Newbie? Tired of Windows security failings? Crave stability? Want better comprehensive and smoother upgrades? What more choice; for free? This is my guide: Prerequisites: 384MB of Ram or better; basically. Else see Puppy Linux to replace old 98 machines. You will also need to make a CD (or DVD if you have one). Else you can order a free one, and wait. Just be sure to "burn" the ".iso" file, as an image and not as a file. You might start with your carefully selected version of Mint. Such as the new KDE version. There less to set up and you can install and play with ease. This will show you, what you are missing. To cut to the chase, I still recommend www.Kubuntu.org with KDE (Yes, over Ubuntu unless you just prefer "Gnome", it's good too.) With Kubuntu you have to add a few things that Mint does, out of the box; but it's not hard. The trick is, you just go on the internet and find the quick commands and learn the "switches" to check off; that let you add what politics didn't allow Kubuntu to do automatically; out of the box. In the end and after you are familar with the system, Kubuntu will better branch out and do more tasks taht people want to get done. Now why would you add an extra step, even if easy. Because Kubuntu is better mold able to you exacting tasks and yet still represents taking care of the ground work, with it's progressive upgrades, better than anything else. It's also closer to the Windows UI, than anything else, right out of the box (Yet all that's customizable). Kubuntu, like all systems, has it's cons. I my opinion it's the less of all evils, including Windows and OS-X. You can go all-out and just run Kubuntu (to maintain just one thing) or you may dual boot with you old Windows. You can do both. Find a good on-line tutorial; on how to pre-partition your Windows system (after backing your stuff up) using something like a "gparted" CD.

Well, with 256MB I'd probably go ahead and do a custom tweaked Kubuntu. But before I'd do Xubuntu, I'd drop down to the *ubuntu base + icewm. For the pure speed of it. It can rival the speed of newly purchased systems! This is subjective but I'd further specify: less than 32MB I'd not bother (my choice). 32MB to 128MB icewm (on *ubuntu base) 128MB to 192MB icewm or maybe play with a Puppy live CD (but which one?) It would load into RAM! 256MB (maybe 192MB if shared video didn't eat it up) and up I'd make Kubuntu lean; if below the Kubuntu recommended min of 384MB. turn of unused services, etc. Of course, higher memory can play with a Puppy CD also. But my main production system would definitely be Kubuntu if RAM alowed. Notes: You can run more than one window or desktop manager but your upgrades may go more slowly. You can follow online guides to go back to pure Kubuntu(or others) and speed up those upgrades. Everyone (and their computer) is different so you get to decide what fits you best. I've had a fair an actual experience on many differing old laptops and desktops. I just want to save you some time. While you can make just about anything work, working fast is more challenging. All this and I didn't even get into dominate CLI use, There are non-gui uses for old boxes you MIGHT want to explore but I'm talking GUI here.