replace HDD with SSD, number one thing to do if possible.
lxde or lxqt are quite a bit lighter then xfce.
you could try tiny core linux. it really depends what programs you want to run.
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2024
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Maybe try bunsenlabs? It's uses openbox instead of a de.
I run it on a pentium m laptop and it runs well enough
Pentium m 735, 1 gb of ddr ram
First install an SSD if you haven't already. Next install ublock origin in Firefox ESR and tighten down the security settings to max plus turn off all telemetry, studies and other "features." Don't use a Mozilla account as that adds overhead.
It still will be slow but it should be usable with a few tabs. Do not try to do video playback as the old GPU doesn't support modern video formats so the CPU ends up decoding it all.
Try Bodhi Linux - you can burn it to CD/USB or copy it on a Ventoy USB stick to test before installing and it is available for 32 bit systems
Do not run Slitaz as is fully of security problems and vulnerabilities. What's worse is that there website has security holes on it. There is a page on the bug tracker that runs arbitrary JavaScript and prints out the time as an example. It also has been abandoned and is no longer maintained all that well.
1gb of ram is quiet a bit. I've ran Debian Xfce4 on simular hardware it it works with a few tabs. The problem is the modern internet is graphics heavy and the old GPU doesn't have a lot of power. If you don't block ads with Ublock origin it will grind to a halt as the video and image rendering will be done by the CPU as the GPU is to old.
I’ve ran Debian Xfce4 on simular hardware
OP did say he tried Debian with xfce and it was slow, I don't see the point in insisting on using that
Because it isn't going to be faster to use something else else. Unless they added a ton of stuff it shouldn't use more than a quarter of the ram. Firefox suspends tabs under ram pressure so that shouldn't be an issue either.
I've done work on a old Atom with 1gb of ram. It isn't fast but it gets the job done. You can't just make old hardware run fast by changing the desktop
Use an old distro?
I first installed Ubuntu 4 or 5 on a Thinkpad T42 with 512 MB of RAM. I used it until about version 10, when they forced everyone to use left-handed window controls. It all ran about as well as XP did on that machine. Might be unsafe to bring online, nowadays, but if it gets borked do you really care?
You do not necessarily have to use an old distribution. In some ways, a modern one is even more efficient.
The biggest problem is the shift from 32 to 64 bit which makes the same software take 2 - 3 times more RAM.
Next is the desktop environment. KDE is surprisingly light compared to 4 but GNOME is a beast and KDE 3 lighter. KDE is still available as Trinity. GNOME 2 (still not that light ) is available still as MATE. Most of the X11 Window Managers from back in the day or still available and still as fast and light as ever.
A modern 32 distro with a decent DE is more capable than old stuff and almost as performant.
Check out Q4OS 32 bit with Trinity for example.