Distros you tried but didn't like

[BV206]

I dual booted Windows 7 and different distros starting about 12 or so years ago. Then about 2016 I couldn't upgrade Win 7 to 10 on the computer I had then so I permanently switched to Linux. I think I used Xubuntu at first and distro hopped between Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Linux Mint Xfce, Linux Mint Cinnamon, Debian and MX Xfce several times.

I have tried a bunch of other distros in VirtualBox but never actually used them for anything.

Lubuntu was too stripped down. That was before they changed to LXQT or whatever it is now.

Xubuntu was OK but 10 years ago Xfce sucked way more back then than now.

Linux Mint Cinnamon was OK but I thought it used way too much memory and it wasn't customizable enough. Too many things they never addressed or care about like you can't even change the panel color let alone use an image for the panel background and you can use a custom start menu icon but the icon must be perfectly square or it zooms/stretches. That's just stupid.

I think I had the best luck and fewest problems with Linux Mint Xfce. The main thing I didn't like was not having current version of Xfce.

I had a lot of problems with Debian about 8-10 years ago but back then I didn't know anything about Linux and I could probably fix things and live with it now. It will be interesting to see Debian 13. That might be good for a few months until a new Xfce version is released.

I stuck with MX Xfce for about 3 years now because it sucks less than most other distros and I like the installer and MX Tools. I destroyed it about 3 times so far and reinstalled it instead of distro hopping.

I tried Manjaro Xfce, Sparky Xfce and Siduction Xfce in VirtualBox. They mostly worked but I was afraid to install them because I couldn't tell if the freezing and other problems were real or because of VirtualBox.

[txm0523]

Started with these: Chronologically: From What I can Remember

Red Hat
Suse
Mandrake
Vector
Gentoo
Debian
Mepis
PC Linux OS
Ubuntu
Kubuntu
Mandriva
Mageia
Sabayon
Mint
LXLE
Lite
Netrunner
Q4OS
Peppermint
Neptune
Feren
Anti-X
Mx_Linux

All of these have spent time on the ole HDD. Majority of them were installed, then installed another distro, then re-installed previous distros due to enhancements / eye candy.
Finally settled on MX-Linux and been with it for several years.
But I always burn an iso to see what someone else has got, but always kept MX-Linux. Can't beat it. ( IMHO )

[siamhie]

Never really so-called distro hopped. I read about Linux from a Windows magazine (of all places) and started with Caldera OpenLinux ('97). Switched to RedHat ('98), then to SUSE Linux ('99) before settling on Slackware ('01).

With the announcement of Win 11, I found out that my computer I was using at the time was not compatible, so I wiped the dual boot Slack/Win10 drive and installed my first Debian based system, MX-19.3 Linux.
Today on the computer I built in 2022, I now dual boot with MX Linux and Slackware -current.

Out of those distro's, only SUSE gave me problems with their whole RPM dependencies from h*ll issues which is how I ended up on Slackware from a recommendation of an old work mate.
I have tried many, many more distro's but only in a VM setting so they never really lasted long to form an opinion.

[Artim]

SalixOS was my first venture into "non-systemd" distros. I loved it for awhile but updates made it glitchy and I went back "home" (at the time) to Xubuntu and Linux Lite, which were great at the time. More recently I looked at OpenMandriva (Xfce spin) but I get the impression that it's a KDE-centric distro and Xfce is an afterthought. A months-long flirtation with GhostBSD has been wonderful, but like Salix, updates have made it glitchy and crashy. MX-Linux is my daily driver again, as it has been for most of the last couple of years. I'm hoping that the next release of GhostBSD fixes the little annoyances, but no matter what I'll probably be keeping MX on for all it's cool tools and stability.

[clampett]

Started with Ubuntu of course. Then Mint. Found Manjaro was bleeding edge then bleeding me. Used it about a year, always having to fix things until the day an updated nixed about 86% of users (I think that's what it was).
Never hears of MX until I searched for STABLE Linux release. It was tops.
Went back to Mint with Debian release. While I like Mint, it wasn't peppy enough. I liked the online accounts app mostly.
But my MX was just snappy, easy to use, good utilities, stable and just easy out of the box.
The only issue which I've not been able to fix is file manager being so dang slow opening my Android, but I just use Dolphin for my android and Thunar the rest of the time.
So Manjaro for excitement and MX for real world daily driver use for me.

[anticapitalista]

I've never really liked Linux Mint.
It has always seemed 'heavy' and clunky on my hardware.
It also seems 'too polished' if you know what I mean.

[Mauser]

Based on that I am not very good at working with software and awful with the Command Line, but pretty good at working with hardware that I have built a few Desktop computers along with done some upgrades on Laptops and Desktops.

This is my list. Manjaro Xfce due to more issues than I could shake a stick at. Linux Mint Xfce was really slow like Windows, Zorin because of no full disk encryption at that time and I don't like Gnome even though it seems the Zorin Developers did create the best reiteration Gnome in my opinion. Xubutu Xfce because of the "Slick Greeter" that I didn't know how to change it to have the Login Password box in the center and I broke it trying to install a Startup sound using the Terminal which is why I don't like to use the Terminal. I tried a few other Distros and found MX LINUX Xfce to be the best for me. I recommend use what fits you best.

[linexer2016]

I dual booted Windows 7 and ...I destroyed it about 3 times so far and reinstalled it instead of distro hopping....

Going forward might I suggest a strategy to avoid reinstalling? Personally, whenever I've had a crash (rare really but it always is a possibility), I've relied on the following:
1. Timeshift
2. Snapshots following liveusb

YMMV however, that's how I have long avoided any real issues.

[beardedragon]

Dislikes?
Windows 11 24H2

[FullScale4Me]

I've never really liked Linux Mint.
It has always seemed 'heavy' and clunky on my hardware.
It also seems 'too polished' if you know what I mean.

Ditto.

When I was preparing to leave Lubuntu I installed Mint and MX Linux on two PCs. Ran them for a month or so, not sure. It was way more than a week! MX won out.