Many years ago, when the local CompUSA went out of business, I bought a HP Pavilion a1726x for a couple hundred bucks. One of the interesting things about this PC is that I think it was build for Mexico as the BIOS is in Spanish, it came with Spanish and English keyboards, and it's labeling is bi-lingual. 

The computer has really been sitting around un-used but as part of cleaning up our basement, I finally got around to connecting it up and turning it on to see whether it still works. At the least I want to wipe the hard drive before giving the computer away.

It came with Windows Vista Home and while it booted, after logging in I would end up at a blank screen. Turns out, I actually have a copy of Windows Vista that I could have reinstalled, but I decided to see whether I could install Linux.

First, I installed Ubuntu LTS 16.04, which installed successfully but felt a little sluggish. While the computer is by no means current, it does have a dual core 2.8 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM. 

So, I searched on Google for the best Linux distros for old computers and read this article on five distros for old computers. I tried LXLE and Lubuntu and both had problems recognizing (of all things) the keyboard. I suspect the Spanish-language BIOS might have been an issue. I am a bit disappointed because they both look pretty good, but I really don't have the time or desire to work hard at trying to make either work. 

Next, I tried Mint. I installed Mint 18 Sarah Cinnamon Edition, which specs align to the Pavilion and it installed successfully. Mind you, it's not really fast but is functional. 

Now I need to decide whether I am keeping this computer, and if so, how to incorporate into my set up, they main problem being the monitor. I have an EliteDisplay S240ml with two HDMI and one VGA ports, but I use the VGA with my work laptop so unless I want to be constantly switching cables, I will need to see whether I can connect it to an HDMI port, which means getting a VGA to HDMI converter. 

And how much money do I want to be spending on this old computer?