The lightest operating system for a laptop. What is an operating system? Types of operating systems

Behind recent months quite old ones fell into my hands several times budget laptops and netbooks from various manufacturers.Inexpensive devices manufactured in 2008–2012have not yet turned into museum exhibits, so they are unlikely to please fans of old hardware. On the other hand, the latest OS and the most modern versions of browsers on such equipment are virtually unusable. So the question arises: what operating systems should I use to give my old laptop a second life? There may be many answers, I'm in this case I’ll tell you about my experience working with inexpensive devices of previous generations.

What are we working with?

Of course, test everything existing models equipment is not possible. I will briefly mention which models of netbooks and laptops I encountered in Lately(photos taken from the Internet, since the devices were given to the owners):

Acer Aspire One AOA 150

Screen – 8.9 inches, processor Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz volume random access memory– 1.5 GB (originally 1 GB, the owner replaced the memory stick), HDD capacity – 160 GB.

Acer Aspire One D270

Screen – 10 inches, Intel Atom N2600 1.6 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, HDD – 320 GB.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL500

Screen – 15.4 inches, processor Intel Celeron T3100 1.9 GHz, 2 GB RAM, HDD – 320 GB (originally 160, the owner replaced HDD).

Dell Inspiron 1545

Screen – 15.6 inches, processor Intel Pentium 4300 2.1 GHz, 2 GB RAM, HDD – 250 GB.

HP ProBook 4525 s

Screen – 15.6 inches, AMD processor Athlon II P360 2.3 GHz, 2 GB RAM, HDD – 320 GB.

As you can see, everything here is modest: not a single MacBook, budget equipment. The more pressing is the issue of choosing an acceptable OS.

Let's consider the options

When I started looking possible options operating systems, I first decided to discard unacceptable solutions. There were two such solutions:

Installing new versions of Windows. The reason is simple: laptop owners lack a license. I have a negative attitude towards piracy, but buying new license device owners didn't want to.
Installation of “exotic” and server OS. It is possible to install and configure DragonFlyBSD or ReactOS, but then users will have to somehow interact with these systems themselves, which can be difficult.

So, based on the available equipment, I have identified the following possible options:

“Tuning” of pre-installed outdated versions of Windows (XP, Vista, 7);
Installing legacy versions Linux distributions;
Installation of new versions of Linux distributions (with lightweight GUI versions).

Let us briefly list the advantages and disadvantages of these options.

“Tuning” outdated versions of Windows

On a netbook Acer Aspire AOA 150 comes pre-installed with Windows XP, Windows 7 on the D270 and ProBook 4525s, and natively on the Thinkpad SL500 Windows Vista(the owner changed the system to Windows XP). These operating systems are fully functional on this hardware, but the subjective “responsiveness” of the OS left much to be desired. At the request of the owners, I reinstalled the OS on the AOA150, ThinkPad SL500 and ProBook 4525s while maintaining the license. The owners of these laptops used specific software that only worked in Windows, so I only made a small “tuning” of the operating systems. On all three laptops, only the most necessary programs were left in startup; the disks were defragmented, some previously installed programs were replaced by lighter ones and free analogues. Also, in two out of three cases, the size of the paging file was increased. In the Acer Aspire AOA 150, I first replaced the hard drive with a more spacious one (I found a Seagate ST500LT012 with a capacity of 500 GB, in perfect condition, it worked for only 300 hours). IN ProBook laptop 4525s cooler has been replaced. The ThinkPad SL500 was disassembled and cleaned of dust, and I also replaced the thermal paste. After these software and hardware improvements, the devices began to work a little faster and more stable.

The disadvantage of this solution is obvious: Windows XP no longer receives security updates, and Windows 7 only receives some important fixes. In addition, some new versions of software cannot work on older operating systems (this is especially noticeable in Windows XP, where the latest versions of browsers no longer work).

Installing legacy versionsLinux

The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop that came to me was purchased without an operating system, and the owner independently installed Windows XP SP3 on the device. The laptop was used infrequently; judging by the operating time of the HDD, the computer only worked for five months (the hard drive was not replaced). The laptop owner wanted a more modern operating system. There were no special wishes: just to be able to read e-books (fb2, pdf, djvu), check email and listen to music. The owner of the device is not interested in messengers and video communications (by the way, this Dell model does not have a webcam), and does not use specific Windows programs. Therefore, I suggested that the laptop owner try Linux.

