How well will W7 run on my laptop?

[MrSparkle]

Hello! I was wondering if I should install W7 Ult. (32-bit) on my laptop.
Would it be faster than my current OS? Can my laptop handle W7 Ult.?
I also heard W7 is easier on the battery life, is this true?
Oh, and I want to install it using the 'Upgrade' option, not sure if that makes a difference...

I'm currently running Vista Home-Basic SP2, 32-bit.
I have 1gb RAM, and my processor is a "Genuine Intel(R) CPU 585 @ 2.16GHz" (idk, I just copied what it said in the basic information thingy when you click properties for 'My Computer' o.o") Err. If you need additional information, feel free to ask. =X

Anyways, I installed W7 Ult. on my desktop yesterday, and so far so great! I'm really enjoying it so far.

I ran W7 update adviser on my laptop, and it gave me the 'OK', but I thought I'd come here and get some of your opinions.

...I hope I'm not posting this in the wrong section or something. =X

 

[pparks1]

Since your laptop is running Windows Vista...it will run Windows 7 (which is a bit lighter on resource usage).

I've seen mixed results on battery life. While some of the changes should improve battery life, I've also seen posts from many saying that their battery life decreased and they were on the hunt to try to figure out how to resolve that issue.

The only suggestion I would make is to increase the amount of system RAM from 1GB to 2GB if you can. That should help increase performance across the board.

 

[Grimmjow]

Hello! I was wondering if I should install W7 Ult. (32-bit) on my laptop.
Would it be faster than my current OS? Can my laptop handle W7 Ult.?
I also heard W7 is easier on the battery life, is this true?
Oh, and I want to install it using the 'Upgrade' option, not sure if that makes a difference...

I'm currently running Vista Home-Basic SP2, 32-bit.
I have 1gb RAM, and my processor is a "Genuine Intel(R) CPU 585 @ 2.16GHz" (idk, I just copied what it said in the basic information thingy when you click properties for 'My Computer' o.o") Err. If you need additional information, feel free to ask. =X

Anyways, I installed W7 Ult. on my PC yesterday, and so far so great! I'm really enjoying it so far. I ran W7 update adviser on my laptop, and it gave me the 'OK', but I thought I'd come here and get some of your opinions.

...I hope I'm not posting this in the wrong section or something. =X

Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade....
Download details: Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

cheers

 

[Frostmourne]

It won't run well - you need 4GB RAM for no problem usage, 2GB as an absolute minimum, 8GB if you can.

 

[jfar]

I don't understand your post. You started the post asking should you install 7 on your
machine, and by the time you end your post you have installed it, and it is running fine.

 

[Zepher]

This is my Dell mini 9 running Windows 7 Ultimate, and it runs great on it.
screen grab is when I was running the RC.

 

[Frostmourne]

1.7? I can't see the point. More than 3 apps, the whole system would slow down.

 

[Zepher]

I use it to browse the web or watch tv shows and movies while I am away from my desktop.
Works great for that.
And Windows 7 runs better than Windows XP Home that came on the netbook.
Aero works on it too, surprisingly.

 

[hybridfan]

He wanted opinions, of what I'm not quite sure??...

 

[Frostmourne]

I use it to browse the web or watch tv shows and movies while I am away from my desktop.
Works great for that.
And Windows 7 runs better than Windows XP Home that came on the netbook.
Aero works on it too, surprisingly.

I'll believe when I see it. Netbooks are very weak hardware wise.

 

[Zepher]

I use it to browse the web or watch tv shows and movies while I am away from my desktop.
Works great for that.
And Windows 7 runs better than Windows XP Home that came on the netbook.
Aero works on it too, surprisingly.

I'll believe when I see it. Netbooks are very weak hardware wise.

I'll post a video shortly. I have to use my DV camera since the video mode on my Sony Cybershot isn't very smooth.
I'll have to shoot, capture, cut and compress it in Premiere Pro then upload it.

