Hello. So I have this old laptop with a Pentium II CPU, 128MB of RAM and a 6GB hard drive. This laptop will be given to my grandparents, and all they do is surf the web. First I tried installing XP, but the small hard drive became a problem very quickly - just by creating a separate partition for the installer, installing updates and .net frameworks I quickly used up 5GB. So I tried looking into other operating systems and I thought about Windows Embedded. I have been planning to build an OS based on Embbeded Compact for quite some time, but never had the hardware to do so. So, what would be the best operating system in the Windows Embedded series for me?
For such kind of machine Puppy linux is your best bet (and not a recent build, better to use the 4.3 version or so) No matter how you can shrink XP is still too much for a machine like that, especially because the ram.
Linux seems to be pretty hard to install on this laptop. It can only boot from the floppy, and Puppy probably doesn't have a boot disk so small.
Yeah... Puppy Linux It's plain, and a bit rough around the edges, but it'll do the job nicely enough. I love bringing old machines back from the dead.
Seriously get a new PC/Laptop... It's not worth the time you have to put in and may wait installing and so on. NO WAY AT ALL. Forget about WXPe as it's way more complicated as you currently might think.
With 128 MB of RAM you can only run an OS. Don't expect to surf on Internet and have a antivirus+firewall.
whats the point of installing an old os that wil have security issues and hardware cant run adobe flash.. pointless! ive thrown away newer pcs than that P2 lol ( or installed linux) if you want to go cheap. get them a cheap dell capable of Vista= wil run win 7 like Dell D620 or D630 easily found under 110$
If limiting options to Windows Embedded operating systems, then your best option, would be to use Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and create the runtime operating by selecting the various desired components. This option might, however, be the most complex option and may take a long time if you are not already familiar with preparing the runtime operating system. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 may be found (extra space added to be able to post information): Code: ht tp://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/55826-REQUEST-Windows-Embedded-Standard-2009-MSDN?p=932528&viewfull=1#post932528 For the request you have made, it might have been wise to state which version of Windows XP you tried to install. You probably would not need a separate partition for the installer nor would you need the .NET Framework. Windows Embedded is indeed a feasible option, wherby you may build a runtime operating system incrementally. Windows 2000/XP /Server 2003 or its installation may also be customized to have a similar affect, but such configurations are typically not supported by Microsoft (which might be fine). I would have first thought to try the "Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs" (or "WinFLP" for short) Windows XP version, an official (not embedded) version of Windows XP customized by Microsoft to specifically targeted/marketed for the Windows 95 era hardware. I, myself, have never used the WinFLP version.