I have installed Zorin OS core 16.2 dual boot with Windows 10 version 1709 on my laptop because of its known speed, but it turned out to be of similar speed as Windows 10, sometimes even slower: in opening apps, and it takes about 2 mins and 30 seconds just to get me to the login screen and another 30 seconds to fully show my desktop, in comparison to Windows which boot to login screen in 1 or 1 minute an 30 seconds.
It struggles even when opening two apps on the same time, but not that much, and when opening an app for the first time after login.
The system freezes and lags frequently with moderate use, reading PDF file while software updates running and Firefox is open; even the swap partition is being used.
Why does this happen? As you can see in the screenshot it meets the requirements mentioned in the official Zorin OS website, I don't know if this is important, but installed Zorin OS on manually created partitions: 12 GB for root, 4 GB for swap, 16 GB for home; set each of them as logical; and my disk is HDD no SSD in there, and I installed almost all my apps from the Software store using snap sources...
Should I just use Lite? What other Linux distros you suggest that can run smoothly on my laptop?
Gday @Osama , Welcome to the community!
Yes i would " Try " Zorin Lite, ( you may even try the 32bit )
I personally have an old Dell Vostro 1500 dual boot with Xp.( using Lite 32bit )
Lite is faster But do remember your working with the " Minimal " Requirements.
My laptop is very slow compared to my desktop,
In BIOS set fast boot to disabled/Minimal,
If possible disabled " Hardware Acceleration ",
Zorin Lite is faster,
Remember: Your laptop has minimum Spec's to run OS. ( So will be slow )
Also depending on the App's you have installed , you may need updates etc. ( this can also make the laptop run slow )
Celeron N3060@2,14Ghz with integrated graphics (a clone of the BayTrail Intel series) ....... leave it 'just for Windows' and not for any Linux at all.
This is UNDER the minimal specifications of Ubuntu: at least a Dual2Core @ 2,5 Ghz ........ so a Celeron processor is really not the one to built on forever.
Will consider after iincreasin the space my root partition, may be it will work.
The first linux distro I used was Linux Mint Cinamon 19.1 also dual boot, and it wasn't this bad, may be my HDD is aging; do you think Mint xfce will work more smoothly than Zorin Lite?
I would highly recommend more space than this. 64gigs for Root at least. Logs and temp files as well as apt cache - these can fill quickly and will bog down your machine to a snails pace if root is too cramped.
Plus, ext4 needs to clear free space and reallocate blocks for files far more often when cramped.
I prefer and use Zorin OS Lite on all machines. It is not only for older or lower spec machines. Lite is a full-fledged and fully supported desktop.
Other distros that run well are MX Linux, Linux Lite and of course, the speed demon Antix OS.
EDIT: I just read the rest of this thread and see now that I am repeating things... Oh well...
Thanks for the detailed reply, so what do you think the problem was? I highly suspect GNOME environment, after a little research I found that it's not the best choice for low end devices like mine.
I agree, I think a combination of things factored it.
Gnome is actually quite good at handling a fast desktop, in spite of how bulky and resource intensive it is. however, at your CPU speed, it would show slowness. Combined with Low storage and somewhat Low RAM, it all added up. This is where Windows OS can really falter...
With Linux, you can switch to a less heavy desktop.
You have options.
From my own testing and experience, Linux Lite and Zorin Lite both run smooth and fast on lower end specs. Mate or Cinnamon run a bit bulkier.
If XFCE is Light and Gnome is Heavy, Then Mate and Cinnamon are Midrange.
Since this is a fresh install, then wiping and reloading Zorin OS lite should make a straight-forward test.
Even so, please allow more space for Root to have some growing room.
So most likely that's the reason why Mint Cinnamon felt faster.
If possible I'd like to switch to xfce without installing Lite.
You've talked about this a couple of times, can I do this now?
Yes, you can do that, too. I have done it myself... I had converted Zorin Core to Zorin Lite in order to allow me to see and access the files that come with Core even though I use Lite- to better help me to perform on this forum in addressing Core issues.
Once you have installed the Zorin Lite desktop, be sure to set up your LightDM or GDM (if you prefer it) greeter and log in on the Zorin Lite desktop, not the Zorin Desktop.
Once logged in, please run in terminal:
sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoremove
To clean up and clear space.
If Possible: I Highly recommend expanding your Root and Home partitions to be larger - or you may need to get into the habit of frequent cleaning.
You can automate cleaning and log clearing as well.
