Windows 7 - Compatibility

I hope this is a simple enough question. My son's computer just fried, and mine is the only one left operational in the house. He must have a Windows system for his school work. I've been using Linux exclusively and have never had Windows on this computer. I went to MS to see if this computer is compatible to load Windows 7 on to it, but their compatibility test will not work download with Linux. I have a home built system. Can anyone tell me if the following components will run Windows 7 so that I can dual boot them?

AMD Athlon 64 X 2 6400+
Biostar TA790GX-128M
4 Gb Kingston (4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
EGVA 8800 GTS graphics
No Sound Card

Thanks.

Cpu--Yes, Ram is sufficient.

GPU requirements are 256 mb (check yours)


Be advised these are minimums and it will run slowly.



Ken J

guns90,
How old is your son? Kids surf and visit some risky sites and this and other activities could put your system at risk. Could this be a better Christmas present than trying to make you system run Windows 7? Even a discounted laptop could be a better solution, me thinks?

Hi guns90, Welcome to the forums, have a look at this article How to Dual Boot Linux and Windows 7 - Shrink a Linux Partition to Install Windows 7 It's for dualbooting linux and Windows 7

My kid is a freshman in comm college. His computer was about 4 years old, so I was looking to build him a new one for Christmas anyway, but he needs work turned in on Wednesday. I'm just looking for a quick way to help him out. With him in college now, its probably a good idea to have a backup for him if he needs it. I have no problem with doing another clean install, so I think I'll just dual boot Windows 7 and a copy of the just released Linux Mint 10. I understand that Windows 7 will run a little slow, but it'll get his work done tomorrow, and be there if need be in the future. Linux is my go to OS and is fast enough for me on this computer. Thanks for the replies, guys.

Good luck and if you have any Windows 7 questions just post and we'll tackle them.

Assuming that you really do mean schoolwork, and not fast 3D games, this is a dead-ringer for installing Windows 7 as a Virtual Machine under Linux.

Use VirtualBox (Oracle version, not the Free version so that you get full USB support).

Give him his own Linux account (so that he can't wreck your /home directory!), encourage him to to all surfing and e-mail etc. from Linux, and flick into Windows 7 just for the things he *must* have Windows for.
As you will be aware, he can use one of his "workspaces" to "Full Screen" the virtual Windows 7, and keep the others for Linux apps.
Communication between the two is best done (imo) via a Windows Network Drive, which is Virtual, of course - it's actually a shared directory in his /home
Also, you can copy/paste from one OS to another.

It will work a treat - but you'll need to buy a full Windows 7, of course.
imo far superior to dual boots - you have both OSs at the same time


Do it that way, and I doubt you'll even need any A.V. etc.

guns90, Be sure to check out some of the great Black Friday discounts. In our sister forum, Seven Forums there's a Black Friday Shopping thread that might help.

Since you plan to get him a computer soon, why bother with dual-booting? I'd consider virtualizing, or if you must install Windows natively, pull your hard drive, and install Windows on its own...and then just choose which drive to boot from. That way, your system is untouched.