Want to install operating system onto an old desktop PC

[slackmax]

I haven't seen it yet, but somebody wants to give me a free desktop Compaq Presario  PC which has a "non-verified"  Windows XP in it. Somebody tried to load XP but it has not been "verified", whatever that means. Maybe it's missing a product key. There are no software disks with the PC. Just the PC. Windows XP boots up but then you can't do anything with the PC. That's all I know about it.

If I take this PC, is there any way I can get the XP to run, or load in a different OS, like Windows ME, or Windows 98?  I know it's very old, but it's free and could be useful in some ways if I could just get an OS to run on it.

Thanks

[Sparafusile]

I'm making the assumption that Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10 will not work on a PC that age. I would recommend against installing a Windows operating system on this machine - they are no longer supported and will attract viruses like moths to a flame. I would suggest instead installing some version of Linux on the machine. Some popular ones are Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora. Installing any operating system can seem daunting for someone that's never done it before, especially Linux operating systems, so if you have any questions do ask us here.

[bobechs]

Try this.  What have you got to lose?

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-try-google-chrome-os-on-your-pc/

http://www.howtogeek.com/217659/how-to-get-a-chrome-os-like-operating-system-on-any-pc/

[zolotiyeruki]

I've played around a bit with Lubuntu, and it seems like a pretty decent option for an older machine.

[FIRE me]

Chrome OS as mentioned by bobechs is definitely worth a try.

Another one worth trying is LXLE which is a free and light Linux distro specifically for old PCs.

The CPU on the old Compaq is probably 32 bit, but it would be good to find out for sure as 32 and 64 bit versions of LXLE are available. If you have a 64 bit CPU, don't be put off by the 64 bit version being listed as AMD 64. It is for Intel CPUs also.

http://lxle.net/

[randymarsh]

It's a bad idea to use Windows XP on an internet connected PC. Microsoft stopped doing security updates over a year ago. Much better to put Ubuntu or something similar on it.

[slackmax]

Thanks for the replies!  But now for another basic question. Will I be able to wipe off the Windows XP? Or will it be locked up waiting for a password or a product key?

I'm not sure what state the XP is in other than someone tried to load it in, but only got so far, and the PC will do nothing other than boot up into some almost-complete form of XP. Again, no software discs come with the PC.

So when I turn it on, I expect to see some screen asking me for information I don't have, like a product key or password, to continue. 

How can I get past this roadblock?



       

[zolotiyeruki]

If you're installing another operating system, any existing OS/software on the drive won't matter.  The new OS will simply wipe the drive clean and install itself.  Some OSes give you an option to save stuff from the old install, but in this case, it sounds like you don't care about anything on the computer.

[randymarsh]

Thanks for the replies!  But now for another basic question. Will I be able to wipe off the Windows XP? Or will it be locked up waiting for a password or a product key?

I'm not sure what state the XP is in other than someone tried to load it in, but only got so far, and the PC will do nothing other than boot up into some almost-complete form of XP. Again, no software discs come with the PC.

So when I turn it on, I expect to see some screen asking me for information I don't have, like a product key or password, to continue. 

How can I get past this roadblock?

You'll need to get a CD/DVD with Ubuntu or another OS on it. You'll put this in the drive, then reboot. Before Windows starts (when the screen is still black), tap Esc a few times. You should get a menu of options; you want "Boot Menu". From there you'd select "CD/DVD Drive" and then the Ubuntu install will start.

Windows will be overwritten, like it was never there.

Ubuntu would be my recommendation since it's so easy to use. But depending on your PC's age, it might have minimum requirements that yours doesn't meet. In that case, you should have luck with Damn Small Linux: http://damnsmalllinux.org/ It runs on just about anything.

[FIRE me]

Thanks for the replies!  But now for another basic question. Will I be able to wipe off the Windows XP? Or will it be locked up waiting for a password or a product key?

I'm not sure what state the XP is in other than someone tried to load it in, but only got so far, and the PC will do nothing other than boot up into some almost-complete form of XP. Again, no software discs come with the PC.

So when I turn it on, I expect to see some screen asking me for information I don't have, like a product key or password, to continue. 

