Has Anyone Used Xtra-pc ?

sup Geeks?
I was browsing MG ... for nothing in particular, and saw an ad re: xtra pc ... lemme paste it
Turn Your Old Computer To Like New Again – Blazing Fast!
"Xtra-PC is a tiny, powerful flash drive that plugs into your computer’s USB port. Within seconds, it bypasses your old, slow, operating system (Windows or Mac) and replaces it with a fully functional Linux operating system that’s blazing fast and easy-to-use!"

I understand ... I think ... that we're basically buying a thumb drive and voila ... our old pos laptops etc are up and running via Linux ... yes?
I have around 7 old laptops that really wouldnt be worth the price of diagnosing and repairing (unless I tried it myself) but maybe spending $35 for the flash isnt too bad. What do you guys think? Oh thats $35 for 16 GB, $50 for 32 GB, and for 64 gigs its around 80 bux. I have a couple of laptops that dont boot up, or are as slow as sh%% I'm kind of tempted to try one.

I hope everyone's enjoying their summer weekend - it was a bit cooler here in the Northeast USA today which was fantastic!
Thanks for reading! with much Love, yours in Geekitude,
Vanessa

 

I suggest you look for independent reports. You could start HERE.

 

There are a few members here who use linux from dvd's and usb drives.I'm sure if you started a thread on the topic, you could receive plenty help if needed. If your willing to buy or already have any of the stated size usb's there are many choices of distros that could be used to see if any of your machines will run with it. --And save some money doing it. Most linux's have a free download and free programs are available to burn the iso's to a disc or create a bootable usb.

 

Yes it is.
You can buy a 16 GB flash drive for a quarter of the price.
And you can download Linux for free.

 

I agree with Eldon, Linux is an open source OS and you can easily make your own bootable USB.

I would recommend trying Linux Mint 19.2 or Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS, and boot to its live distro after making your own bootable USB, see here!

The only thing you will need to adjust on the old laptops is probably the "boot order" in each systems BIOS in order for them to boot from your newly constructed USB....see here!

Good luck Vanessa!

 

Another consideration is Linux is to Windows as Hungarian is to English - there is almost nothing in common at all. Being suddenly dropped into a Linux environment for the first time is a bit like finding yourself in a foreign city where virtually no one speaks English. None of your Windows softwares will be available to you and you won't know how to find any of your documents or how to create new ones. There is a steep learning curve, but it is a great system once you start to get the hang of it. I use Puppy Linux myself and, like that ad says, it is blazing fast, even on my old laptop and it is of course free!!

 

I just bought a 32 GB USB stick (Sandisk) for $4.99 last week. NE US at OfficeMax/Office Depot. Check around because all the stores of low prices on USB sticks for all the students going back to school/college/university.
I usually buy a few around this time each year.

 

I have and use a 'Puppy' linux usb and virtual machine. What encouraged me to try 'Puppy' was its small size. Mine is the 170m version. There is also a 200m version more tailored to newer hardware. It is quite useful to see if all hardware is working in a machine. Here is the link to the 'distro watch' page which tracks all sorts of different software outside of the normal 'Windows' scene. In the summary section there is a link to the regular "puppylinux.com" home page with the download and even more info. A good, small easy to use starter version if ever there was one.

https://distrowatch.com/?newsid=07977

I second E.'s recommendation.

Some one will help you get it going on the usb and your machines if need.

 

I have one and it is really just a small Linux, Nothing specaial but it is fast. Espensive Linux though