Dell supports Vista (both 32 bit and 64 bit) on this model so Win 7 should work OK. Whatever drivers you need, that Windows 7 does not install should be available on the Dell downloads HERE
Keep in mind Dell is in the business of selling new PC's.
Help! Before I buy the Upgrade download or disk I need to know if this will work. I have an Inpspiron e1705 running WinXP. I ran the compatibility check that is provided on the Dell site. It says my machine will accept the new OS but with caveats. I pulled up the list of Dell Laptops that are advised to install the Upgrade I need but my system is not on that list. It says for those whose laptop designation isn't there that they should simply order a new computer with Win7 already installed. Is that really where I am? Must live with XP on this one? It is a good machine; I've not had problems with it but do have Win7 on my PC and would like to have it here as well. Please advise.
TIA, Kay
Hi, Have you tried using Microsoft Upgrade advisor HERE. You will have to use a retail version of Win 7, and it will have your drivers on it.
Don't worry. I upgraded my E1705 from Vista to Win 7 with NO issues. In fact, the upgrade went smoother than for my newer Ma530, as I had to uninstall several drivers from the M1530 before the upgrade would go through. The E1705 works great with Win 7, and has not had a blue screen or any other problem since the upgrade. You will, of course, need to do a clean install, so be prepared to install the needed drivers. You can check on these sites for many posts on the upgrade from XP.
Additional thought. If you only have 1GB RAM, then upgrade. 2GB will work fine. Some E1705s will work with 4GB, but older models might not. Search the web for more info.
Thanks for your response and reassurance. However I wonder if just because you could upgrade from Vista to Win7 does that mean that I can upgrade from XP to Win7 with the same results? I hope that is the case...
1GB is the minimum for Windows 7 ... it will run, but not great. You can upgrade the RAM at any time. Every time Windows starts up, it checks the system to see how much RAM is available for it, so after upgrading, it will simply see that much. Windows 7 does pretty well at non-intensive use with 2GB.
What will happen if I don't upgrade my 1 GB RAM before loading Win7? The Upgrade Advisor seems to accept that amount of RAM - as a minimum. If it has problems (whatever those problems might be) can I do the RAM upgrade after installing Win7
Thanks for your response and reassurance. However I wonder if just because you could upgrade from Vista to Win7 does that mean that I can upgrade from XP to Win7 with the same results? I hope that is the case...
Technically no. There is no upgrade path from XP to Windows 7.
You can however use an upgrade disc to install Windows 7 by choosing "custom" at the initial install screen. It will save your previous Windows XP installation in one large file called "windows.old" and then do essentially a clean install which means all your data, media, personal files etc will be gone so, you need to back those up first. There is a MS Tutorial http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7
From a strictly technical point of view to use an upgrade disc for Windows 7 is not like previous versions where you could just provide a disc to prove a qualifying previous version. Windows 7 will look for an installed and activated qualifying previous version of Windows installed. (There is a workaround that will allow you to use an upgrade disc to do a "clean" install on an empty disk. A quick Google will find it for you. I don't want to direct you here as it may violate Dells TOS)
At this point if you're going to buy a retail copy of Windows 7 look for one with SP1. It was released to the Web 22-Feb-2011. I don't know if the SP1 discs have hit the retailers yet but, IMO it would be worth waiting for. Doing repair installs etc on a Windows 7 SP1 "patched" computer when all you have is a non-SP1 disc is more problamatic than it was with XP.
I purchased a WINDOWS 7 Family Edition 32 bit last month and loaded into my Inspirion E1705 (MP061 configuration) it is very easy to install and it works just fine. CAUTION I had to find and download an updated driver for graphics card. My installed driver is an ATI RADEON Mobility X1400. DON'T REINSTALL the driver that came with DELL reinstallation disk for Windows XP!!! An updated driver which is compatible with WINDOWS 7 is a free download on Microsoft's Update catalogue. The larger download is a 64 bit and the smaller is for a 32 bit. save the download to your desktop, then you need a program to unzip and install it. I used a freeware package called 7-ZIP. Windows 7 is very fast and my Inspirion E1705 works better than I can remember. I replaced the 2 Gig hard drive with a solid state 240 Gig hard drive, because 7 takes up quite a bit more space. I next plan to upgrade to a 4 Gig RAM from the 2 Gig which is installed now. My special thanks to Mr Phillip Yip and his Inspirion Unofficial website and his upgrade instructions
fireberd
9 Legend
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33.4K Posts
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March 22nd, 2011 07:00
Dell supports Vista (both 32 bit and 64 bit) on this model so Win 7 should work OK. Whatever drivers you need, that Windows 7 does not install should be available on the Dell downloads HERE
Keep in mind Dell is in the business of selling new PC's.
