If your Windows or Mac computer is old and having a hard time keeping up, Linux installation can give you a new life. Lightweight Linux distributions are designed with speed and efficiency in mind, what makes old computers usable again.
Try these distributions with a live USB installation
One of the best things about most Linux distributions is that they can be installed and run from a USB stick.. All Linux versions shown below are compatible with this tool.
We have covered how to create live USB sticks on Windows or Linux. Mac users can use the open source tool Etcher to create a bootable drive instead. Once you have created your boot volume, you will need to change your PC boot sequence or start your Mac from an external drive to jump to Linux.
Lubuntu is a version “official” Ubuntu that uses the lighter LXQt window manager instead of Gnome 3, which can be found in the main version of Ubuntu. Not the lightest of the Linux distros on this list, with development goals shifting from a focus on older hardware to a more stable and responsive experience on all computers.
For that reason, Lubuntu no longer comes with support for 32 bits for older machines that lack a modern processor. The project does not specify the minimum system requirements in each version, but notes that ideal computers “should have no more than 10 years (even though some older computers are known to work as well)”.
Lubuntu comes with a selection of pre-installed applications, including Firefox web browser, MPlayer media player and Transmission BitTorrent client. It still maintains the same broad software support for Debian binaries that is seen in the full version., at the same time from the excellent APT package manager.
If you like the idea of a Debian-based distribution but Ubuntu is feeling slow, Lubuntu is a great start. For an equivalent experience with the Xfce window manager, see Xubuntu.
Linux Lite is not only designed to be lightweight and responsive even on older computers, it is also designed with Linux beginners in mind (specifically Windows users). This is reflected in a simple Xfce desktop environment, Windows-style 95, that uses a familiar taskbar with a “Menu” which looks almost identical to a menu of “Beginning” of previous Windows.
In terms of system requirements, you will need a processor that can achieve the 1,5 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and 20 GB of hard disk space if you want to install Linux Lite on disk. There are lighter distributions, but they are often not as easy to use as Linux Lite.
Linux Lite is a Debian-based distribution, built on LTS version (long term support) of Ubuntu, so you get great software and hardware compatibility right out of the box. It is also easy to follow documentation to start, covering many of the basic problems you may encounter, including troubleshooting wireless network and graphics performance issues.
Unfortunately, Linux Lite is not designed for PC machines. 32 bits, with the project of 64 bits only from version 4.0 onwards.
No list of lightweight Linux distributions would be complete without Puppy Linux. The average version weighs around 300 MB, which makes it one of the smallest (but no the smaller pitches) on this list. Use a combination of JWM and ROX office for a lightweight desktop experience.
Puppy Linux describes itself as a collection of multiple Linux distributions that share the same principles, a unique set of applications and settings, and the same consistent behaviors and characteristics. This means that you can select from Ubuntu-supported versions of Puppy Linux, Raspbian Slackware, according to your preferences.
Go for an Ubuntu-based distribution, as an example, would provide support for Debian packages, while a version of Raspbian makes it easy to install Puppy on a Raspberry Pi device. The recommended system requirements for the version of 64 bits are described as Intel Core2Duo with 2 GB of RAM.
Puppy Linux comes with virtually no software, which makes it ideal if you want to create your own minimalist Linux environment. Works with architectures of 64 and 32 bits, but it doesn't support UEFI. Its graphical environment is a bit basic, but it's fast and runs almost anywhere.
Not all lightweight versions of Linux are specifically designed for older hardware, but antiX yes. It can help you breathe new life into an old machine, even if you have a processor 32 older bits. the documentation states that antiX should run on Pentium II systems / III “ancients” with only 256 MB de RAM, with 4 GB of disk space required for a full installation.
antiX is based on Debian and uses a combination of IceWM window manager and ROX office. It is enabled in four versions: a full version of about 1 GB, a base version of 700 MB (perfect to fit on a CD), a major version of around 300 MB and the basic net version with only 150 MB.
The larger antiX versions come with a large amount of software to get you started, including Firefox web browser, LibreOffice office suite, media players like MPlayer and XMMS, and some cool command line interface apps (CLI) to download torrents, watch YouTube and read news. .
How could we wait, antiX is lightweight and agile even on older machines. It is one of the most aesthetically pleasing light distributions and, at the same time, is completely free of systemd.
BunsenLabs is a community continuation of the CrunchBang Linux project (#!) Which was suspended in 2013. CrunchBang made a name for itself by using the Openbox barebones window manager, have your own software repository and be incredibly light on system resources.
Of the projects established in the wake of CrunchBang, BunsenLabs is the only one that is still actively maintained. The distribution continues the CrunchBang trend with a Debian base and minimalist user interface based on a preconfigured implementation of the BunsenLabs-specific Openbox window manager.. software repositories.
There are versions of 64 and 32 bits available for x86 and ARM processors. The minimum system requirements are linked to 1 GB of RAM, with a full installation of the live ISO that takes up around 2,1 GB. BunsenLabs stays true to its CrunchBang roots, but keep in mind that it can be a bit off putting for Linux newcomers.
Tiny Core is a small distribution with a diminuto paw print. The smallest version, Core, Has only 11 MB, while TinyCore and CorePlus weigh 16 MB and 160 MB respectively. The distribution uses the Quick Light Window Manager (FLWM) in an attempt to provide a usable GUI that sucks up the least amount of system resources feasible.
As your name may imply, Tiny Core includes virtually no apps to keep your footprint as small as possible. The project aims to provide a minimal Linux environment rather than a full desktop. The project makes sacrifices such as relying primarily on wired networks for this to happen..
Since Tiny Core is so lightweight, can be fully opened in RAM, which makes it very fast and responsive. Tiny Core Linux can be used with little Linux technical knowledge, but its minimalist nature means that it is better suited to those who are more comfortable with the Linux command line, the shell script and Linux file systems.
Surprisingly, the minimum system requirements to run Tiny Core Linux are 46 MB of RAM and an i486DX processor, with a Pentium II and 128 Recommended RAM MB.
A good time to try Linux
If you've never tried Linux before, Why not dust off an old computer and see how a lightweight Linux distribution can make it useful? If system resources are not an obstacle, you may have better luck with the beginner versions of Linux.