Was installed a little outdated, but quite functional Debian distribution 8, desktop environment - XFCE. You may ask: why is it installed? old version? Everything is simple here: the software versions in this distribution are well tested, so the likelihood of “catching” unknown bugs is extremely low. The only one significant problem that occurred after installation - Wi-Fi inoperability (solved by installing a more recent firmware-b43-installer package from Ubuntu repositories). There were also minor problems with adjusting the brightness (by pressing function keys the system did not respond). This issue was fixed by adding the blacklist video line to the module blacklist (/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist).

In general, the system turned out to be quite responsive, the only “heavy” component is Mozilla Firefox(binary ESR version installed). Knowing that the browser can “get into” swap if many tabs are open, I created a 4 GB swap partition during the system installation. For solutions possible problems TeamViewer was installed, which has never been needed yet.

The chosen solution is also not without its drawbacks: in order to take advantage latest versions kernel and programs, the user will sooner or later have to update the entire system. However, the laptop owner is still satisfied installed versions basic programs, on the Internet the user visits trusted sites and does not experiment with the system on his own, therefore this disadvantage cannot be called critical.

Installing new versionsLinux

Acer owner Aspire One D270 wanted to get acquainted with UNIX-like operating systems. I offered him a compromise option: on one hard section leave Windows 7 Starter on the disk, and install a modern Linux distribution on the other. As it turned out, such a precaution was not superfluous.

The Lubuntu distribution with the “light” LXDE desktop environment was chosen. The installation went smoothly wireless connection It worked immediately, and in general the performance of the system did not raise any questions. But, unfortunately, she did not cause them only in me. The owner of the netbook is a movie buff, so he wanted to watch movies on this device. Alas, support Intel video cards GMA3600 on Linux cannot be called acceptable. If in Windows 7 this netbook at least supports acceleration of 2D and 3D graphics and can play movies with a resolution of 720p, then in Lubuntu watching a movie resembled a slide show. At the same time, the load on the processor during viewing reached 100%, and the netbook became noticeably warm.

I was also not pleased with the battery life: in Windows the netbook worked for about 3 hours without connecting to the network, in Lubuntu - on average a little more than one and a half hours. After installing and configuring the TLP utility, this figure increased to 1 hour 50 minutes, but it was not possible to “squeeze” more out of the system (the owner did not want to replace the worn-out battery with a new one).

Of course, there were also pleasant moments - the Lubuntu interface quickly responded to user actions, LibreOffice, installed instead of a set of Abiword and Gnumeric, worked more stable than in Windows. In general, the owner of the device has not lost interest in Linux, but to watch movies and run small games he left Windows7 in dual boot.

Drawing conclusions

Working with outdated laptop computers led me to certain conclusions.

In 2018, inexpensive laptops and netbooks from 6-10 years ago can be used for home and office needs. Problems may arise with browser performance (hello to the developers of modern websites) and video. A competent choice of OS can smooth out these problems a little, but still, computer obsolescence is inevitable, so you shouldn’t expect miracles.

The choice of OS is always subjective, but in general, some recommendations can be formulated for outdated devices:

Install fresh Windows versions(8, 10) is usually meaningless. Even if the system works, the performance will be unsatisfactory.
If your computer is running Windows control XP, Vista or 7, pay attention to the selection of software. Look for lightweight and free analogues of paid programs, try antiviruses that are not too resource-demanding. And don't forget: after all, older systems are not very well protected from some modern malware.
If you want to install Linux, the first thing to consider is how well the system supports your hardware. Take the time to search the Internet for reviews from users who have previously installed Linux on similar laptops (especially English-language reviews - there are always more of them). Also take a look at lightweight desktop environments: XFCE, LXDE, LXQt. Heavier environments (eg KDE5) may not be suitable for you. As for specific distributions, I won’t risk giving any unambiguous advice. Choose what is more convenient for you or a Linux friend who agrees to help you with the setup.

