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I was using Windows XP on a Dell laptop with the following configuration:
CPU SPEED: 1600 Mhz RAM: 512 MB CPU:Pentium III
A few months back, viruses infected the computer and it became increasingly difficult to use it. The only option was a total reformat and reinstallation of Windows XP (recently orphaned). I was faced with two options, the first being reinstallation of Windows XP, and the more adventurous option of trying a Linux Distro. I was a bit apprehensive about installing Linux because of total lack of knowledge on the subject. I thus decided to play it safe and started off with the 'Run from the CD' distro called OpenSuse 12.2. The result was very discouraging because the computer was very slow and the GUI seemed very primitive.
Feeling very desperate, I tried another distro called Knoxpix, which was equally slow. From that, I migrated to Ubuntu 12.xx which also proved to be too slow on my laptop. After browsing the net, I heard about Lubuntu 14.04 and ran it from my pen-drive side by side with Windows XP.
Lubuntu proved to be the ideal distro for this old laptop. Now,I have erased Windows XP entirely and the laptop runs only Lubuntu. After installation, there were a few challenges:
• Getting the mobile broadband mobile to work – this was ultimately solved with the help from the Ubuntu Forum.
• Installation of HP printer – this was solved with the installation of HP printing service.
Later, I slowly installed Cairo Dock and other software that I normally used on Windows. I find my laptop to be stable and quite fast; it's basic hardware configuration notwithstanding. All the software available in Windows is also available in Lubuntu software center including Arduino, Codeblocks, Python, etc… All the apps in Lubuntu Software Center are good – it gave me a hard time deciding which one to install. All the apps worked perfectly on my old laptop.
The RAM and the CPU usage is now low (RAM is down to 29%). I actually find Lubuntu to be more interactive and attractive when compared to Windows XP.
A final word of caution however; installing and getting the distro to run on your particular machine can be difficult, and, in some cases, very frustrating. But the secret is to keep on at it, browse the web, read about other's experiences, and finally fine-tune the distro to your requirements. This effort will pay-off.