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I've got an old pc with windows XP 32 bit, and I wanted to turn it into a home based server. I am thinking of installing ubuntu as an OS. I'm a networking novice so I'm not quite sure if it will work good. My other computers are all running windows 7 64 bit. So, will it be sufficient to turn this 32 bit box into a server to hold all my files and backups, while the 64 bit pc's just exchange the data? Please let me know, or educate me on the subject. Thanks in advance.

joeb
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  • How do you know the computer doesn't support 64 bit Ubuntu? Just because you had 32 bit Windows on it doesn't mean it only does 32 bit. It would have to be pretty old not to support 64 bit. – thomasrutter Nov 20 '14 at 03:24
  • whats this, a post where both the question and best answer are both downvoted? FOSSFREEDOM will be here any second to do the right thing and "put it on hold" – Nick Bailuc Nov 20 '14 at 03:53

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You have a processor that is capable of 64-bit, so go ahead and use a 64-bit version of Ubuntu.

You stated elsewhere that your PC has a "Pentium Duo Core" chip. Intel has never released a dual core chip called "Pentium" that doesn't support 64-bit apart from the "Yonah", a re-branded version of the Pentium M that is for laptops.

thomasrutter
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It depends on the hardware how much ram/cpu and disk space you have, for example if you have 512mb of ram and Pantium 4 cpu with sufficient disk space let's say 80gb an Ethernet card, that should enable you to have a decent server, with BackupPC that will make it easy to make backups

younes
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As to whether it will serve your novice-networking needs, I'll go out on a limb and say "probably".

update/correction: I previously said that your processor is only capable of 32bit processing. I wish to rescind that claim. In fact I believe it is probably only capable of 32 bit processing given some of your previous comments regarding it's brand, model, and previous operating system, yet to be perfectly fair, it might be 64 bit capable. It is impossible to tell without more information. Please see this informative Wikipedia link regarding the processor you previously mentioned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_Dual-Core

The easiest way to find out if your CPU is 64bit is to try to install Ubuntu64, and if it fails to install, then your processor is not 64bit. Yet your decision doesn't stop there.

I work with all generations of PCs, some predating the year 2000, and due to the complications I was encountering with Ubuntu64, I all but entirely stopped using it. Among the more common annoyances, it simply wastes RAM, so if your old PC has 2gb or less RAM, and if you don't intend to purchase more for it, I would strongly urge you to stick with 32bit, but that's just a personal opinion.

gyropyge
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  • Would someone please explain to me how pointing out that a 64bit Ubuntu SIMPLY WILL NOT INSTALL on a 32bit processor qualifies me for downvotes? It appears two people have voted me down for this one. – gyropyge Nov 20 '14 at 20:51
  • Pretty sure his processor is 64bit. – thomasrutter Nov 21 '14 at 00:42
  • @neon_overload The web page I looked at indicated otherwise but it could have been wrong. Trying again and including a link this time. I've just read this link and I trust this source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_Dual-Core
    It sounds to me like your guess is as good as mine. So you want to one-up me and vote down my answers based on YOUR GUESS??? How about the OP be the tie-breaker and see if Ubuntu 64 refuses to load?     – gyropyge Nov 21 '14 at 23:52
  • @neon_overload, I've determined, and reasonably proven that you may or may not be correct just as I may or may not be correct. I have revised my answer to apply to this uncertainty. Now please remove your minus one from my answer, and please revise your own answer to reflect the facts. – gyropyge Nov 22 '14 at 00:29
  • Wow you're a bit pushy. If it makes you feel better feel free to downvote my answer. I still believe that his CPU is almost certainly 64-bit capable. AFAIK no Core-based Pentium is 32-bit only, and the only other reasonable possibility is that it's the relatively rarer, older Yonah (based on Pentium M) which was laptop only and it looks like he's talking about a desktop PC. – thomasrutter Nov 22 '14 at 10:21
  • I rarely insist I'm right about anything, but when I know I'm right about something, yes, I can be pushy. About a year ago I gave a 32bit DUAL-CORE INTEL PENTIUM computer to a friend, a Dell desktop, so I know they exist. I really don't want to downvote your answer in a petty example of pissing wars. I think you should heed the Wikipedia information and edit your answer to indicate that it is impossible to be sure without first trying to install Ubuntu 64, and neither you nor I are in a position to directly help the user that way. – gyropyge Nov 22 '14 at 22:45
  • The Wikipedia page you posted says all those processors are 64-bit except for the ones under Yonah microarchitecture. The Yonah is a laptop processor. I'd say it's highly likely the desktop you gave to a friend was 64-bit capable. That said, what Dell model was it? – thomasrutter Nov 23 '14 at 01:28