I sometimes use a Ubuntu Linux live CD for troubleshooting issues with Microsoft Windows systems, since a live CD allows me to boot the system from a CD without loading the Microsoft Windows operating system on the hard drive. Or when I'm working at a site without my own laptop, a live CD allows me to boot a system at the site without fear that a system may be potentially infected with malware that might perform keystroke logging or might otherwise be monitored by someone remotely unbeknownst to the system's owner.
I created a Ubuntu 11.04 Desktop edition live CD for booting a system so that I could check on files on the system which had Microsoft Windows XP Home edition on the hard drive. The system's owner reported she was having problems with the system and I wanted to start with a quick look at some of the files on the system and make a backup of her "My Documents" folder. I needed to open Firefox on the system to check on some information online, but whenever I opened a second tab in Firefox to Amazon.com, Firefox would crash. It also crashed with only one tab open when I used Ctrl-Alt-F2 to obtain a shell prompt with an error message indicating that there was a problem with inadequate memory.
The system had a 3.2 GHz processor, but only 512 MB of memory and the system requirements for Ubuntu Desktop Edition 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) listed on the Ubuntu site were as follows:
- 1 GHz x86 processor (Pentium 4 or better)
- 512 MiB of system memory (RAM)
- 5 GB of hard-drive space
- Graphics card and monitor capable of 800x600
- Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port (or both)
- Internet access is helpful
Since the system just met the minimum memory requirement for Ubuntu 11.04, I decided to try Xubuntu (pronounced "zoo-BOON-too"), instead. Xubuntu is a derivative of Ubuntu, which uses the Xfce desktop environment, which requires less memory than the Unity desktop used by Ubuntu.
Xubuntu is a community developed, Ubuntu-based Linux operating system that is well-suited for both laptops and desktops. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, document and spreadsheet editing software, instant messaging and much more.
Minimum system requirements
You need 256 MB RAM to run the Live CD or 256 MB RAM to install. The Alternate Install CD only requires you to have 64 MB RAM at install time.
To install Xubuntu with the standard installer (Ubiquity), you need 4.4 GB of free space on your hard disk. The Alternate Install CD only requires you to have 2 GB of free space on your hard disk.
Once installed, Xubuntu can run with starting from 256 (or even just 192) MB RAM, but it is strongly recommended to have at least 512 MB RAM.
I downloaded Xubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal). I burned it to a CD and rebooted the system with it. I found that I didn't have any problems when I opened multiple tabs in Firefox under Xubuntu.
References:
- Homepage | Ubuntu
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Ubuntu
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Xubuntu Home Page | Xubuntu
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Xubuntu
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -
DistroWatch.com:
Xubuntu
DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. -
Unity (user interface)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
