15.10

Welcome to the Advanced Methods page for Lubuntu

Contents

Welcome to the Advanced Methods page for Lubuntu
Memory (RAM)
1. Normal usage
2. Advanced usage with low RAM
Processor (CPU)
1. Normal usage
  1. Pentium M and Celeron M
2. Advanced usage with old processors
Graphics chip / card
Installers

Lubuntu is a good operating system for many old computers, but not for all of them. Some computers have too little horsepower or memory. A rule of thumb is that the computer should not be more than 10 years old.

If you have an older or less powerful system, and you are ready for advanced methods, read the tips at this page.

Memory (RAM)

Normal usage

If you plan to use advanced internet services like Google+, Youtube, Google Docs and Facebook, your computer needs at least 1 GB RAM, but 2 GB RAM makes the computer work better.

If you plan to use local programs like Libre Office (for word processing,spreadsheet calculations and presentations) and Thunderbird for email, and seldom browse to web pages with a lot of graphics and animations, your computer needs 512 MB RAM, but 768 MB or 1 GB RAM makes it work significantly better.

Advanced usage with low RAM

We have done many tests and we've found out that Lubuntu Core Trusty can be installed on a Pentium II or Celeron system with 128 MB RAM, but such a system would not perform well enough for daily use. Standard Lubuntu needs at the very least 192 MB RAM, but will not perform well enough for daily use.

With 256MB - 384MB of RAM, the performance will be better and the system will be more usable.

With 512MB of RAM or more, you need not worry much, it is within normal usage

Processor (CPU)

Normal usage

The minimum specification for CPU is Pentium 4 or Pentium M or AMD K8.

Older processors are too slow and AMD K7 has problems with flash video.

Pentium M and Celeron M

Xubuntu 12.04 LTS (the original, before the point releases) has a non-pae kernel and works out of the box.

Systems based on Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS 'Precise' can be installed in Pentium M and Celeron M computers using fake-PAE. This can be done using the One Button Installer or Lubuntu-fake-PAE.

Lubuntu 14.04 LTS 'Trusty' can use the boot option forcepae and can be installed using the standard installers.

After selecting language you arrive at the main menu of the installer. Click on F6

At the boot menu screen the options are

Try Lubuntu without installing (in the desktop installer but not in the alternate installer]
Install
...

With the Install choice high-lighted press F6. (This option needs less RAM than installing from 'Try Lubuntu')

A menu with a number of options appears. The option 'forcepae' is not there, so press Escape to close the list.

Now a string of options is visible, often with 'quiet' or 'quiet splash --' at the end. Add 'forcepae' to the string after the two dashes.

... quiet splash -- forcepae

In newer versions of Lubuntu, we should enter forcepae twice

... quiet splash forcepae -- forcepae

according to this link: BootOptions/before--after

Press return, and the installation begins.

Advanced usage with old processors

It is possible to run Lubuntu Core and standard Lubuntu with Pentium II, Pentium III or Celeron processors and contemporary AMD processors, but the computer will be slow, and some tasks may not work.

On the other hand, such computers will probably work well enough in text mode for example as file server in a local network.

VIA C7 might run with Xubuntu 12.04 LTS or Bento, Bodhi, LXLE.

Graphics chip / card

Nvidia, AMD/ATI/Radeon and Intel work out of the box, or the system can be tweaked to work fairly easily. You can get help at the Ubuntu Forums. With such graphics, or if you don't know, try the current Lubuntu version.

Nvidia or AMD/ATI/Radeon

A good start is to use the boot option nomodeset, if it does not work out of the box. Nvidia and AMD/ATI/Radeon might work better with a proprietary driver, that can be installed after booting with nomodeset.

Old Intel graphics

Old Intel graphics may need UXA acceleration instead of the default

There was this helpful bug report on file at http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1178982

The work-around (Comment #1) was to change the Xorg acceleration method to UXA.

Work-around:

Edit (or create) /etc/X11/xorg.conf as follows: (there should be a tab before each line except the first and the last).

Section "Device"
        Identifier "Intel Graphics"
        Driver "intel"
        Option "AccelMethod" "uxa"
EndSection

Restart X (reboot, restart your display manager, whatever). Colors are back to the way they used to be and flash works.

SIS graphics

SIS graphics should be run with flavours or re-spins of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, for example Bento, Bodhi, LXLE.

Installers

Normal usage

The desktop installer works in most cases. If you have problems, for example with the graphics, try the alternate installer.

Advanced usage

The desktop installer needs more RAM than the other alternatives. So you should try other installers, if you have low RAM.

Test results

Test results concerning minimum and recommended RAM to install Lubuntu 14.04 LTS, 'Trusty'

The test were performed with the boot option 'mem' in the following computer

http://www.toshiba.se/laptops/satellite-pro/c850/satellite-pro-c850-19w/

('effective' is what is reported by 'free -m' as total memory)

Erase disk and install (with swap partition on the HDD)

Lubuntu Trusty desktop 32-bit beta2
mem=256M (effective 241M) OK
mem=224M (effective 210M) heavy swapping to zram and disk, but OK
mem=192M failure

Erase disk and install (without swap partition on the HDD)

Lubuntu Trusty desktop 32-bit beta2
mem=256M (effective 241M) OK
mem=224M (effective 210M) heavy swapping to zram, but OK
mem=192M failure

Lubuntu Trusty alternate 32-bit beta2
mem=192M (effective 178M) OK
mem=176M (effective 162M) OK
mem=160M failure

Summary

Absolute minimun RAM for the standard installers

Lubuntu Trusty desktop 32-bit: 224 MB
Lubuntu Trusty alternate 32-bit: 176 MB

More memory is necessary for more advanced install alternatives, for example dual boot using 'Something else' at the partitioning window.

Recommended minimum RAM for the standard installers

Lubuntu Trusty desktop 32-bit: 384 MB
Lubuntu Trusty alternate 32-bit: 256 MB

Alternative installers

Ubuntu mini.iso

The Ubuntu mini.iso alias Minimal Install alias Netboot Install is a very small iso file, that will fetch the main part of the installed system via the internet. This installer is very flexible and can be used to install all flavours of Ubuntu (including Lubuntu Core which is smaller than standard Lubuntu). Contrary to the full desktop flavours of Ubuntu the minimal system and the server will be installed with a non-portable network connection unless you tweak the system according to 'Unmanaged Wired Network' in the following link.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/Documentation/MinimalInstall

The Ubuntu mini.iso is a good starting point if you want to install a customized system, where you install only the software packages you intend to use. But it is more complicated than the standard desktop and alternate installers. Due to the increase of the linux kernel, the RAM size necessary has increased in 14.04 LTS compared to 12.04 LTS. Do not expect to succeed with less than 128 MB RAM. You may need as 'much' as 160 MB to install Ubuntu server 14.04 LTS.

The One Button Installer can install systems with 128 MB RAM

The One Button Installer can install dual boot systems.

Lubuntu 13.10 'Saucy' can be installed with the One Button Installer in Pentium M and Celeron M computers using fake-PAE. (Lubuntu 14.04 LTS 'Trusty' can use the boot option forcepae and can be installed using the standard installers.)

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/OBI