Lightest Linux distros, easy for noob, with virtual winOS?

[pamojja]

however, from time to time i have read posts that mention a windows update can sometimes make it harder to get into linux.

Could well be the case. Also other instructions to get straight into configuring EFI didn't work with the windows11.

my 29GB USB by now with 22 ISOs of all light Linux distros

What a marathon-test through today. But really small harvest out of so many distros.

6 of them terminated with black screen in error.
(TinyCore-current, Porteus-Xfce.v5.0-x-86_64. KNOPPIX_V9.1CD-2021-01-05-DE, vanilladpup-19.0.20, slitaz-4.0)

5 where apperently not ment as life-distro, but to install. Despite choosing on each download site in particular for life-versions where obvious.
(debian-12.10-amd64-netinstall, archlinux-2023.07.01-x86amt_64, Oraclelinux-R9-U-x84_64_boot, crux-37, absolute64_2023625)

2: searched in vain for a taskmanager to see the actual RAM when idle.
(bodhi-7.0.0-64-rc, trisquel-mini-11.0_amd64)

1: archbang-summer-2707-x86_64 was the wierdest I've seen of all. No obvious menus, and the few apps on the screen mostly had no closeing button. Taskmanager impossible to find for me.

1: Rasbian imager_1.7.5 was the only not recognized by the ventoy boot-USB menu.

6 reached already when idle - or at least when testing the same short youtube - above 1000MB of RAM usage.
(in roughly declining order of RAM usage, ask if interested in details: elive-3.8.34_beta:hybrid_amd64, Zorin-OS-16.3-Lite-64-bit, PeppermintOS-Debian-64, sparkylinux-7.0.1-x86_64-xfce, berillium-1.amd64.hybrid, Q4OS intalled)

1: wattO,S in which I had hopes because with the aim of least resources, so simple and most neccesary programs already on board, disappointed too. Idle 390MB of Ram, but with the short youtube 990MB RAM already.

1: slitaz-rolling-core-5in1 would be the winner with only 100MB of Ram when idle. Sadly, this was the only one of those running without an internet connection out of the box. So I still cant know how efficient it would handle the youtube.

All of the former able to run, but kept silent. No sound with the youtube (by the way, installed Q4OS neither). Which leaves me with the 2 least complicated distros additional to the former 25 tried (including AbsoluteOS):

Magaiia-8-Live-Xfce-x86_64, with audio out of the box, only 700MB when idle, but already 1,3 GB with youtube too.

And finally the one and only winner for me out of 24 linux distros (there are others I wanted to try, but not available for download yesterday night):

LXLE-Focal-Release, 270MB of RAM idle and 880 only, with installed LibreWolf watching the short youtube. About similiar as wattOS, but with so many more already installed options running effortlessly, including sound.

However, non of them allowed to work with the touch-display. But for me less urgent to solve. Guess with the large Ubuntu software packages available to LXLE, virtualization of Windows11 should work like a charm.

So my final own answer to my specific question in the title of this thread:

Lightest Linux distros, easy for noob, with virtual winOS?​

Most likely easy with large and complete linux distros only, testing 3-4 light-weight on USB sticks - as most repliess here suggested - wont find even one.

 

[Brickwizard]

i have read posts that mention a windows update can sometimes make it harder to get into linux.

Some Windows updates break Linux usually by re-initiating windows quick start and secure boot, plenty of information on the web, search "windows update broke my linux"

 

[pamojja]

Some Windows updates break Linux usually by re-initiating windows quick start

I actually disabled quickstart before testing. As recently advised by @z7vl7abxc

 

[Brickwizard]

I actually disabled quickstart before testing.

Did you read what i said,

Some Windows updates break Linux usually by re-initiating windows quick start and secure boot,

 

[pamojja]

Did you read what i said,

Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have answered as I did.

I too could give you a sentence out of my speciality expertise, by having learnt many thousands of hours. Where anyone would also answer out of the apparent lack of unterstanding, in a similiar way as I did here.

