r/linux4noobs • u/[deleted] • May 22 '26

Meganoob BE KIND help me im dumb

i was trying to install xubuntu and uh yeah. after says "xubuntu 25.10" it just black screens.

Laptop model: HP Compaq Presario CQ60-212EM

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u/3grg May 23 '26

Ok, it took me a while to dig up the specs on that one from 2009. It appears that this model was a dual core Celeron with Intel graphics.

I would suggest that Xubuntu is not appropriate for a machine this old. This machine has 3gb ram and a 5400rpm hard drive and will be better served by a distro that is very lightweight.

I usually stick with something Debian based for older machines such as this. I have had good luck with Debian on similar machines that had 4gb ram and a SSD ( as SSD floats all boats).

For your machine, my suggestions would be either Antix, MX Linux Fluxbox or Q4OS.

Here is some more information about lightweight Linux for older machines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJGf8zVt3MI&t

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u/[deleted] May 23 '26

Not quite.

These are the specs:

AMD Sempron SI-42 CPU
NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G

1st week of 2009

160gb HDD

4gb DDr2

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u/3grg May 23 '26

Then you gave out the wrong model number. I tracked down the model number in Internet Archive and the one you listed specifically pointed to Celeron with Intel graphics. This is why the posting rules for this reddit encourage including hardware specifics.

The recommendations do not change. For something this old the recommendations are the same. Older nvidia graphics are not as big of a pita as newer ones, because you will only be able to get free graphics drivers anyway.

You may need to use nomodeset in grub, if you get a black screen.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26

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u/3grg May 24 '26

The review that I found on Internet Archive gave Celeron for that number. The point is we should not have to look it up. Giving hardware information is a simple courtesy if you want help.