Will booting in Linux make my computer run faster?

Question

If I give my computer the option to boot in Linux, will that make it faster? I guess my Windows has accumulated a lot of background stuff that slows everything down. Does Linux eliminate that, or will it run just as slow?

Answer 1

Yes, any computer running Windows can be expected to run faster with Linux. To clarify, how fast Windows runs is not influenced by Linux - because they run in either/or mode independent of the other.



Basic reason for faster Linux operation is less bloat and no malware in Linux. Speed doesn't depend at all on how many OS's you have on your hard drives - the computer runs them one at a time in a normal multiple boot setup - so there is no interaction or overhead at all.



I have several distributions of Linux and Windows XP available to me on one old Dell Dimension 8100 tower. The old lady has only 384 MB of assorted memory - but lots of hard drive capacity. She boots using Grub into a single OS of my choice. Today I have Windows XP Pro, PCLinuxOS, Mandriva, Fedora, and Kubuntu. I've had several others installed - SuSE Linux was removed last year for political reasons. All OS's are the latest releases with all updates applied.



PCLinuxOS boot time is by far the fastest of any. Once booted, the Linux installs seem to scan or edit a picture at about the same speed. All the OS's run the latest Firefox and OpenOffice - and Mandriva seems fastest there - with Windows in a rare "not last place" in its speed with OpenOffice. Windows is reliably slowest in every other category - particularly in its boot time - which is glacial indeed.



My personal favorite OS is PCLinuxOS running KDE. You can easily do a dual boot with Windows and PCLinuxOS to do your own comparisons. You will find Linux quite familiar even as a Windows user - because this distro is designed to be similar. Here are links on actually getting it done.



For Linux, go to http://getpclinuxos.com and to burn the ISO you download from there from Windows, ImgBurn is at http://imgburn.com - both are free. This version of Linux will run - slowly compared to full installation - from the CD for your testing pleasure.



To do the dual boot thing, check out the "how to" instructions from http://www.ehow.com/how_2147183_add-linux-windows-computer.html



Be careful on this tip for speeding Windows at boot time. Run [Start | Run] msconfig and uncheck the programs that you DON'T want started at boot time. You'll be amazed at the garbage there. Follow up by uninstalling the malware that causes your boot delay and other slowdowns. I use Spybot to help on that task.



Good luck!

Answer 2

Will booting in Linux make my computer run faster?



the main determinant of the speed of linux is the desktop you use. Linux is not like windows in that instead of having only one possible desktop ( the interface you use to manipulate windows), it has many, many desktops you can download and use. The new kde4 is pretty resource-hungry in comparison to previous releases, and [kde and gnome, the two most popular desktops] are regarded as the most system-hungry. You don't mention what your hardware is, so I can't advise you if these will run faster or slower. Generally the answer is faster but if your hardware is low end then perhaps not, particularly kde4. Some of the other, lower-profile desktops definitely will.



If I give my computer the option to boot in Linux, will that make it faster? I guess my Windows has accumulated a lot of background stuff that slows everything down. Does Linux eliminate that, or will it run just as slow?



Linux is a separate operating system that runs from either a separate disk partition or disk or cd or usb device. Installing it does not affect the efficiency of windows. It does not alter any windows files except to insert a boot menu that gives you the option of linux of windows when you boot.



I'm currently running Windows XP



If I used Linux, would it work better if I got rid of Windows altogether, or will it work the same if I have the option to boot in either?



It works the same whether you keep or get rid of windows. Its a separate os. it is a bit harder to use than windows though, and, generally speaking, you would need to do some reading and forum posts to learn how to use it and to get it running properly.



If you only have one disk and you wanted to install to that disk with windows, you would need to repartition it. It is possible to make a new partition on an existing disk with a single partition but there is risk of data loss and it would not be advisable to do it unless you have an xp cd available and are able to reinstall it if anything goes wrong. Chances are it would be ok, but there are risks and you should be aware of these.



Anyway, the short answer is probably yes, but if you have a xp cd handy a reinstall will solve your problem and also give you the opportunity to try linux in a new partition scheme. Another alternative is to get linux on a live cd and test it out that way which means you can run it without installing to hard disk.



There are ways of making an old copy of xp run faster. email me if you want to have a go at this and I will sent you instructions on how to do it.

Answer 3

yes, it will run MUCH faster either installed on a LiveUSB jump drive or a hard drive. the optical disk is very very slow compared to flash media and hard disks. and yes. you can do what is called dual booting, when you run the Linux Mint installer, it will come to the point where you partition the drive (don't worry...it does most of that for you) you want to pick the Guided- use half the drive option (or something to that effect.) the installer is very user friendly. however you can not run both at exactly the same time, you have to shut down one and boot into the other. when you install Mint it will install a new bootloader called GRUB which boots just about anything that can be booted. and it will let you pick between Linux and Windows when you start your computer.

Answer 4

Computers That Run Linux

Answer 5

Greetings. My name's Sanjay Patel, and I currently hold an honorary Master's degree in the field of Computer Science. I am aware of, and have personal knowledge related to your question. There are computer maintenance businesses which are probably in your area, however they come at the cost of hiring a professional to enter your home. There may also be some local destinations where you can drop off your computer and wait to have a technician look at it. These options can often be costly, and pretty inconvenient. The answer to this question can probably be found doing a little extra research on Google.