RobinBredin
4 Operator
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3.7K Posts
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March 22nd, 2011 08:00
Hi, Have you tried using Microsoft Upgrade advisor HERE. You will have to use a retail version of Win 7, and it will have your drivers on it.
kirkd
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5.2K Posts
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March 22nd, 2011 09:00
Don't worry. I upgraded my E1705 from Vista to Win 7 with NO issues. In fact, the upgrade went smoother than for my newer Ma530, as I had to uninstall several drivers from the M1530 before the upgrade would go through. The E1705 works great with Win 7, and has not had a blue screen or any other problem since the upgrade. You will, of course, need to do a clean install, so be prepared to install the needed drivers. You can check on these sites for many posts on the upgrade from XP.
kirkd
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5.2K Posts
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March 22nd, 2011 09:00
Additional thought. If you only have 1GB RAM, then upgrade. 2GB will work fine. Some E1705s will work with 4GB, but older models might not. Search the web for more info.
katydidtoo42
7 Posts
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March 22nd, 2011 14:00
Thanks for your response and reassurance. However I wonder if just because you could upgrade from Vista to Win7 does that mean that I can upgrade from XP to Win7 with the same results? I hope that is the case...
kirkd
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5.2K Posts
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March 22nd, 2011 15:00
The machines that should not be upgraded are much older ones that do not have sufficiently fast hardware. You will be OK.
theflash1932
9 Legend
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16.3K Posts
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March 24th, 2011 15:00
1GB is the minimum for Windows 7 ... it will run, but not great. You can upgrade the RAM at any time. Every time Windows starts up, it checks the system to see how much RAM is available for it, so after upgrading, it will simply see that much. Windows 7 does pretty well at non-intensive use with 2GB.
katydidtoo42
7 Posts
0
March 24th, 2011 15:00
What will happen if I don't upgrade my 1 GB RAM before loading Win7? The Upgrade Advisor seems to accept that amount of RAM - as a minimum. If it has problems (whatever those problems might be) can I do the RAM upgrade after installing Win7
datapod
2 Intern
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371 Posts
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March 24th, 2011 16:00
Technically no. There is no upgrade path from XP to Windows 7.
You can however use an upgrade disc to install Windows 7 by choosing "custom" at the initial install screen. It will save your previous Windows XP installation in one large file called "windows.old" and then do essentially a clean install which means all your data, media, personal files etc will be gone so, you need to back those up first. There is a MS Tutorial http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7
From a strictly technical point of view to use an upgrade disc for Windows 7 is not like previous versions where you could just provide a disc to prove a qualifying previous version. Windows 7 will look for an installed and activated qualifying previous version of Windows installed. (There is a workaround that will allow you to use an upgrade disc to do a "clean" install on an empty disk. A quick Google will find it for you. I don't want to direct you here as it may violate Dells TOS)
Once you've got 7 installed and working to your satisfaction you can get rid of the "windows.o;d" file (which can be quite large) following the instructions @ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/How-do-I-remove-the-Windows-old-folder
At this point if you're going to buy a retail copy of Windows 7 look for one with SP1. It was released to the Web 22-Feb-2011. I don't know if the SP1 discs have hit the retailers yet but, IMO it would be worth waiting for. Doing repair installs etc on a Windows 7 SP1 "patched" computer when all you have is a non-SP1 disc is more problamatic than it was with XP.
HTH
D
stephen bach
1 Message
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May 19th, 2014 07:00