1 Rookie
•
74 Posts
0
1030
Optiplex 3020 - Win7 to Win10 upgrade possible?
I'm not sure if my Optiplex 3020 (specs below) is compatible with Win10 - does anyone know, or have experienced going from W7 to W10 on this model?
Dell Optiplex 3020 Mini Tower, Intel quad core i5-4460S 2.9 GHz. 64GB SSD, W7 Home SP1, 500GB 3.5 HDD for all non-system stuff, optical drive, 8GB ram.
Thanks for any advice, Kind regards, Niloc1017
redxps630
9 Legend
9 Legend
•
11.7K Posts
1
January 31st, 2023 04:00
It is c/w Windows 10. It is much better to do clean install of Windows 10 than upgrade from windows 7 to 10.
ITSupportGuy
3 Posts
0
January 31st, 2023 11:00
I have an OptiPlex 3020 micro (i5, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) on Windows 10 driving dual monitors. I use this rig for OBS Studio to combine content and save to disk.
I would agree with @redxps630 in doing a clean install of W10 over an upgrade. Also since you have a 64GB boot SSD and a 500GB HDD, you may want to consider collapsing everything into a 500GB SSD (or larger). Any time working on older hardware, if the drives are 3-years or older I replace them.
You did not mention what the system is used for but an upgrade to 16GB RAM may also be a good consideration.
bradthetechnut
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
8.2K Posts
1
January 31st, 2023 17:00
Piece of cake. I'm in agreement with the others that mention doing clean install.
I do suggest a larger SSD as Win10 takes more space. I use 250GB SSD for a boot drive as I felt 128GB is too limited.
8GB RAM is sufficient for Win10. Beyond 8GB won't hardly speed anything up, namely Win10. However, use more RAM if you have any RAM heavier apps that require it.
Download Windows 10 Disc Image (ISO File) With an 8GB (or larger) flash drive formatted to FAT32, you can download the ISO file and have the latest version of Win10 vs. going through the slow updates.
While loading Win10 onto PC, when you get a window asking for a product key, click on "I do not have a product key." Win10 will then use the product key imbedded in BIOS and finish installing.
Niloc1017
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
74 Posts
0
February 1st, 2023 02:00
Hi redxps630, ITSupportGuy and bradthetechnut, Your helpful suggestions are much appreciated and I'll do as you all advise.
One further query if I may - will a clean install of W10 require finding various drivers, or will W10 sort them?
My usage is modest, mainly browsing, downloading apps for experimenting, email & general stuff - nothing too demanding, so 8GB will be OK for my needs.
Very many thanks to all three, kindest regards, Niloc
bradthetechnut
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
8.2K Posts
0
February 1st, 2023 11:00
Unlike Win7, Win10 has many or so drivers included. Just to name a few: Graphics; wifi if you use wifi dongle; Bluetooth, etc. You'll have an easier time with Win10 driver wise than Win7.
Niloc1017
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
74 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2023 02:00
Hi bradthetechnut - many thanks for your advice once again. I do have backups of all the Win7 drivers, would they be OK to use if Win10 fails to install some drivers?
You also said 'Win10 will then use the product key embedded in BIOS'. Although I do have the Win7 product key will it be accepted by Win10 & then activate?
It's great to have such experts willing to offer advice - thanks again. Niloc1017
Dell Optiplex 3020 Mini Tower with Intel quad core i5-4460S 2.9 GHz. 64GB SSD, W7 Home SP1, 500GB 3.5 HDD for all non-system stuff, optical drive, 8GB ram.
bradthetechnut
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
8.2K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2023 10:00
You're welcome. : )
Yes, it is possible for your Win7 drivers to work with Win10. I say possible, because if Win10 already has the driver for something, like Bluetooth, it may cause conflict with Win10's driver and not work. That's the experience I had. Had to delete my BT driver that I used to use on Win7, and the Win10 BT driver works great.
I'd see how things behave first with Win10, then load drivers as necessary. I think Win10 also downloads necessary drivers.
I also used to not have the internet except for my phone. So I have the raw Win10 DVD. I still never had to download any drivers. But I don't use a GPU card, and sometimes it's still necessary to download drivers for those. I don't know what you all have, so that's just one example. You'll still need the printer driver if you have one, etc.
(edited)
bradthetechnut
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
8.2K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2023 10:00
Yes on the Win7 product key, but it's already imbedded in BIOS. Not necessary to enter.