Hello,
I have a Windows 7 Starter netbook with only 1GB of ram. I was looking to wipe it out and install Ubuntu Mate 16.04. Would this be a wise choice and can anyone help?
Welcome @arocho0112, Please consider applications that you currently use on Windows 7.
I suggest making a live USB stick and testing the applications built into Ubuntu to discover whether they meet you needs.
One of our stellar contributors @wolfman has written a guide that certainly will help you … get guide here
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Hello arocho0112
Its really, really easy to use up 1GB of ram. Any chance of upgrading to 2GB?
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Hi @arocho0112,
here are the “Minimum System Requirements”:
Ubuntu Mate:
Minimum:
Pentium III 750-megahertz
512 megabytes (MB) of RAM
8 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk
Bootable DVD-ROM drive
Keyboard and Mouse (or other pointing device)
Video adapter and monitor with 1024 x 768 or higher resolution
Sound card
Speakers or headphones
Recommended:
Core 2 Duo 1.6-gigahertz
2 gigabytes (GB) RAM
16 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk
Bootable USB flash drive
Keyboard and Mouse (or other pointing device)
3D capable video adapter and wide screen monitor with 1366 x 768 or higher resolution
Sound card
Speakers or headphones
Try it in Live Mode first before committing to an install or try Lubuntu:
Lightweight GUI alternative (Xubuntu and Lubuntu)
If you have an old or low-spec computer or want to get the most out
of your hardware, using a medium-lightweight desktop system such as
Xubuntu or a lightweight such as Lubuntu is recommended, as they make
more efficient use of your system’s resources. Of course, even if you
have the newest equipment out, you could still use these two.
If your system has less than 192 MiB of system memory, use the Alternate Installation CD.
Note: If you have a low-specification computer, certain features may
be automatically turned off to conserve system resources. For example,
if you have a graphics card with only a small amount of video memory
(VRAM), the boot-up screen may not be shown.
Follow this link for detailed instructions: Installation/LowMemorySystems.
Minimum system requirements for Xubuntu would fall roughly between Ubuntu Server and Desktop:
512 MiB of system memory (RAM)
5 GB of disk space
Graphics card and monitor capable of 800x600 resolution
With Lubuntu, you can use computers with even less memory.
Hallo
If you can’t get Ubuntu-Mate or one of the other “lightweight” Ubuntus to run well have a try with “antiX” (https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=antiX). I installed it last year on an IBM notebook (and I don’t mean Lenovo) that was bought in early 2005. The desktop is very simple but it runs well. If you need to get that hardware running and can’t upgrade the RAM this may help you. 
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I have found 1 GB of RAM is sufficient for light activities on an old machine. The only trouble you may find is the hard disk may get I/O bottlenecked very easily… by waiting for the hard disk more often.
Thanks for all the replies, I will take all in consideration. I am having the issue of trying to get load the is during bios boot. Anyone have thoughts on what I am doing wrong?
Try Ubuntu MATE 14.04.2 on that machine.
https://ubuntu-mate.org/trusty/
32-bit version is probably best.
If you have the disk space for it, I would suggest dual boot and keep win7 as a backup system.
How are you installing? DVD, USB, other?
Have (as suggested) you tried it out before trying to install?
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I haven’t tried it out recently but in the past I’ve had a Linux product and I was pretty happy with it I’m just tired of all the Microsoft. I will primarily use this for surfing the web. Similar to a Chromebook.
I configured a netbook for my daughter that had 1 gig memory and an Intel Atom Processor. It was totally functional for web and email, although it certainly wasn’t a screamer. Libre Office worked OK for an occasional edit or so.
If you wish to compare specs prior to installing … take a look >>> here
pfeiffep, which version of Mate did you install on it?
I installed 16.04 LTS.
The installed version of Windows 7 [starter] was totally not functional.
I spent about 4 hours just trying to update Windows - it would never finish searching for updates.
So I disable automatic updates and just tried to use it to search the web - it was so S L O W I simply gave up an let UM 16.04 install on the entire drive.
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This is exactly what I plan to do. Thanks for the help. I will try it again.
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Hello, so this is the second time I have tried to load Mate onto this HP netbook and I have been unsuccessful. How did you manage to load the iso onto the netbook? I have downloaded the i386 version onto a usb thumb drive. Problem is once I plug in the usb and start the netbook it freezes. It shows the Press Esc to access bios menu but the netbook just freezes and so I have to hard reboot it…everytime. Am I missing something here?
If my understanding of your post is correct the correct procedure wasn’t followed.
In order to install Ubuntu MATE you need to have a BOOTABLE usb stick made CONTAINING the iso.
Once the usb stick has been made bootable with the iso you’ve already downloaded you boot the usb stick which should provide options to try or install.
Steps to follow:
1 - download iso and save to any place other than USB stick you from which you intend to boot / try / install [no need to download again … simply copy the iso file to your hard drive]
2 - burn the iso file to the usb stick you intend to use for test / install
3 - boot the netbook using the usb stick bade in step 2
4 - follow @wolfman’s guide from part way down look for text "Okay, I’ve changed the boot order but I don’t know what to do next?."
5 - test your netbook; if satisfied and you’ve decided not to use Win 7 on this netbook for installation type choose Erase disk and Install Ubuntu MATE
6 - you may ignore pics 4-10 in the guide
7 - pic 16 on will apply
Please post back with either more questions, or success 
pfeiffep, here is what I have done so far…
- downloaded the iso onto my chromebook. (not the Netbook I plan on installing Mate onto).
- transferred the file onto a USB stick
- set up the HP netbook to boot from USB flash drive first, then hard drive
Here is where I get frustrated… - Netbook boots up with USB stick in port. The USB stick light blinks 3 times then Netbook freezes. Nothing else happens unless I turn the Netbook off and restart it. Once I restart it the same thing happens. Nothing else.
Exactly how did you transfer the file?
Did you understand my overview? and what is meant by …
2 - burn the iso file to the usb stick you intend to use for test / install
Burn does not mean copy It’s a term used to make the USB stick or DVD bootable.
What OS are you using on the Chromebook? I as because I have absolutely no experience with them.
My suspicion is the error you experienced in your #4 is a direct cause from copying the iso to the flash drive.
We need specifics to provide the help requested.
What is the brand and model of your netbook?
Does is boot into Win7?
Does it connect to the internet? if so how wifi or hard wire?
Does it have any data that your require?
Does it have a DVD drive?
I have been dragging the iso from the download file onto the flash drive. Based on one of your comments this could be the wrong approach. The Chromebook uses Chrome OS. To answer your questions above the HP Netbook does boot into Win 7 Starter. It does have internet connection via Verizon Wireless LTE 4G from a Verizon Home Fusion system. I have no data to backup on the Netbook. It doesn’t have an internal cd/dvd drive but I do have an external that I have tried by dragging the same iso file from the Chromebook onto the dvd. I get the same issue with the dvd as I do the USB stick. The dvd spins for a sec or two than stops. The only difference is with the dvd it the bootup times out and goes into the Win 7 Startup. With the USB stick it just freezes as stated above.
I’m getting the impression that the draging and dropping the iso is not the proper method for a proper boot up. Am I correct?