can a Compaq Presario V2000 running Windows XP Home SP3 be upgraded to Windows 7?
Hello and Good Evening Everyone,
On behalf of my boss at work, I am needing to ask if a Compaq Presario laptop (Model V2000) running Windows XP Home Edition SP3 can be upgraded to Windows 7. In helping to determine if this is an option, the hardware specifications of this laptop are as follows: 992MB of RAM. On this part, I am assuming the "true" amount of RAM is 1GB with some of it shadowed perhaps for video. And, the processor is an Intel running at 1.40GHz. If more technical information is needed, it will be supplied upon request. From past experience, it seems like the amount of RAM and processor speed are the two most crucial pieces of information needed in determining if a setup can support the next generation of operating systems.
Given the limited hardware resources, I am under the impression he should stay with the current operating system of Windows XP on it and forget about trying to put Windows 7 on it. But, that is just my opinion though. At any rate, if someone could shed some light on this matter, it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
George
On behalf of my boss at work, I am needing to ask if a Compaq Presario laptop (Model V2000) running Windows XP Home Edition SP3 can be upgraded to Windows 7. In helping to determine if this is an option, the hardware specifications of this laptop are as follows: 992MB of RAM. On this part, I am assuming the "true" amount of RAM is 1GB with some of it shadowed perhaps for video. And, the processor is an Intel running at 1.40GHz. If more technical information is needed, it will be supplied upon request. From past experience, it seems like the amount of RAM and processor speed are the two most crucial pieces of information needed in determining if a setup can support the next generation of operating systems.
Given the limited hardware resources, I am under the impression he should stay with the current operating system of Windows XP on it and forget about trying to put Windows 7 on it. But, that is just my opinion though. At any rate, if someone could shed some light on this matter, it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
George
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Windows 7 generally runs faster and better on limited hardware than XP did. XP needs just as much RAM and CPU speed as Windows 7 does to run acceptably. The bigest problem is, as mentioned above, missing drivers. Particularly video and audio drivers can be a big issue.
Generally I'd suggest just install the trial version of Windows 7 Enterprise which you can download from m$'s technet site and install that to a spare hard-disk on that laptop and do some testing.
Generally I'd suggest just install the trial version of Windows 7 Enterprise which you can download from m$'s technet site and install that to a spare hard-disk on that laptop and do some testing.
I strongly suggest getting a new computer so you don't take the chance of messing up that one and not being able to get his info off it because it no longer runs.
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Hello and Good Morning Everyone,
Thanks so much for the suggestions given in reply to my question. After reviewing all of the information given, I do have a couple of related followup questions. First, the comment given by rindi regarding the comparison made between performance comparisons made between Windows 7 and Windows XP. Logically, it seems like Windows 7 would require more resources with respect to RAM and CPU speed as compared to Windows XP simply because it is a much newer and larger operating system. With that point in mind, I wonder how Windows 7 can run limited and perhaps even older hardware faster and more efficiently than Windows XP. Secondly, there was a question regarding the model number of this laptop. On the bottom of the laptop, I did see a Service Tag #. The sticker did have a number very similiar to the one above the keyboard. Since I am at work, I do not have the laptop in front of me to give the exact number but it is V20??US if I am not mistaken. I can not remember the last two digits or so. When I get home, I will post the exact number. Perhaps that this the exact model number. If not, I do have a utility which can provide this information as well. At any rate, I will post back on that part.
With everything said, it seems like most people agree here to avoid carrying out the operating system leap because of limited CPU efficiency and the possibility of not being able to locate Windows 7 drivers. If that is the case, perhaps this idea needs to be abandoned because the laptop running Windows XP is doing well; all hardware is working. At the moment, I want to wait a little further before giving any feedback to my boss regarding this laptop because of the mixed opinions shared within this post. And, I do strongly agree with Gary Case with respect to his suggestion to simply get a newer or more modern laptop which can more easily handle Windows 7 without there be doubts.
