Linux install on a W8 Pro...

[Gabe]

For anyone that has a W8 Pro, aka Wintel 8 Pro, and has a Linux distro installed, what distro and version do you use or recommend? I prefer to use either Ubuntu or Linux Mint, but whatever works.

My W8 Pro seems to be kaput, but I want to at least try installing a Linux distro to see if it can be saved from the junk pile. This would be just for the heck of it, as I don't need it for anything and don't plan on using it on a regular basis or anything like that. Basically, just something to do when I'm bored.

This was the first mini PC I bought, back in 2019, so I don't want to toss it just yet. I know it's slow as molasses in the middle of winter, but still.

Edit: Also, I think the T11 is similar enough that what works with that would likely work with this. So if anyone with a T11 and Linux can suggest anything, I'd be grateful.

Perhaps the T5 and T6 as well, as all four are Intel Atom x5-Z8350 based, though the T5 and T6 are stick PCs.

[dragonpoo]

I've played around with a lot of Linux distros, and currently have Kali on one of my Mini PCs. However, since yours has such an old processor, I don't know if current ones would work. Might as well try! Then I'd be tempted to try an older LTS version of Ubuntu like 20.04 or 22.04, to see if they behave better.

Let us know what your results are!

[Gabe]

I've played around with a lot of Linux distros, and currently have Kali on one of my Mini PCs. However, since yours has such an old processor, I don't know if current ones would work. Might as well try! Then I'd be tempted to try an older LTS version of Ubuntu like 20.04 or 22.04, to see if they behave better.

Let us know what your results are!

An older version is what I'm tempted to try first. I currently use an older version of Linux Mint for a live USB. I can't remember which version it is, but it seems to be the most compatible with a lot of the systems I have, though I never tried it on the W8 Pro. Not regularly, but just to mess around. I only have Linux Mint install on one actual SSD, and that's an extra one I have installed in my AD03 and only use when I need to use my flatbed scanner (a CanoScan LiDE 30), which is too old to work with Windows 10/11 or my Mac.

I'm hoping the W8 Pro still boots to a USB. I haven't tried it in over two years.

[dragonpoo]

One of these days, I hope to document how to install ChromeOS on a mini PC. I can see value in figuring this out for older systems as you mentioned.

[Gabe]

Now that would be interesting. I was going to try ChromeOS on a PC a few years back, but never got around to it.

[Gabe]

Well, I'm not quite sure what happened, but when I pressed the power button it started and booted into Windows. When I checked to see the last time it had been on, it was Oct 2020.

I'm still planning on trying a Linux distro on it, probably Mint, but that it booted up normally shocked me. I had boxed it up and put it on a shelf in the closet because it wasn't working.

[dragonpoo]

I have to admit, that's funny that it worked fine. I had an older Dell laptop that did that: didn't work for months, then worked just fine when I turned it on. Although it died again... once hardware seems unstable, it's hard to trust it. So I hope you figure out what to do with that.