Light software for old netbook

Status
Not open for further replies.

Blitz

New Member
Thread author
Jan 27, 2015
14
Hi,
my girlfriend have old netbook - dell inspiron mini 1018. It's really weak netbook with this spec.: Intel atom N455 CPU, 1 GB ram, graphics media acceleration for mobile. Legal windows 7 starter. I just reinstall it, but I need a list good light software set, for basic operations(online streaming, antivirus, music, office, pdf, network frameworks, silverlight, and etc. I think you understand what I need, and help for me. Thanks.:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: TechKitten 360+
Y

yigido

Here is MalwareTips lets start with antivirus :)
I offer you Avast Free Antivirus (which is very good for novice users and light with usefull protection features)
Just install these shields with custom installation.
File Shield - Web Shield..Do not install mail shield. I do suggest look carefully other tools most of them useless and they will eat RAM ;)
Office : LibreOffice or WPS (formerly Kingsoft)
PDF Reader : Sumatra PDF (very little tool)

She will mainly use her browser. So you need a very light web browser because of this little RAM. Do not install Chrome! It is RAM hungry..
I just offer you a combo. Firefox+Firemin... It uses 3-4 MB RAM on my machine.She needs a regularly updated, light, well known browser for extensions compability etc. But do not forget the Firemin, this is the magical tool.
Add Adguard adblocker to Firefox for adblocking, then give her the laptop.
 

Rolo

Level 18
Verified
Jun 14, 2015
857
Since you just wiped it, you may want to try Win10 on it, free upgrade when it releases (not sure if Starter edition matters; it isn't mentioned specifically).

NOT Chrome (RAM hog), probably best to stick with IE
nitroPDF for speed; Foxit for features
Office online or Google Docs
I've always liked WinAmp for music (v2)
Any of the free AVs pretty much (read user reviews here)
Edit: AdGuard NOT AdBlock
 

bunchuu

Level 8
Verified
Well-known
Mar 17, 2015
370
I assume your girlfriend have 32-bit system. However based on my experience, it's hard to run win 7 on 1 GB RAM. I think you should try lightweight linux OS for this case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RXZ6Q and tonibalas

Rolo

Level 18
Verified
Jun 14, 2015
857
if it just browsing , buy Shadow Defender , install it on shadow mode at boot , use Windows Defender and IE , she will never see the difference ! :D
That's insane. I hope you're kidding. (But some do that sort of thing.)

She'll notice when all her files are always missing and browsing is always slow since there's no cache.

Layer 8 firewall: user training.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FleischmannTV

Blitz

New Member
Thread author
Jan 27, 2015
14
Maybe I Should go with microsoft stuff - MSE, IE, Silverlight and etc.?
 

Ink

Administrator
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Jan 8, 2011
22,361
Keep it simple.

Uninstall anything that is not required. You should not need Microsoft Silverlight, or Java.

Default WMP or VLC for music /video.

Set up Windows Update without Optional updates.

SysInternal's Autoruns should be helpful and visit the BlackViper.com website.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RXZ6Q

XhenEd

Level 28
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Mar 1, 2014
1,708
I actually use Google Chrome browser for my Acer netbook (Intel Atom n450; 2 Gig RAM). Now, it runs Windows 8.1 32-bit. Chrome is way, way better for me than Firefox (or any other variant of it).

When I bought this netbook having Windows 7 Starter with 1 Gig, I was using Firefox. But it hangs and hangs. But when I tried Chrome, I was very thankful that I tried it.

So, for me, use Chrome as your browser. Yes, it consumes more memory, but the browser doesn't hang most of the time.
 

tonibalas

Level 40
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Well-known
Sep 26, 2014
2,973
If you can afford the money you can buy Webroot SecureAnywhere AV.
It doesn't take disk space about 80 MB:eek:;) and when scanning it's using max 20-25 MB of RAM;)

As for browser you can use K-Meleon i heard it's very light on system:)
and since is Mozilla based browser you can use Mozilla based plug-inns.
And for an adblocker i want to suggest uBlock or uBlock Origin which both are lighter from Adguard which is also light.

K-Meleon: http://kmeleonbrowser.org/
http://malwaretips.com/threads/k-meleon-browser-development-starts-again.31571/#post-406107
 
  • Like
Reactions: yigido and frogboy
M

MalwareT

You can also use TimeFreeze by Toolwiz instead of buying Shadow Defender :D Bitdefender Free+ Toolwiz Time Freeze ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: tonibalas
S

Sr. Normal

I assume your girlfriend have 32-bit system. However based on my experience, it's hard to run win 7 on 1 GB RAM. I think you should try lightweight linux OS for this case.

Totally agree with you. If you install Zorin 9 Lite can run smoothly the most common browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Opera, also Thunderbird VLC ... no learning curve and better performance
 

jamescv7

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Mar 15, 2011
13,070
A light antivirus like MSE should be fine alongside with Sandboxie (with enough guidance) to browse on website without any problems.

Browsers; let's give a shoot from such classic or simple browser like Slimboat or Slimjet; try alternatives like Opera which based on my experience; it does very well on our family Toshiba Netbook (1GB Ram and Intel Atom).

Flash player is fine and no need for Java and Silverlight.

Some products are better to run portable: http://portableapps.com

________________________________________________

But for lesser worries, I suggest to install Puppy Linux which very capable to your old netbook; it can run very smoothly and enough productive tools for your basic tasks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tonibalas

Rolo

Level 18
Verified
Jun 14, 2015
857
Maybe I Should go with microsoft stuff - MSE, IE, Silverlight and etc.?
MSE, no. It has the lowest detection rates and lags in performance--anything would be an upgrade in both areas.

You don't really get to "choose" Silverlight, Flash, Java, .NET etc., you have to install those frameworks if you run software that requires them. Until then, don't worry about them. Silverlight is on its way out anyway. I'd say Flash is but it's been "on its way out" for years now...

The important thing with these frameworks is to let them update themselves daily.
 
D

Deleted member 178

Anyway with 1gb Ram you can go higher than XP or lightweight linux like XFCE or similar
 

Rolo

Level 18
Verified
Jun 14, 2015
857
Naw, go really lightweight:

MS_DOS_Wide.jpg


It's what the Game of Thrones author uses!
 

Rolo

Level 18
Verified
Jun 14, 2015
857
The cache is wiped on reboot; therefore it would have to redownload everything on frequently visited sites.

Unless there's a new feature I'm unaware of; I haven't used SD since 1.2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deleted member 178
Status
Not open for further replies.

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top