What to do with an older computer - Linux Mint

[Steve_H80]

I thought I would share this, it might be useful for anyone else wondering what to do with an older computer.

A little background. My main computer is a 3 year old laptop running Windows 10, my secondary laptop is an old Windows 7 machine previously upgraded to 10. Both machines meet my simple IT needs (word processor, spreadsheets, databases, web browsing, email, some CAD, photo scanning, storage and manipulation and music recording).

Windows is now nagging me to upgrade to 11 and is going to retire support for 10 in 2025. My newer laptop will run Windows 11 my old one won't so I decided to look at the alternatives. I have tried Windows 11, but it's not offering worthwhile.

Apple? I don't want to spend big money on new machines.
ChromeOS Flex? An option, but it is too web dependent (the Internet can be flaky out here in the sticks).
Linux it is then. It's free and, in the case of Linux Mint, very Windows-like - which will be useful when the wife wants to use it. Mint is well supported with updates and being Linux there is minimal virus risk.

Installing Linux Mint is very, very easy (USB drive in, switch on, follow instructions) and I’m good to go.
The vast majority of software I use is already installed (Firefox browser, Thunderbird mail, Libre Office), downloading other software from the repository is a doddle and my printer recognised itself.

There are a couple of Windows programs I use occasionally (CAD & Canon's scanner software) so I've installed a programme called Virtualbox which allows me to run Windows when I need it.

While doing all this I changed the old hard drives for modern SSD drives, they are cheap now and are so much quicker than a HDD it would be silly not to. I also bought a couple of empty external drive cases to use the old hard drives as backup drives.

Total investment £70 on two SSD's and £10 on the external cases, Linux Mint and all the software is of course free.

There you go then, if you have an older computer, relatively simple computing needs and you're tight arsed this is the way to go.

[LimaDelta]

I did the same (almost) with a 2013 MBP which was surplus to requirements. More as an exercise in curiosity I installed Ubuntu. Still have no real use for it, but hey.

[dcb]

Steve_H80 said:

I thought I would share this, it might be useful for anyone else wondering what to do with an older computer.

...

Total investment £70 on two SSD's and £10 on the external cases, Linux Mint and all the software is of course free.

There you go then, if you have an older computer, relatively simple computing needs and you're tight arsed this is the way to go.

Excellent story. It might be worth mentioning

a) The Linux software licence means you can give away copies for free to your mates.

b) LibreOffice likes to use it own *.ODF format for new files, so make sure you save
new files in a popular format - like *.DOC or *.XLS for example

I made the jump to Linux decades ago. Yes I kept MS on a separate partition just in case
to ease the transition, but it soon got deleted on next Linux upgrade.

[C69]

Lots of perfectly serviceable computers are potentially going to end up as landfill because they're not W11 compatible. I'm surprised that environmental campaigners aren't making more of a fuss about this.

Mint is a great choice. It probably runs much quicker than W10?

[Corso Marche]

Mint is based on Debian and Ubuntu.
Ubuntu recently announced they'll be dropping support for older gen CPU's (pre 2015 IIRC).

I haven't read it in detail, but worth keeping in the back of your mind re. future updates.
If the Mint team and/or Debian keep pushing security updates in the future then no worries, but watch for any possible complications from the Ubuntu decision.

[MesoForm]

I needed a low power computer just for web browsing, emails and the odd document. Linux Mint Mate (the version with a few less features) worked perfectly fine on the HP T630 thin client, or at least until it started restarting before booting up in a continuous loop.
It also updates pretty much every single day which can be frustrating when you're used to Windows once per month!

[superpp]

I still think Chrome OS Flex, is the perfect choice for many users with old IT.
Secure and updates itself with no user interaction.
Sure it has limitations, but most people don't go much further than a browser and the odd office document/spreadsheet.

[Turtle Shed]

If the Adobe suite became available on Linux I'd switch to that OS in an instant. It's not going to happen though, which is a shame, as I use Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere and InDesign on a daily basis.

