What OS would you recommend for a slow notebook/ laptop? Puppy Linux, Win 8?

Question

I have an Asus X401U (1Ghz processor, 4GB RAM), which is running Win 8 x64. It's started running super slow, particularly when it comes to Internet browsing.

I've deactivated a bunch of Win programs that I don't need, I run Ccleaner and AVG, and I've tried Chrome and Firefox.

I'm wondering whether or not I'd be better putting something like Puppy Linux on it, or just doing a fresh install of Win 8? I only use this laptop for work when I'm travelling as it's light, but all my work is online so I need it to be running faster. It's definitely gotten worse since I bought it a couple of months ago despite me cleaning it regularly. Any advice would be great, but sensible answers only please!

Thanks!

Answer 1

seems its either malware/virus, or something wrong with the hardware (like damaged hard drive or bad PSU).



if it were me, I would install speccy and check temperatures, and do an extensive hard drive SMART scan. if the results are good, I would reset Windows 8 to factory condition.



if it is still as slow, I would get it checked at a shop/repair place.



if there is nothing wrong, you could install Linux mint 13 next to Windows 8 (which is a long term support version, the next is in may), creating a dual-boot. there are different user interface editions, you need to figure out which is best for you and the hardware. cinnamon might be problematic for graphics support, or xfce might be too minimalist, mate might have glitches. I would recommend trying xfce, it can be configured to look like almost anything, easily.



Edit:

may need to be version 15 for UEFI support.

Answer 2

If you use your laptop only for searching web, basically light applications, then linux would be a right solution for you. Your laptop is not that bad, and you don't need to go with such low ended os. Use simple Ubuntu instead, one big plus is driver support which is a big problem with other linuxes. It will fly on almost every machine. But if you would like to have windows, go with XP, it's very stable and will run good on almost every machine. But just to mention something, I have 10 years old system (1gb of ram, 3 ghz Celeron 330) and I run Win 7 on it, it run flawlessly, I even run Minecraft on Medium settings with 30+ FPS, so yeah, firstly try to reinstall your OS and if that doesn't solve your problem try something that I mentioned

Answer 3

I would go with Puppy Dog Linux. It's slow because the processor is only 1GHz, which is extremely slow in comparison to most processors.

Answer 4

well i have read others say they took win 8 off and whether its win 7 or linux,it runs faster after the uninstall. i frankly would just install the newest version of linux. windows 8 is garbage.

Answer 5

This will run Xubuntu very well.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xubuntu



Xubuntu is Ubuntu but uses a lighter desktop environment, XFCE, which has perhaps less 'bells and whistles' than Gnome or KDE, but is still better than Windows, in fact its very good indeed, and very configurable.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfce



Once installed, turn off any graphical effects for better speed, but switch them on again one by one until you get the best balance of performance and looks :-)

Answer 6

try this..swipe in from the top right corner..tap or click settings...look for the refresh pc setting..click or tap that and follow the prompts..always good to back up your data...and make sure you have a windows 8 disc ready