Windows 7 installation on an older desktop with xp pro s/p 3

sbuxman · 30 Dec 2014

My best friend has an older Dell Inspiron 530 desktop system, approximately 5-6 years old and maybe even a little older. He's come to me and asked if I can help him upgrade his 530 to Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit from the XP Pro Svce Pack 3 O/S currently running it. Depending on with whom I speak at Dell support, one moment the answer's yes; another moment, no; and yet another moment, maybe, but there might be problems! When I asked for further elaboration re "problems," I was told with the drivers on an older XP machine. I had envisioned backing up his current data to an external HD, then installing Win 7, followed by restoring his backed up data.

I'm not here to bash Dell in any way, but I still don't know if I can or should do what my friend prefers, and that's to move away from the XP Pro sp3 O/S no long supported and get more current with Win 7 installed on his 530...he really wants to keep his 530.

I'd really appreciate some help here.

Thank you!

sbuxman

AddRAM · 30 Dec 2014

Buy a 6 Gbps sata drive, hook it up and install W7 on that, completely un hook his XP drive. If the machine was ever sold with Vista then those drivers will work with 7. Get the network driver and put it on a flash drive using the XP install before you start anything, that way you can install it and get online with the W7 install. You will need to get that driver from the Dell website.

It will run 7 no problem, just max out the memory and add a good video card.

Later on upgrade the cpu to the fastest it can handle.

sbuxman · 30 Dec 2014

Thank you, and a few questions, please.

"completely un hook his XP drive"

How do I do that?

==========

"If the machine was ever sold with Vista then those drivers will work with 7."

How would I know?

==========

"Get the network driver and put it on a flash drive using the XP install before you start anything, that way you can install it and get online with the W7 install."

"...using the XP install before you start anything..."

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean :/

Sorry if I'm not fully catching on 100% right away.

sbuxman

C-11 · 30 Dec 2014

I've got a Dell Inspiron 530 that came with Vista Home Premium 32-bit on it back in 2008.

In 2010 the hard drive died so bought a new drive & installed Windows 7 Professional 64-bit from an ISO image.

I've only added a GB of ram to make it 4GB total. I haven't had any problems since.

sbuxman · 30 Dec 2014

Let's try this again.

"completely un hook his XP drive"

NO idea what this means. How do I unhook a drive?

"If the machine was ever sold with Vista then those drivers will work with 7."

I don't know if the system was ever sold with Vista drivers, so?

""Get the network driver and put it on a flash drive using the XP install before you start anything, that way you can install it and get online with the W7 install."

I might as well be reading Greek.

gregrocker · 30 Dec 2014

First run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to find out what it says about the hardware and software on there and how it should run with Win7.

Then you can either delete all partitions during the booted Clean Install Windows 7 to get it cleanest, or do what most of us did six years ago to Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP so you have your choice of the two OS's in a menu at boot.

sbuxman · 30 Dec 2014

My friend doesn't want to lose any of his information already on the HD after using it for 6 or so years running XP Pro sp 3.

gregrocker · 30 Dec 2014

The same steps for backup to make sure nothing is forgotten in Clean Reinstall Windows 7
would apply similarly to XP. Or you can shrink XP using Partition Wizard CD to Resize Partition - Video Help
then boot the Win7 installer to install to the second partition which will create a Dual Boot menu. Files can be accessed from the XP side while in Win7 if it's assigned a drive letter in Disk Mgmt.

But files you don't want to lose should always be backed up externally.

AddRAM · 30 Dec 2014

sbuxman said:

My friend doesn't want to lose any of his information already on the HD after using it for 6 or so years running XP Pro sp 3.

This is why I said to unhook it, all you have to do is disconnect the 2 cables going to it, the power and the data.

And buy another hard drive or better yet a solid state drive to install Windows 7 on.

Use this page to find the Vista 32 bit drivers. You need the Vista 32 bit Netwok drivers. Download them from the XP install onto a flash drive.

Support | Dell US

Driver Install - Device Manager

Drivers - Install Vista Drivers on Windows 7

But the best thing to do is install Windows 7, get online ( you`ll need the Vista 32 bit network drivers ) install them and then just run all rounds of windows update.

Maybe he could ask someone else for help if you have no idea what you`re doing

sbuxman · 31 Dec 2014

AddRAM and Greg,

Just had a brainstorm while I was waking from a nap. I can buy a hard drive with Windows 7 preloaded on it dirt cheap at Micro Center in Tustin, CA, a fave haunt of mine. Can't I then just install it in the empty bay in the tower (something else I've also already done before) and change the boot sequence order in the BIOS from the C: drive to the new letter assigned to the new drive installed in Bay 2? Won't the computer now change the boot from the default drive C: like pretty much every other drive in the world and instead boot from the new drive letter assigned to the newly installed drive in bay 2 of the tower? The system now boots from the new drive with Windows 7 preloaded on it! Am I at least in the ballpark of what you're trying to say, addRAM, with some minor caveats as usual? Or must I go the extra mile as you say and just physically unplug the old, XP drive from the motherboard? Is that the gist of what you're recommending? How does your plan differ from my boot sequence order change plan?

Thanks! Amazing what a good nap can do.