So, if you have a working old laptop economy class, it can still be quite useful in 2018. However, unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect outstanding performance, since modern programs have become “heavier”, and sites are consuming more and more memory.

We have long known that Linux is the most secure and reliable open source operating system. source code. When choosing Linux for a computer, we can try any distributions we like, for example Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Fedora and so on. But laptops have their own specifics. Many modern laptops are comparable in their characteristics to computers, and sometimes even superior to models of previous years, but there are also weaker ones mobile cars. For such devices, you can choose an optimized system that will consume fewer resources and work faster.

In this article we will try to choose best linux for laptop 2019. We'll look at the ten best Linux distributions for your laptop that will really make it faster. After reading the article, you will be able to decide which Linux to choose for your laptop and which one is best for you.

1. Cub Linux

This is a modern, fast, beautiful and stable Linux distribution that consumes little battery power. It was formerly known as Chromixium OS. Cub Linux can be used on any laptop or netbook from old to new and modern. It is very similar to Google's Chromium OS and is based on Ubuntu. It supports running any software, including from the Chrome Store, as well as software from the Ubuntu repositories using Synaptic or Gdebi.

One of important points is that Cub Linux uses Openbox as window manager by default, it provides more long work from battery and minimal use resources. By default, the distribution comes with the Chromium browser and many other useful applications.

Main parameters:

Based: Ubuntu LTS
Architecture: x86/64
Environment: Openbox
Package format:.deb
Firmware: Chromium, Youtube, Google Drive

System requirements:

RAM: 512 MB, 1 GB recommended
CPU: dual-core Intel/AMD 1 GHz
HDD: 4 GB or 8 GB recommended
External media: 1 GB USB for installation or DVD-RW
Screen extension: minimum 800 x 600, recommended 1024 x 600
Net:

Advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:

Small, fast, beautiful
Low system requirements
Low power consumption
Similar to Chromium OS
Support for Chrome and regular apps
Good for laptops

Minuses:

Inconvenient application menu
Loading slower than other distros
Not for Unity fans

2. LXLE Linux

LXLE is another best Linux for laptop 2016. It is an easy to use, lightweight distribution with LXDE desktop environment based on Lubuntu. Compared to the latter, LXLE has several advantages: it is based on Ubuntu LTS, meets the needs of most ordinary users, providing a good set of default applications. Also added here are useful modifications to improve performance and increase functionality.

If you're used to Windows XP or Windows Vista, LXLE will be a great solution. It is a highly customizable operating system where you can make your desktop look like Windows, MacOS or even Ubuntu Unity. In addition, the system runs on LXDE and consumes a small amount of resources.

LXLE comes by default with applications such as Libreoffice, Mozilla Firefox, package manager Synaptic, etc. The system already includes additional PPAs for installing and updating software.

LXLE Linux is more beautiful than other LXDE based distributions. Here you can find over 100 great wallpapers, pre-installed Explse, Aero Snap, quick app launcher, access panel and many more features.

Main parameters:

Founded: Lubuntu LTS
Architecture: x86/64
Environment: LXDE
Package format:.deb
Firmware: LibreOffice, Mozilla Firefox

System requirements:

RAM: 1 GB, recommended 2 GB for 64 bit system
CPU: Intel/AMD 1.5 GHz
Disk space: 8 GB, 20 GB recommended for software installation
External media: USB size 4 GB for installation
Net: wired or wireless internet connection

Pros and cons:

Pros:

High flexibility
Low battery usage
Complete desktop environment
Added custom PPAs for easy software installation
Great for laptops
Starts up in less than a minute

Minuses:

Not for beginners

3.Deepin Linux

In the list of “best Linux for laptop”, Deepin Linux ranks high. This distribution is specifically for beginners, it is completely suitable for both laptops and desktop computers. Its simplicity and beautiful, modern design make Deepin one of the best distributions of 2016.