 

[whs]

I use it to browse the web or watch tv shows and movies while I am away from my desktop.
Works great for that.
And Windows 7 runs better than Windows XP Home that came on the netbook.
Aero works on it too, surprisingly.

Do you have to push buttons like on an adding machine? _ LOL

 

[MrSparkle]

I don't understand your post. You started the post asking should you install 7 on your
machine, and by the time you end your post you have installed it, and it is running fine.

LOL, sorry about that! It was like 10 AM when I posted that, and I hadn't slept the night before. =X

I meant that I installed it on my desktop, and want to install it on my laptop.

Since your laptop is running Windows Vista...it will run Windows 7 (which is a bit lighter on resource usage).

I've seen mixed results on battery life. While some of the changes should improve battery life, I've also seen posts from many saying that their battery life decreased and they were on the hunt to try to figure out how to resolve that issue.

The only suggestion I would make is to increase the amount of system RAM from 1GB to 2GB if you can. That should help increase performance across the board.

As long as it runs equal to, or faster than Vista, I'll do it.

I plan on upgrading the RAM, but I probably wont be able to do it anytime soon.

He wanted opinions, of what I'm not quite sure??...

I wanted opinions on if it would be wise to upgrade to W7. =X
I had concerns because I only have a gig of RAM, and most people recommend at least 2gb.

 

[Zepher]

This is the link to the little test,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptzpBiEwjqo
Video is still processing so I don't know how it looks on youtube yet.

I played Starship Troopers DVD in Windows Media Center (used my MS Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive) , installed Netflix plug-in, while browsing the web.
Then I played Netflix videos in Firefox since there was some odd error in Media Center when trying to load Netflix, it said the Daylight Savings time was incorrect and wouldn't let me log in.

the Mini isn't the fastest thing, but it gets the job done.

 

[Frostmourne]

I still wouldn't use it. Check out the specs of my laptop - weight is under 1.6kg with adapter and plenty of power for anything except gaming.

 

[Nemix]

@MrSparkle

Since you're already running Windows Vista, the change from Vista to Windows 7 isn't a big one. If you can get a free copy of Windows 7, by all means upgrade. Windows 7 will not run any slower on a laptop that already has Vista installed. Windows 7 is not any lighter on resources when compared to Vista SP2, it's just feels snappier and more responsive when doing the same task. I would choose Windows 7 over Vista even with your laptop specs if I had the option.

Just make sure you upgrade the ram in the future to 2GB or more regardless of which option you choose, it'll make a big difference with both Vista and Windows 7.

 

[madtownidiot]

Just about anything that will run vista will run windows 7, and the battery seems to last longer between charges. It's definitely lighter on the system, especially compared to factory default settings after reinstalling vista from the the recovery partition for a day just to get a contrast

 

[Nemix]

@madtownidiot

I've done a lot of comparison with systems running both Vista SP2 and Windows 7 and I've found Windows 7 is not any lighter on resources. Maybe on your system because you did a system restore to factory setting from partition which maybe includes bloatware from the manufacture but in all other cases Windows 7 uses just about the same amount of resources as Vista SP2. Keep in mind, Vista SP2 installs default with 3 desktop gadgets and Windows 7 installs default without desktop gadgets.

Check online benchmarks and comparisons, they all say the same. My comparison is Vista SP2 vs Windows 7 RTM.

 

[madtownidiot]

Overall, I would disagree, if it's using less power in windows 7 than in vista, it would be difficult to claim otherwise

 

[Nemix]

Again, Windows Vista SP2 installs with balanced power plan as oppose to Windows 7 default installs to power saver power plan. Under the advanced tab in power plans you'll also find Windows 7 has minimum CPU at 5% and Vista SP2 defaults minimum 50% CPU, there are other advanced power options that have been changed in Windows 7 default install also. All these can be changed in both Windows 7 and Vista SP2 and make them use about the same amount of power.

Remember, Windows 7 is Windows 6.1 or Vista SPX. Windows 7 is just some interface changes changes along with bug fixes over Vista SP2 to get XP users to upgrade.