OS for an old Acer Aspire One A110

[Rydra]

As above, i've got an old model of AspireOne with a 6gb HDD, and 512mb of memory (Atom CPU).

 

The current OS has an error where it sits with a black screen and a cursor and does nothing else, but I can get it into Command prompt, but with Linux there are 8 million things all of which require a different bit of coding to fix it.

I attempted the internet search, and came up with lots of risky things from fiddling with config files I couldn't even find, to performing un-adviseable disk repairs, and even BIOS flashing. I'm not messing with any of that for a linux OS that finished support 3 1/2 years ago.

 

I've decided just to wipe the thing and put a new OS on it, but been struggling to find a final build OS that will fit on that small a drive/memory.

Only thing it really needs is to work, have Skype and go on the internet.

 

I looked at DSL, it's too small/lacks the features I want. Fedora recent releases state 15gb of hard drive required, Ubuntu I gather has a netbook version but I cannot find a specific download for it unless the main one has a "Cutdown" install options. I've been told F14 might do it, but the guidenotes still said 15gb HDD space.

 

Anyone got a suggestion for a Linux OS to put on this thing? I've got till next monday to find one.

[DAZZD88]

Didn't they originally come with Linpus Linux? I'm sure there's also a netbook oriented version of Ubuntu as well.

[soveryapt]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UNR

 

Dunno if that helps ... I think the NR version of it is installed from the same media ..

[featured_spectre]

Mint OS runs perfectly fine. Mint is a condensed version of Ubuntu.

[AMLinington]

Or if the hard drive is really really tiny you could use it with SLAX...

[Rydra]

Didn't they originally come with Linpus Linux? I'm sure there's also a netbook oriented version of Ubuntu as well.

Yes the original was Linpus, but newest Linpus doesn't run on that old a machine.

 

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UNR

 

Dunno if that helps ... I think the NR version of it is installed from the same media ..

It's hard drive space that could be the issue here, not sure how small it can go.

 

Mint OS runs perfectly fine. Mint is a condensed version of Ubuntu.

 

I like the look of Mint, might give that a go.

[dhicks]

Anyone got a suggestion for a Linux OS to put on this thing?

 

Ubuntu have now made the Unity window manager - designed for tablets and similar - the default, and instead of having separate "editions" there's simply separate packages to install. We have some original model Eee PCs to sort out something similar on - they only have 4GB disks. I'm planning a base install of Debian with Blackbox window manager and Firefox loaded in kiosk mode upon startup.

[Sirbendy]

I've got 2 of the A110s. Both mine have been upgraded to 1.5gb RAM, but both also have the 8gb SSD. So far they're run Linpus, Ubuntu, DSL, Puppy Linux, XP, Vista, Win7...now one is running Jolicloud, and the other is running Meego. No problems on any of them, short of the (quite normal) godawful wifi card flaking out at random, and now my main one has a cracked screen (£30).

 

I even use the main one with Virtualbox under Puppy Linux, hosting an XP VM. Works perfectly. Why? Because OPCOM has no linux ports..heh. I need that for the car.

[Rydra]

Bah. Useless Linpus.

 

Product details state minimum 15gb Hard drive.

 

Download page states 6gb/4gb free. And their download speed is terribad, 25-40k/s for a 400mb download.

[featured_spectre]

Rydra, you should be able to put a HDD in the machine as it runs a 8GB SSD drive, just swap with a 1.8in 40GB HDD and you can run what you like then

[Rydra]

I don't exactly carry a pile of spare 1.8" 40GB drives with me, and I'd not use one for a teachers personal laptop..... in fact I don't own any 1.8" drives anywhere of anysize.

[dhicks]

Product details state minimum 15gb Hard drive.

 

I put a basic text-only install of Debian on our Eee PCs then installed X Windows, XFCE, Firefox and Chromium. Total install size is somewhere under 2GB, leaving half the 4GB harddrive for cache and swap space.

[Rydra]

The 400mb file is still downloading... Awful awful dl site and speed.

[Rydra]

Ha! Glad this happens with Linux as well as windows.

 

So I find a USB boot disc program, and dump on the Linpus OS ISO to it.

 

Try booting the netbook with the USB in, select the new OS, and it gets 1% into the boot and just hangs.

Reboot the laptop, forgot to hit the button to select boot option, and the netbook only goes and boots into the Old OS without an issue.........

 

Used to do this with Windows, stick in XP disc, let it do it's rubbish, then reboot before installing.

 

One happy teacher who hugged me in front of the class unexpectedly and has left with a happily working little netbook, and I have absolutely no clue whatsoever what I did to fix it.