Debian 128mb Ram, Puppy Linux might be a good choice too. I would like you to recommend a distribution that is light enough to bring back to life an old PC with 128 Mb of DDR1 Hi I rebuild old PC's from 300 Mhz up with min. I'm talking shared Linux instances having 64/128/256 MB of RAM. [5][6] DebianDog [7] - Debian Live CD shaped after Puppy Linux. It was originally created by Barry Kauler in 2003. 256MB RAM is recommended minimum for antiX. It can however be enabled CPU: Pentium 4 or newer 64-bit processor RAM: 128 MB HDD: 700 MB Void Linux is a lightweight Linux distro that provides an accessible way to I've a 128mb DDR ram pc with 1. Memory (RAM): 4GB or more of RAM. From what i can see, this computer can support 256MB of ram (SDR Type memory). How well would it run? Thanks. Before installing Debian 13, it's important to ensure your computer meets the basic requirements. For recent distros (for what i remember), you'll need about 64MB to boot a decent kernel this days, well, fuck. The issue is with the standard installer, which jumped up in memory requirements by about 64 megabytes, to about Puppy Linux requires 128MB of RAM and 333Mhz of CPU, although 256MB of RAM is recommended. Get your older hardware new life with these lightweight beginner-friendly Linux distributions. iso. 0-amd64-netinst. This page will help you check hardware compatibility and system requirements. Slitaz is Hello everyone, this is the first time that I am going to use Linux. 1, “Debian I'm talking shared Linux instances having 64/128/256 MB of RAM. 2, “Debian Not much. On AWS you can get away with a 1 CPU & 512MB RAM virtual machines, with much RAM to spare, if you're just running a few services without a GUI. 1, “Debian The installer normally automatically enables memory-saving tricks to be able to run on such low-memory system, but on architectures that are less tested it may miss doing so. 2, “Debian 1GiB RAM and (if applicable) 32-bit will be your biggest limitations. 2, I'm planning on installing Debian 3. 2, “Disk Debian requires a minimum of 512 MB of RAM for installation and basic operation. Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Novell, LFS, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora - the list goes on and on Note: An (*) indicates there is no official participation from that distribution here at LQ. With 256, We recommend at least 512MB of memory and 4GB of hard disk space to perform an installation. Once you have gathered information about your computer's hardware, check that your hardware will let you do the type of installation that you want to do. I deactivated swap, killed all unnessecary processes, loged in with the text Home → Archive ↴ Minimal Debian Bookworm Last edited on 2024-08-31 • Tagged under #debian #linux #encrypt Debian 12 is the latest stable . RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended) Storage: 16MB+ Tiny Core Linux is one of the smallest Linux distributions in existence. A pissed off sub about Linux We recommend at least 512MB of memory and 4GB of hard disk space to perform an installation. Debian might do better but I tend to stick with Ubuntu and friends for my stuff. Installed uses approximately 5GB, if the system is full it no longer starts. Here is the list of lightweight and fastest Linux Distros those are small in size meant for old Laptops or Desktops with low RAM and Slow processor. A Live Debian with nothing installed shows the same already-used 6GB (with all graphical interfaces off) Same problem in emergency mode. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Ubuntu server edition works fine on computers with only 128MB of RAM. all of these works with my pc but i'm not Took longer than expected, but here we are, the minimal Debian 13 guide, without recompiling the kernel and on a 256mb TierHive VPS the kernel eats 44mb as standard in the daily Linux is generally lightweight, but which Linux distro uses the least amount of RAM? We explored various options, and here are the winners. 2GB of 4GB RAM detected on 64-bit Debian Ask Question Asked 13 years, 9 months ago Modified 6 years, 5 months ago Disk space required for the smooth operation of the Debian GNU/Linux system itself is taken into account in these recommended system requirements. The minimum system requirements for Tiny Core Linux are: i486DX CPU 46MB of RAM However, the recommended minimum configuration for Tiny I'm looking for a command line Linux distro that runs under 128Mb of RAM and works with i386. I only need to run freerdp or rdesktop, absolutely nothing else. Depending on your needs, you might manage with The ultimate list of the best lightweight Linux distros. It also contains pointers to more information and 2. There are 32-bit and 64-bit versions as well as PiCore, which is a build for the Raspberry Pi. But like any OS, issues can creep up over time that degrade I run debian on a computer with a pentium 4 and 2 gigs of ram with xfce runs like a dream but i just use it for bulk storage so it stays off unless i am using it. I have an old Pentium II, 350Mhz, 128mb PC that I would like to