Linux [noob!] tried various light weight distros, but I found none to be fast

Elementary OS is good one and lightweight also. Its based on Ubuntu, but optimized for better performance. I was also an XP user. Now I am using it as my daily driver for the last one and a half year almost and very much happy with it :)
 
I have Debian Wheezy installed on a P4 system with 1GB RAM. Display is 1024x768. Using XFCE as the DE. Installed using netinstall method. Might be suitable for your needs too.
 
Try xubuntu 14.04.1, use 64bit, ram usage is 200mb with 1080p resolution and all the needed eye candy. Battery life usually decreases as compared to xp, therefore you'll have to modify the power management settings in most of the distros.
 
madhuraj said:
Elementary OS is good one and lightweight also. Its based on Ubuntu, but optimized for better performance. I was also an XP user. Now I am using it as my daily driver for the last one and a half year almost and very much happy with it :)
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Another vote to Elementary OS. Running it in a seven year old laptop without any hitch.
 
Same here, running elementary OS Freya Beta 2 (just released a couple of days ago, see beta.elementaryos.org and blog.elementaryos.org ) on my 7.5 year old laptop (amd 1.9 ghz dual core, 2gb ram, 128gb upgraded SSD) and it runs great! (although I use it sparingly/occasionally mainly for web browsing)
 
For atom processors :eek:64bit will not improve performance :banghead:. Have you tried Windows 8.1 32 bit? If not then give it a try, one of my friend use it on his intel atom and it works well for him :p
 
One more option is to use Archlinux with Openbox or any other lightweight window manager like Awesome. I have used this combination in my old desktop. However, there is a learning curve for it.
Advantages of Archlinux: Rolling Release, Very active community, Great Wiki.. :)
 
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redhatperl said:
For atom processors :eek:64bit will not improve performance :banghead:. Have you tried Windows 8.1 32 bit? If not then give it a try, one of my friend use it on his intel atom and it works well for him :p
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Yeah tried installing, If I remember correctly, because of not having minimum required resolution some of the features didnt work. Havent tried again. Now installed win10 tech preview, but it is also a bit laggy. WinXp works really fast on my netbook, so looking for similar performance with linux.
 
For me, Crunchbang has been very good stable and reliable distro. Have it on my old Asus netbook and desktop for last 1.5years.

Was waiting for the next release but unfortunately the main dev abandoned it (think the team might still continue). In all probability I will be moving to vanilla Debian once Jessie is released.
 
Crunchbang stopped development just recently, Elementary OS just got a very bad rap among community due to their marketing. jfyi. Both used to be very good distros btw.
 
Finally got some free time. Replaced win10 with xubuntu 64 bit, found it to be not as laggy as other distros. Missing KMPlayer and its keyboard shotcuts, while watching videos. Adblock plus is leaving out empty spaces in the webpages after removing/hiding the ads. CPU usage is not 100% all the time, so that's a big + for me. Even though websurfing on firefox is not smooth, I can live with that. Seems like I can't run multiple applications at once(read laggy as hell). Still configuring it to my liking, will keep you posted.
 
you should consider cleaning your netbook for dust thoroughly. dust clogged in cpu vents causes heating issues and thus the lag. if you are not familiar with the dust cleaning process, take it to your nearest laptop repair centre.
 
I do clean it regularly. I change the thermal paste on my desktop PC from time to time, not sure if I should do the same for laptop. Any suggestions?
 
haiprazzad said:
I do clean it regularly. I change the thermal paste on my desktop PC from time to time, not sure if I should do the same for laptop. Any suggestions?
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just look out for the dust clogged in cpu vents. you can use a air blower/vacuum cleaner for clearing the vents. use it to BLOW air in the vent through which cpu fan air comes OUT.
 
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