Need to upgrade an old PC with XP

I have this old Dell Dimension 2350 which is still running on the older Windows XP operating, I just don't feel safe anymore using it even with antivirus/malware/ the works. I was wanting to know if Windows 7 is a good candidate for this older computer. The specs aren't all that great being a very old PC (more than 10 years old). The Dimension 2350 has a Intel P4 2.4Ghz (Northwood), 2GB DDR ram, 82845G Graphics Controller, and a 250GB IDE hard drive. So would 7 be the best for this system or would another version of windows work better?

whs said:

I would put Linux on it - maybe Mint Mate

Main Page - Linux Mint

I'm not too familiar with Linux and the thing that would worry me is the graphics driver plus audio driver. I know with Windows I think I can get away with using XP drivers by just running in compatibility. I'm not sure exactly how I would go about doing it on Linux.

Linux would be an excellent choice since it's a spare computer and you could play with it at your leisure. And it IS fun to learn different OS's when you aren't reliant on them. :) Plus I wouldn't worry about the old hardware as Linux will install what it needs to run, automatically. My guess is whatever Linux distro you put on there, it will run flawlessly.

That said, if you really like XP and would like to keep it but for the security issue, just uninstall the AV and use Sandboxie instead. It will keep you 100% safe from Internet threats by containing all Internet activity in a sandbox that is deleted at the end of each browser session. Link is compatible with XP SP3, but if it's not SP3 there are older Sandboxie versions.

But if you don't have any particular affinity to XP, it would behoove you to learn a little about Linux by going that route instead. Learning something new always pays forward one way or another. JMO.

I don't want to gang on, but from experience I would say you might be pleasantly surprised by the state of Linux today. And you'll have fewer driver problems with it than with Win7 on the older hardware. Linux Lite is specifically designed to be an excellent stop-off point from Windows, it is much like Win7 and as fast as XP. You could burn a DVD and run it live on the unit without installing to see how it runs. On that hardware I would recommend 32bit.