HP Pavilion needs distro recommendation (and install guidance) (slrpnk.net)

submitted 1 week ago by Rubisco@slrpnk.net to c/linux4noobs@programming.dev

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HP Pavilion dv6500 Notebook PC
Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz
2GB RAM Hitachi 500GB HDD
Windows Vista

What distro would you recommend?
Can this be done with a USB or will a DVD be necessary?

I want to save it from ewaste because it has a ridiculous number of ports on the sides.

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[-] morto@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I have a device with 2gb of ram with mx linux, and it works fine. Here's a few tips for any distro when using such configuration:

1 - if possible, enable multilib and run 32-bit versions from your heavier software, like the browser (the entire system as 32 bit helps a lot, but most distros seem do be dropping it)
2 - use zram
3 - in the browser, look for some form of tab suspender addon
4 - try alternative lightweight software for your stuff (for example, abiword instead of libreoffice)
5 - block ads in your network, to prevent the device to even process them
6 - don't use the browser to wathc videos. Look for native players. In fact, avoid doing anything in the browser and look for native software when possible

I find it quite fun to use a constrained device like that, and it helped me change a few habits I considered to be bad for me, as well as it helped me focus more on my important stuff

this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2026

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