Hello, I have an ancient hp compaq nx6310 xp machine which doesn't work. It would be nice to have it just to play mp3s and mp4s as it has a nice big screen. I saw the ads for xtra-pc and wondered if it would work, but someone told me it's just linux so I thought I'd ask here. The machine will boot up but so far as I recall there's no sound. I don't know if that's a hardware or software prob. Any thoughts appreciated. Thx
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I would download a bootable Live Linux disk image and create a bootable USB stick or a Live CD/DVD and test out some Linux on it! Oh yeah! 
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Once you create the bootable CD/DVD or USB you can insert it into your machine and restart the computer and run off of the Live CD/DVD or USB and test out how stuff works. Very fun!
If the speakers already do not work that may be a hardware issue. Maybe not. Hard to say at this point. External speakers may be an option?
Create a bootable USB stick with Rufus on Windows | Ubuntu
Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.
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How to Create a Bootable Linux USB Flash Drive, the Easy Way
A bootable USB drive is the best way to install or try Linux. But most Linux distributions—like Ubuntu—only offer an ISO disc image file for download. You’ll need a third-party tool to turn that ISO file into a bootable USB drive.
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Once you create the bootable CD/DVD or USB you can insert it into your machine and restart the computer and run off of the Live CD/DVD or USB and test out how stuff works. Very fun!
If the speakers already do not work that may be a hardware issue. Maybe not. Hard to say at this point. External speakers may be an option?
I've never heard of xtra-pc - so I have no idea about what Linux distribution it installs on it, or what software it has on it.
Interesting.... From a quick search and a look at their website - I see a reference to synaptic - which would imply that they're either using Debian, or definitely a Debian derived distro (ubuntu, mint etc).
So it looks like some very enterprising individuals are basically putting some kind of Debian (or derived) distro onto USB thumbdrives and selling them. Fair play to them! Not many people are making money from free software like this, but it's a perfectly legitimate idea!
However - If you have a 32Gb or 64Gb USB thumbdrive knocking about anywhere - you could install exactly the same thing for free yourself.
It's definitely worth trying to put Linux onto a bootable USB drive - give Linux a test drive - see how it works for you. Once you have an OS up and running on it - it should be possible to troubleshoot any audio related issues.
The links posted by @Vrai would be a good start!
Interesting.... From a quick search and a look at their website - I see a reference to synaptic - which would imply that they're either using Debian, or definitely a Debian derived distro (ubuntu, mint etc).
So it looks like some very enterprising individuals are basically putting some kind of Debian (or derived) distro onto USB thumbdrives and selling them. Fair play to them! Not many people are making money from free software like this, but it's a perfectly legitimate idea!
However - If you have a 32Gb or 64Gb USB thumbdrive knocking about anywhere - you could install exactly the same thing for free yourself.
It's definitely worth trying to put Linux onto a bootable USB drive - give Linux a test drive - see how it works for you. Once you have an OS up and running on it - it should be possible to troubleshoot any audio related issues.
The links posted by @Vrai would be a good start!
D
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Xtra-PC® - Official Site
Xtra-PC Ultra is a revolutionary USB device that quickly and easily makes your slow or dead computer work like new again. Offering multiple storage size options, it provides all the storage you need for photos, files, music, and movies.
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Is Xtra PC a Scam? Review of the Flash Drive Stick
Xtra-PC located at www.xtra-pc.com is a flash drive stick with a lightweight distribution or distro version
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It's Linux however it's Linux that cost to much money imo.
I can choose a lightweight small footprint Linux disto myself and download it and create bootable media to install it from.
I usually give a $5.00 donation and don't mind doing so when I download a Linux distro kinda helps to defray the cost.
The choice is yours that's the beauty of Linux Choice.
I recommend LXLE.
Revive that old PC! < The LXLE Desktop
LXLE Linux, Revive your old PC. LXLE is a remastered version of Ubuntu/Lubuntu LTS releases, using the LXDE desktop interface. LXLE provides a complete drop in and go operating system coupled with style, speed and capability. It's light on resources and heavy on functions.
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LXLE Review: A Hassle-free Linux for Older Hardware
Brief: LXLE is a lightweight Linux distribution mainly focused on older systems. John takes it for a test drive and shares his experience in this LXLE review. If you visit It’s FOSS often, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Arch-based distros. In fact, most of
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I wouldn't worry about xtra pc. It will use up valuable resources on that machine. I would max out the RAM, and give it a good size hard drive. A lot of machines of that era do not recognize SSDs, so you are probably stuck with a spinner. If you have a spare SSD on hand, try it. As it has a 32 bit CPU, you'll need to stay with 32 bit distros, look at Distrowatch.
Well, that is a good point, figure out what you want to do with it, then check out a 32 bit distro that will do that. You will probably still have to do some upgrades, for your sanity's sake, if nothing else
