Cannot install Windows 7 on PC with 256 MB RAM

Buy some more RAM?

Seriously, it's dirt cheap and 1GB is the respectable minimum these days.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Professional x64
CPU
Intel i5-2500k @ 3.3Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H
Memory
4GB DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GTS250 1GB
Monitor(s) Displays
Sony SDM S95A
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
1x 1TB, 2x 250GB HDDs
PSU
Corsair HX850W
Case
Cooler Master 690 II
Cooling
Thermalright True Spirit 140mm & 3x 120mm & 3x 140mm Fans
Keyboard
Logitech Media Keyboard
Mouse
Microsoft Intellimouse
Internet Speed
8MB
Hi
I followed the forum guide:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...-computer-less-than-512mb-ram.html#post303540

however the new ISO will not bypass the RAM limitation.

Can you please advise?

Did anyone upload a working ISO?

PM and help will be highly appreciated :D


With all due respect, did you seriously expect to get a fully functional windows 7 install running, much less any applications, on 256mb of RAM??
I would suggest that you do as QuackPot suggests and invest a few dollars/euros on at least 2GB of ram before proceeding...
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
LENOVO K450 @3.0GHZ
OS
64-bit Windows 8.1 Pro
CPU
Core(TM) i5 CPU 4330 Haswell @ 3.20GHz
Motherboard
LENOVO
Memory
12.00 GB
Graphics Card(s)
Intel(R) HD Graphics
Sound Card
Intel HD integtrated
Monitor(s) Displays
HP 25' ISP Monitor
Screen Resolution
1900/1020
Hard Drives
(1) ST1000DM003-1CH162 (2) Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device (3) Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
Internet Speed
100mb down/10mb up
Buy some more RAM?

Seriously, it's dirt cheap and 1GB is the respectable minimum these days.

With all due respect, did you seriously expect to get a fully functional windows 7 install running, much less any applications, on 256mb of RAM??

Maybe he's doing it for kicks? I have Win7 Starter running like a beaut on a P3 with 352MB RAM.

@raindrop: Pre-patched winsetup.dll files are available on the web. Unfortunately, linking to files that kind of violate MSFT's policy is strictly banned on these forums, so I cannot help you further.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self Assembled
OS
Win7 RTM, XP Pro, Arch Linux, Puppy (Quad boot)
CPU
Core i7 920 (OCed @ 3.8Ghz)
Motherboard
ASUS P6T Dlx
Memory
OCZ Gold 6GB DDR3-1600
Graphics Card(s)
Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 1GB (OCed @ 935/1300)
Sound Card
On-board
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung 24"
Hard Drives
WD Caviar Black 1TB, WD Velociraptor 300GB, Maxtor 250GB
PSU
Corsair HX620W
Case
Antec 1200
Cooling
Noctua U12P
Hi
I followed the forum guide:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...-computer-less-than-512mb-ram.html#post303540

however the new ISO will not bypass the RAM limitation.

Can you please advise?

Did anyone upload a working ISO?

PM and help will be highly appreciated :D


With all due respect, did you seriously expect to get a fully functional windows 7 install running, much less any applications, on 256mb of RAM??
I would suggest that you do as QuackPot suggests and invest a few dollars/euros on at least 2GB of ram before proceeding...

This is an old laptop that can handle maximum of 256 MB RAM
I have a working Windows 7 Starter Key (from technet)
and I received feedback that the performances on 256 MB are good
in some cases better than XP

due to the old hardware, I have no way to expand the RAM
Can anyone advise?
 

My Computer My Computer

OS
Windows 7
If you want to run Windows in 256MB of RAM or less, use Windows XP.

Windows 7 performance in 256MB of RAM will be horrific compared to Windows XP.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Too many to list.
OS
XP, Seven, 2008R2
CPU
AMD, Intel, VIA
Motherboard
Various
Memory
Corsair, Kingston, etc.
Graphics Card(s)
ATI, NVIDIA
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung
Hard Drives
Maxtor, Western Digital
Keyboard
qwerty
Internet Speed
22 Mb/s @ home, 1 Gb/s @ server
Other Info
All of my systems still run fastest on XP 32-bit for the most part. Win7 is fun to play with, but I still prefer XP for raw speed, security, and functionality.
I know you can install Windows 7 below Minimum Specs but 256MB is low..:eek:

Here is Microsoft's System Requirements for Windows 7..LINK

Hope this Helps..
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavilion dv5 Notebook PC
OS
Windows Seven x64
CPU
2.2 GHz Dual Core
Motherboard
Quanta 3600
Memory
4GB
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3470
Sound Card
ATI
Monitor(s) Displays
Laptop
Hard Drives
ATA Hitachi HTS543215 (5400RPM)
Case
Laptop
Cooling
Fan
Internet Speed
Basic DSL 1.5 up and Down
I know you can install Windows 7 below Minimum Specs but 256MB is low..:eek:

I agree.

It just isn't going to work good. Even when I disable most of the services, Windows 7 still uses more than 256MB of RAM.

