5 Linux Distributions for Aging Computers

1. Bodhi Linux

perfectly suited for older hardware
offers a unique take on the desktop
the Moksha Desktop includes plenty of features to make it a full-fledged desktop operating system
one caveat is that you will have to rethink the way you interact with the desktop, as it's quite different than anything you're used to
know that Moshka will take a bit of getting used to
a favorite feature is accessing the desktop menu by clicking anywhere on the desktop
recommended system requirements:
- 64bit, 1.0GHz processor
- 768MB of RAM
- 10GB of drive space
a minimal system that runs like a champ

a more standard desktop interface
uses a custom XFCE desktop environment to create an interface that should be immediately familiar to all user types
was designed, from the ground up, to be very user-friendly
if you aren't familiar with Linux, you should be able to get up to speed with the operating system very quickly
comes pre-installed with:
- the Chrome web browser
- Thunderbird email client
- GIMP image editor
- VLC media player
- the LibreOffice office suite
- and more

minimum system requirements:

not nearly as easy to install as the other distributions
is challenging to install
it's often best to simply use it as a Live distribution
can install it to a USB flash drive (and even do so with persistent file storage) and boot as needed

(this way, you can carry Puppy Linux around with you and boot it on any machine you like, without making a single change to what's installed on the local drive)
there's more than enough installed software, such as:
- the Palemoon web browser
- Claws Mail email client
- AbiWord word processor
- Gnumeric spreadsheet tool
- and plenty more
the Puppy Linux desktop is a bit cluttered but it's still very straightforward to use
minimum system requirements:
- CPU : Pentium 900 MHz
- RAM : 300 MB RAM
- Hard Drive : Optional
- DVD-ROM : 20x and up or USB
can do wonders to revive old hardware, you'll need a bit more Linux experience to get the most out of this distribution

small, very small
another distribution that you don't really need to install to your hard drive
boot it, add only the applications you need (using a GUI installer), and interact with the bare minimum desktop (based on BusyBox and FLTK)
don't recommend to those who are new to Linux, as it's not nearly as straightforward as you might think
does support:
- virtual desktops
- sticky windows
- includes a Control Panel for configuring the likes of backup/restore, services, date/time, mouse, network, and more
minimum system requirements:
- i486DX CPU
- 46 MB of RAM
- Note: the recommended minimum configuration is a Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of ram
of all the lightweight Linux distributions, can run on the oldest hardware

https://lxle.net/ LXLE Linux website

built on the most recent version of Ubuntu Linux and uses the LXLE desktop environment
creates an operating system that's very lightweight
simple to install
easy to use
offers quite a nice desktop (especially for a lightweight distribution) that includes all the software you need to be productive or to entertain yourself
the installation is a bit slower than the rest of the other choices here (mostly because of downloading issues), while at the same time being one of the easiest
the default desktop, should be quite familiar to anyone who's used any kind of desktop interface
system requirements are as minimal as can be:
- 512 MB RAM
- P3 CPU or better