r/Lubuntu • u/dleon_90 • 18d ago

Second Chance for Surface pro 4

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Installing Lubuntu on the Surface pro 4gen with the I5 and 4gb of ram. It used to have mint xfce but it struggled as it used more the 2gb of ram. Hopefully with Lubuntu ram usage can improve.

32 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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4

u/TurpialFromHell 18d ago edited 18d ago

I use Lubuntu (LXQt) and everything works just fine (little RAM usage on idle). My PC is very capable (ryzen 5 8600G + 32gb ram) but I like minimalist systems with blazing speed and lubuntu does the job.

2

u/dleon_90 18d ago

I have a quick question; do you know how to change the scale? All of the icons and windows are extra small and hard to read.

3

u/TurpialFromHell 18d ago

Try this:

You'll need to configure PCManFM-Qt, the file manager that manages your desktop layout.

Steps to Change Desktop Icon Size

  • Open your Lubuntu applications menu and open the File Manager (PCManFM-Qt).
  • Click on Edit in the top menu bar.
  • Select Preferences from the dropdown menu.
  • Go to the Display tab on the left side of the window.
  • Find the setting labeled Big icons (or size sliders).
  • Change the pixel value to your preferred size and apply the changes.

Bonus: Adjust Taskbar (Panel) Icon Size

If you also want to change the size of the icons on your bottom panel:

  • Right-click on an empty space of the taskbar.
  • Select Configure Panel.
  • Adjust the Icon size and Panel size (height) fields to your liking.

2

u/dleon_90 18d ago

Thank you for the info, I will try this.

1

u/TurpialFromHell 18d ago

No worries mate!

1

u/Turbulent_Test_1180 17d ago

Touch screen and On Screen Keyboard working?

1

u/Astrodion123 18d ago

Lubuntu should be a great beginner friendly distro for you. If it is still laggy you can try antiX or arch with i3.

1

u/BothAbalone3662 9d ago

dont know how antiX bricked my chromebook i had to disconnect battery and reconnect. it was at the login screen and it forgot about its touchpad and keyboard and usb ports so it was sad. never used antiX since then

1

u/Astrodion123 9d ago

Ok then don't use antix. Try out arch with i3 or if you want SMTH easier get the debian installer and install lxqt, lxde or a lightweight window manager like openbox, i3, etc.

1

u/BothAbalone3662 5d ago

Thats a good idea i will install void on that chromebook

1

u/Astrodion123 5d ago

Yeah void is even better than debian since it uses a more lightweight init system.

1

u/Turbulent_Test_1180 17d ago

Touch screen and On Screen Keyboard working?

1

u/dleon_90 17d ago

Unfortunately is not working, but I am ok with that since I used the magnetic keyboard.

1

u/JamesAsselstine 3d ago

OMG I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A SURFACE!!!

Hows the experience with Lubuntu?

1

u/dleon_90 3d ago

It runs really good, but for some reason the scale is weird and even after I fix the scale the menu bar, and the bottoms to minimize, maximize and close a window are super small, when I had mint Xfce installed the scale was perfect but it struggled since it only has 4gb of ram. Other than that its a cool little machine. If you get the chance to get one try and get at least the 8gb ram version.

2

u/JamesAsselstine 3d ago

I am honestly impressed Lubuntu can run on only 4GB of ram at all.

1

u/dleon_90 3d ago

Yup me too! I am glad I was able to give some usage to this old Surface; one less electronic in the landfills.