Meet KolibriOS, the lightweight OS that can even boot from a 1.44MB floppy

In a nutshell: If you've sewage an ancient PC sitting astir collecting dust, there's a lightweight operating strategy that tin respire caller life into your machine. KolibriOS is simply a remarkably mini and zippy OS written wholly successful x86 assembly code, allowing it to tally connected decades-old machines pinch very humble specs.

Originally forked from nan MenuetOS task measurement backmost successful 2004, KolibriOS has since charted its ain way while sticking to its 32-bit x86 roots – dissimilar its forerunner, which added a proprietary 64-bit version. But for nan benignant of systems it targets, that's much than enough.

The minimum requirements are antique: All you request is an i586-compatible CPU, 8MB of RAM, and a VESA-compatible video card. Despite this, nan operating strategy useful amazingly good connected aged rigs, pinch virtually zero load clip erstwhile launching bundled apps. The footwear clip is remarkably speedy, too.

In a caller video, YouTuber Michael MJD demonstrated KolibriOS booting wrong a fewer minutes disconnected a 3.5" floppy disk and successful astir 5 seconds disconnected a CD-ROM connected aged hardware.

Of course, moving from a floppy limits nan included software. The CD type packs a overmuch much generous payload pinch complete 50 games spanning classical 2D gems to legendary 3D shooters for illustration Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, and Quake successful shareware form.

There are a fistful of different useful apps too, for illustration nan lightweight Netsurf web browser, matter editors, an IRC client, and emulators including DOSBox. That browser can't grip thing much than basal website rendering, though. Tom's Hardware confirmed it can't do modern HTML5, fto unsocial video streaming.

However, KolibriOS doesn't look to beryllium designed for web surfing. It's each astir getting ancient x86 machines up and moving again for ray productivity tasks – aliases possibly immoderate retro gaming if you are emotion nostalgic.

Particularly awesome is nan deluge of customization features stuffed into specified a ray package. While nan OS doesn't look to let you to upload your ain wallpaper, you tin take betwixt a perchance endless assortment of coagulated colors and textures. Even theming is supported, pinch options to prime colors for individual elements for illustration buttons and title bars, which is surely a measurement up from Windows. But it doesn't extremity location – 1 cool characteristic lets you ditch nan default Windows-style taskbar and alteration a macOS-inspired dock, arsenic you tin spot successful nan screenshot above.

Michael did tally into immoderate hardware compatibility snags during his trial run, pinch Ethernet and audio not functioning connected his peculiar setup. But nan OS does see drivers for galore communal NICs from Intel, 3Com, and Realtek correct retired of nan box. Your mileage whitethorn alteration pinch different components.