There are of course alternatives, especially to Premiere, but they all integrate with each other beautifully so it's Windows for me.

[OutInTheShed]

Steve_H80 said:

I thought I would share this, it might be useful for anyone else wondering what to do with an older computer.

A little background. My main computer is a 3 year old laptop running Windows 10, my secondary laptop is an old Windows 7 machine previously upgraded to 10. Both machines meet my simple IT needs (word processor, spreadsheets, databases, web browsing, email, some CAD, photo scanning, storage and manipulation and music recording).

Windows is now nagging me to upgrade to 11 and is going to retire support for 10 in 2025. My newer laptop will run Windows 11 my old one won't so I decided to look at the alternatives. I have tried Windows 11, but it's not offering worthwhile.

Apple? I don't want to spend big money on new machines.
ChromeOS Flex? An option, but it is too web dependent (the Internet can be flaky out here in the sticks).
Linux it is then. It's free and, in the case of Linux Mint, very Windows-like - which will be useful when the wife wants to use it. Mint is well supported with updates and being Linux there is minimal virus risk.

Installing Linux Mint is very, very easy (USB drive in, switch on, follow instructions) and I’m good to go.
The vast majority of software I use is already installed (Firefox browser, Thunderbird mail, Libre Office), downloading other software from the repository is a doddle and my printer recognised itself.

There are a couple of Windows programs I use occasionally (CAD & Canon's scanner software) so I've installed a programme called Virtualbox which allows me to run Windows when I need it.

While doing all this I changed the old hard drives for modern SSD drives, they are cheap now and are so much quicker than a HDD it would be silly not to. I also bought a couple of empty external drive cases to use the old hard drives as backup drives.

Total investment £70 on two SSD's and £10 on the external cases, Linux Mint and all the software is of course free.

There you go then, if you have an older computer, relatively simple computing needs and you're tight arsed this is the way to go.

You should just use your 'main computer' and get rid of the old one.
Take a hammer to it, free up some space.

[Chromegrill]

I have an old Pentium 4 with maybe 1GB memory and a 40GB hard drive in a cupboard. I used it for word processing and Web browsing on Win XP when I got it nearly 20 years ago and it was great until updates to Office and web browsers ground it to a halt..

Any chance I could still do abything useful on it that but using Linux? Or is it now too slow even for Linux?

[Drive Blind]

I moved older relatives onto Linux mint years ago, using my old pc parts. Best move ever. They kept breaking windows and I was the 24/7 IT support.

Think the oldest spec we've got is a core 2 duo E7500 which must be coming up to 15 years old. Fine for browsing and emails.

[Mr Penguin]

Chromegrill said:

I have an old Pentium 4 with maybe 1GB memory and a 40GB hard drive in a cupboard. I used it for word processing and Web browsing on Win XP when I got it nearly 20 years ago and it was great until updates to Office and web browsers ground it to a halt..

Any chance I could still do abything useful on it that but using Linux? Or is it now too slow even for Linux?

Looks like it will work but you will need to check specific distros and you probably need to use a lightweight desktop environment like XFCE.

If you want to use it as a desktop then a Pi will be better and use less power.

[heisthegaffer]

Chromegrill said:

I have an old Pentium 4 with maybe 1GB memory and a 40GB hard drive in a cupboard. I used it for word processing and Web browsing on Win XP when I got it nearly 20 years ago and it was great until updates to Office and web browsers ground it to a halt..

Any chance I could still do abything useful on it that but using Linux? Or is it now too slow even for Linux?

Worth a try. Have a look here

https://www.techradar.com/news/best-lightweight-li...

[AlexC1981]

Linux isn't always the answer as sometimes the drivers are not well optimised for your hardware. Earlier this year I experimented with something like 10 different versions of Linux including Chrome OS Flex on a first gen i3 Thinkpad.