If you look at my profile (pic at the top) you'll see I got Windows XP to run in 84MB of RAM. And that's even with a few unnecessary services running..
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Too many to list.
OS
XP, Seven, 2008R2
CPU
AMD, Intel, VIA
Motherboard
Various
Memory
Corsair, Kingston, etc.
Graphics Card(s)
ATI, NVIDIA
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung
Hard Drives
Maxtor, Western Digital
Keyboard
qwerty
Internet Speed
22 Mb/s @ home, 1 Gb/s @ server
Other Info
All of my systems still run fastest on XP 32-bit for the most part. Win7 is fun to play with, but I still prefer XP for raw speed, security, and functionality.
is there anyone that can help in bypass the 512 MB limitation?
is there any Windows 7 tweaker?
 

My Computer My Computer

OS
Windows 7
raindrop

there is a user here that specializes in things like this. His name is DocBrown. If you search his user name you will find several computers with specs = to yours that worked. If anyone can he can. I PM'ed him the link to this thread.

hope this helps

Ken
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavillion dv-7 1005 Tx
OS
Win 8 Release candidate 8400
CPU
[email protected]
Memory
4 gigs
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia 9600M
Sound Card
HD built-in
Monitor(s) Displays
17" Wxga
Screen Resolution
1440x900
Cooling
none
Internet Speed
45Mb down 5Mb up
is there any Windows 7 tweaker?

Yeah, arguably too many of them. None of them are going to help you run Windows 7 in 256MB of RAM.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Too many to list.
OS
XP, Seven, 2008R2
CPU
AMD, Intel, VIA
Motherboard
Various
Memory
Corsair, Kingston, etc.
Graphics Card(s)
ATI, NVIDIA
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung
Hard Drives
Maxtor, Western Digital
Keyboard
qwerty
Internet Speed
22 Mb/s @ home, 1 Gb/s @ server
Other Info
All of my systems still run fastest on XP 32-bit for the most part. Win7 is fun to play with, but I still prefer XP for raw speed, security, and functionality.
Hi
I followed the forum guide:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...-computer-less-than-512mb-ram.html#post303540

however the new ISO will not bypass the RAM limitation.

Can you please advise?

Did anyone upload a working ISO?

PM and help will be highly appreciated :D


With all due respect, did you seriously expect to get a fully functional windows 7 install running, much less any applications, on 256mb of RAM??
I would suggest that you do as QuackPot suggests and invest a few dollars/euros on at least 2GB of ram before proceeding...

This is an old laptop that can handle maximum of 256 MB RAM
I have a working Windows 7 Starter Key (from technet)
and I received feedback that the performances on 256 MB are good
in some cases better than XP

due to the old hardware, I have no way to expand the RAM
Can anyone advise?

You won't be able to get Windows 7 to run on a computer of that spec. You need to upgrade to a new laptop or stick with XP.

I'd get a new laptop if I were you. Most these days have 3GB-4GB or RAM.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Professional x64
CPU
Intel i5-2500k @ 3.3Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H
Memory
4GB DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GTS250 1GB
Monitor(s) Displays
Sony SDM S95A
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
1x 1TB, 2x 250GB HDDs
PSU
Corsair HX850W
Case
Cooler Master 690 II
Cooling
Thermalright True Spirit 140mm & 3x 120mm & 3x 140mm Fans
Keyboard
Logitech Media Keyboard
Mouse
Microsoft Intellimouse
Internet Speed
8MB
is there anyone that can help in bypass the 512 MB limitation?
is there any Windows 7 tweaker?

Any windows tweaker would use more ram than it could save you. I havent seen any one running in a max of 256mb but make sure you have lots of time and a big page file.

Good luck and let us know if we can help

en
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavillion dv-7 1005 Tx
OS
Win 8 Release candidate 8400
CPU
[email protected]
Memory
4 gigs
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia 9600M
Sound Card
HD built-in
Monitor(s) Displays
17" Wxga
Screen Resolution
1440x900
Cooling
none
Internet Speed
45Mb down 5Mb up
raindrop

there is a user here that specializes in things like this. His name is DocBrown. If you search his user name you will find several computers with specs = to yours that worked. If anyone can he can. I PM'ed him the link to this thread.

hope this helps

Ken

thanks ken!
 

My Computer My Computer

OS
Windows 7
Doc must be a miracle worker! :shock: because that is what it would take to get acceptable performance out of Win7 in 256MB RAM. A miracle.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Too many to list.
OS
XP, Seven, 2008R2
CPU
AMD, Intel, VIA
Motherboard
Various
Memory
Corsair, Kingston, etc.
Graphics Card(s)
ATI, NVIDIA
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung
Hard Drives
Maxtor, Western Digital
Keyboard
qwerty
Internet Speed
22 Mb/s @ home, 1 Gb/s @ server
Other Info
All of my systems still run fastest on XP 32-bit for the most part. Win7 is fun to play with, but I still prefer XP for raw speed, security, and functionality.
Back
Top