Deepin Linux is based on Debian, but it has its own desktop environment. This is not KDE, Xfce, LXDE, Gnome or Openbox and others, it uses Deepin Desktop Environment. This environment is developed using HTML5 and the Qt framework. Deepin has three types of desktop: modern - in the style of MacOS X, in the style of Windows 7 and classic minimalist - in the style of Windows XP. There is an application launcher that behaves the same as in MacOS and is similar to Ubuntu Dash. This way, you can access any application directly from your desktop, and even uninstall it.

Deepin comes with a lot of default apps like Google Chrome, Kingsoft Office, Deepin Music, Movie, file manager Deepin. Deepin also has its own application center, which is called the Deepin Application Center, with the help of which you can install any software in a few clicks. It also has its own control center, similar to MacOS, even more flexible and powerful than the Ubuntu control center.

Main characteristics:

Based: Debian
Architecture: x86/64
Environment: DDE
Package format:.deb
Firmware: Google Chrome, Kingsoft Office

System requirements:

RAM: 2 or more gigabytes
CPU:
Disk space:
External media: 4GB USB or DVD
Net: Internet access

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Beautiful, modern, easy to use
Lots of software preinstalled
There is an application center
MacOS-like Control Center

Minuses:

Battery drains quickly
Consumes a lot of resources
Does not support encryption

4.Antergos

This is an excellent laptop distro based on ArchLinux. Despite this, it is very easy to install and use, and is also quite stable. Unlike ArchLinux, it has a graphical installer, which is a great plus for beginners.

Antergos uses a rolling update system, so you will receive updates for all system components and applications as soon as they are available. The desktop environment you can choose from is KDE Plasma, Gnome, Xfce, Cinnamon, MATE and Openbox. In addition, the distribution can use AUR to install third-party programs.

Main characteristics:

Based: Arch
Architecture: x86/64
Environment: GNOME
Package Manager: pacman

System requirements:

RAM: 2 or more gigabytes
CPU: dual core AMD/Intel 2 GHz
Disk space: 10 GB, but 20 GB recommended for software installation
External media: 4GB USB or DVD
Net: Internet access

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Based on ArchLinux
Stable and easy to use and configure
Rolling update system
Well suited for both personal computer and laptop
There is a graphical installer

Minuses:

An internet connection is required for installation.

5. Peppermint OS

Although Peppermint OS is not yet as popular as other Linux distributions, it is another best Linux distribution for a laptop. It is compatible with cloud applications, consumes little energy, and also has its own software manager, and this sets it apart from the rest.

Peppermint is one of the best distributions based on Ubuntu, comes with integration options cloud services. You can connect any cloud applications such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Twitter with desktop programs. Peppermint comes pre-installed Chromium browser and Dropbox client. This way, you can use your laptop immediately after installing the system.

Also installed with Peppermint are: the Mint application center, the update manager, and the Nemo file manager. This is a distribution similar to a lightweight Linux edition Mint.

Main parameters:

Based: Ubuntu LTS
Architecture: x86/64
Desktop environment: LXDE
Package format:.deb
Firmware: Chromium, Dropbox

System requirements:

RAM: 512 MB or more, 1 GB recommended
CPU: AMD / Intel 1 GHz
Disk space: 4 GB, but 8 GB recommended
Installation media: USB 2 GB or DVD-RW
Net: Internet access

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Fast and stable
Integration with Cloud Applications (ICE)
Built-in Nemo file manager
Built-in Mint App Center
Low power consumption

Minuses:

Not so nice interface

6.Elementary OS

If you have used a Mac, or are simply an ardent fan of operating systems MacOS systems X, Elementary will be the best solution for you. It can be safely classified as “the best Linux distributions for laptops”, which are created specifically for MacOS lovers.

Like Deepin, it uses its own desktop environment - Pantheon. It has several features like notification area, app launcher, zoom setting, hot corners, etc. same as macOS.

Elementary OS comes with a large number of applications from Ubuntu by default: native music player, video player and web browser Midori. If you want an open source replacement for MacOS, you can choose Elementary OS.

