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Am I stuck into buying a new computer?
QUESTION FOR MICROSOFT CHAT ROOM AND DELL: WILL MY DELL LATITUDE LAPTOP BE ABLE TO upgrade A HIGHER OPERATING SYSTEM TO DO SIMPLE TASKS?
Does it mean the computer cannot? Am I stuck into buying a new computer?
The Installed Physical Memory (RAM) entry in the System Information
My check showed:
Version 5.0.2195 Service Pack 4 Build 2195
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name BRIAN-54LL3OXE8
System Manufacturer Dell Computer Corporation
System Model Latitude C610
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 11 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~1196 Mhz
BIOS Version Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A12
Windows Directory C:\WINNT
System Directory C:\WINNT\system32
Boot Device \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1
Locale United States
User Name BRIAN-54LL3OXE8\Brian Kearney
Time Zone Central Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 1,047,992 KB
Available Physical Memory 528,224 KB
Total Virtual Memory 3,567,632 KB
Available Virtual Memory 2,624,516 KB
Page File Space 2,519,640 KB
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Ken: Welcome to Microsoft Customer Service Chat. Please give me a moment while I review your question. Would that be alright?
Brian Kearney: yes
Ken: Hi Brian.
Ken: May I know what specific task you are trying to do?
Brian Kearney: Put in a higher operating system. When I try to install software, pictures or fill out a college application I have been told my windows 2000 operating system is too small. I am trying to find out if there is enough memory to even install window 7.
Ken: To check if your computer can run Windows 7, I recommend that you download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
Ken: Please click here: Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
Ken: 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.
Brian Kearney: I did but I will try again. Last night it said not a valid run32dsl win32 error
Ken: I see.
Ken: In that case Brian, I recommend that you call our Pre-sales department for other options.
Ken: You may call Microsoft Sales and Licensing at: 800-426-9400. Business Hours are from Monday – Friday, 06:00 AM – 06:00 PM Pacific Time. Now I am going.
Brian Kearney: same thing win32 error Ken, where are you going?
Ken: I see.
Ken: In that case Brian, it would be best that you call our Pre-sales department for more information.
Ken: You may also contact your computer manufacturer and ask them if your computer can run Windows 7.
Brian Kearney: I am worried that the age of the 1995 laptop just can not handle enough ram to go up on Microsoft 7 nor do things in 2012
Brian Kearney: I am disabled and can not afford a new computer.
Ken: It would be best that you call first our Pre-sales department or your computer manufacturer for assistance.
Ken: Please be guided that as a Customer Service Representative, I am here to assist you in finding the right place to get help with your concern.
Ken: Have I fully answered your question today?
Brian Kearney: How do I find tech support?
Ken: You need to call Dell for technical support.
Ken: Thank you for using Microsoft Customer Service Chat. Please feel free to come back again. We are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Chat session has been terminated by the agent.
theflash1932
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January 5th, 2012 07:00
The C610 supports a maximum of 1GB of RAM, which is the absolute minimum for Windows 7. Your processor speed is right about at the minimum for Windows 7 as well. I'm sure there is no way your computer can run Windows 7 graphics, so you will be limited to the most basic graphics schemes/features. It is possible your system shipped with a 10GB hard drive ... Windows 7 will not install on a partition smaller than 16GB. For all practical purposes, even a 40GB hard drive will not be big enough to sustain Windows 7 for long.
My advice? Forget Windows 7 on this computer. If you want to keep this computer but still upgrade, upgrade to XP, which is supported on this system and is a "higher"/more advanced version than 2000 (albeit still not a modern OS).
If you really want Windows 7, get a new computer. You can buy a brand new PC for $250-300 ($350-400 for a laptop). You could also buy a used computer for less than $100 that would be 10 times the computer the C610 is.
Btw ... the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will not run on Windows 2000 - XP SP2 or higher.
crusaders1982
26 Posts
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February 23rd, 2012 13:00
f you really want Windows 7, get a new computer. You can buy a brand new PC for $250-300 ($350-400 for a laptop). You could also buy a used computer for less than $100 that would be 10 times the computer the C610 is.
Where in the world could I get a used computer for $100 ten times better than my latitude?
theflash1932
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16.3K Posts
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February 23rd, 2012 13:00
eBay or a local shop that sells used PC's.
Not the best deal I've seen, but not bad (Optiplex GX620 - 4 times the max memory (4GB versus 1GB), 2 times the processor speed (3.0GHz versus 1.2GHz) AND a P4 processor (versus the C610's P3), 10 times the memory speed (PC2-5300 versus PC133, USB 2.0 versus USB 1.1, gigabit ethernet versus 10/100):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-GX620-SFF-P4-3ghz-2m-2gb-Memory-40gb-HD-DVD-XP-Pro-COA-/290661230743?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item43acc26897
rdunnill
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February 25th, 2012 14:00
Philip_Yip
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16K Posts
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February 26th, 2012 02:00
Windows 7 will not work on this computer.
Even if you did get it to run, Dell has no drivers and I am sure it would overheat.
You have Windows 2000 and so can upgrade it to Windows XP but for the age of the system and the cost of a license it is not worthwhile.
Also in order to install Windows 7 the system needs to have a DVD drive; some of these systems do and some don't it was very much leading edge at the time these systems were being sold. In addition the cost to upgrade the hard drive to get some decent storage use.
As per rdunnill's suggestion, if you want to try with Windows 7 you may try following my two wikies below Microsoft Downloads (make a Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit DVD) and A Clean Install of Windows. Install without a product key and test. Ensure you have your Windows 2000 CD about just in case it doesn't work. Personally given all the above its a waste of time. Even if you get it installed, it will run horriblly.
rdunnill
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February 26th, 2012 09:00
Hmm ... I didn't realize the C610 was so old! Windows 7 ran reasonably well on my 2350, which is about the same age as the C610, but the 2350 is a desktop, and I was able to upgrade the video and hard drive to modern components that work well with Windows 7.
In this case, the chipset is Intel, and Intel might have a driver package available. The graphics are ATI, and they might have a graphics driver available, too. Dell, obviously, will have nothing. The hard drive is too small for Windows 7 and would have to be upgraded. The video has only 16mb memory, and I don't think that can be changed.
The Windows 7 Upgrade Adviser might be the best way to determine this laptop's suitability for upgrading. I am thinking this machine is past its prime for upgrading, though.