using less resource hungry software is a very viable solution for getting more life out an older (and/or less expensive) PC that seems to be stuck in the mud. There are some very resource friendly ("lightweight") versions of Linux around that usually will run quite well on a basic PC intended to run MS Windows. A good Google Search will yield a number of hits like the one above, and provide a number of choices for a "Free" alternative to buying yet another MSW based PC... and adding yet more (potentially toxic) discarded tech stuff to closets, garages, landfills, etc.
If your computer and internet use can best be described as: "I mostly surf the web and do e-mail, with some occasional 'Office App' stuff" (like Word Processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentation tasks)"... then a Lightweight Linux Distro (distribution) may just be the thing for you (and Planet Earth). ;-)
Most basic computer operations can be done "On the Cloud" these days, so all you need really is a browser and an Internet connection (along with the hardware and OS to get you there). An old PC with Puppy Linux for example, can get you where you need to go in most cases. For example, with a Google ID (i.e. an e-mail account), you can have free access to a number of very sophisticated "Products", including "Home & Office" apps like Google Drive.
If you need or want to run various applications locally, odds are pretty good that you can find what you need ... still, for free. Ubuntu-based distributions of Linux are very popular right now, so anything in that family of OS software is likely to have a healthy list of available apps to choose from. A quick Web Search will let you know which direction you may want to go, in deciding on a Slim Linux Distro for an old PC.
What makes Linux "Free"?
Linux, and most of the apps written for it, are known as "Open Source Projects". What this means is that there is a small army of developers out there, who collaborate as volunteers to create and improve these software applications. Open Source applies to the fact that the "Source Code" for the software is open for all to see, and modify as they see fit. To avoid total chaos, there is typically a controlling entity to coordinate the final release... but in general, these are all "grassroots" projects, which are developed and maintained by some very dedicated folks, who want to see the World of Computing be a better place for everyone. It is a very "coolbeans" idea, and it seems to be working very well.
How Do I get Linux onto my PC?
This is a pretty big question for a single blog post, but a few clever Web Searches will yield lots of tips and detailed instructions regarding how to get the task done. The good news is that in most cases, you can still keep your MS Windows OS on your PC, with Linux running alongside it. You won't necessarily run them both simultaneously, but you can easily have the option of running one or the other. In this case, you typically want to have MSW loaded first (which is typically how it works anyway).
Another option is to reformat the HDD (hard disk drive) and load Linux as the primary OS. This is not a bad choice, especially if you are fed-up with Windows and Microsoft in general.
In any case, you will need to figure out "How To Burn an ISO File" to a CD or DVD. The resulting disk will be a "bootable" disk, which will allow you to load the OS on your HDD, BEFORE MSW boots up. All you need to be sure of is that you have enough "free space" on your HDD to accommodate the Linux installation.
You may already have a CD/DVD Burner software package on your MSW-PC. If not, or if you are not sure, there are a number of free choices out there to get you on your way. I suggest using CDBurnerXP... it is free, does an excellent job, and has an easy to select option ("Burn ISO Image") for getting your Linux ISO download onto a CD or DVD (usually a CD is just fine for these Slim Distros of Linux). This an other CD Burner Choices can be found at places like Download.com - Free CD Burners ... (a C-Net.com site, which I find to be fairly reliable).
The important thing is to be patient. The best advice I ever got was to, "Load it, try it till it breaks, and try it again." It is a very satisfying feeling when you get it right, and you will be amazed at the speed of that "Old Clunker PC" that you wanted to toss out the window on numerous occasions.
You can also be proud of the fact that you will doing yourself, the Open Source Project world, and the Planet Earth a huge favor. And don't forget: Have Fun with It!
:-)
