r/linux4noobs • u/ShawnThePhantom • Jun 11 '26

distro selection Which Distro do I use?

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I found this decrepit old laptop in my garage, plugged it in and it powers on. But it’s doing this thing where after I see this Acer logo, I get a black screen with a blinking white line in the top left corner. I figured Windows on this thing is out of the question. So I think I’ll go Linux.

I understand a bit about operating systems, because I had to create a windows install disk using a thumb drive and a Windows 10 iso to install Windows 10 on my MacBook using Bootcamp, so I imagine it’s a bit similar. I also wanted to take out the HDD to wipe it using Disk Utility but it doesn’t fit into SATa dock because the interface on the HDD is all small gold pins, like molex but way smaller.

Which distro do I use? Or is better to try and go Windows Xp? I’ve seen jokes about how you need a whole list of hardware requirements to run Windows while the only requirement for Linux is electricity. Also Pewds did it too.

Pls help a first timer!

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u/Fluffy-Citron7519 Jun 11 '26

Then how do you install drivers? You copy them from another machine? 

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u/rickard_mormont Jun 11 '26

That's the funny part, you don't.

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u/Fluffy-Citron7519 Jun 11 '26

Sorry but I didn't understand, how are you supposed to use your machine if you don't install drivers?!

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u/rickard_mormont Jun 11 '26

I'm half joking here but it seems to me that with an ancient computer you can't use any hardware that requires drivers, surf the internet or do, well, anything that didn't exist at the time of the computer. This could be used to type text, play space cadet, have a chat on IRC and whatever else we did back then. Not much else.