I always run at least one OS behind - since the bugs are worked out. Thats why I am on XP right now. Will be upgrading to Win 7 in April. Win 8 is a pig - thats why they are trotting out Win 8.1. I won’t be upgrading to Win 8.1, because it is also bound to have bugs.
You need to first check to see that your PCs are Win 7 compatible:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor
I can tell you right now, you need minimum 1 Gb physical RAM - 2 Gb is better [about 50 bucks]. But, you also need to find out if the other components of your PCs are compatible. The upgrade advisor will tell you.
Here are some other specs for Win 7:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/system-requirements
Is this a better investment for $279.00 and $5.00 shipping? Can’t you install your modem card in it?
Specifications:
Processor: Intel Core i3-3220T (2.8GHz)
3MB Cache
Processor Core: Dual-Core
Memory: 8GB DDR3 (PC3-12800)
Max Memory: 16GB
Memory Slots: 2 (1 occupied)
Graphics: Intel HD 2500
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA (7200rpm)
Optical Drive: SuperMulti DVD±RW
Audio Codec: Integrated Realtek ALC662
Sound: HD 5.1-Channel Support
Or this Dell for $220.00?
Dell Optiplex 755 Intel Core 2 Duo 2300MHz 80Gig HDD 4096mb DVD ROM Windows 7 Professional 32 Bit + 19” LCD Desktop Computer - Refurbished - 755LP-2.3C2-4-80-DVD-7P-9DV
If you scroll down the page at that Dell link, you will see several desktops with free shipping and prices from $195.00 to $260.00.
Why do you need to upgrade the OS?
What programs and stuff do you need this computer for that you can’t live without?
Do you have a Linux live disc?
I am not sure you have enough memory to run Windows 7 or 8. It might be okay to keep XP and load up Linux when you go online.
You'll need more memory for 7 or 8. Something like this:
http://www.crucial.com/upgrade/Dell-memory/Inspiron+Desktops+/Inspiron+530s-upgrades.html
For basic operation, Win7 Starter with 2GB memory is a reasonable choice. It is missing some bells and whistles, but Starter is lean enough that it is adequately fast even on low-powered netbooks. Run the Windows 7 compatibility checker linked in a post above to make sure it will work with your system.
If you want to spend no money at all, and you can get by with a Firefox browser, Thunderbird email client, and LibreOffice word processing/spreadsheet/etc., the modern Linux operating systems (e.g. Ubuntu, Mint) are a hell of a lot easier to install and use than they used to be.
My advice: Keep what you have or buy a new computer.
Rather than help you spend money on an OS that will give you no appreciable benefit, I have to ask, Why do you think you need to upgrade your 1.8ghz Pentium Dual Core (E2160)/ < 1 GB ram? If you are connected to the internet with a 56k modem, what could you possibly be doing with your XP system that requires you to contemplate 200 USD to upgrade the OS? My point is that if you can’t describe a reason to upgrade then you don’t need to upgrade and spend money that you don’t have.
If you upgrade, you will be required to do a clean install. You will have to reinstall all your programs and files. Unless you need the OS upgrade in order to perform productive work, you are wasting your time and money upgrading.
If you are too broke to buy a new computer, but you are willing to drop 200 USD on an OS, then you haven’t considered buying a USED computer for under 200 USD. If you live in the US then you can find systems monumentally better than what you have for less than 200 USD. In addition, you can keep your current system active until you’ve adjusted to full time use on the newly purchased computer.
What you need is a knowledgeable friend.
I am not even going to suggest which OS version would be best for you. Talk to a neighbor, call a friend, hit up the kid down the street. Whatever you do, don’t start spending money on a computer that was built in 2007 unless you can provide a compelling argument.
The processor you have is a good processor, and the motherboard supports up to 4 GB of DDR2 RAM (4 x 1GB modules), a PCI-E x16 slot for a dedicated graphics card, but only a 250 W Power Supply. For about 60-80 USD you can find 2 x 1GB DDR2 ram and and something like an Nvidia GT 620 graphics card (any card that has low power requirements and low profile bracket to fit your case). If you NEED to upgrade, you will see a world of difference with these upgrades.
I actually have exactly what you need sitting right next to me. I’d give the ram and video card to anyone who needed them for FREE! You need to find someone like me in your neighborhood. Call your friends and family and get some computer enthusiast to set you up right.
