If you have a spare (and old) system, you can always bring it to life by install any lightweight Linux distributions.

There are tons of Linux distribution suited for your low-end hardware. To make things a bit easier for you, we are covering the some of the best lightweight Linux distributions for older systems.

Lubuntu

Lubuntu is a lightweight Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. Instead of using Ubuntu’s GNOME desktop environment, it uses a LXDE/LXQT desktop which has minimal system requirements.

It can run on a machine with RAM as low as 256 MB with Pentium II or Celeron systems. Anything around 512 MB of RAM gives a smoother experience.

You can download a copy from lubuntu download page.

There is a recommended 64-bit version which is suitable when you have 1 GB of RAM. If you are running short, you can download the alternate 32-bit or 64-bit lubuntu images which also packs less number of software.

The latest release is Lubuntu 19.04 Disco Dingo based on latest Ubuntu release.

antiX Linux

antiX is another lightweight Linux distribution based on Debian stable and should run on most of the older systems.

If you have a system as old as Pentium II with just 192 MB RAM, it will run fine. However, the minimum RAM suggested for a smooth experience is 256 MB with around 4 GB of hard disk space.

antiX Linux do not uses systemd and comes with custom kernel and repository. Rather than any resource hungry desktop environment, antiX uses Rox-IceWM desktop and comes in 4 flavours: full distro, a base distro, a core distro and a net distro. All of these available for both 32 bit and 64 bit machines.

The latest release available is antiX-17.4.1 released in March 2019. You can grab a copy of antiX Linux form the download section.

Bodhi Linux

Bodhi Linux is a beautiful distribution based on Ubuntu LTS and includes Moksha desktop.

It has three different flavours for each release. Standard one is for desktop and work stations and features a minimalist base, allowing the user to decide what exactly they want to add on top of it. Legacy flavour is a 32-bit release and is optimised for systems which are as old as 15 years. AppPack image, as the name suggest, is bundled with latest applications and themes. It is best suited if you have relatively newer hardware.

Minimum system requirement for Bodhi Linux includes 256 MB of RAM and at least 500 mhz processor with about 5 GB of free drive space. Recommended requirements are 512 MB of RAM with 1ghz processor and 10 GB of space.

Read : How to install Bodhi Linux

Puppy Linux

Puppy Linux is rather a collection of multiple Linux distributions – different flavours but build on the same shared principles using the same set of tools for a consistent experience no matter which flavor you choose. It’s one of the finest choice for an older system and required very less system resource.

There are 3 main categories. Official Puppy Linux distribution which is maintained by Puppy Linux team, woof-built Puppy Linux distribution built for specific needs and appearances and unofficial derivatives which are developed and maintained by the community.

It’s easy to install Puppy Linux and there are hundreds of derivatives called puplets to choose from. It’s fast, ready to use and the average size is just 300 MB.

Minimum system requirement for Puppy Linux inclused at least Pentium III processor with 256 MB of RAM. However, there are multiple flavors and if you have a old system than PIII, you can still find one that ‘may’ run fine.

You can visit Puppy Linux Download Page to find and download a copy.

Linux Lite 4.8

Linux Lite is another lightweight Linux distribution for old computers. With the moto of simple, fast & free, the team behind Linux Lite terms it as a gateway operating system for Windows 7 users. It even packs up a Windows 7 customized wallpaper and follows the traditional desktop model of a taskbar and start menu.

It is based on Ubuntu LTS and features XFCE desktop environment. Linux Lite packs up the most widely used applications like Skype, Steam, Office Suite, Spotify among others.

It needs a minimum system requirement of 1GHz process and 768mb of RAM. The storage requirement is 10 GB and if you have a spare and old system running Windows XP, it’s time to wipe it up with Linux Lite.

The current version is Linux Lite 4.8 released on Jan 14, 2020.

You can download a copy from here.

https://www.linuxliteos.com/download.php

Arch Linux

I did succumb to the rant I received from Arch Linux user for not including it in this lightweight Linux distribution list, so here we go.

Arch Linux is an independently developed Linux distribution, giving a minimal base system and letting the user set it up as per his need.

It’s more of a do-it-yourself project where you work towards getting a command line interface and work some more to set up a desktop environment, softwares, drivers. This may look like a pain to do but at the end you have a system which is not bloated with applications which you never use!

It can run with as less as 512 MB of RAM if you couple it with a lightweight DE like XFCE.

The Arch Linux Wiki is one of the best place and you can find almost everything.

https://www.archlinux.org/download/

Wrapping Up

These lightweight Linux distributions can provide a good experience and you can use any one of these to revive your old and low-on-resource system. Not only they run smooth on older systems, they can be used on newest hardware and offers everything a mainstream distribution like Ubuntu has to offer.

Have you got any success in reviving a old system? If yes, which distribution you picked and why – let us know in the comments.