Windows user friendly Linux ???? Suggestions please

earweedearweed Member Posts: 5,192 ■■■■■■■■■□
in Off-Topic
A friend of mine has a PC that had a fried hard drive. The PC is too old and not upgradable enough to put Vista or 7 on. I don't have a valid XP copy (I have every version to reimage but don't have code). This is for a non-IT person so I'm looking for a windows user friendly Linux to put on this PC. I considered easy peasy as I've put that on a couple netbooks but was wondering if there was a better one for a desktop.
No longer work in IT. Play around with stuff sometimes still and fix stuff for friends and relatives.
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Comments

  • lsud00dlsud00d Member Posts: 1,571
    Ubuntu is the most mainstream-friendly Linux OS, so I would recommend that
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  • paulgswansonpaulgswanson Member Posts: 311
    I second Ubuntu
    http://paulswansonblog.wordpress.com/
    WGU Progress: B.S. Network Management & Design <- I quit (got bored)
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  • nosoup4unosoup4u Member Posts: 365
    Ubuntu or could try the latest Mint Linux (similar to Ubuntu)
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  • earweedearweed Member Posts: 5,192 ■■■■■■■■■□
    Any particular version I need to have a non-IT user friendly windows style desktop experience. That's all they've ever used (XP).
    One that I hopefully won't be called upon to do a lot of follow up with. I'm not making any money off this as it's for a family friend.
    No longer work in IT. Play around with stuff sometimes still and fix stuff for friends and relatives.
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  • lsud00dlsud00d Member Posts: 1,571
    Here's a thread on skinning Ubuntu to look like Windows:

    [gnome] Windows XP Theme - Ubuntu Forums

    The OS itself will be fairly hands-off as long as you enable automatic updates and explain to your friend that it's not Windows so he can't download whatever he wants and expect it to install.
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  • nosoup4unosoup4u Member Posts: 365
    The KDE interface is similar to a windows experience

    Kubuntu | Friendly Computing

    The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Linux Mint 13 “KDE” released!
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  • boredgameladboredgamelad Member Posts: 365 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I believe Zorin was designed with Windows 7 aesthetics in mind. Maybe give that one a look (I haven't used it).
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  • YFZbluYFZblu Member Posts: 1,462 ■■■■■■■■□□
    earweed wrote: »
    Any particular version I need to have a non-IT user friendly windows style desktop experience. That's all they've ever used (XP).
    One that I hopefully won't be called upon to do a lot of follow up with. I'm not making any money off this as it's for a family friend.

    With Ubuntu it should be fairly straight forward. If that person can learn how to use Wine, the package installer, and knows 'sudo apt-get install [x]' he/she will be in solid shape. Google will become their best friend.
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  • QordQord Member Posts: 632 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Mint, PCLinux-OS, Puppy, Fedora....really most "bigger" distro's have the support behind them to make them pretty user-friendly. Check out DistroWatch's top 100 list....the majority of the top 10-20 are pretty user-friendly.

    I would steer clear of anything with Gnome3 though, if the PC in question is too old to handle Vista there's a good chance it might have problems with Gnome3.
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  • tpatt100tpatt100 Member Posts: 2,991 ■■■■■■■■■□
    If the PC is really old, Ubuntu still might run kind of slow on it. I tried Fedora and Ubuntu on a new Netbook and it was dragging.
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  • demonfurbiedemonfurbie Member Posts: 1,819 ■■■■■□□□□□
    mint is the closest to windows .. i prefer it on laptops
    wgu undergrad: done ... woot!!
    WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
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  • GAngelGAngel Member Posts: 708 ■■■■□□□□□□
    tpatt100 wrote: »
    If the PC is really old, Ubuntu still might run kind of slow on it. I tried Fedora and Ubuntu on a new Netbook and it was dragging.

    fedora is the latest and greatest in the linux world.
    Ubuntu is just bloatware now.
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  • Death DreamDeath Dream Member Posts: 149
    I support Linux Mint. xfce edition is great for lower end machines too!
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  • WafflesAndRootbeerWafflesAndRootbeer Member Posts: 555
    A lot of XP era hardware cannot run today's Linux software properly or well. The closer it is to hardware that came out after Vista was released (when they were still selling XP for a while), the more likely it is to work, but they will likely need a video card upgrade and some memory at the minimum because any video card from the XP days is not going to be supported with the current Linux drivers and software. Depending on the audio hardware inside the computer, a soundcard may also be required as many sound chips from the XP days do not have Linux support, current or otherwise.
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  • FrankThFrankTh Member Posts: 30 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Hi earweed

    If the comp has a dvd reader, I would go for linux mint. It is the closest to windows I have tried so far.
    I assume also the comp will be using a wired Internet connection. Wireless can be a little more demanding to configure.
    Mandriva is nice also, has some similarities with vista look and need only 512mo of ram to function properly.

    This was my grain of salt for tonight, hope it helped a little.

    FrankTh
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  • ally_ukally_uk Member Posts: 1,145 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Mint :) used to be Ubuntu but I hate Unity lol
    Microsoft's strategy to conquer the I.T industry

    " Embrace, evolve, extinguish "
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  • jibbajabbajibbajabba Member Posts: 4,317 ■■■■■■■■□□
    "all" you need is a Linux Distribution with Gnome, then you can add an XP theme to it :)

    Just thought I try that myself again as it has been a while :

    "mint" CentOS 6 install with Gnome

    fz80e8.jpg

    After converting the theme

    23hpyf9.jpg

    Download: Sourceforge
    My own knowledge base made public: http://open902.com :p
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  • jmritenourjmritenour Member Posts: 565
    I was a big CentOS guy (and still am as far as enterprise Linux builds), but I'm now using Linux Mint on my home laptop. I hate the new gnome in Ubuntu (and Fedora for that matter), but I love Mint's Cinnamon shell.
    "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible; suddenly, you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi
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  • veritas_libertasveritas_libertas Member Posts: 5,746 ■■■■■■■■■■
    If the PC is really old, Ubuntu still might run kind of slow on it. I tried Fedora and Ubuntu on a new Netbook and it was dragging.


    Yup. I use to be able to throw Ubuntu on any old machine I had sitting around. If Ubuntu or Mint won't run on it than it's probably time to upgrade. You can't get a desktop very cheaply now. Buy a $400/$500 machine off of TigerDirect/NewEgg and throw Ubuntu on it.
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  • antielvisantielvis Member Posts: 285 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Slackware 3 icon_wink.gif

    Just kidding.
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  • DrackarDrackar Member Posts: 47 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Yeah, try Mint. In my opinion its about as close to the windows xp environment as your going to get.
    To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.
    -- Kokoro by Natsume Sosek, 1914, Japan
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