Operating systems for vintage computers
Operating systems for vintage computers
Yes, there are smaller options available. I'm focusing on reducing size to fit older systems.
It's not something I rely on right now, but it's interesting to repurpose old computers today. You might find two Compaq Presario models from before 2007 and an HP G62 from before 2009 useful. Updated October 17, 2017 by 2oa
I just set up Windows 7 on a system around 2001. It runs a Pentium 4 at 2533Mhz, 2GB DDR1 RAM, and a Radeon 9500 PRO GPU. Honestly, it works decently for basic office work or occasional web use. For heavy stuff like YouTube, you’ll need to go down to 360p because the new codecs don’t have hardware acceleration. Still, the topic is on. I don’t see much issue with machines from 2007—they should likely have 64-bit CPUs, possibly dual-core. As long as they have at least 2GB or more 4GB RAM, you should be okay. I agree with @Alexsolo and @Jamiec1130 that an SSD would really improve performance noticeably.