I am trying out Lubuntu as a replacement for Windows XP.  XP the final, end of support date is 8 Apr 14  XP the first version of Windows that provides seamless support for USB devices, is extremely popular.  It can be found in not just consumer computers, but embedded as ATM controllers,  left luggage cubicles etc.

Personally, the OS is chugging along fine on mine really old notebook, Compaq Presario.  The kill joy is the required anti-virus, dragging the performance of the system.  I have tried Ubuntu on a separate partition before, but it was more resource intensive than Windows!  Video playback was extremely jerky.  A few weeks later, that install got dumped. Yesterday in a social network, someone recommended Lubuntu for RAM lite, legacy computers.

So I downloaded Lubuntu 13.1 alternate version.  The installation was very smooth, with a slight hiccup on the disk partitions  HD0.  This is because I wanted to test drive first.

The GRUB some how nuked the MBR and I could not get Windows to boot.

A UBCD to recover the MBR, then nuked GRUB and got Windows working.   Now I have a installed Lubuntu that I can’t boot.

I have returned my Linux a long time ago, so some rejuvenation of the grey matter is required.

Windows XP (link),  Lubuntu (link)

Update 3 Apr 14

Ubuntu 14 hates my Presario.  Grub hates my Presario.  Ubuntu refuses to complete its boot.  Grub keeps complaining about read and write outside the disk limits.  Ubuntu Boot repair cannot even start to boot.  I guess it is really back to basics.  Verify disk parameter settings in BIOS and verify CDs.

Update 5 Apr 14

I have decided to fix the boot problems by not fixing it at all.  Since I could run Linux before, it means there is a possibility that the partitions were so messed up that it could not boot.  Using Windows Disk Manager, I wiped off all the Lubuntu partitions.  Created an extended containing 2 logical partitions.  Reinstall, manually mark  the root with ext4 and the swap partitions.  Reboot, Grub prompts for which OS to boot.  Thereafter the login screen comes up.

Using the build in video viewer and VLC, so far so good, considering a 1GB RAM system.