Which OS for older laptop?

[Mudfrog]

I did a quick search but didnt come up with anything so im asking here. I have a Compaq Presario 1200 with 6.4 gig hd, 460?mhz Athlon processor and 155 megs of ram. Bought it used with Win2k allready loaded on it so i dont have the OS disk.

My problems: Havnt been able to get AOL (any version) to connect properly with the internal modem. (7.0 will connect allways on the 3rd try but page links and internet browsing still wont work). Also, i cant get my wifi card/drivers to install properly either.

Im sure the problems im encountering are settings in 2k that i just cant figure out, so im thinking about formatting and installing Win98se. I dont have this disk either so before i do anything, i wanted to ask,,,,any suggestions for an OS that doesnt take up much space on the hard drive and that is more personal (not business) user friendly? By the way, the label on front of the computer says "Designed for Windows 98"

I mainly want to be able to log on to the net with wifi and the built in modem, also use my mapping software which is running fine at this time. Any suggestions/help would be appreciated!

[Computer_Commando]

...Im sure the problems im encountering are settings in 2k that i just cant figure out, so im thinking about formatting and installing Win98se....

STOP!!!  Win2k is far superior to Win98, even for your computer.  It says designed for Win98 because that was the latest operating system at the time.

The problem is with AOL and AOL software.

[Corrosive]

Don't go out and buy it, but I heard somewhere that XP can actually improve the performance of older PC's, which are apparently below the minimum spec...

Also, bear in mind that Microsoft stopped selling everything other than XP ages ago, so if you need an older operating system you're going to have to get it from a friend or download it from the net (although there are legal problems when you go into that territory).

An alternative would be to get a Linux distro, which are very efficient - much more efficient than Windows will ever be. The only problem is that it is not exactly user-friendly - in fact, I'd go as far as saying it hates you - but it is something worth bearing in mind. You can get versions spanning several DVD's right the way down to versions that'll fit onto a single floppy-disk.

[Mudfrog]

Thanks for the advice. I would like to make what i have work but so far i havnt figured out how. I know im the exception here, but i like using AOL and i would like to get that program to work no matter which way i go. Guess i'll just have to take it into a local computer shop and see what they can do.