George
Thanks so much for the suggestions given in reply to my question. After reviewing all of the information given, I do have a couple of related followup questions. First, the comment given by rindi regarding the comparison made between performance comparisons made between Windows 7 and Windows XP. Logically, it seems like Windows 7 would require more resources with respect to RAM and CPU speed as compared to Windows XP simply because it is a much newer and larger operating system. With that point in mind, I wonder how Windows 7 can run limited and perhaps even older hardware faster and more efficiently than Windows XP. Secondly, there was a question regarding the model number of this laptop. On the bottom of the laptop, I did see a Service Tag #. The sticker did have a number very similiar to the one above the keyboard. Since I am at work, I do not have the laptop in front of me to give the exact number but it is V20??US if I am not mistaken. I can not remember the last two digits or so. When I get home, I will post the exact number. Perhaps that this the exact model number. If not, I do have a utility which can provide this information as well. At any rate, I will post back on that part.
With everything said, it seems like most people agree here to avoid carrying out the operating system leap because of limited CPU efficiency and the possibility of not being able to locate Windows 7 drivers. If that is the case, perhaps this idea needs to be abandoned because the laptop running Windows XP is doing well; all hardware is working. At the moment, I want to wait a little further before giving any feedback to my boss regarding this laptop because of the mixed opinions shared within this post. And, I do strongly agree with Gary Case with respect to his suggestion to simply get a newer or more modern laptop which can more easily handle Windows 7 without there be doubts.
George
Drivers are the key issue; and not the speed or RAM; and computer life is limited anyway, as it'll be replaced along the way; in the interim ... your's or your boss's choice.
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It's experience. I've been working on many older systems like pentium III PC's with 512MB RAM, and while Windows XP was pretty slow on those systems, Windows 7 ran OK doing the same tasks as with XP. Of course it won't compare with higher end PC's.
In my opinion, whether you should upgrade the hardware or run windows 7 on it depends mainly on how your Boss works with it and what he uses. Just for simple email, web-browsing etc you don't need newer hardware. If he is happy with how XP runs on it now he probably will be happy with Windows 7 too. As I said earlier it usually is just a problem of unsupported graphic or audio cards, but those can be show-stoppers.
Maybe the easiest thing to do is as I mentioned, install the trial version of Windows 7 to a separate disk (or as dual boot), and just do some testing, and then based on that decide what to do. You could also try some linux distro's to compare...
In my opinion, whether you should upgrade the hardware or run windows 7 on it depends mainly on how your Boss works with it and what he uses. Just for simple email, web-browsing etc you don't need newer hardware. If he is happy with how XP runs on it now he probably will be happy with Windows 7 too. As I said earlier it usually is just a problem of unsupported graphic or audio cards, but those can be show-stoppers.
Maybe the easiest thing to do is as I mentioned, install the trial version of Windows 7 to a separate disk (or as dual boot), and just do some testing, and then based on that decide what to do. You could also try some linux distro's to compare...
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ASKER
Hello and Good Evening Everyone,
Using the link http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/pfinder?cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&tool=&query=Compaq+Presario+V2000#N51 provided by epichero22, I was able to enter the Product Number of this laptop to figure out the exact model number of this laptop which resulted in the Model Number V2030US for this Compaq Presario laptop. As confirmed by TG-TIS, there is not any Windows 7 driver support for this particular model. However, there are Windows 2000 and XP driver support. Given there is not any Windows 7 driver support for this laptop, we have decided against carrying out the upgrade despite of its technical feasibility.
Once again, many thanks for the detailed and thorough feedback given to this question. The information presented certainly did help in making a final decision about this situation.
George
Using the link http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/pfinder?cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&tool=&query=Compaq+Presario+V2000#N51 provided by epichero22, I was able to enter the Product Number of this laptop to figure out the exact model number of this laptop which resulted in the Model Number V2030US for this Compaq Presario laptop. As confirmed by TG-TIS, there is not any Windows 7 driver support for this particular model. However, there are Windows 2000 and XP driver support. Given there is not any Windows 7 driver support for this laptop, we have decided against carrying out the upgrade despite of its technical feasibility.
Once again, many thanks for the detailed and thorough feedback given to this question. The information presented certainly did help in making a final decision about this situation.
George
:-)