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I've got an old computer that used to run on Windows ME way back in the day (POS!), that I ended up replacing a while back with my current machine. I ended up fiddling with it a bit, and then tried running Ubuntu on it, just to try it.

I got bored pretty fast. However, I still have the computer sitting around, and I was thinking of putting Windows XP Pro on it. I have SP3 on a disc as well, but I don't think I'd really need to worry about getting it patched up, as the machine isn't connected to the internet at all. Am I wrong?

Which is where I need some help:

I want to install WinXP to be as light as possible, becuase I don't have much HDD space and barely any RAM on it. I'll probably be running it with the 'classic' theme to save on resources. Are there any other features I should keep in mind when I install it? I don't need everything on there, because it's mostly going to be used as a glorified typewriter. I'll have Office 2000 on it, and a PDF reader, but I need to think of other things that would be necessary to install on it (I don't want to burn more than one CD/DVD of installers).

So I need: tips on how to keep the installation small, and what features to not bother with if it's an offline machine, and a list of necessary applications that I'm likely to forget, beyond Adobe Reader and Office.

Specs:
PIII with ~800-900MHz
312MB RAM (DDR1, I think, maybe SDRAM?)
15" CRT (:mrgreen:)
slow-as-molasses CD-burner, plus another CD drive
20GB HDD

It takes about 4gb altogether for a full installation of XP Pro, iirc. I could be wrong, but that's what I remember and what the internets seem to confirm.

XP will run on that, just make sure not to install any crap that loads on startup.

But if you're just going to use it as a typewriter anyway, why not try Linux? It's perfect for an offline, low-resource computer like that one.

If you're familiar with the XP components that you will want/need, you can try nlite-ing your XP disc to cut down the size of the XP installation.

Here's a tutorial on cutting down your XP installation for your reference.

As a general rule, don't screw around with something unless you are absolutely sure you know what you're doing and how to do it. Potential consequences include, but may not be limited to: Most of everybody's favourite complaints about Windows (bugginess, crashing, BSoD), outside of security issues. By following this rule, I've been able to use Vista without issue for months since I was first introduced to it, while others were tearing their hair out and foaming at the mouth over how "terrible" it was.

I believe XP comes bundled with Wordpad, which is a passable word processing program. So, that leaves you some 16 GB of space for text, or about 17 billion letters (including spaces and numbers and shit,) if you're using standard Unicode, or about two-and-a-half million American Declarations of Independence. If you're writing stuff in Mandarin or something, that'll knock it down to around 4 billion. Try not to use it all at once.

If you need more functionality than that offers, I recommend Microsoft Word. You'll get about everything you'll ever need immediately, and then some stuff that you'll probably never need. In spite of that, it ends up being pretty light. I think you can get it on its own for around $60-$80 or so. If you haven't used it before and want to check it out before you buy it, you can download a 2-month trial off the Microsoft website. If you don't want to put the computer on the internet, just download the demo on another computer and burn the installer on to a CD or, more cheaply, use a USB key.

Microsoft Office only requires something like 700mb of diskspace or so, so it is really light-weight considering how much it does.

Bounty wrote: But if you're just going to use it as a typewriter anyway, why not try Linux? It's perfect for an offline, low-resource computer like that one.

READING COMPREHENSION! wrote:I ended up fiddling with it a bit, and then tried running Ubuntu on it, just to try it. I got bored pretty fast.

General Zod wrote:

Bounty wrote: But if you're just going to use it as a typewriter anyway, why not try Linux? It's perfect for an offline, low-resource computer like that one.

READING COMPREHENSION! wrote:I ended up fiddling with it a bit, and then tried running Ubuntu on it, just to try it. I got bored pretty fast.

Und?

I see you're not quite up to speed on this "past" and "present" malarkey yet. He tried using it as an Ubuntu sandbox, changed his mind, wants a typewriter now - and guess what, there's Linux distros that can do this, so I mention the possibility. HORROR OF HORRORS. Also, I wasn't aware that Ubuntu was the be-all-and-end-all of Linux distributions?

I guess I should have helped him with his XP question first. Whoops, guess I did! But thank you anyway for your zero-content hallway monitor nagging. It is vaguely amusing.

Guys, let's not get angry over nothing here.

I have Office 2000, it's worked fine for ages (although, should I get 2007? For both my main computer and this offline box?)

My main reason for wanting this box on WinXP is because I don't want to bother learning a new OS right now. My computer geekery is fading right now, and unless it comes back by itself, I'm not too interested in fiddling with things anymore.