Main parameters:

Founded: Ubuntu LTS
Architecture: x86/64
Desktop environment: pantheon
Package format:.deb
Firmware: Midori, Music

System requirements:

RAM: 1 GB, 2 GB recommended
CPU: AMD/Intel 1 GHz, 2 GHz recommended
Disk space: 15 GB, but 20 GB is better for software installation
Installation media: USB 4 GB or DVD-RW
Graphics card: with 1024 x 768 resolution or greater
Net: Network access

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Similar to MacOS
Easy to use
Multi-functional music and video player

Minuses:

Uses a lot of resources
Battery drains quickly

7. Zorin OS

Like Windows but don't want to install it? Zorin OS will be a great solution. Although Zorin OS is primarily intended for desktop computers, it is also the best distribution for laptops. A feature of Zorin OS can be considered lighter launch EXE files. Here, Wine is preinstalled by default (launch library Windows programs), as well as the shell for it - PlayOnLinux. In addition, the system comes with basic Windows fonts And necessary files dll. You can install the software using Zorin App Center, Synaptic package manager, or Gdebi installer.

Zorin OS uses its own desktop environment, Zorin Desktop Environment. You can customize it with Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Ubuntu Unity, MacOS theme and Gnome 2 theme.

Zorin OS comes with this software, like media codecs, Mozilla browser Firefox, LibreOffice, GIMP, OpenShot video editor and so on. This is one of the fastest Ubuntu-based distributions.

Main parameters:

Based: Ubuntu
Architecture: x86/64
Desktop environment: ZDE
Package format:.deb
Built-in applications: Firefox, LibreOffice

System requirements:

RAM: 512 MB or more, 1 GB recommended
CPU: AMD/Intel 1 GHz (Dual Core 2 GHz recommended)
Disk space: 10 GB, 20 GB recommended
Minimum extension: 640x480
Net: wired or wireless connection

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Newbie Friendly
Made for Windows lovers
Wine and PlayOnLinux pre-installed
Super fast and beautiful
Highly customizable

Minuses:

The free edition has fewer features than the premium edition

8. GalliumOS

If you like Chromebooks and ChromeOS, then you'll like this distro. It is an actively developed and highly customizable operating system for Chromebooks. GalliumOS is based on Xubuntu, which means that the distribution uses the XFCE environment by default. The system boots very quickly unlike other distros, it is also optimized to save battery and comes with a zram already configured instead of a swap partition.

The distribution supports all programs developed for Linux and Ubuntu, so you don't have to worry about software compatibility like you do with ChromeOS. It may not be the best distribution for a laptop, but it is the best for Chromebooks.

Main parameters:

Based: Xubuntu
Architecture: x86/64
Desktop environment: XFCE
Package format:.deb
Built-in applications: Firefox, LibreOffice

System requirements:

Works on almost all Chromebooks and Chromeboxes. You can find more detailed list supported devices on the official website.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Open source distribution
Optimized for battery saving
Undemanding to resources
Supports all common Linux programs
Contains zram by default.

Minuses:

The user interface is not as convenient as we would like.

9. Feren OS

Feren OS will be an excellent replacement for those who like Windows interface and Mac OS X. Although the distribution is based on Linux Mint, it uses a rolling update system so you always have the latest software. The distribution does not collect any user data like Windows 10, but at the same time consumes less resources compared to Linux Mint.

By default, Feren OS uses the Cinnamon desktop environment, which you can customize as you wish.

Main parameters:

Founded: Linux Mint
Architecture: x86/64
Desktop environment: Cinnamon
Package format:.deb
Built-in applications: Vivaldi, Skype, Krita, WPS Office

System requirements:

RAM: 1 GB or more
CPU: AMD/Intel 2 GHz
Disk space: 10 GB, 15 GB recommended
Net: wired or wireless connection

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Very nice design
High performance

Minuses:

May not be of interest to experienced users

10. Macpup

Macpup is also on the list of “best Linux distributions for laptop”. It consumes very few resources and can be used on any hardware: from laptops to netbooks.

Macpup is based on the Puppy Linux distribution and uses the same packages from Puppy Linux. This distribution consumes a small amount of resources and is similar to MacOS. If you have a Pentium 2 or 3 based laptop, then you can use Macpup without a second thought.

