Choosing Linux OS and software for mom's old PC

PIII 800 MHz
256 MB RAM
28 GB HD

My mom's PC has been running Windows ME for 8 years, and it's getting to the point where every time I fix it I wonder how long it will be before it breaks again. I decided to get another OS on it in case ME went up in flames.

I tried a default install of Ubuntu, but it seems to run sluggishly and sometimes weirdly on her hardware - I tried to open a Terminal window, but I just got a white window. I typed "exit" and hit enter, and it went away, but I could not see any text. I've been reading about the alternate Xubuntu install, and it seems like it might be a better choice for her computer, but I figured that I would check in here to see if there was a better option.

Basically, I need an OS that is lightweight, easy to use, and can be made to resemble Windows (9x or XP). A taskbar and a start-menu-like menu system are musts. As far as software goes, she needs:

• Remote Desktop software that can connect to a Windows machine
• Image viewer
• Photo manipulation software (GIMP)
• Web browser (Firefox)
• Office Productivity (OpenOffice)

Ubuntu seems to have most/all of the software that she'll need, but I wanted to know if there were any alternative suggestions.

 

I ran all of the above on a P3 933 with 512 meg of RAM. I had also installed a GeForce Card with 256MB Video in order to use Google Earth. I had both Kubuntu and Ubuntu. I would guess your issues would related to video and using low-video option may solve most of your issues.

After using it for an old laptop, I am thinking Puppy Linux may work best for you- it does not take much to copy a Win Desktop.

http://www.puppylinux.org

http://www.puppylinux.org/files/images/XP-Royale_0.preview.jpg

Here is the default desktop, still not that bad.

http://www.puppylinux.org/files/images/puppy-4.1.1.preview.jpg

 

Sorry, I'm not very experienced with Linux. Can I activate the low-video option from the current Ubuntu installation? If so, how/where? What exactly will that do?

The video card in this computer is an Intel 82810 (built-in to the motherboard, which I think is an Intel 810 chipset), so it is nowhere near as powerful as the video card you had in your system. I am looking into Puppy Linux, but I want to see if I can get Ubuntu functional before I consider jumping ship to another distro.

Does Puppy Linux come with Remote Desktop software and if so can it connect to a Windows system? Otherwise, can you recommend a free Remote Desktop client software for Linux that can connect to a Windows Remote Desktop server/system?

 

I believe you hit the F4 button at boot in Ubuntu to find the low-video option. Hit enter again and it will boot. The commands are listed at the bottom of the boot screen.

My Dell had the Intel 815 board and origially ran with a Rage128 video card. I stepped up the card as mentioned to run Google Earth. It worked but not smoothly and I upgraded in March.

Google finds Remote Desktop client is installed in Puppy. Click Here

 

I tried this, and I didn't get any such options. I know that F4 brings up the "Modes" menu when booting from the Installation CD, but I didn't get it to react to F4 while booting from an already installed Ubuntu. Is there a specific point in the boot process that I should be hitting F4?

Actually, I need the ability to access a Windows Remote Desktop machine from Ubuntu without installing third party software (connecting to the native Remote Desktop software in Windows) to connect to a work machine.


Also, when I went into the VPN configuration in Ubuntu, all of the options were greyed out. What would cause this, and how can I get a VPN connection added and configured?

 

You would have to edit the grub (boot up files) for that kernel.

Ubuntu Wiki for Editing Grub Entries

VPN from the Ubuntu Wiki

 

Configuring the VPN seems to require use of the Terminal to run aptitude to install plugins for the Network Manager. Since Terminal won't render correctly currently, I need to solve that problem before getting VPN working.

Booting into low-video mode seems to be done by using either of the following parameters:

Code:

fb=false
video=vga16:off

(https://help.ubuntu.com/8.10/installation-guide/i386/boot-parms.html)
though it is referred to as "disabling the kernel framebuffer". Am I on the right track here, or are these separate things?

Unrelated: is there a way to convert Ubuntu to Xubuntu instead of doing a full install?

 

kernel framebuffer in kubuntu (the kde flavour of ubuntu)

https://wiki.kubuntu.org/FrameBuffer

may be of interest

 

Here is a great reference site.

Lightweight way to install Xubuntu

 

Does the command they use in the terminal require any interaction? Currently, the terminal window renders as a blank white window, but if I type "exit" and hit enter, it closes, so it works but doesn't render correctly. If the command will run happily on its own, I can follow those instructions.

On a related note, I tried to install Xubuntu from a burned alternate installation disc, but the installation failed at "Select and install software". Now the user reports slower performance in Ubuntu. The only thing I can think of is that the Xubuntu install removed the swap partition that Ubuntu was using when it resized the partitions to make room for itself. Ideas?

 

I am not sure if you are in the terminal.

We never determined what version Ubuntu you are using either.

From the Ubuntu Desktop hold ALT and press F2 to bring up a command line.

type "terminal" and choose the gnome-terminal.

If you cannot get to the desktop-

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/brthomas503/grub.jpg
At the Grub listing, choose the Recovery version, and after seeing some lines scroll up the screen you will get to a place where you will see a root console.

since you are in root, you will simply type

install xubuntu-desktop.

 

I am booted into Ubuntu 8.10. Booting to the desktop is not a problem, but getting certain actions completed while Gnome is loaded is slow/impossible. I followed your instructions to get into the terminal, and it resulted in what I already described as a terminal window rendered incorrectly: it appears as a blank white window. I checked its color settings, set it to green text on a black background, and it still shows up as a plain white window. I tried to open GIMP to save a screenshot of this, but GIMP would not open and then the system locked up.

This also happens when I try to run the Update Manager. After clicking "Install Updates", I am presented with a blank white window which looks like it would be a simple "Yes/No" dialog box, but I cannot see anything in the window, so I can't see what it is asking.

I followed your instructions to boot into the Recovery Console. I typed "install xubuntu-desktop" but I received the error:

Code:

install:  missing destination file operand after 'xubuntu-desktop'
Try 'install --help' for more information.

I couldn't find anything relevant by using the help option, but I may have missed something.

Ideas/Suggestions?