In such cases its always adviseable to phrase important probably unknown details too. So it is better understood, even without many thousands of hours of knowledge accumulation. And replies even from noobs could be more accurate, at least as much as possible.

Did you read what i said,

Maybe I did not understand with the thousands of hours of knoledge aquisition as you do. But in this case explaining would be helpful. Useless attributions aren't.

I more and more get the impression from such sensless assumptions, some here are talking for talkings sake. And not for effective knowledge transfer and out of mutual respect.

One can of course be of the opinion that all others first needs to read many thousands of hours of 'plenty of information on the web*. I rather accept different individual ways of learning-types, especially if they are not my own.

Peace. You don't have to reply, if you only want to show how little I know about linux as an absolute beginner.

 

[pamojja]

However, non of them allowed to work with the touch-display. But for me less urgent to solve.

Silly mistake. Today it also didn't work with windows. Therefore realized the 2 USB-c plugs were reversed, disallowing touch input. Rightly pluged touch input works now with LXLE, Magaia, wattOS, Slitaz and Q4OS, those quickly tested about it now. So others might as well too.

My mobile setup with the intention of having less to trash other mobile Hardware - like Notebooks, Ultrabooks, Netbooks, or Tablets/detachable keys, which in the past always had to be trashed due to something so silly as batteries, display or keys after 3-4 years - comes of course with the disadvantage of cable clutter.

Facilitating such mistakes.

 

[pamojja]

The 3G-USB dongle worked really well with almost all tested distros, showing as ethernet connection. But since I actually need my data-SIM more often with the Android, tried today also with my selection of distros to connect to WLAN. With such, only Magaia showed available connections as one is used by android, iOS or windows, and connected perfectly after selection. Slitaz did have an app for WLAN, but showed only an input for the password, without being able to select the right one first.

 

[pamojja]

My internet traffic is almost used up for this month, so not possible to download further distros until back at my working place. But I still had slitaz-rolling.iso, TinyCore-current and MX-21.3.June_x64 downloaded, which did't fit on the 32GB stick anymore.

The former 2 didn't work, this time with the suggestion, that 86 isn't probably supported.

Only MX-Linux showed a selection and connected with the WLAN, as before Magaia only. But couldn't connect with its PulseAudio, so no sound. It uses 960MB of Ram when idle, and 1.8GB with my standard youtube video.

 

[z7vl7abxc]

if you like the look and feel of q4os, you might try the KDE version of mx linux when you get to work and can download more. i haven't used it enough to say if it uses more or less resources than the xfce version. both mx 21 and the windows-installed version of q4os are based on debian 11, but i think mx comes with more programs preinstalled. in addition, in mx's Package Installer there is a section where installing virtualization with either Gnome Boxes, Virt-manager or VirtualBox should be fairly quick and easy.

But couldn't connect with its PulseAudio, so no sound.

sometimes when sound isn't working and can't be fixed with pulseaudio, it can help to check to see if something is muted in alsamixer. mx has an option for that in the menu. on other distributions you would probably have to run that in a terminal.

 

[pamojja]

it can help to check to see if something is muted in alsamixer. mx has an option for that in the menu. on other distributions you would probably have to run that in a terminal.

Other than a commandlines in a panel with most settings - so also for alsa, where I found entries which could be edited, no such other graphical menu for sounds.

if you like the look and feel of q4o

I could do with any simple look of any distro. Really no preferences there. The only exeption was something so animation overloaded, as Elive was (till now the largest ISO with 3 773 616 KB). That's why I actually like the new look of windows11 too, never seen such a clean and easy windows. But if it already doesn't show available WLANs - as most lightweight linux distros seem to do - Q4OS will be definitely deleted now too.

mx comes with more programs preinstalled.

I does. But without sound out of the box? I had many difficulties with windows too. But something so ordinary?