Yes. It's the same if you upgrade XP to Windows 7.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7#T1=tab01
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-from-windows-vista-xp-tutorial
W/7 as much as I would like to have it over W/8 would likely have me doing a couple of days of downloads to bring it up to date.
Just leave it on all night. The initial updates only have to be done once. You may have to install plenty of updates for your antivirus program, too, though this is not a problem with some AVs, e.g. Webroot SecureAnywhere.
windows 8 upgrade from windows xp is not supported by Microsoft. My windows 8 upgrade from windows xp crashed early in February the computer place is trying to fix the issue. just letting you know. windows 7 is working fine
I have XP systems that will remain XP systems until the silicon smolders. It’s just not worth the time, annoyances, and risk of overlaying an OS upgrade.
Save your pennies for a new system and possibly Win9 rumored to be out next year.
The OS updates are important, but you can by time with A/V software like malwarebytes.
BTW, I’m trying to move over to Win8.1 from Win7, but just don’t have the time despite the time I log @ FR.
FWIW, I have pro h/w on XP, dev workstations on Win7, Macs, Win2008R2, Win2003, 3 variants of Linux (some enterprise), 8 OS instances virtualized, PXE based install capability, etc... And I’m still happy to say, my XP hardware will remain XP hardware for quite a while.
I don’t know everything about your situation, but I can’t believe it would be worth the time and cost of upgrading your computer. There is a big chance it might not work as smoothly as you hope.
Keep your computer OS as it is.
If you decide to stay with windows on your next computer, I recommend a program called “classic shell” which will give the newest windows 8.1 an interface just like windows 7, with the start menu and boot to desktop.
It’s free and takes 2 minutes to install.
I just did a Win 7 fresh install on an XP machine. Win 7 will do an amazing amount of service updates, it’s well over 100 of them. I’d advise taking the computer to somewhere where the internet service is better than 56K to down load the bulk of the updates.
Keep in mind that to (legally) upgrade two computers, you will have to buy two copies of Win 7/8. You would also have to buy one or two copies of a newer version of Office if you’re worried about those.
A 56Kb modem line is going to seriously hurt when it’s time to get all those security updates. I just reinstalled Windows 7 on my laptop along with Office 2007 (and Visual Studio, which you probably don’t have to worry about), and I’ll bet I had to download over a Gigabyte of upgrades, most of them security related.
Given your situation (money’s tight, no high-speed Internet), you really should give Linux a try first. Get yourself a “Live CD” version of some distribution (I would recommend Mint Linux) and give it a try. They will sell you a Live CD for $5.95, if you can’t find a copy some other way.
Note that you don’t have to make any changes to your existing system to try it out. Just boot from the CD (you might have to get into the BIOS at power-up to tell the computer to boot from the CD instead of the hard drive).
Also, much of the major software you would be using (Firefox for web surfing, LibreOffice for documents/spreadsheets/presentations) are also available on Windows, so you could try them out on your Windows machines.
(Quick aside: On several occasions, I have “rescued” corrupt Microsoft Word documents by opening them in LibreOffice, and then saving them again. LibreOffice isn’t perfectly compatible with Microsoft Office, but sometimes it’s better.)
One final comment: there is software available for Linux, called “Wine” that can run hundreds (thousands?) of Windows applications in Linux. If you have a particular Windows-only program or two that you can’t live without, you might find that those packages will run using Wine.
Good luck!
You can buy a number of decent off-lease computers with Windows 7 already installed for well under two hundred bucks. I have several of them. One company is GearXS, though a lot of their systems are loaded with Linux, so pick carefully.
Buy a new system(s) and transfer the data to the new hardware. It is a little more work, but a better solution.
Manufacturers pay so much less for the license than you, that the hardware cost is less in the overall scheme of things
Built into both Windows 7 and 8 is a utility called Windows Easy Transfer. It will move your files and settings to the new hardware. Use an external hard drive to copy the data from the old to the new.
Your real decision is between windows 7 and 8 and the version. You really don't need the professional version, so the home version should work in your situation. Windows 8 can be made more user friendly by installing one of the free utilities that bring back the start button and the program menu. Two I have used are; Start Menu 8 from Iobit (www.iobit.com) and Classic Shell (www.download.com)
ont orget eboot he omputer.