Precision M90 Laptop: Upgrading to Windows 7 and SSD.. possible?

Question

Hello!

I have couple of years old laptop, Dell Precision M90 and i would like to change my HDD to a SSD- HDD.
(HDD is working slowly and it seems to be something, but nothing.. almost all the time)

anyone done this ? Is it possible.. does the system support upgrading to SSD?
If it's possible, what kind / brand of SSD's do you recommend? Intel x25 or equilevant i have had in mind..

How about WIN 7?? Have anyone upgraded M90 to it??

i have upgraded ram memory to 4 GB.
I have WIN XP Pro installed now..

Please, if anyone knows better, please give me some information!

Thank's! :)

-JohanK

TheRealFireblad · Answer

Welcome to the forums Johan :emotion-21:

SSD: Although not usually recommended on older systems, I don't see why you couldn't use a SSD?

But what speed of drive do you have just now? If it's a 5400rpm drive, I'd suggest it might be worth trying a 7200rpm drive, before splashing straight out on a (much more expensive) SSD?

I personally noticed quite a considerable improvement in various things (load speeds etc) when I upgraded a previous (non-Dell) laptop I had (which my eldest now uses), from a 5400rpm to a 7200rpm drive.

Re Windows 7: Have you run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor?

That'll tell you if there are any potential problems?

I suspect drivers might be one of them, but if Windows 7 didn't auto-install drivers for all the hardware, most of us have found that Vista drivers have done the job.

But you're currently using XP Pro of course... and there's no guarantee (in fact it's unlikely) XP drivers will work for Windows 7?

I'd suggest it would also be worth reading Dell's How do I upgrade my computer to Windows 7' article.

But since you're currently using XP Pro, it would probably be worth buying a retail version of whichever version of Windows 7 you're considering :emotion-55:

It not only includes both 32bit and 64bit discs, but you don't need to worry about whether you can upgrade from XP to Windows 7.

The retail version will allow you to do a completely 'clean' install - without any of the upgrade version questions/problems often encountered :emotion-5:

johank72 · Answer

Thank you very much for answering! :)

I have a 7200rpm hdd now. As you recommended, maybe i just buy a retail version of windows 7 (x86)and make a clean install to the excisting hdd.
I guess it should work just fine.

It's possible that i upgade my hdd to ssd, and use a external hdd for for my data (work) files.

I have used the Upgrade Advisor some time ago, ant if i remember right, it did not find any major problems.. Some drivers need to be upgraded and it could be so that vista drivers do the job (i read it somewere..)

I will try to find the best choice of ssd- hdd for my M90 Precision.

-J

BAT3987 · Answer

to johank72:

Did you ever get the SSD working ? If so can you update progress. SSD's have come way down in price and there are abundant versions for a reasonable cost. I too wish to upgrade my M90 and was curious as to the outcome of your efforts.

JamesBurnham · Answer

We've done 2 of these units with Windows 7 Pro 64 bit and Crucial 80 GB SSD drives and this unit responds amazingly to the change. It's like getting a brand new laptop.

johank72 · Answer

Hello! I'm sorry to my late response to your question.
I have a 120 gb GT FORCE Corsair SSD and it works fine. It really did make a difference, and it worked like a new computer with the SSD and 4 GB RAM :emotion-1:

However, there is sometimes boot error when starting computer, OS wont recognise HD.. but when switching powwer on/off again, it boots ok.
Firmware upgrade should help for this problem?

I had also some problems with motherboard / nvidia display adapter and both were replaced.. (expensive repair.. :emotion-6:)
Now i have an other primary (latitude) working laptop, but old M90 is still good for occasionally CAD designing.

-Johan

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Precision M90 Laptop: Upgrading to Windows 7 and SSD.. possible?

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