Main parameters:

Based: Puppy Linux
Architecture: x86
Desktop environment: Enlightenment
Package Manager: Dotpup/PET
Firmware: Firefox, Gnome Office

System requirements:

RAM: 256 megabytes, 512 recommended
CPU: Intel/AMD @ 800 MHz
Disk space: 512 MB, 1 GB recommended
Installation media: size 1 GB
Internet connection: needed for update

Pros and cons:

Pros:

Small and fast
Very low system requirements
Similar to MacOS X
Based on Puppy Linux

Minuses:

Not for new users

conclusions

Now it will be easier for you to do Linux choice for laptop. This article presents many great options. Naturally, these are not all the best Linux distributions for a laptop, if you use others and find them more suitable, share with us in the comments!

So, what is an operating system on a computer? The OS is the most important software that runs on a computer. It manages memory, processes, and all software and hardware. We can say that the OS is a bridge between a computer and a person. Because without an operating system, a computer is useless.

Apple Mac OS X

Mac OS is a line of operating systems created by Apple. It comes pre-installed on all new Macintosh or Mac computers. The latest versions of this operating system are known as OS X. Namely Yosetime(released in 2014), Mavericks (2013), Mountain Lion (2012), Lion(2011), and Show Leopard(2009). There is also Mac OS X Server, which is designed to run on servers.

According to general statistics StatCounter Global Stats, percentage Mac users OS X accounts for 9.5% of the operating system market, as of September 2014. This is much lower than the percentage of Windows users (almost 90% ). One of the reasons for this is that Apple computers are very expensive.

Linux

Linux is a family of open source operating systems. This means they can be modified (changed) and distributed by anyone around the world. This makes this OS very different from others such as Windows, which can only be modified and distributed by the owner (Microsoft). The benefits of Linux are that it is free and there are many different versions to choose from. Each version has its own appearance, and the most popular of them are Ubuntu, Mint And Fedora.

Linux is named after Linus Torvalds, who laid the foundation for Linux in 1991.

According to general statistics from StatCounter Global Stats, the percentage Linux users accounts for less than 2% of the operating system market, as of September 2014. However, due to flexibility and ease of configuration, most servers run on Linux.

Operating systems for mobile devices

All the operating systems we talked about above are designed for desktop and laptop computers, such as a laptop. There are operating systems that are designed specifically for mobile devices, such as phones, and MP3 players, for example, Apple, iOS, Windows Phone And Google Android. In the picture below you can see Apple iOS running on an iPad.

Of course, they are not as functional as computer operating systems, but they are still capable of performing many basic tasks. For example, watching movies, browsing the Internet, running applications, games, etc.

That's all. Leave in the comments what operating system you use and why you like it

It is comfortable to work with Windows on regularly updated equipment, but on older computers it often begins to “slip.” Fortunately, there are alternative operating systems for this case that are lightweight and safe.

A recent study by the well-known company Avast demonstrates well what equipment people actually use. About a third of users still work on computers released in 2009 or earlier. Average age of the majority personal computers– more than five years.

A quarter of computers have 2 GB of RAM or less, and availability of SSD- rather an exception. We think this is good. Don't worry and continue using your devices. The Windows operating system also has lighter alternatives that are suitable for older computers.

Lubuntu: A lightweight version of Ubuntu

The list of leaders is headed by Lubuntu - compact Ubuntu version with LXDE desktop.

Linux - more lightweight system than Windows, in particular because it has many various options graphical interface. If you look at Ubuntu and its “daughter” Lubuntu with the LXDE desktop, the second one seems like a worthy lightweight alternative. Big advantage is that it allows you to use the equipment sparingly without sacrificing your comfort. For Windows user The system shouldn't be difficult to use, so it's worth a try.

Linux Mint XFCE: Another Ubuntu Alternative

Slim Mint is a lightweight version of Linux Mint with the XFCE desktop that saves resources.

Even the most popular version Linux – Linux Mint – available with a cost-effective interface. We recommend Linux Mint XFCE for slightly older hardware. Be sure to try the built-in tools, such as Xplayer media player or software for PDF viewer Xreader. They use resources very carefully.

Elementary OS: in the luxurious atmosphere of MacOS

Elementary OS stands out for its chic appearance.

