Linux

I second Debian with LXDE. I run it on much older hardware with no issue.

Debian + xfce.

I'd go for Mint with XFce or xlde/lxqt for this one, or Lubuntu. Basically, you need anything that uses less than 700 MB of RAM (ideally around 350, like the Raspbery Pi version of Debian, but that doesn't exist in the x86 world unless you go really low end, like DamnSmallLinux), and then you need to be very careful to not open more than 1-2 tabs on your browser, or you will start swapping. The biggest problem on your PC is not the speed, neither the size of the drive. It's the 2 GB RAM. It's a strict minimum of 4 GB these days to do adequate web browsing. But it's still possible with 2 GB if you're very careful what you're loading, and how many tabs you're using. My mom's laptop has 2 GB of RAM too, and it's equally slow in CPU speed, but it works for her, because she doesn't know how to use tabs (she uses the browser with a single tab), and that's enough at 2 GB.

And I know what I'll suggest next is an anathema in these parts, but it's true: Chrome uses less ram (there's even a setting for it) and it's significantly faster on older computers than Firefox. I have put together at least 8 old computers with Linux for friends and family, and that has been my experience consistently. On newer hardware it doesn't make much of a difference, but on old hardware (e.g. anything less than 1500 Passmark CPU points, like yours), it does, visibly so.

Other suggestions: turn off start-up services on the xfce prefs about services you don't need. For debian xfce, you will also need to edit a text file for policy-kit (somewhere on /usr) to make the laptop sleep on its own without intervention (otherwise it will tell you that it doesn't have permissions to do so). Finally, Chrome might not load up on debian xfce, you will need to edit the launcher to include the basic password store chrome option, to make it load. Other ways to save RAM on xfce: include only 1 panel, don't use applets you don't really need, and use a color instead of a picture for background (you will be amazed how much ram that takes!).

Final advice: update the bios firmware via windows before you delete it. This will allow you to disable the fwupd service on linux, to save more ram (there are not going to be any new versions for that old model anyway).

I have debian 32bit running on my extremely underpowered 2009 eeepc - 1.6ghz atom, 1gig ram. Cinnamon as DE

It's up to date as well.

Websites are pretty useless but it works well as a music server and can digitise my vinyl with several plugins without dropping any packets.

With 2gig you'll be able to browse the web

A potato? GlaDOS surely.

Start with Debian, end with Debian. Mainly as you can start with a minimal install and swap out DE's until you find one that works best for you.

Debian-based potatoe Linux is AntiX.

https://antixlinux.com/about/

I'm surprised noone have mentioned Lubuntu yet. It's a debloated and light weight version of Ubuntu and can run on very old hardware. I've used it in the past before on shitty hardware with great success

Debian and xfce, easy

Obligatory Bunsenlabs plug. Nice light Debian based distro with no DE. It cleverly uses openbox wm and tint2 and some other tricks to make it feel like you have one though.

Confirm it runs awesome on potatoes.

Linux Mint Debian Edition. If you want to go more minimal, try Debian.

It's been some time since I used it on an old laptop, but Puppy Linux was very responsive on shit hardware.

Someone should come up with a new distro with the name potatOS, just for cases like this .

Linux Mint Debian Edition XFCE like someone else said already.

On a second note, maybe you'll find the program Scribus of interest to you.

With only 2GB of RAM, you will need a very lightweight distro. Something like antiX would probably run well. It will probably have trouble with a web browser like Firefox or chrome. There are some lighter weight browsers available, but there are usually compatibility issues with modern websites.

Mint with XFCE or MATE

Wrong question, distro doesn't matter ;). Just go with Debian or Arch or something else that don't preinstall crap.

What matters is what programs you use, including the graphical environment.

Definitely Linux Lite run on a potato. Maybe you should try it

MX Linux 32 bits (it's debian+XFCE) will run fine, AntiX too.

Ideally you would want something that sets up ZRAM, which is a way to compress your RAM. From what I've heard it can make your potato PC pretty swift but I haven't set it up myself yet. I know Garuda linux does that by default. They also offer XFCE desktop which should be fairly lightweight.

I use bunsenlabs on old PCs like this. I have a Vaio A series with 1 gb of ram and it worked perfectly. This was a single core laptop from 2004. Mind you this was 32 bit so ram consumption might have been a bit lower. The idle was like 150 mb.

Bunsenlabs is debian based and uses openbox for it's window manager so it's lighter.

if it supports the basic hardware, there's nothing wrong with peppermint for basic stuff like your use case. after the base system is installed, add a browser and libreoffice and you'll have a nice little system for writing on.

if you want to keep using windows on it, you'll probably have to 'start over' with a plain install of windows (without hp's junk, and to a clean--partition table cleared--'hard drive'), uninstall the useless crud like candy crush that comes with the base windows install, ensure compactos is enabled (it should be automatically enabled with those specs), install your browser and word processor. you shouldn't have to do thing where you connect an external drive for 'working' space for updates (something i've only ever had to do twice on 32gb emmc models) anymore as long as updates stay relatively current.

but with only 2gb ram and a 10 year old 'atom' based cpu, i'd probably go straight for peppermint.

Mint or Debian.

Xfce as desktop environment.

My 1st recommendation for any potato PC is AntiX, however, since this one isn't THAT potato and you're gonna be using it for light writing and stuff, I'd say try Alpine... It's out of the box experience is similar to arch, however you have automated install scripts for things like the desktop environment.

You could also try AntiX's parent distro - MX linux or Linux Mint XFCE, both should work nicely.

I have a stream 11 that I use as a little testing server and used to use as a laptop with Debian.

It ran fine, was too slow to stream from but certainly worked streaming to.

Using it now headless with rhel and it’s fine as that too, but I had to to the Broadcom-wl dance to get WiFi working.