Linux Recommend a good linux live cd Distro

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chiron

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My parent's old pc is running really slow. So slow in fact that scrolling down in chrome leads to framing and so does watching videos in fullscreen mode. What I need it for is just videos, music, browsing and torrents. Will using a linux draw less resources for it and if yes, which distro is a good option for me?

The reason I prefer to try out a live cd is that there isn't enough space to make new partitons and it is too much of a hassle if in I end up not getting something to work.
 
You didnt mention specs... depending on that you can try a more mainstream live distro like Ubuntu (or Xubuntu if you want lightweight) 9.04 instead of the more obscure distros and desktop UIs... actually maybe try LinuxMint as a so-called better version of Ubuntu.

edit: i recommend wiping clean the hard disk anyway, then reinstall your existing OS (windows?) to see if things clear up, if not, then you can try a live CD and if that works better then totally re-wipe the hard disk and put Linux exclusively on it :)
 
I tried Slax which worked great; the videos ran smoothly and the audio was working ok, so I guess there are no driver compatibility issues. The only downside is the long bootup time but that makes sense.

The PC is an Athlon 1ghz running XP. So, I guess that the problem has to do with the installation than the hardware. However, the pc is now set up in such a way that shifting to linux would be a total hassle, plus I need xp for the zune software. I guess I will try to get a decent installation of linux running on this pc the next time I am home.
 
^^Well the long boot up time is because of slow system and live cd. You can substantially reduce the boot time after installing it :)

There are no alternatives for Zune :| $#itty MS policies :| You can try wine to emulate and see if it works
 
hehe... yeah, if it weren't for games and other exclusive content then ms would probably have a harder time retaining its users :D
 
Dark Star said:
^^Well the long boot up time is because of slow system and live cd. You can substantially reduce the boot time after installing it :)

There are no alternatives for Zune :| $#itty MS policies :| You can try wine to emulate and see if it works

Unfortunately Wine doesn't help with Zune software. It's a pain in the butt. That's why I shifted back to the iPod.
 
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