Elementary OS benefits from its look by incorporating macOS design elements. At the same time, Linux is hidden under the shell. Thanks to the built-in AppStore, you can equip the system with additional software; basic programs already installed.

Puppy Linux: it couldn't be easier

Puppy Linux is a very cost-effective alternative for those who want to save resources as much as possible.

If the above operating systems are not suitable for you because there are not enough resources, then good option Puppy Linux might be the one for you. However, this distribution is significantly reduced in functionality, which makes working with it somewhat more complicated.

CloudReady: Chrome OS for self-installation

With CloudReady, you can install Chrome OS on any hardware.

An option that is different from all others Windows alternatives presented above: CloudReady. It allows users to install Chrome OS on any hardware. Please note: Chrome OS is online, meaning you need an Internet connection to use it. operating system It is quite economical, so CloudReady is recommended for use on devices intended for Internet surfing.

Should I use outdated equipment?

Does it still work or is it time to throw it away? There will undoubtedly come a time when you will have to part with your old equipment. But there's nothing wrong with keeping old devices for as long as possible. But the software must be fresh - outdated Windows XP or Vista is better replace. If old equipment refuses to work with current version Windows, there are always many lightweight alternatives.

Updated: 02/11/2018 17:35:39

Although modern laptops have high performance, for them it is still better to use lightweight operating systems.

Which operating system to choose for a laptop: the least resource-intensive distributions

Among the least resource-intensive distributions are:

You can also install outdated versions Windows, such as 7 or XP, but they may no longer be supported by developers (both the OS itself and software for them) and receive security updates.

Light versions

The operating room itself Windows system 10 works quite well even on weak laptops– for example, equipped Intel processor Atom and 2 GB of RAM. But it has two editions that provide even greater performance - LTSB and S.

Windows 10 LTSB (Long Term Support Branch) is a special corporate version of the operating system designed for use in large companies, where the need to maintain confidentiality of information comes to the fore. Therefore, telemetry services that load the processor were cut out of it, and some Modern applications were also removed.

Windows 10 LTSB has a lot of disadvantages. The first is that the distribution kit itself “weighs” a lot and takes up about 7-10 GB on the hard drive. Second, since this operating system is intended for use in corporations, there may be problems with its licensing.

An alternative is Windows 10 S. An important feature has been removed from it - there is no support for x86/x64 desktop applications. That is, many familiar programs will not be able to run on it. Windows 10 S only works with Modern applications.

User-friendly Linux distributions

Most of the easiest-to-use and user-friendly Linux distributions are characterized by low system resource consumption. These are, for example, Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Linux Mint. They differ visually, slightly in functionality and capabilities.

However, Linux has plenty of disadvantages:

The driver base is quite small - for some devices in laptops it is simply impossible to find software. For example, for a touch screen or fingerprint scanner. And if these components can be abandoned, then Wi-Fi module- already more difficult;

Quite low functionality of open source software - use familiar programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop, it won’t work on such an OS. But alternatives rarely offer sufficient functionality or user-friendly interface. For some programs there are no analogues for Linux at all;

Requires habit and some level of computer literacy;

The latest versions of these operating systems take up a lot of space on your hard drive and, due to “embellishments,” place a heavy load on your computer.

Lightweight Linux distributions

If latest versions User-friendly Linux distributions place a heavy load on system resources; you can use special, lightweight configurations. This, for example, is Elementary OS.

This operating system is based on Ubuntu kernel, however, it is characterized by minimalism both in the interface and in the requirements for computer resources. For example, it runs easily on configurations with 512 MB of RAM and a 1 GHz processor.

However, the disadvantages of this OS are the same as those of the other Linux distributions listed above.

Remix OS is a desktop modification of the Android operating system. Considering that the “green robot” is optimized to work on weak configurations, with 1.3-2.4 GHz processors and up to 2 GB of RAM, this distribution will also work well on underpowered laptops.

There are more than enough applications for this operating system - almost any Android program runs on it. But there are even more problems with drivers.

Summary

Thus, most operating systems greatly reduce the user's capabilities. Most optimal solution for laptops will be using Windows 10 LTSB. However, if there are no problems with drivers or open source software, you can use some Linux distribution.

Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.