Installing windows 7 on an old vista laptop


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Old 03-04-17, 06:35 PM
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Installing windows 7 on an old vista laptop

hello

i have an old HP pavilion entertainment PC laptop (about 10 years old with an intel centrino duo). i could tell it was getting progressively slower until one day it just wouldn't boot up. this is not my primary computer and was just used for playing music and general stuff so there is nothing i need to retrieve from the hard drive.

in its day this was a great laptop and the speakers still sounded amazing. before i trash it i was wondering if i could try a fresh install of windows 7 or if its technology wont support it. i only have windows 7 discs and XP discs not the vista discs.

thanks for the advice
 
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Old 03-04-17, 07:09 PM
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I'm running a 10 year old Toshiba with Vista and can upgrade to or directly install windows 7.
The technology will definitely support it as it's only the next step up from Vista.
 
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Old 03-04-17, 08:04 PM
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I'd recommend Linux not Windows. It's free, no license, all software is free. no known viruses in the wild. Malware not a real concern. If your computer is 64 Bit I'd suggest you try a PCLinuxOS KDE Live DVD or Live USB. Easy to download and burn to DVD or install to a USB drive. No need to install to test it out. PCLinuxOS
 
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Old 03-05-17, 07:23 AM
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Even if win 10 works, the hardware really isn't compatible. I wouldn't bother.
 
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Old 03-05-17, 11:52 AM
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I agree with Pjmax. I have a 10 yr old home-built computer on which I installed Vista back then. I upgraded to W7 (I think just a few years ago) without a problem. W7 is/was the next step up (up is always debatable LOL) from Vista. W7 should support your hardware.

If you already have the HW and W7 why not!!
 
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Old 03-05-17, 04:14 PM
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I'd update it to Windows 10 and add ram.
Might swap in a solid state drive or a processor upgrade.

Right now, the free upgrade from Windows7 still seems to work,
Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade | ZDNet

ram is super cheap as are upgraded processors, and so are solid state drives.

I have been very pleased, and yes surprised, with running Windows 10 on similar aged Windows XP era hardware:

9 year old Samsung NC10 netbook (atom processor upgraded to 2 gig memory),
10-12 year old Dell Dimension 5150 desktop (upgraded to 3 gigs & Pentium D945 & 1T SSD).

Both run well on Windows 10.
Netbook is really surprising, brand new it struggled to play video, was a bit better
after 2 gig ram upgrade, but what is really interesting is that the netbook runs
MUCH better doing video through Windows 10 "apps".
Instead of loading the overhead of a browser such as firefox, chrome, IE or Edge, and THEN running Youtube or PBS video or Disney video in the browser,
under Windows 10, there are dedicated apps for Youtube, PBS and Disney, result is much less processor overhead.
Now the little NC10 running Win10 will play smooth 720p video, something it never did under XP.

Another reason for Win10 was after finding out that some corporate and university IT departments don't support XP, Vista or Win7 anymore. That's a problem when your netbook/laptop can't get on their wifi, plug into their ethernet or access their projectors...
 
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Old 03-05-17, 05:04 PM
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When Win7 was released I did the Microsoft thingie to determine if my computer was compatible. The answer, straight from MS, was, "No way, Jose! You need all new hardware and software in order to run Win7."

I had bought my computer just a month or so prior to the release of Vista so it was loaded with XP but also offered the upgrade to Vista as soon as it was available. I did receive the Vista discs but I heard so much negative about Vista I never installed it and eventually tossed the discs. You can't do a "free" install of Win7 to XP to the best of my knowledge.

As for going to Win10...same story from MS.

Now that is the "official" position of Microsoft, which, of course, is in business to make money by selling software and operating systems. They make more money by making the older software (and hardware) obsolete and requiring users to "upgrade" than keeping everything backward compatible.

But maybe I'm the idiot and IF you are a nerd you can make it work.
 
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Old 03-05-17, 06:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Furd
IF you are a nerd you can make it work.
"Compatibility" is just a fancy name for "Microsoft knows is works".
Doesn't mean it won't work, they just haven't tried it; and it takes a bit of customization.


Here were my numbers for upgrading a 12 year old PC from running 32 bit Windows-XP 512k memory to running 64 bit Windows 10 with 3 gigs.

$15 for 4gb memory
$6 for CPU upgrade to Pentium D945 (allows 64 bit Windows 10)
$29 for upgrade from XP to Windows 7, then free upgrade to Win10.

It required opening the computer case, 2 screws, spreading thermal paste,
exchanging 4 memory modules, and plugging in a usb drive.

In car terms, it's basically a simple tune-up:
that's like opening the hood, changing the air filer, pulling and replacing 4 blown fuses,
and changing the oil and antifreeze.

For the OP who already has Win7, figure $21 bucks, and you basically get a new laptop.
 

Last edited by Hal_S; 03-05-17 at 07:28 PM.
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Old 03-05-17, 09:15 PM
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thanks for the tips

i had 7 installation discs so i booted to that and let it do its installation.
so far everything is working well.
so the old laptop still has a bit of life left, glad i did not toss it prematurely.
 
 

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