Beside, MX uses half a GB more Ram than Magaia under simple youtube/firefox load. As said, I will test further light-weight distros as soon as possible. And will choose one where everything works, with the least RAM load. Magaia is the only to choose, till now from 30 distros tested.

With already 2 873 316 KB of an ISO, it seems ease of use does come with complexity and larger systems.

 

[pamojja]

till now from 30 distros tested.

On the other hand it is also clear, that an operating system on a life-medium does behave differently then when installed.

Especially with much loaded into the RAM, its particular RAM usage when installed might be completely different again. Also the actual OS size might be completely different, due to some ISOs containing all versions and additional options, while others come with the most neccessary of 1 version only.

So this was really a first pre-selection only. Does make it easier meanwhile, with only one to test installed.

LXLE-Focal-Release, 270MB of RAM idle and 880 only, with installed LibreWolf watching the short youtube. About similiar as wattOS, but with so many more already installed options running effortlessly, including sound.

With the only serious contender now, it would of course be interesting to know which package to install - so that available WLANs are visible as in any other OS?

 

[z7vl7abxc]

are you trying to figure out what package would help lxle work with the built in wifi adapter or the wlan stick that you had ordered? i don't recall if you have gotten and tested that stick yet.

 

[pamojja]

Thnks. Yes, it was one of four distros tested with the stick. And the only of 3 worth to dig a bit deeper.

Actually am on my tablet, just woken by alarm. Tried to intall Mageia on a SD. Didn´t expec it to take for so long. 20:40 started, now 02:40, still about 15 minutes of atualising packages..

 

[z7vl7abxc]

lxle focal was impressive as a virtual machine. very light ram usage after boot as you have mentioned. even after updating all packages, it only had a 5.4 kernel which i don't think has a driver for your built in wifi adapter:

03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8821CE 802.11ac PCIe Wireless NEtwork Adapter [10ec:c821]
Subsystem: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RtL8821CE 802.11ac PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [10ec:c821]
Kernel modules rtw88_8821ce

it looks like there is a 5.15 kernel available that should have the driver available. like your trial with q4os, just having the driver unfortunately doesn't mean it will work correctly. however, installing that newer kernel would be one way to try and check. unfortunately, while some packages can be installed in live mode, i don't believe that is true for a kernel since to use it would require a reboot.

 

[pamojja]

Thanks.

it only had a 5.4 kernel which i don't think has a driver for your built in wifi adapter:

it looks like there is a 5.15 kernel available that should have the driver available

So the version number in this case doesn't go up, but down with newer versions?

just having the driver unfortunately doesn't mean it will work correctly. however, installing that newer kernel would be one way to try and check. unfortunately, while some packages can be installed in live mode, i don't believe that is true for a kernel since to use it would require a reboot.

Yes, how I underestimated the installation process of Mageia last night? It took in total 8 hours with updating packages, until it was ready to go. To my excuse, my last trials with linux distros is already 9 years ago.

 

[pamojja]

Interestingly, now installed Mageia isn't playing Audio anymore.

i know you said you aren't interested in learning commands, but if the guest isn't able to get the ethernet working the command
lspci -knn | grep -iA3 net
should hopefully show some helpful info about possibly both ethernet and wlan.

Worse, anything I type or paste into the terminal, is added a prefix or changed automatically. With the output: command not found.

Happy Linux testing. The reason for becoming frustrated and not testing linuxes for 9 years anymore. Hopefully, in only 1-2 years all those Linux problems with the tiny help of typing to a natural language model interface, will help overcome such hurdles for all beginners to Linux.

 

[pamojja]

So basically, when I want to test linuxes installed in my setting - to find the strengths or bugs different to running it as Life-Media - I need a fast USB-stick and install all of those?

What would be the most efficent methods? - First partitioning the stick with the number of distros to be installed and their different approximately needed sizes?