The only OS that would run well was Window 11, which I installed using a third party installer since it technically doesn't support laptops that old (2010). The Linux systems had numerous problems, but the one they all suffered with was playing HD videos smoothly and without glitches on my antiquated hardware. Both Youtube and offline files. Not a problem for Win 11. The only issue with Win 11 was the ethernet cable connection didn't work, but I use the wifi anyway.

Chromegrill said:

I have an old Pentium 4 with maybe 1GB memory and a 40GB hard drive in a cupboard. I used it for word processing and Web browsing on Win XP when I got it nearly 20 years ago and it was great until updates to Office and web browsers ground it to a halt..

Any chance I could still do abything useful on it that but using Linux? Or is it now too slow even for Linux?

Install Windows 98SE and then install Doom, Syndicate, Dune II, Civilization II, Master of Orion, Fragile Allegiance and Age of Empires. That will keep you busy over Christmas

[David_M]

Chromegrill said:

I have an old Pentium 4 with maybe 1GB memory and a 40GB hard drive in a cupboard. I used it for word processing and Web browsing on Win XP when I got it nearly 20 years ago and it was great until updates to Office and web browsers ground it to a halt..

Any chance I could still do anything useful on it that but using Linux? Or is it now too slow even for Linux?

I am going to go against the grain of the previous replies - you probably could do something with it, but unless this is as a hobby / fun thing or for a specific use case I would say it is too old to bother with.

Some things are past their useful life.

[Steve_H80]

MesoForm said:

It also updates pretty much every single day which can be frustrating when you're used to Windows once per month!

To be honest that is a plus for me.
The Linux updates are very quick and I can install them when I want, Linux just tell me they are there for me.
Windows 10 updated when it wanted (although some updates I had instigate manually) and usually ground the computer down to a snails pace whilst doing so, and then the inevitable blue screen and wait while it installed.
Mind you having an Optane hard drive in the laptop didn't help matters, evil f*ing thing!

[the-norseman]

Linux user since 2002 when I was 12.

Used a lot of different flavours such as Suse, Red Hat, Fedora Core, Open Suse, Mint, Ubuntu, Manjaro, Arch, ElementaryOS just to name a few, I finally made the jump to Debian (Gnome) a few months ago on both my desktop and Dell XPS.

[the-norseman]

MesoForm said:

It also updates pretty much every single day which can be frustrating when you're used to Windows once per month!

But the updates arent as in your face as Windows, I've booted up my Debian machine this morning, opened the terminal and told it to update and 30 seconds later its done it. No having to restart and look at a blue screen for 20 minutes. I have 3 ways to update, apt update, snap and flatpak, 4 if you count the gui for software.

I'm forced to have a Windows 10 machine for work, every time I start it , blue screen, this update is needed, please restart now etc. Half way through the day pops up this machine will restart in an hour, and of course the IT department have disabled the option to extend.

Edited by the-norseman on Tuesday 19th December 09:05

[C69]

Chromegrill said:

I have an old Pentium 4 with maybe 1GB memory and a 40GB hard drive in a cupboard. I used it for word processing and Web browsing on Win XP when I got it nearly 20 years ago and it was great until updates to Office and web browsers ground it to a halt..

Any chance I could still do abything useful on it that but using Linux? Or is it now too slow even for Linux?

You could try a very lightweight distro such as antiX (which is still available in both 32-bit and 64-bit varieties).

It runs things like LibreOffice quite happily on my old 1GB netbook, and even some simple photo editing via Gimp is possible. However, it will struggle a bit with many memory-hungry web browsers. PaleMoon (a Firefox fork) generally works fine, though.

[OutInTheShed]

the-norseman said:

....

I'm forced to have a Windows 10 machine for work, every time I start it , blue screen, this update is needed, please restart now etc. Half way through the day pops up this machine will restart in an hour, and of course the IT department have disabled the option to extend.

Edited by the-norseman on Tuesday 19th December 09:05

That's a 'meatware issue'.