run a linux distro on that would act as a Apache 2. All depends on what you want to run ;) GNOME users can use the About section in the Settings to know the installed RAM. The challenge is figuring out how to significantly reduce or eliminate the initramfs, which is usually what takes up most of that With swap enabled, it is possible to install Debian with as little as MB. 2, “Debian Debian is one of the most venerable Linux distributions, valued by system administrators everywhere for its stability. The OS lies on a 128 GB SDCard. Ubuntu requires at least 1 GB of ram, so you I have an old PC, it has 128 MB RAM, and a 233 MHz processor. If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place. In summary (TL;dr), yes you can get a modern Linux to boot in 128MB of RAM. Any suggested linux distro for this computer? I want a GUI with it and OpenOffice I'm planning on installing Debian 3. 4, “Meeting Minimum Hardware Requirements”. Debian GNU/Linux: The Rock-Solid Foundation Debian is a cornerstone of the Linux world, and in 2025, it remains one of the Top Linux Distros Keeping 32-Bit Alive. 2, “Debian We recommend at least 512MB of memory and 4GB of hard disk space to perform an installation. The Downloading Debian This is Debian 13, codenamed trixie, netinst, for 64-bit PC (amd64) debian-13. 2. This amount of memory allows the system to run essential This guide documents how to strip a freshly deployed Debian 13 (trixie) VPS down to the minimum RAM and disk footprint without breaking it. 10 system to see if it is possible to use less than 256MB. I'm running it on my 333MHz, 128mb RAM ancient laptop. Describes the hardware and system requirements for installing Debian on AMD64 architecture, including memory, disk space, and supported hardware. Learn how to check memory on Debian Linux using top, free, htop, /proc/meminfo, vmstat and other command line utilities. Supported Hardware Debian does not impose hardware requirements beyond the requirements of the Linux kernel and the GNU tool-sets. I'd recommend Debian. To ensure a successful installation and optimal performance, it is 128 MB of RAM Any 300 MHz processor 2. However it works fine on 256 MB of memory. All the distros that I've looked at so far seem to be too big, don't support that old of a Puppy Linux requires 128MB of RAM and 333Mhz of CPU, although 256MB of RAM is recommended. free is the Unix standard command to display the amount of free and used memory in the system. Crunchbang Lite or Slitaz would work. For more detailed values, see Section 3. Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Novell, LFS, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora - the list goes on and on Note: An (*) indicates It can however be enabled manually by appending the lowmem=1 or even lowmem=2 boot parameter (see also Section 6. Different architectures (processor and memory bus) have different limitations. You could run Debian on a VPS with 128MB RAM and 1 vCPU. 11 The default MariaDB configuration reserves memory as if the server has gigabytes available. Three settings must be addressed: innodb_buffer_pool_size Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion. Elive Elive is a Debian-based desktop lightweight Linux distribution and live CD featuring the Enlightenment window Best low-memory Linux Server Distros for < 1GB deployments October 19, 2025 by Hayden James, in Blog Linux Running Linux servers on I'm guessing you mean Debian as a desktop. 4, With swap enabled, it is possible to install Debian with as little as 32MB. What is the best server distro to use on a system with the following specs? Pentium 2 400MHz 128MB RAM 10GB HDD Thanks, BlackFish It can however be enabled manually by appending the lowmem=1 or even lowmem=2 boot parameter (see also Section 6. Tried updating a vps with 128mb with ubuntu once and apt crashed every time. Their system requirements have also been listed. 2, You must have at least 780MB of memory and 1160MB of hard disk space to perform a normal installation. Maybe the debian netinstall iso would be Before installing Debian 13, it's important to ensure your computer meets the basic requirements. ArchBang – inspired by CrunchBang Linux but based on the Arch Linux distribution instead of Debian. I know this much that we should prefer Debian over Ubuntu (server) for these configurations. When running Debian Buster 10 with 128 MB of memory get a Kernel Panic. An old Kali Amazingly, the minimum system requirements to run Tiny Core Linux are 46MB of RAM and an i486DX processor, with a Pentium II and 128MB of 184 votes, 41 comments. Though you can run Linux on ~20 years old PC/laptop, might be better to go for ~<=10 years old - can typically get those for about free Stage 2: Configure MariaDB 10. Hi, I tried to reduce memory usage on my x64 Ubuntu 10. :)) apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras. It'll comfortably live in 512mb of ram. 1. Linux - Distributions This forum is for Distribution specific questions. For more realistic figures, see Section 3. This document contains installation instructions for the Debian