Live boot on old xp pc

MeDad3 · 09-22-2020, 08:02 PM

I have several old laptops. Most came with xp installed. I would like to upgrade to a linux distro. I created a live usb drive using multiboot usb. It is a multi boot with 6 different distros. Only elementary os would open from the syslinux. Ubuntu start booting but after many rows of white dots the screen goes black and freezes. Any ideas.

frankbell · 09-22-2020, 08:06 PM

My first guess would be inadequate RAM. How much is in that machine?

You might take a look at MX Linux orantiX Linux.

jefro · 09-22-2020, 10:03 PM

If we knew the specs we might guess better.

A lot of older stuff won't easily boot to a usb. You have to boot to a cd to then get usb to boot.

I'd just make some cd's of older stuff and use them.

syg00 · 09-22-2020, 10:59 PM

Add dodgy video to the list - everything is KMS these days. Back in the day I used to keep a minimal (no desktop) CD of gentoo or Arch handy with all the tools I needed to fix "broken" systems.

fatmac · 09-23-2020, 03:56 AM

XP machines are likely to have only 1 or 2 GB ram, so you will be best off with a lightweight distro, & possibly 32bit.

(Those machines will be booting from MBR so you won't need UEFI.)

AntiX would be a suitable distro, & there are others too.

jefro · 09-23-2020, 02:46 PM

I said older but yes, some newish stuff supports that old stuff well. Still plenty of choices for a 32 bit.
Almost all systems can run the very old or made for very old but it won't work the other way around.

business_kid · 09-24-2020, 08:46 AM

Here's an idea: Boot as far as the BIOS, get specs for your old boxes, esp date of manufacture, post them and we'll tell you what from there.

kilgoretrout · 09-24-2020, 08:57 AM

Quote:

I created a live usb drive using multiboot usb. It is a multi boot with 6 different distros.

Multiboot may be the problem. I've never used "multiboot-usb" but I have used ventoy which does the same thing - it allows you to create a multi-distro booting usb drive. With ventoy I had problems booting some distos with it where if I make a single bootable usb of the distro following the distro's instructions it boots fine.

biker_rat · 09-24-2020, 12:07 PM

Try an old version 32 bit Puppy Linux usb?

Minux1 · 09-29-2020, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeDad3

I have several old laptops. Most came with xp installed. I would like to upgrade to a linux distro. I created a live usb drive using multiboot usb. It is a multi boot with 6 different distros. Only elementary os would open from the syslinux. Ubuntu start booting but after many rows of white dots the screen goes black and freezes. Any ideas.

I’ve got an ancient IBM ThinkPad G40 (2004 vintage) that runs antiX 19.2 very well.
It has 2GB RAM, 3GHz single core P4, 40 GB pata/ide HDD so antiX should run well on most older hardware.

jefro · 09-29-2020, 09:42 PM

fatmac beat you on Antix

#5