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I can really recommend the 32 bit XFCE version of Makulu Linux. It is lightning-fast, runs well on older hardware, and has very good looks. It is probably the &quot;nicest&quot; Linux distro available, and very easy to use. It is based on Ubuntu, so you have all the Ubuntu packages available, but it works much better than Ubuntu. If you want the full featured version download the &quot;Normal Edition&quot;, not the &quot;Lite Edition&quot;:<br />
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<a href="http://makululinux.com/downloads/" rel="ugc">http://makululinux.com/downloads/</a>
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I can really recommend the 32 bit XFCE version of Makulu Linux. It is lightning-fast, runs well on older hardware, and has very good looks. It is probably the "nicest" Linux distro available, and very easy to use. It is based on Ubuntu, so you have all the Ubuntu packages available, but it works much better than Ubuntu. If you want the full featured version download the "Normal Edition", not the "Lite Edition":

http://makululinux.com/downloads/ [http://makululinux.com/downloads/]

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Sorry rindi, I just closed the thread just before your post - but I will look into that version as well,
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Sorry rindi, I just closed the thread just before your post - but I will look into that version as well,

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What are the best or recommended free versions of Linux for an older Pentium M laptop with 1.25 GB of RAM ? &nbsp;The version should install to the HDD, have updates including security updates available regularly, and then just be able to run some basic free apps and DVD codecs, be able to work with MP3 files (rip from DVDs, change bit rates, etc...), and be able to encrypt the entire drive (full disk encryption) ...<br />
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TIA ...
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What are the best or recommended free versions of Linux for an older Pentium M laptop with 1.25 GB of RAM ?  The version should install to the HDD, have updates including security updates available regularly, and then just be able to run some basic free apps and DVD codecs, be able to work with MP3 files (rip from DVDs, change bit rates, etc...), and be able to encrypt the entire drive (full disk encryption) ...

TIA ...

Best Free Version of Linux for Older Laptop (Pentium M, 1.25 GB RAM) ?

A Linux distribution is an operating system made as a software collection based on the Linux kernel and, often, on a package management system and are available for a variety of systems. A typical Linux distribution comprises a Linux kernel, GNU tools and libraries, additional software, documentation, a window system (the most common being the X Window System), a window manager, and a desktop environment. Most Linux systems are open-source software made available both as compiled binaries and in source code form, allowing modifications to the original software. Over three hundred distributions are in active development, including commercially backed distributions (such as Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu) and community-driven distributions (such as Debian, Slackware, Gentoo and Arch Linux).