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Topic: Vista |
Ken Lang
From:
Simi Valley, Ca
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Posted 18 Mar 2011 5:15 pm |
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Ended up with a Dell that now has Vista rather than the original XP. Done by a computer store. Question is, it is not recognized as being a legel copy and therefore will not do updates. The obvious question is should I buy it and make it legal? I hesitate to go to Win7 because the computer is old---AND---Windows left so much out in giving us a so called better product. In my heart I know the answer is yes, but your thoughts are always nice.
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heavily medicated for your safety |
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Stan Schober
From:
Cahokia, Illinois, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2011 7:16 pm
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Ken, a LOT depends on the hardware in the machine.
Processor speed and RAM , mostly.
If the processor is anywhere near 3Ghz and you have
1Gb or more of RAM, it should run Se7en quite well.
On the other hand... It will run XP like a scalded cat, (especially if you turn off any services you don't actually need) Vista, however, will plod along like a turtle in molasses.
Is there a Genuine Microsoft Sticker on the box somewhere for XP?
If so, I'd revert back to it,if you have a legal copy of XP. Otherwise, moving forward to Se7en would be my next choice, albeit, quite expensive. ($200 to $220 for 7 Pro or 7 Ultimate. I'd NEVER buy the "Home" version of ANY MS operating system)
OR
Bite the bullet and learn Linux !!! It's free !!!
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Emmons S-8 P/P,DeArmond 40. Slowly drifting back towards sanity. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 19 Mar 2011 1:21 am
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What is the Dell model number? Many of the older Dell's that came with XP are not supported (drivers) for Win 7 and you need Dell drivers, especially for the sound as non-Dell will not work or work correctly.
If the shop put on Vista and it's saying it's not a "legal copy" or won't activate, I've seen this happen with less than above the board shops.
Post the model number and I'll check on OS compatibility.
Home Premium is fine and most new "home/consumer" model PC's come with Home Premium, Pro has addition capabilities of running Virtual machine but for most that is not a reason to upgrade. Ultimate version is primarily aimed at commercial installations and not needed by most home users. |
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Ken Lang
From:
Simi Valley, Ca
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Posted 19 Mar 2011 6:57 am
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Thanks Jack. It's a model 8300, with a 1 TB drive. I think you've said before that this computer shouldn't even run with Vista and a 1 TB drive, but it's doing fine.
The shop that changed it to Vista said Vista would work better with a 1 TB drive. I know I should downgrade the drive and put XP back on, but that is a hassle. I have already put XP back on before. Just wanting to know if I can squeak by with Vista. The machine is 2500 miles away and I won't access it till May. Just wanted to have a plan.
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heavily medicated for your safety |
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Stan Schober
From:
Cahokia, Illinois, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2011 9:09 am
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Jack is correct in saying that your machine is not "supported" for Vista,( Or Windows7 , either, as Dell has no drivers listed for it)but, there's absolutely NO reason that a Dimension 8300 shouldn't be able to run XP with 1Tb harddrive.
XP sp3 does fine with any drive up to 2.2 Tb.
If you were doing a completely fresh install, and your install disk was old enough that it didn't have the 3rd Service Pack on it, then you MIGHT have to make a smaller partition for the install (Less than 137Gb) and then partition the rest of the disk after you've installed the 3rd Service Pack.
It's always a smart move to install your operating system on a seperate partition anyway, as your data is safer in case you get a nasty piece of malware.
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Emmons S-8 P/P,DeArmond 40. Slowly drifting back towards sanity. |
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Ken Lang
From:
Simi Valley, Ca
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Posted 19 Mar 2011 9:23 am
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When it 1st crapped out I had Best buy re-install XP but they didn't put any updates, like SP2 or SP3. I had to do that all myself. I had to also install a new windows driver to re-install programs. Plus re-install all my programs, which I had to do again when it was switched to Vista. I keep most of my stuff on an external disc, so I had no reason to buy such a big hard drive, other than I could.
Maybe I'd be better off to deal with this when I have the computer in front of me.
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heavily medicated for your safety |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 19 Mar 2011 1:27 pm
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The 8300 came with XP, just the support for the larger drives can be an issue.
And, the correct and required install sequence for a Dell is (1) Install Windows (2) On Applicable Models Install Dell Desktop System Software (3) Install motherboard chipset drivers (4) Install device drivers including Video, Dell Sound Drivers (for Integrated Audio systems), Ethernet, etc.
The chipset drivers (in this case Intel chipset drivers) are key so a successful install and MUST be installed BEFORE installing device drivers. The majority of posts on the Dell users forum about install problems are because the chipset drivers were skipped. |
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Ken Lang
From:
Simi Valley, Ca
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Posted 19 Mar 2011 2:23 pm
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Jack. I will keep those instructions in case I revert back to XP. When I get back East I will address it. I'll have 6 months to get it correct.
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heavily medicated for your safety |
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