Will Windows 7 run on my laptop?

[crc9786]

Dell Inspiron 1520

Pentium Dual Core @ 1.46ghz
1 gb ram

My gf's laptop, used mainly for internet school work and picture storage, has xp and about 4 years old, running slow but in otherwise pristine condition, seems like a waste to get rid of it, and the money thing. I have 4 gb DDR2 that I can upgrade with if need be.

 

[captaincranky]

Windows 7 would indeed run on your laptop. However, you might have trouble if you allow the "Aero" desktop features to run. Many netbooks and such were shipped with XP instead of Vista, because of its heavy hardware requirements. Win 7 is a bit less resource hungry, but still requires more machine than does XP.

Some netbooks (and perhaps some lower priced laptops) are equipped with "Windows 7 Starter Edition", (doesn't have "Aero"), but you would not be able to purchase that, it's OEM only.

I going to suggest that you check to see how much RAM your machine will actually allow, before you buy 4GBs worth of it.
With the specs you report, it's getting on a bit, and earlier machines don't always allow 4GB of RAM to be installed.

That being said, the 64 bit version of Win 7 requires 2GB of RAM minimum, which leaves me thinking that you should be looking to grab the 32 bit issue.

As always, feel free to hang out for a second, (or third) opinion.

 

[crc9786]

thanks for the info, crucial.com says it will handle up to 4096mb, and I salvaged 2 sticks of 2gb ddr2 from another laptop, a dell studio 1535, about 2 years old vs the 3 years (laptop in question)

And I have a copy of windows 7 64 bit, but will probably get 32 bit for this particular machine to keep requirements down.

 

[Leeky]

I agree with Captain.

I also think you'd be pushing your luck with 64 bit, but at the same time, in order to actually use 4GB of RAM you need 64bit.

My recommendation would be to use 3GB of RAM, and keep to 32bit Windows 7. It'll probably run better on your hardware.

Put in 3GB of RAM, and then install Windows 64bit, and see what you think since you have it already. If it runs OK, then keep it. If it lags, then get 32 bit.

 

[Archean]

IMHO opinion (in addition to CC's and Leeky's valuable remarks) I'd say stick with x86 version, because x64 may feel bit sluggish on that machine, hence Win7 x86 with 3GB seems to be bit more optimal solution to me, that said, I would suggest that if that notebook do not have a discrete graphic solution, you may be better off running Win7 without Aero to reduce overhead on system resources.

 

[john21]

Will run,
set perfomance windows user interface to run faster

 

[Leeky]

Will run,
set perfomance windows user interface to run faster

Setting the GUI to "Windows Classic" tends to help somewhat too. It dropped my RAM consumption by nearly 200MB on my laptop (which incidently only has 1GB of RAM).

 

[Tanlic]

Update your RAM by all means but if and when you change to Windows 7 you will have problems.Your toolbar might not appear or your webcam software will be missing. Nothing major and all solvible by running in compatible mode. I'd also check if any new drivers have been brought out by Dell for your machine since windows 7 appeared on the scene....Check that a driver exists that will work with your printer scanner or whatever. Another problem that might come up is connecting to the internet......I had an awful time with disconnections...Good luck you will get there but don't expect a smooth ride.

 

[crc9786]

Up'd to 4 Gb and installed windows 7 with only minor problems, initial connection to wireless took a minute but it worked soon after, had a brief problem with the cd drive not responding, fixed that quickly also. I'm actually amazed at how well it turned out, way faster than I expected 7 to be on a 3 year old machine. No drivers from dell but everything seems to be working flawlessly. It's my gf's computer and she uses a computer for very basic tasks (picture storage, some music, internet for school) so, considering it didn't cost a dime to do, this was an awesome upgrade. Thanks for all the advice.