 

[z7vl7abxc]

So the version number in this case doesn't go up, but down with newer versions?

i forget how that looks until someone points it out. the number after the . is read as a whole number. so 15 (regarding the 5.15 kernel) is higher than the 4 in a 5.4 kernel. i'm not sure who came up with that naming convention, but understand why it reads strangely to new users.

Interestingly, now installed Mageia isn't playing Audio anymore.

is that the version of Mageia that you installed? in my virtual machine in the Mageia Welcome program under the MCC (Mageia Control Center) tab there is a button to open the Mageia Control Center. in the left pane of the Control Center is a Hardware tab. after clicking that there is a Sound Configuration option on the right side. in that section there is a line that says Advanced. clicking on that opens a new window that has the option to "Reset sound mixer to default values" in case that might help.

Happy Linux testing. The reason for becoming frustrated and not testing linuxes for 9 years anymore.

i'm sorry to hear it's been so frustrating. i think it is impressive that you have done so much thorough testing. i know you have certain requirements base that you want met.

So basically, when I want to test linuxes installed in my setting - to find the strengths or bugs different to running it as Life-Media - I need a fast USB-stick and install all of those?

What would be the most efficent methods? - First partitioning the stick with the number of distros to be installed and their different approximately needed sizes?

are you considering fully installing multiple distributions to one usb stick instead of using ventoy like i believe you had done previously?

 

[z7vl7abxc]

part of what made me think about checking a 5.15 kernel in lxle was that Mageia had one after i installed and fully updated the virtual machine. Mageia has a nice way to show you the kernel in the "Your configuration" tab of its welcome program. i didn't see a quick way to find that in lxle though i didn't spend much time using it. in case some commands might work, these are the two i use to check the kernel version (uname -r) and if the driver for your built in wifi adapter are present (modinfo rtw88_8821ce):

uname -r
5.15.4-desktop-1.mga8
modinfo rtw88_8821ce
filename:       /lib/modules/5.15.4-desktop-1.mga8/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw88/rtw88_8821ce.ko.xz
license:        Dual BSD/GPL
description:    Realtek 802.11ac wireless 8821ce driver
author:         Realtek Corporation
alias:          pci:v000010ECd0000C821sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        rtw88_pci,rtw88_8821c
retpoline:      Y
intree:         Y
name:           rtw88_8821ce
vermagic:       5.15.4-desktop-1.mga8 SMP mod_unload

 

[pamojja]

i think it is impressive that you have done so much thorough testing. i know you have certain requirements base that you want met.

Yes, very precise:

• low energy footprint - would have been easy to buy a more capable PC, but that is just what I wanted to avoid now.
• low energy consuming operating system - as little as redicolous 3W is possible with an Android tablet. But from one bad monopoly to a worse?

And yes, in the time I trialed til now, I could have easily worked up the backlag from 3 years without a PC. Which also exemplifies how little I have use for more powerful operating systems.

I have 3 options:

• continue with installing a bunch of lightweigt distros on a faster USB than I have, to see which really works installed with my humble setup - without wasting too much further time with a steep learning curve.
• wait 1-2 years, until a natural language model interface becomes available for linux - und use the always working out of the box windows I now have. Don't have to use their online accounta and cloud for that. Easiest.
• meanwhile keep the mini-PC - or buy something which allows to install google-free Lineage-OS, like Banana Pi, instead. Half the size of the mini-PC, still the same in specification. Therefore not with the limitation of my erstwhile Android, which can't handle my largest LibreCalc file. And providing for a system separate from battery, display or keys, likewise.

are you considering fully installing multiple distributions to one usb stick instead of using ventoy like i believe you had done previously?

Ventoy makes first trialing really easy, by just having to paste new ISOs there. And not always having to format and install anew. So I definitely keep that for probably fitting distros I haven't taken a first look at yet.

But now I see no other way than install a preselection I consider worthwhile, for seeing that everything works.

By the way, my 8 hours effort of intalling Magaia is already history. The SD-card for an unknow reason doesn't boot anymore.