good Linux distro for an older Sony Viao Laptop (4GB ram)?

zoldos

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I just got an older Sony Viao laptop. It has a 500GB HDD, 4GB ram, and I think a quad core Intel i5 @ 1.6 gigahertz. I successfully upgraded from the pre-installed Windows 7 to Windows 10. But I don't plan on hardcore gaming, and want a faster, lighter OS, mainly for internet usage. To that affect, what distro can anyone suggest?

I tried Manjaro on another PC and actually didn't like it. I've used Xubunto in the past and liked it, but it's been awhile, and I'm out of the loop.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
 


Ummm.... anything but Manjaro! :eek:o_O:D

Okay, I'll be more specific. How about... anything in the top 30 at DistroWatch (except Kali and Parrot)?

Seriously, your laptop should pretty much run any distro. You have to find what you like, what is comfortable for you to use, and what matches well with your hardware (sound, wireless, etc). It won't take you long to find what you're looking for just for simple tasks, like internet surfing, etc.

I'm currently using Linux Mint 19.2 MATE Edition. I'd recommend it to anyone, but that doesn't mean that everyone would like it as much as I do, or that you would.

Good luck, and welcome to the site!
 
Ummm.... anything but Manjaro! :eek:o_O:D

Okay, I'll be more specific. How about... anything in the top 30 at DistroWatch (except Kali and Parrot)?

Seriously, your laptop should pretty much run any distro. You have to find what you like, what is comfortable for you to use, and what matches well with your hardware (sound, wireless, etc). It won't take you long to find what you're looking for just for simple tasks, like internet surfing, etc.

I'm currently using Linux Mint 19.2 MATE Edition. I'd recommend it to anyone, but that doesn't mean that everyone would like it as much as I do, or that you would.

Good luck, and welcome to the site!
Cool, thanks! :D
 
Great advice from Stan @atanere and Tom @poorguy above, time for my two cents worth :)

0cd7RxV.gif


(Wizard appears in a puff of smoke.)

A qualification to Tom's on Linux LITE which is an excellent Distro - its maker Jerry Bezencon has resisted for years in utilising UEFI, so most of them have to be installed under MBR conditions (Legacy/CSM whatever), so your BIOS have to be tweaked. I am thinking it likely (but not necessarily) that using Windows 10, you are under UEFI.

Jerry has made one UEFI version, it is listed as linux-lite-4.2-uefi-64bit.iso - I have it at the moment and it seems quite good.

My additional thought for you is MX-18

https://mxlinux.org/

If you visit DistroWatch's Page Hit Ranking https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity

... you will see it kicks butt, and with good reason. I have been using it since MX-14 was becoming MX-15. It is light in memory resources, like Lubuntu, LInux Lite and LXLE, and has gob-smackingly gorgeous wallpapers as well.

If any of out terms are foreign to you, just ask us to explain.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz

... and a welcome from DownUnder (Australia) :p
 
UEFI? I'm pretty sure I have that. Isn't that where I can use my mouse in the BIOS? And can I run Linux Lite directly off a DVD to test it? Thanks!
 
That may be the case (Good Morning from DownUnder, headed for my 3rd coffee momentarily :)

UEFI is the new name for BIOS, but we can call it Setup Utility to avoid confusion. My Dell allows use of the mouse in it. You enter it through the use of a Function key, which may be Esc, F2, F10, F12, or Delete.

And can I run Linux Lite directly off a DVD to test it?

Yes. Most Linux Distros (Distributions) allow the facility of running Live.

If you choose to use a DVD, you would download the .iso file from LL's website (Tom gave the links above) to your Windows, then follow the below

In windows 10 you can simply right click an iso and select to burn it to a disk.
  1. Insert a blank CD or DVD in your writable optical drive.
  2. Right-click on the ISO file and select "Burn disk image."
  3. Select "Verify disc after burning" to make sure the ISO was burned without any errors.
  4. Click Burn

You likely have 2 of those Functions keys that will allow access to the Setup. One will simply show you the Boot Order Sequence and the other allows full access to all aspects of the Setup.

So when you have burned the DVD, reboot the computer with the disk in place, enter the Setup and choose to temporarily or permanently place your DVD drive ahead of your hard drive to boot.

This will then take you to the LInux Lite Live environment. There, you can choose to not install, but just wander around the environment seeing if you like the look and feel, try out your wifi, audio, graphics, even see if it recognises your printers, &c.

During the Live session, any changes you make, downloads you perform, documents you generate, will only be saved to RAM and lost when you reboot.

When you reboot, just pop the DVD out and you will be returned to Windows.

Cheers

Wizard
 
How do I tell if I have "UEFI"? Pretty sure it does. I bought my motherboard last year. Also, I couldn't find this exact file: linux-lite-4.2-uefi-64bit.iso Where can I get it on that site? Thank you!
 
(Ghostbusters) it's dangerous if we cross beams, Tom :cool:
 
Okay it's "BIOS". So I can get that Linux Lite 4.4 final?
 

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