How can I get past this roadblock?       

zolotiyeruki is right. The new OS will wipe the disk, and you'll get a choice to keep the existing OS, if you wish. Also known as dual boot.

But first you may need to Google up the BIOS entry keyboard key for your computer. You have to press (usually) one of the F keys on the keyboard as the computer boots. That lets you enter the system BIOS.

You then need to set the boot order to CD / DVD, then HDD (hard disk drive). Often the HDD is the default first choice, so when you put in the Linux CD / DVD, the computer does not boot to the install disk.

No need to change it back afterward, as when there is no bootable disk in the optical drive, it will automatically look to the hard drive.

[slackmax]

Thanks for the great information!

[katsiki]

+1 for Ubuntu.  I don't think it will have any trouble on an older PC.

[Jacana]

Ubuntu can also be installed from a flash drive, easier than burning a DVD these days.

[the_fella]

Depending on the RAM and disc space available in the computer, I'd suggest installing Linux Mint. It can be a bit resource intensive (I believe they recommend 1 GB of RAM). Barring that, there are other Linux distros that have a much smaller resource requirements. You might even consider an older version of Linux Mint. I don't recommend Ubuntu, fwiw, as it contains spyware.

On a side note, if you don't need this machine for use as a PC, you can instead use it as a Home Theater PC (a DVR, essentially). There are plenty of free operating systems that make this possible. One of the most popular is MythTV or MythBuntu. You'll have to have a TV tuner card, though. Again, this all depends on the specs of the computer.

[teadirt]

If this PC originally came with Windows XP, look carefully all over the back/bottom/sides of the computer for a shiny sticker with a long number on it. This is the product key for Windows XP, and you should be able to 'validate' Windows with this number after connecting it to the internet.

However, I have seen a few cases where the sticker isn't on the computer itself, but rather stuck to some piece of documentation that came with the computer. If this is the case, there's no hope for validating XP unless you buy another copy or find that piece of paper that was in the original PC box. In this case, I'd recommend installing Ubuntu or Fedora linux on the machine. Good luck!

[shadowmoss]

You may find that the newer versions of Linux won't install on an older CPU based machine.  I found that when I tried to put it on an older laptop.  You may need an older version of Linux, or the one recommended above for older CPU's.  The newer versions look for something (sorry, been to long for me to remember...) in the CPU and if it isn't there it won't install.

[Spork]

You may find that the newer versions of Linux won't install on an older CPU based machine.  I found that when I tried to put it on an older laptop.  You may need an older version of Linux, or the one recommended above for older CPU's.  The newer versions look for something (sorry, been to long for me to remember...) in the CPU and if it isn't there it won't install.

Another way to say this is "don't try to install a 64 bit OS on a 32 bit machine."

[Jack]

If this PC originally came with Windows XP, look carefully all over the back/bottom/sides of the computer for a shiny sticker with a long number on it. This is the product key for Windows XP, and you should be able to 'validate' Windows with this number after connecting it to the internet.

As somebody else mentioned earlier, even if you do have a product key for XP, it's no longer safe to use (if indeed it ever was, but I digress...)

My vote would be for Linux Mint (for an older computer, either the "MATE" or "XFCE" edition), which I think is better than Ubuntu. However, any popular Linux distribution would be fine. By the way, if you want to really understand Linux (as opposed to merely having a functioning computer), you could try Gentoo, which is a bit more "hands-on."

You may find that the newer versions of Linux won't install on an older CPU based machine.  I found that when I tried to put it on an older laptop.  You may need an older version of Linux, or the one recommended above for older CPU's.  The newer versions look for something (sorry, been to long for me to remember...) in the CPU and if it isn't there it won't install.

There are basically two choices (at least, that you need to be concerned with): the Linux distribution will either be marked as being for "x86" or "amd64." If the computer is 32-bit, you want "x86." If it's 64-bit, you want "amd64" (yes, even if the CPU is made by Intel). The 32-bit version will work on a 64-bit machine, but not vice-versa.

[ransom132]

I have windows vista and I noticed lately my computer was really way too slow, so I tried Ubuntu (Linux) and I have to say I am impressed and it doesn't lag like it used to with Windows.