I finally got Mint 15 with the Mate desktop to install on my old laptop. Still some issues, but I at least know I can get something on it that will work.
Apparently their (Mint) Cinnamon desktop (a Gnome 3 clone which I happen to like, and have running on my 'big box test frame' unit) requires 3D acceleration or some such thing that the ATI video on the laptop doesn't offer. That might explain why I couldn't get any version of Mint with Cinnamon to completely install - run from DVD yes, complete install - nope. Puzzling thing is that Mate is a Gnome 2 branch yet I couldn't get a Ununtu with Gnome (whatever version it was just before they changed to the Unity thing) or any type of KDE desktop distro to install.
It was a very interesting series of trials before something finally installed. What I'm wondering now is whether I can now update the install by replacing the packages that have changed in the newer version, or whether that will toss another monkey wrench into the works..
I still have the hard drive (60 gig, 7200 rpm) with the XP install intact, and I won't wipe that until I finalize on whatever Linux I am going to stick with. I have Linux on the original drive that came with the laptop, a 40 gig 4200 rpm drive. Would like a larger drive, but finding a 7200 rpm PATA 2.5" drive now is iffy. New are way to expensive (don't want one THAT much ;-) and used drives I am hesitant to buy.
Probably once I figure out how to get everything working, since it's already in house, I'll wipe windoze xp off the 60 gig, and use it for the final install of Linux - it is a larger and faster drive and its costs have already been 'absorbed' ;-). (Other laptop is no problem, it's SATA and I already have a replacement drive for it (and an external SATA USB enclosure to put the old drive in) for when I put Win7 on it.
Ubuntu 12.04, unity desktop
Unity is why Xubuntu and Kubuntu exist. Different desktop interfaces