Consider your needs and requirements before deciding.
Consider your needs and requirements before deciding.
Next time you purchase a PC that takes seven seconds to pause a new YouTube video, return it. It seems you’ve likely switched to a browser with good adblocking, kept Windows updates current, and scanned for malware regularly. Making sure your Windows, particularly if it’s Windows 10, runs smoothly in the background is always helpful. If you don’t use it often, it can be annoying when Windows tries to handle scheduled tasks each time you turn it on. I get why a friend might recommend the simplest fix, but thankfully you found the right solution. You’ll appreciate understanding what’s going on with your system and realizing why you’re here if you didn’t mind these details. Let’s get it fixed!
What are the specifications of the laptop? From these details, it’s easier to suggest a suitable operating system. Not every distribution and desktop setup works well in every situation. You have many distributions and desktop environments to choose from. Regarding lightweight options that still function properly, here are some recommendations: LXDE, LXQT, Mate, XFCE. These are among the lightest fully functional ones. If you decide on a preferred desktop environment, you can explore a distribution tailored to it, depending on your hardware capabilities.
Thanks for the suggestions! The devices listed are likely from different manufacturers or models. Your laptop runs an Asus X540SA with a Pentium N3700 processor, 4GB RAM, and claims 1TB storage split across two drives in Windows Explorer. This setup is unusual for a budget laptop—typically, such configurations are found in more powerful machines. It’s possible the storage allocation is incorrect or mislabeled. Double-check the drive sizes and ensure they match your expectations.
Sure, you might be surprised. Deleting your hard drive and switching to Linux could reset everything to a single drive. Honestly, I assumed I had a 320GB drive, but I ended up with 600GB of free space.
Feel free to adjust as needed. Just let it erase the entire drive for ease.
Consider giving LXLE a try. If it helps my laptop, it should work well on yours too. You might need to add Firefox or install Chromium/Chrome post, as Seamonkey isn't quite up to the task for me. If you're not ready to fully switch, you can experiment with the dual-boot setup using those new Gb drives. I won't rule out keeping the SSD just in case.
Based on the laptop specifications, here are some suitable distros:
Ubuntu-based options include: Ubuntu Mate, Linux Mint Mate or XFCE, Pepermint OS7, and Linux Lite 3.2 (with Honnerable mentions like Lubuntu and Xubuntu).
RHEL-based choices are: Fedora 25 XFCE with rpm-fusion and Arch-based Manjaro XFCE.
For beginners, I suggest starting with an Ubuntu-based distribution.
The variations between distros are significant. Some software may function only on specific versions, while others are designed to work across a wide range. Focusing on lightweight options means choosing ones that run efficiently without heavy resource demands.