7 or XP

[AceBlade258]

I have an old computer I'm giving to my mom for use. It meets the Windows 7 system requirements, but I'm still not sure if i should use 7 or XP. (I have a spare copy of 7 because her old computer broke) It's an Optiplex GX270 - 1 GB ram, 2.8 GHz P4, 40GB IDE HDD.

Not sure what to do.

 

[willard]

1GB of memory isn't enough for a good Win7 experience, and the OS will take up more than half the hard drive.

Go with XP.

 

[AceBlade258]

Thanks for the reply.

Now i'm just wishing I hadn't decided I didn't need optical drives... I have no working CD burners in my apartment, and nothing but an XP iso. The computer can boot USB, I'm just not looking forward to this.

 

[unreal9400]

I have tested windows XP and windows 7 on a pentium 4 computer with 2 GB RAM.
Windows XP ran faster than windows 7 on old PC.

 

[unoriginal1]

(I have a spare copy of 7 because her old computer broke).

Also, Just because her old computer had windows 7 doesn't necessarily mean you can move it to another pc. If it's an OEM license (if bought from hp, dell, etc etc) then it most likely is. It can only be used on that machine.

If it was windows 7 that you bought from say Best Buy. It's possible it's a retail version and may be moved to another machine.

Agreed with the above thou. 1 GB of ram go with xp.

 

[willard]

Thanks for the reply.

Now i'm just wishing I hadn't decided I didn't need optical drives... I have no working CD burners in my apartment, and nothing but an XP iso. The computer can boot USB, I'm just not looking forward to this.

It's a lot easier than you'd think. This article explains how to put that Windows XP ISO onto a USB stick and make it bootable, using the Windows 7 USB Tool. I use the same tool whenever I install Windows, even on computers that have optical drives. It actually takes less time to rip the DVD to an ISO, then burn that to USB and install from USB than it does to install from the DVD.

Win7 USB install, start to finish, is about 20 minutes. DVD is closer to an hour in my experience.

 

[soundguruman]

I have an old computer I'm giving to my mom for use. It meets the Windows 7 system requirements, but I'm still not sure if i should use 7 or XP. (I have a spare copy of 7 because her old computer broke) It's an Optiplex GX270 - 1 GB ram, 2.8 GHz P4, 40GB IDE HDD.

Not sure what to do.

The trick to using XP or 7, on an older computer, is just to turn the automatic updates off, entirely.
It's the updates, that are not compatible, with your older system.
Instead, an all in one professional security system / firewall should be used (not the free one).
If you leave the updates off, and use a good security (not the free ones), either one (7 or XP) will work.

However, the more updates installed, the slower it may run, and the more likely it won't run at all.
Generally speaking, The updates don't work on older machines, but the OS does.
Update will cause loss of video, BSOD, loss of DVD / CD drive, loss of drivers, loss of audio, on older machines.

A. Manufacturer might have a list of incompatible updates.
B. Manufacturer may have bios update, but I would not recommend you try it, unless you are solving a specific known issue.
C. Updates to bios may crash the machine, entirely. Be aware that any security / firewall installed may prevent updating unless it is turned OFF.

 

[hairystuff]

from what I remember these come with an old intel intergrated graphics chipset (gme845 or somthing along the lines of that) that are no longer supported in Win7 or Vista so getting it to run smoothly with aero or any other graphics enhancements will be a pain, your better off with WinXP or even Linux.

 

[AceBlade258]

Also, Just because her old computer had windows 7 doesn't necessarily mean you can move it to another pc. If it's an OEM license (if bought from hp, dell, etc etc) then it most likely is. It can only be used on that machine.

If it was windows 7 that you bought from say Best Buy. It's possible it's a retail version and may be moved to another machine.

Agreed with the above thou. 1 GB of ram go with xp.

My bad, I made myself seem like an idiot before. The computer that broke was one I built - lightening fried it (my mom thought a surge protector was a power strip...). I used a retail copy of 7 so I could move it to a different box if need be.

It's a lot easier than you'd think. This article explains how to put that Windows XP ISO onto a USB stick and make it bootable, using the Windows 7 USB Tool. I use the same tool whenever I install Windows, even on computers that have optical drives. It actually takes less time to rip the DVD to an ISO, then burn that to USB and install from USB than it does to install from the DVD.

Win7 USB install, start to finish, is about 20 minutes. DVD is closer to an hour in my experience.

That would work with any bootmgr/image based Microsoft OS. However, XP is based off the older ntldr scheme, and installing from anything other than optical media is a major pain.

Ended up using this, which has other major advantages giving me the ability to build multiple PE's.

The trick to using XP or 7, on an older computer, is just to turn the automatic updates off, entirely.
It's the updates, that are not compatible, with your older system.
Instead, an all in one professional security system / firewall should be used (not the free one).
If you leave the updates off, and use a good security (not the free ones), either one (7 or XP) will work.

However, the more updates installed, the slower it may run, and the more likely it won't run at all.
Generally speaking, The updates don't work on older machines, but the OS does.
Update will cause loss of video, BSOD, loss of DVD / CD drive, loss of drivers, loss of audio, on older machines.

A. Manufacturer might have a list of incompatible updates.
B. Manufacturer may have bios update, but I would not recommend you try it, unless you are solving a specific known issue.
C. Updates to bios may crash the machine, entirely. Be aware that any security / firewall installed may prevent updating unless it is turned OFF.

I'd actually never heard any of that before, thanks for the tip.

from what I remember these come with an old intel intergrated graphics chipset (gme845 or somthing along the lines of that) that are no longer supported in Win7 or Vista so getting it to run smoothly with aero or any other graphics enhancements will be a pain, your better off with WinXP or even Linux.

I knew there was something I was forgetting. That's why I came here.

 

[AceBlade258]

Best answer selected by AceBlade258.