Search for an appropriate operating system that matches your needs.
Search for an appropriate operating system that matches your needs.
Hey, I understand what you're looking for. You want a straightforward, free operating system that works well on a modest setup with old hardware. You need to connect both PCs easily, share files and data, and have the flexibility to run different OSes via Ethernet. Since your main PC is on Wi-Fi and your second PC is near the router, you're looking for something that supports easy network access without needing a NAS or complex setup. I’m not too familiar with the latest free OS options, but I can suggest some solid choices that fit your needs.
I believe Lubuntu or a similar version between Lubuntu and Ubuntu Server would work best. Since I’m quick at picking things up, here are a few suggestions to consider.
It's true, Linux offers a lot of flexibility. My current setup uses Antergos with an Arch-based installation, but that isn't ideal for highly stable systems needing long-term reliability. Arch is a continuous update model, unlike the more stable major releases from Ubuntu.
You can transfer data between both computers using Ethernet on most Linux distributions.
Data delivery to a Windows machine uses Samba-share, and Samba likely contains versions for all Linux distributions.
I believed Samba is necessary to send data from a Windows machine to a Linux one on the same network, but it's also useful when connected via an Ethernet cable between both devices.
Ah, yea. That should be doable with a manual network config. Lemme get you a basic guide https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions...rnet-cable This about explains it. You basically wanna create a host to host network, with no router in between. You simply have to set PC A to an ip within your subnet, and PC B to an ip within your subnet. Perhaps it's a good thing if you learn some networking. It could be really usefull later in life (whenever the "Did you try turning it off and on again" isn't working for Grandma Ester's pc ).