As a newbie to Ubuntu and Mate I'm looking for advice and guidance. I was told that I could rejuvenate an old laptop using Mate 32 bit but have been unable to find it. Is there a particular version number or prefix I should be looking for ?
Hey Tony,
First, hit the Download link at the top of this page. Then, click Other Downloads, then Archived. ISOs with "i386" instead of "amd64" are the 32-bit images. 32-bit releases stopped in recent years, so the best bet is 18.04 LTS.
Before you do this, though, chances are your laptop has a 64-bit CPU. It should be able to run the 64-bit version, even if it's 15 years old. Give the latest LTS (20.04) a try first, and if it complains, then try the 32-bit version.
Good luck!
3 Likes
JCD-M
Thanks, I will give both a try and will post results as soon as I can.
Hi Tony,
If you give us your cpu specification we can tell you if you can use the 64 bits version of ubuntu-mate.
Ah, there by hangs the rub. I know it's a 10 year old laptop but it's not in my possession yet. I'm trying to get as organised as I can for when it does become mine (if that makes sense).
If you are sure it is not older than precisely 10 years old, then it certainly has an 64 bit cpu.
I do not know whether a recent ubuntu-mate is light enough for this laptop though. (you might want to test alternatives like lubuntu or xubuntu too).
Just FYI:
I QA-test using boxes from 2007 & later, and almost all of them are amd64 or 64-bit (it was AMD that created the compatible 64-bit x86 architecture; thus why it's called AMD64 regardless of intel/amd).
Some of the lower-end boxes were sold with 32-bit windows, not because the machine was 32-bit, but Microsoft charged $5 less for 32-bit windows, and buyers understood $5 much more than 32 vs 64bits.
FYI: The box I'm using to type this on, is a 2009 dell desktop; it's amd64 and running the current impish or development release of a Ubuntu flavor (I'm not using MATE; but it's still in the Ubuntu family)
4 Likes
Thank you very much for that, as soon as I get the laptop I will of course know if it's 32/64 and will take up the advice I've been given.