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I have two laptops, an old one and another that's about 2-3-years-old. They are for my father. We bought the second one because the old one was slow, now they are both slow (the second one is functional but slow)

My father uses word and facebook (he writes and shares his righting a lot) and a bit of youtube, that's all he knows how to do

To solve the slowness problem I thought to install ubuntu. So I tried installing it on the old laptop. I chose the option of removing windows completely, and I managed to install it with no problem (it does give me an error when I install apps, something like '/data/' folder does not exist).

But it's still extremely slow, I tried to open libereoffic and it just takes ages to load.

This is on the first old computer

Is it me, have I installed it wrong, is it the computer?

I'm scared to do the same thing to the second laptop as it would mean I would have to re-install windows and so on and I hate doing this (especially when it's not for myself)

Do you have any tips?

I chose to remove windows instead of running parallel because I should it would give ubuntu more breathing room, would it be a good idea to install ubuntu on the second laptop in parallel or ...

(I later found that I should have checked whether my laptop is 32-bit or 64-bit, I didn't, is there a way to do it now and reinstall ubuntu again, or could it definitely be the laptop's fault for being too old)

(sorry for not being technical enough)

Mark kurti
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    Does this answer your question? How do I find out which version and derivative of Ubuntu is right for my hardware in terms of minimal system requirements? – user68186 Jul 23 '20 at 20:30
  • I agree with the first answer. I have a few ten year old 32 and 64 bit computers that run just fine for the things you mention. Lubuntu or Xubuntu are both good alternatives. I am a Kubuntu Junky and like the customization it gives me. Do check your Ram. Even consider buying a second hand stick on Ebay to give it a whirl. For an older laptop doing what you mention you do NOT need any more than 4 GB. If you want the computer to fly then buy an SSD and install on that. Samsung EVO 860 is the gold standard. – walttheboss Jul 23 '20 at 20:55
  • in today's world you need 8gb of RAM or any browser will seem slow after opening up several tabs ... its quite easy even on a laptop to identify max allowed RAM and then install your own RAM to bring it up to 8gb ( of course 16gb is even better ) ... next major factor is harddrive ... if its almost full that will greatly slow down a box ... so delete big files if almost full ... if your laptop has a harddrive replace it with a SSD drive the speed difference on boot up or launching applications like browsers will be noticeable ... or sell both boxes and find a 8gb SSD laptop on ebay – Scott Stensland Jul 23 '20 at 20:59
  • I made an answer recently about someone else have a slow Ubuntu experience, check here https://askubuntu.com/questions/1235429/ubuntu-20-04-performing-very-slow/1260993#1260993 – Vijay Prema Jul 23 '20 at 22:57
  • You haven't given details of your old hardware. This desktop is a 2009 model, and it works fine on any, but I've newer laptops that may have more modern i series CPUs (this is c2q) and they just lag (some of which is this older desktop has more RAM). I'd recommend a lighter desktop too (all will run on this desktop, but I prefer lighter, Lubuntu for me, on the laptop I won't use default GNOME as it's slowish/laggy in comparison). I also consider the apps I run when using a limited RAM box (4gb or less). – guiverc Jul 23 '20 at 22:59
  • A Ubuntu flavor may not be the best OS for a very old computer that just needs Facebook, YouTube and LibreOffice.Tiny Core and Puppy Linux will run your dads programs in less than a GB of RAM and should be fast. They will run just as fast from a flash drive as from a SSD. Both have 32bit and 64bit versions. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/linux-distro-space/ – C.S.Cameron Jul 24 '20 at 09:35

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I am using old laptops with Linux for a long time. It works really good. Here some ideas I've gathered over the years:

  • Do not use Gnome (this is the desktop environment), such as Ubuntu. I would suggest Xubuntu, which has a XFCE Desktop which has matured over the years.
  • If your laptop has a NVIDIA card - use the proprietary drivers. (See here for how to install it).
  • Make sure you have a swap partition, especially if your laptop runs on a hardisk.
    Explanation: If you run out of Memory Linux (and windows) will copy part of your memory unto your disk. That is called swapping. Lately some Linux distros (such as Ubuntu) setup files (like pagefile.sys) instead of a dedicated swap partion on the disk. I'd recommend the latter.(This is finetuning, if you don't know how to setup a swap partion, don't. You can do it any time later -just ask a new question)
  • If possible get 4-8 GB RAM - the more memory you've got, the better.

Linux will not be fast on certain drivers - Old AMD GPUs are not be supported very well - no matter which Ubuntu flavour you have.

You could install XFCE besides Gnome, but in my experience the best way would be to make a clean install with Xubuntu.

kanehekili
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  • Xubuntu, got it. I don't know if my laptop has NVIDIA card. No idea what the third point is. I think the laptop has 4GB. AND is it true that there's no need to have anti-virus programs ( I found this article https://hackertarget.com/ubuntu-antivirus/#:~:text=The%20short%20answer%20is%20no,Ubuntu%20system%20from%20a%20virus.&text=Finally%20if%20you%20have%20a,and%20the%20open%20source%20clamAV.) And do will I need to know whether my laptop has 64-bit or 32-bit or does it not matter – Mark kurti Jul 23 '20 at 20:56
  • Yes. IF your Laptop has a 64 bit CPU you can use Ubuntu. If not, you'll have to look for some distros that still support the 32 bit architecture. You do NOT need an anti virus program. I've been running Linux for more than 10 years without it. - I will update my answer concerning my third point – kanehekili Jul 23 '20 at 20:59
  • You probably installed a 64bit version of Ubuntu, unless you knew where to get a 32bit. 64bit will not run or install on a 32bit computer. Do as others suggested and try Xubuntu or Lubtunu, regular Ubuntu will be too heavy for 4GBs. Just keep Ubuntu updated, which it does automatically and be smart how you browse and that link you provided is true. – crip659 Jul 23 '20 at 21:38