Mint on an old laptop

Radecki

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I've installed Mint 19.3 on a prehistoric Centrino Duo laptop (Toshiba Satellite U205). When trying to install updates I put my password but every time it is rejected: "Your authentication attempt was unsuccessful. Please try again". I believe I use the right password, but who knows, maybe I forgot it...
How can I bypass this step?
 


what password did you use to log on to the desktop? If it works there it should work to update/upgrade.
 
Mint 19-* reaches end of life in 6 months time, consider changing to either mint 20-2 or LMDE [which may run a bit faster on your old box]
 
This may be helpful.

Mint does not normally have a root password it uses sudo and the first user's password for administrative privileges. There would only be a root password if the op had enable a root user, which is no small task for a new user.
 
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Mint 19-* reaches end of life in 6 months time, consider changing to either mint 20-2 or LMDE [which may run a bit faster on your old box]
I would agree that LMDE would be a better choice for the older machine, but the only problem is it only comes with Cinnamon and XFCE would most likely be a better choice. I think Mx-21 xfce might be a better choice :)
 
I would agree that LMDE would be a better choice for the older machine, but the only problem is it only comes with Cinnamon and XFCE would most likely be a better choice. I think Mx-21 xfce might be a better choice :)
it's not a problem, XFCE is available in the repository, just need to do the same as I did, install with cinnamon then install XFCE from the repository and then remove cinnamon.... simples:cool:
 
You can follow @Bartman 's linked article, and where it says to use root, use your user name.

Wizard
 
antiX is till the best choice for overall performance and a satisfactory Linux experienceon a machine such as the one in question, IMHO and IME.

That or a Slackware-based distro, which the OP is not ready to tackle, apparently.
 
SparkyLinux runs great on low powered computers.

Open the spoiler and have a look at the system requirements.

Minimum system requirements​


SparkyLinux is designed for both old and new computers, and small single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi. Sparky can be installed on both 32 and 64 bit machines with either a BIOS or a UEFI equipped motherboard.
The minimum requirements to install Sparky:
  • CPU:
    • i686 (32bit) or amd64 (64bit) Pentium 4, or AMD Athlon
  • RAM memory:
    • 128 MB – CLI Edition
    • 256 MB – LXDE, LXQt, Openbox
    • 512 MB – Xfce
  • SWAP partition:
    • 512 MB or larger
  • Hard Drive or USB Flash Drive:
    • 2 GB (CLI edition)
    • 10 GB (“Home” editions)
    • 20 GB (GameOver/Multimedia)
  • Optical drive (CD/DVD) or USB port with USB Flash Drive
The default Sparky Installer, (Calamares), requires a minimum of 1GB of RAM.
If your machine has less than 1GB of RAM, please use Sparky Advanced Installer instead.
 
To add onto what has already been said by my peers, the XFCE desktop environment is definitely lighter on resources than the default Cinnamon desktop environment that Linux Mint is most commonly known for.

It is different as far as workflow is concerned, but it is very customizable and stable.

If you do choose to go the LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) route, the process of installing a whole-new desktop environment could require some research beforehand.

Though I also agree with my peers that something other than Linux Mint might be worth looking into, XFCE, LXQT and LXDE are all good options worth considering for fully-fledged desktop environments if you do decide to go the Light-Weight Linux Distribution route.
 
I would agree that LMDE would be a better choice for the older machine, but the only problem is it only comes with Cinnamon and XFCE would most likely be a better choice. I think Mx-21 xfce might be a better choice :)
what password did you use to log on to the desktop? If it works there it should work to update/upgrade.
I've removed/bypassed the password through the Terminal - do not ask me how; not being an IT expert I just read and follow internet instructions. Now when trying to run an update I get this authorization/password request.
The password I believe I used originally does not work.
Making this old laptop work is just a challenge, and the Min fine with t 19.3 (I like it) is the last OS that can be installed on my 32bit processor. This laptop runs fine, I just like to install updates as long as they are available. BTW, I do not have this problem on my newer laptop 64bit.
 
is the last OS that can be installed on my 32bit processor.
It may be the last ubuntu mint 32 bit, but you have plenty of other choices, I have mx-32 bit on an old acer netbook and debian-32 bit on an old 32 bit laptop, but others are available for low spec 32 bit machines

 
I've removed/bypassed the password through the Terminal - do not ask me how; not being an IT expert I just read and follow internet instructions. Now when trying to run an update I get this authorization/password request.
The password I believe I used originally does not work.
Making this old laptop work is just a challenge, and the Min fine with t 19.3 (I like it) is the last OS that can be installed on my 32bit processor. This laptop runs fine, I just like to install updates as long as they are available. BTW, I do not have this problem on my newer laptop 64bit.
forgot to mention: on the newer laptop I have mint 20.3
 
ok if that is the case the go to a terminal and add a new password for your user account.
The command is
Code:
passwd <usr name>
It will ask you to type the password twice.
then use that password for the updates.
good luck.
P.S. It will now ask you to use that password to login also.
 
Hmm... That laptop should have a Intel Core 2 Duo, which is a 64 bit CPU.
 
The password can be reset via bios, or restored through the phone number of course if you have not changed it. But in such cases, I use VoIP numbers from http://usechalkboard.com, because they are tied to the Internet network, which means that the probability of losing this number is impossible, so for example I register to this number on all my social networks to secure them, as well as to be able to restore my account at any time.
 
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As our friend @KGIII said , it should be able to run 64 bit Linux, this from the full spec.
Intel® 64
An enabling technology that can take advantage of 64-bit operating systems


it is however limited to a maximum of 4gb of ram [fine for everyday home computing, but not for resource hungry jobs]

if you try LMDE the installation manager will install the system most suitable i.e. 32 or 64 bit
 

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