Compaq 6720 with Lubuntu 19.04 super slow!

sinergy

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Hi,
I was given an HP Compaq 6720 that has Lubuntu 19.04 installed and LXQT 0.14.1 desktop type (which according to their webpage seems to be a lightweight desktop) , that goes super slow (especially at boot time and shut down time) and can't connect to internet for some reason (I am new to linux)
What can I do to explore why those two things are happening?
I guess I should perhaps install the newest releas of LXQT but not having access to internet is difficult (don't have a cable at hand right now and anyway the place where it should operate only has wifi access to internet)
I looked for some internet configuration panel of sorts where I could check what the situation is, see what networks are available and found a NETWORK folder sitting right on the desktop but when I open it can't find any indications on how to make changes, check available networks, etc..

I am considering a fresh reinstall also because I don't have access to the sudo user (the previous administrator left without releasing the admin password, heck!) and I have no data of interest in the hard drive, but first would like to see anwers to the previous two question so that I don't reproduce the actual situation.
In case I want to do a fresh install can I just do it using a pendrive without having to unistall what is now there (lubuntu that is)?
What linux flavor might be useful to have in this arquitecture in order for it to go faster that now?
 


There is quite a wide-ranging spec for that model, I suspect it has minimal ram, so the first thing to do on my list would be upgrade this to the maximum which is 4mb for that motherboard, I suspect as an ex business machine it may only have the Celeron processor not much we can do there, but you could take out the HDD and replace it with an SSD [second hand DDR2 and re-furbished small capacity SSDs are relatively cheap if you search e-bay or similar].

edit for typo
 
Last edited:
How much RAM has it got? Can take up to 4096Mb

19.04 has reached the end of its life. Finished January 2020. If you require a replacement, you would be better to go for an LTS (Long Term Support) release.
 

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How much RAM has it got? Can take up to 4096Mb

19.04 has reached the end of its life. Finished January 2020. If you require a replacement, you would be better to go for an LTS (Long Term Support) release.
it seems to have 3Gb
 
Yes that is correct you have 3gb, that is enough to run most Linux builds but if at some time to can swap out the 1gb for a 2 Gb stick it will help,
I will give you 4 suggestions to replace your current installation, the latest Linux lite,MX- Linux, Kubuntu, & Debian stable, they are all medium weight distributions MX is more business orientated and has a little more inbuilt security, Kubuntu will look more familiar to Windows 98 & XP users, Debian stable is good on some older kit, and you have seen linux lite, we always recommend you download several distributions and run them from a live pen drive [or optical disc] to try them out first, running live will not give you full speed, but it's a good comparison.

your lucky you have the t5470 processor , that is the fasted they put in this model.
 
There is quite a wide-ranging spec for that model, I suspect it has minimal ram, so the first thing to do on my list would be upgrade this to the maximum which is 4mb for that motherboard, I suspect as an ex business machine it may only have the Celeron processor not much we can do there, but you could take out the HDD and replace it with an SSD [second hand DDR2 and re-furbished small capacity SSDs are relatively cheap if you search e-bay or similar].

edit for typo
As I can see we have an Intel Core duo 1,60 GHz. I don't plan to replace the hard disc since we'll only use this laptop to access internet via firefox and that's it
 
Yes that is correct you have 3gb, that is enough to run most Linux builds but if at some time to can swap out the 1gb for a 2 Gb stick it will help,
I will give you 4 suggestions to replace your current installation, the latest Linux lite,MX- Linux, Kubuntu, & Debian stable, they are all medium weight distributions MX is more business orientated and has a little more inbuilt security, Kubuntu will look more familiar to Windows 98 & XP users, Debian stable is good on some older kit, and you have seen linux lite, we always recommend you download several distributions and run them from a live pen drive [or optical disc] to try them out first, running live will not give you full speed, but it's a good comparison.

your lucky you have the t5470 processor , that is the fasted they put in this model.
Thanks @brickwizard
ok, i'll try those distros and see what they look like.
As for installing the distro, I can just do it on top of what is already there right?
 
I can just do it on top of what is already
Follow the instructions in my first link, as you do not need to keep the old installation then select use complete disc at the partitioning stage
 
oh and i Think the short boot key for HP compaq is F9
 
fresh reinstall

I'd suggest a LTS for your use. So, for now, that's 20.04. In a few months, that'll be 22.04 - but then you get a couple of years without having to upgrade again.
 
Hi, I eventually installed kubuntu and all went super smooth. The computer goes razonably fast
Follow the instructions in my first link, as you do not need to keep the old installation then select use complete disc at the partitioning stage
so I did! Thank you
 
Excellent, enjoy your new toy.

Bwiz
 

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