A well-running computer can be a hard thing to maintain. From my experience, there is but only One software which is reputable- and consistently reliable for healing sick, slow computers. Reimage™ is a world-renown, easy to use software designed by Forensic scientists and made for the average person. This thing will fix literally just about ANY problem you could possibly be having with your PC. Reimage was recommended to me by a Professor during my 2nd year of Graduate school.

Answer 6

I believe that they will all agree, You hardly ever crash your system using Linux. I can be in a web browser, to a web page and back off the web faster than windows ever can.



I can turn my computer off while using Linux, Turn it back on and it boots right back to Linux without having a fit 99.9% of the time.

Answer 7

You may boot faster with Linux than with windoze - my Ubuntu partition on my laptop gets to a desktop much, much faster than Vista & shutdown quicker too. I timed it not too long ago. I think my XP partition on my desktop is much slower than Ubuntu.



I have read that OpenOffice loads and runs slower under Linux than under windoze, but I haven't tested that. I think it will also depend on your computer. If there are a lot of background apps & processes under windoze it would expect it to be slower than if there were few. Maybe ubuntu would handle programs fast than windoze, but maybe not.



google might tell you!

Answer 8

My uncle has used Linux (Ubuntu) on his very old computer and says it runs a lot quicker than Windows Vista. I have used Linux (Ubuntu) and it was very well. It does what you want it to quickly without the hassle. And it doesn't accumulate space that slows your computer down. You can give it a try and if you don't see an improvement, you can always get rid of it.

Answer 9

I am a professional developer with Microsoft, and have about 10 years of experience in the field of Computer Engineering. Most problems with PC's are the result of malicious software that infected a Computer. Examples of this are things such as malware, viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, root kits, and worms. In other cases, they are the result of stability issues due to crashes, freezes, or Hardware Issues. Some examples of hardware issues could be a dirty cooling fan causing the computer to overheat, or low memory due to lack of RAM, which could cause the PC to run slowly. You may think it could be a virus, or malware, or registry issues, but it could be something else entirely. As a computer layman, one may find it hard to really ascertain what exactly is causing the problems, without having a professional do an in depth analysis of your PC.



As professional computer repairs can be quite costly, I would recommend to you a Software that many of us in the tech department here at Microsoft use personally and professionally to diagnose and repair computer problems very quickly. It is a software called Reimage, from https://tr.im/ReimageRepair .. In my personal experience, and in the experience of many of my associates, this is probably the best software ever created for those experiencing computer troubles. This is likely to remedy just about ANY problem your computer could possibly be having, and have it running like new. Reimage has won several awards, and been featured in publications such as PC Mag.

Answer 10

Yes it will run faster than its ever done before with awesome 3D graphics as well, this is how my Resident Evil theme desktop looks, running Ubuntu 7.10



http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/Linux_Ubuntu_geek/?action=view¤t=Screenshot2.png

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/Linux_Ubuntu_geek/?action=view¤t=Screenshot1.png



You get all of this free of charge and is far superior anything MS can produce, most applications will run and if they won't there is usually a free alternative.



For details of Ubuntu 7.10 go to :



http://www.ubuntu.com/



If this is your first outing with Linux, then you may wish to consider Linux Mint 4.0



http://linuxmint.com/



Whichever one you decide upon, welcome to the wonderful world of Linux.



Enjoy.

Answer 11

Linux boots faster then Windows. Do not matter if have you dual-boot or have just Linux.

What Linux distro do you have??



Need help with your Linux OS just mail me.

Look at my profile.



Scan Windows for virus, spyware, adware and other malware.



Try a online antivirus scanner and a online anti-adware/malware/spyware scanner in safe mode with network to clean up your computer BEFORE you download anything. This because the program you download can get infected.



Disable "System Restore" for Windows Me and XP, then restart your PC to clean your system restore points for viruses, spyware, adware etc. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/en-us/management/sysrestore_faq.mspx



Now restart in safe mode.

To get in safe mode Press "F8" upon boot up.

Select "Safe mode with Network".

Go to Start - Run - type iexplore http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html Enter(ok).

Do a full scan of all your drives. If something is found, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.

When that scan does not find anything you reboot again in safe mode with network.

Go to Start - Run - type iexplore http://www.ewido.net/en/ Enter(ok).

Do a full scan of all your drives. If something is found, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.



**NOTE**: Do NOT do anything else with your computer when scanning in safe mode. This because you can start virus/adware/spyware/malware manually.



When no one of these scanners are showing anything you can reboot back to normal mode.

Turn on "System Restore".

---------------

Antivirus: BitDefender Online scanner - will scan and remove threats.

Anti adware/spyware: Ewido Online Scanner - will scan and remove threats.

---------------

**NOTE**: Only have one antivirus program and one firewall installed on your computer.

Anti-adware/malware/spyware are ok to have more off.

http://www.geocities.com/coolno74/AntiVirusScan.html

Answer 12

depends on the distro and what desktop you boot into.



I like fedora core.

Answer 13

Of course, anything non-Microsoft is better than anything Microsoft, open source for life.

Answer 14

See -- https://reimagefix.im