Windows 7 on Dell Optiplex GX280


  1. MarcosFabian
    Posts : 60
    Windows Ultimate 64 Bit
       New #1

    Windows 7 on Dell Optiplex GX280


    Hey guys!
    Is it possible to install Windows 7 on this machine?
    My dad found a Optiplex GX280 lying around somewhere.
    He brought it back home and I was pretty impressed by it's specs.
    Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)

    Memory (RAM) 503 MB

    Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz

    2773.4 MHz

    Am not so sure about a graphics card,
    I opened it up and it seemed like something was missing.
    It doesn't really matter now.

    I will use this computer as a secondary in my home,
    Am going to set it for my dad,
    So he won't use mines anymore.

    Am having second thoughts about installing Windows 7 on this machine because of it's low RAM and it's older chipset.

    If I do install Win7 on this machine,
    Am going to remove all the eye candy from it so it won't rely as much on it's graphics.

    I also posted this almost exact post here:
    Dell Optiplex GX 280
    (Since the author of that post also talked about the same machine)

    The reason I want to install Windows 7 on this computer is because of HomeGroup.
    I have a lot of files on my main computer that I might need in the future.
    So in a long shot, I just want to sync up both computer in my network.

    Should I go for it?
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  3. Ryan2320
    Posts : 428
    Windows Seven x64
       New #2

    Microsoft Support said:
    If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

    • 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.
    • 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit).
    • 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit).
    • DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.
    Windows 7 System Requirements

    Like you said, the RAM would be the an issue.
    I would bump it up to at least 1GB..

    Drivers for Windows 7 might also be an issue, Check with Dell Support Page for the model an see if they have any drivers for Windows 7.

    You need a graphics card/device that supports at least DirectX9 in additon WDDM (Started when Vista came out)

    Research before installing!!

    If you have the Windows XP disk than I would maybe try it out (I say maybe because if it was me I would just accept XP but that does not mean it can't be done.)

    If anything goes wrong or you can't find drivers that Windows 7 will accept than you can always re-install XP. (If you have the disk)

    Although HomeGroup is a cool feature you can share a folder or even a drive in XP, or buy a network storage unit. That way any computers in your network can have access to files and folders

    In the end all the specs are there if you bump the RAM to 1GB, just don't expect it to be fast.

    Hope this Helps, and Happy Holidays!
    Ryan
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  4. MarcosFabian
    Posts : 60
    Windows Ultimate 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    Well,
    The computer is going to be for my dad.
    My dad is not expecting for the computer to be fast or anything.
    He just wants it for online shopping and watching videos on YouTube.
    I need to get him a wireless adapter also.

    Am not so sure about installing Win7.
    I know it's not going to be any faster than WinXP.

    I should try a dual boot and see how that works and report back to you guys.

    Thanks a lot Ryan2320!
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  6. Ryan2320
    Posts : 428
    Windows Seven x64
       New #4

    Glad I could help...:)

    Ryan
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  7. MarcosFabian
    Posts : 60
    Windows Ultimate 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    Okay,
    Today I got my old hard drive from my friends house.
    Am installing Windows 7 on the machine.
    So far so good!
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  8. Bare Foot Kid
    Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
       New #6

    You may care to do a complete wipe of the Hard Disk Drive first.


    SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation
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  10. MarcosFabian
    Posts : 60
    Windows Ultimate 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       New #7

    You may care to do a complete wipe of the Hard Disk Drive first.
    Of course man,
    That was one of the first things I did when I booted the machine with the installation disk.
    Am glad I got my product key before I did this.
    Because am pretty confident about sticking with Windows 7 on this computer.

    ****************
    EDIT

    Okay,
    I got Windows 7 installed without any errors.
    That am happy about.
    But,
    Aero is not supported.
    I knew this would happen so it's not a huge shocker.
    But something that is starting to worry me is that when the system is on idle:
    It's using 60% percent of it's memory resources.
    It's wayy to high.
    I have to delete it,
    I doubt that am going to get more RAM for it.

    Other than that,
    The machine is running blazingly faster that I thought it would.
    It's really snappy when it opens a new window or IE 8.
    That am pretty happy about.

    Am just glad that I at least to tried it before anything else happens.
    I still have Windows XP installed on the original hard drive.
    So I'll justs hook up the old hard drive and wipe that hard drive that has Win7.

    Thanks for everything you guys!
    Last edited by MarcosFabian; 21 Dec 2010 at 20:39. Reason: New info
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  11. Bare Foot Kid
    Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
       New #8

    Glad you got it running and thanks for the update.
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