Embedded OS for an old laptop.

Discussion in 'Windows Embedded' started by sandy-bridge, May 5, 2015.

  1. sandy-bridge

    sandy-bridge MDL Member

    Feb 19, 2015
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    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?
     
  2. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
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    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.
     
  3. sandy-bridge

    sandy-bridge MDL Member

    Feb 19, 2015
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    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.
     
  4. Smorgan

    Smorgan Glitcher

    Mar 25, 2010
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    Sigh..

    OK you can look at TINY XP.
     
  5. MDDave

    MDDave MDL Novice

    May 3, 2015
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    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. :)
     
  6. Bluesalt

    Bluesalt MDL Novice

    Apr 21, 2015
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    :g:Any masterpiece? share with us.
     
  7. KNARZ

    KNARZ MDL Addicted

    Oct 9, 2012
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    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.
     
  8. Antanas

    Antanas MDL Novice

    Mar 26, 2015
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    try install windows 2000 professional, or slipstream windows xp with nlite, or nt4embdd
     
  9. Soulfate

    Soulfate MDL Member

    Feb 14, 2011
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    With 128 MB of RAM you can only run an OS. Don't expect to surf on Internet and have a antivirus+firewall.
     
  10. LatinMcG

    LatinMcG Bios Borker

    Feb 27, 2011
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    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$
     
  11. Ascii2

    Ascii2 MDL Novice

    Jun 14, 2015
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    #13 Ascii2, Jun 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
    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.