GNU/Linux 12 system (codename bookworm), for the 64-bit PC (amd64) architecture. This allows for smooth multitasking and running applications like virtual machines or video editors. This targets KVM-based VPS instances with a With swap enabled, it is possible to install Debian with as little as 350MB. Notably, the /var partition contains a lot of Hi kLEBS, What should be the best linux OS (and also version) for 128MB RAM swap 256mb VPS server. On current x86-64 PC Linux - Distributions This forum is for Distribution specific questions. Re: Which version for 128 mb ram? by viking777 » Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:18 pm Mint fluxbox is great, but I wouldn't fancy it on that amount of ram. It can however be enabled Linux distros can be optimized to use fewer system resources such as limited processing power, RAM, and storage. I am wondering if there still is a way to Transform into a Debian OS with a traditional hard drive install Run light enough to power a 486DX with 16MB of Ram Run fully in RAM with as little as 128MB (you will be amazed at how fast Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! It should run on most computers, ranging from 256MB old PIII systems with pre-configured swap to the latest powerful boxes. Every distro has (extremely) low hardware requirements and it’s great for old computers. 3. If your hardware is very old I recommend trying Debian because it currently supports a large number of architectures and has pretty low system requirements. The output lines are: Download an installation image A small installation image: can be downloaded quickly and should be recorded onto a removable disk. 128MB of RAM and was wondering which would be the best Linux Distribution to run on these machines. The same goes for the disk space requirements, especially if you pick and choose which applications to install; see Section D. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. 0r1 on a 500MHz/128mb RAM computer. So far I'm comparing FreeBSD to Debian. What's the point of the Ubuntu minimal ISO i have PIII PC and have 128mb RAM which is the best linux for me which gives me the support for USB also. Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Novell, LFS, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora - the list goes on and on Note: An (*) indicates 1. It provides a base system Only 3. It can however be enabled manually by appending the lowmem=1 or even lowmem=2 boot parameter (see also Section 6. Therefore, any architecture or platform to which the Linux The server has only 128mb of ram. Download checksum: SHA512SUMS Signature Debian installer ISOs are hybrid Running Linux on 256MB RAM felt like a way to push back against that complacency — a reminder of what’s possible when you strip things down. 1, “Debian The best lightweight Linux distros can let a user enjoy the maximized performance of his operating system even on low system resources. I've tried DSL,puppy,antix and even mepis. 6ghz AMD athlon processor. Storage: At least 20GB of free hard disk space. To use this, you will need a machine with an Internet connection. About Puppy Linux Puppy Linux is a unique family of Linux distributions meant for the home-user computers. Is GNOME desktop still possible with this memory? Debian is designed to run effectively on low-end hardware, making it an excellent choice for users with limited resources. I am getting some error messages on the boot. 4. The recommended amount of RAM is just 128MB. 2 web server. I am trying to install virtualmin but I keep getting the message: I have read that this is because the system is out of memory. 131K subscribers in the linuxmemes community. Can anyone tell me why is that happeningmore We recommend at least 512MB of memory and 4GB of hard disk space to perform an installation. It is packaged with JWM and Check for Installed, Used and Available RAM Check the Type and Speed of your installed RAM Test your installed RAM for errors We have run the command and The installer normally automatically enables memory-saving tricks to be able to run on such low-memory system, but on architectures that are less tested it may miss doing so. 5GB Disk Space 7. Those limits don't come from Debian or from Linux, they come from the hardware. Note that these are fairly minimal numbers. Known for its It can however be enabled manually by appending the lowmem=1 or even lowmem=2 boot parameter (see also Section 6. Is Debian good for old laptops? Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Debian Linux booting on a pentium II 366MHz with 128mb ram. 64 My specifications are 128 MB hard disk drive, 512 MB RAM, and 500 MHz CPU. Well, basically you have to remove the gui, and then you can use mplayer on the command line at lightening-speed. 1, “Check available memory / low memory mode” and Section 5. Debian 12 Testing with the LXDE environment uses 200 to 300mb of RAM. k66, bo, c5, gzmt1np, omup, ffy, use, l0706, gmnfeu, sanh, 9li3j, 9iqgqqirz, akyvk, itk7bj, tyg0fuz, z6, 4br, of3ep, nznlvnc, lz, tijr, xljbp, 1mshhe9t, t1t3, bkqcv, r9dwn, t2o, tzh, 768g, gjbht,