Also: I want it to be an offline box so I'm not tempted to check Facebook and SDN and CNN and every other website I look at (including porn), thus increasing my productivity, while also making use of a perfectly serviceable computer.

Bounty, what about the Windows services that start on start-up, which ones can I get rid of easily?

That nLite tool seems to make my job much easier. Would I need the installers to integrate them onto the disc? For things like WinRar and stuff.

Is there a list of services and features lying about that I can use to guide me? I don't think the EEEPC feature list is going to help me much, and I'm not doing anything online at all on this box.

Phantasee wrote:I have Office 2000, it's worked fine for ages (although, should I get 2007? For both my main computer and this offline box?)

The interface is nicer and there's more options for making charts and stuff. Dunno if its worth that to you, though.

Bounty, what about the Windows services that start on start-up, which ones can I get rid of easily?

I know I've suggested that before, but its really actually not a good idea. In my case, I disabled services for programs that were pre-installed on my laptop. But that was only because it was a hand-me down.

Don't bother with "optimizing" services cause you'll just break stuff. Install the defaults, make sure nothing you install auto-runs, and you should be fine.

There are lists but the performance gain is marginal.

Alright, I'll leave the start-ups alone (as far as the Windows ones go).

Office 2007 would be chump change for me, I can get it from school for cheap, so it's not really a money issue, more like, the time it would take to install it (I'd probably have to reformat my computer, which I need to do anyway, so it becomes a bigger effort than otherwise ).

What are some applications I should remember to include on an install CD/DVD (for just apps, Windows is on its own DVD)?

I've got: Office 2000/2007, WinRAR, Adobe Reader, Paint.NET, Media Player Classic on the list ATM. I can probably leave off the Anti-Virus, right?

Phantasee wrote:Alright, I'll leave the start-ups alone (as far as the Windows ones go).

Office 2007 would be chump change for me, I can get it from school for cheap, so it's not really a money issue, more like, the time it would take to install it (I'd probably have to reformat my computer, which I need to do anyway, so it becomes a bigger effort than otherwise ).

Office 07 is a huge upgrade from 00, or even 03. The interface is much nicer and everything is up front instead of having to dig through menu after menu to find common functions. Although if you're not using it professionally it may not be worth the upgrade if you already have 00. I'd suggest investing in a bigger hdd instead in that case.

LOL if anything is getting a bigger HDD it's my newer computer. I picked up a 320GB Seagate for it a couple years ago for $80 or so, but it's getting close to full. I'm thinking of yanking the 120GB that came with the computer, reinstalling XP on the 320GB, and finding a 500GB or 1TB drive to take the second slot, although I'm not sure if those sizes are easily available as ATA drives.

The old computer can chug along on whatever it's got now, I doubt I'll even install the 120GB in it, I'm more likely to get an enclosure for it or something.

For Compression work, I recommend 7zip over WinRAR.

Phantasee wrote:That nLite tool seems to make my job much easier. Would I need the installers to integrate them onto the disc? For things like WinRar and stuff.

Is there a list of services and features lying about that I can use to guide me? I don't think the EEEPC feature list is going to help me much, and I'm not doing anything online at all on this box.

Try this one, Phant. Hope it helps. You can get 7-zip and other free programs that you can use (like Open Office, etc) from http://www.filehippo.com

If you have a copy of MS Office, why the heck would you use OpenOffice?

Because I believe in Open Source Software and shit?

I tried Open Office once. Wasn't as slick as MS Office.

BTW, does Office 2007 set the default filetype to those new ones, DOCX and whatever the others are? They're becoming a pain in the ass, since I don't have 2007 to open them with...

Phantasee wrote:Because I believe in Open Source Software and shit?

I tried Open Office once. Wasn't as slick as MS Office.

BTW, does Office 2007 set the default filetype to those new ones, DOCX and whatever the others are? They're becoming a pain in the ass, since I don't have 2007 to open them with...

It's a default to save files, but it takes all of 3 seconds to select whether you want to save it as an older version. I've never had any significant problems with it myself since upgrading to 07 at work.

IIRC, MS offers a free update ("File Format Converters") that lets older Office versions open new-format files.

It's just a hassle for my father. He can use the programs and whatnot, but he doesn't understand how they work. So if anything changes it'll be accompanied by grumbling that lasts as long as it takes for him to relearn it. I don't have any problems with that sort of thing, but he will.

You know how old people are.