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20Gb hard disk any use for running Windows XP and MS Word, Excel on Acer Aspire?

  • 27-11-2010 10:28pm
    #1
    eamonn4321
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84 ✭✭


    My Acer Aspire 5602WLMi is not booting, due to it being dropped, and the hard disk getting damaged. Data is recoverable from most of it, and anyway I have backups which is lucky.

    Now, to get it back up and running.

    I have an old IDE HDD, but its only 20GB.

    Am thinking of installing Windows XP, plus Word and Excel, on it and using my wife's laptop for all the photos and vids etc which take up so much space.

    I don't really want to spend money on a new HDD, as the Acer has a couple of other probs, eg broken webcam, so it would just be used for web browsing and a bit of Word and Excel.

    So, my question is: Can I comfortably install and run XP, Word and Excel, with maybe 1 or 2 GB for data left over, on a 20GB hard disk?

    If not, where would you recommend for buying a new or reconditoned 80GB IDE hard disk please?

    Hope you can advise me please.


Comments

  • #2
    bstack10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭bstack10


    Windows XP takes about 4-5GB to install so you will have plenty space


  • #3
    Skerries
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,708 ✭✭✭✭Skerries


    thats just to install it but there will be updates and drivers on top of that, as well as apps such as Firefox, Adobe Reader, Flash and Java
    just checked my windows folder and it is 8.4gbs and with everything else it would around the 10gb size
    Untitled Image




  • #4
    eamonn4321
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84 ✭✭eamonn4321


    Thanks for those replies. Can't decide now whether to do that or cough up for an 80 GB HDD :-) Good to have the option of the 20GB anyway.


  • #5
    B00MSTICK
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭B00MSTICK


    Have a look on adverts for a used IDE one, I'd imagine an 80gb one would be around the 30-40 quid mark.

    Personally, I reckon you try the 20gig option first and see how you do.


  • #6
    5uspect
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    You could use nlite to install a stripped down version of XP using very little space.
    For example:
    http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/blog/20080128280/install-a-lightweight-version-of-windows-xp-on-the-asus-eee-pc-using-nlite

    Dare I say it but you could install something like Puppy Linux and open office/libreoffice with a very small foot print.


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  • #7
    eamonn4321
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84 ✭✭eamonn4321


    Thanks for the advice, guys, in the end I chickened out of the challenge, ended up on ebay, got 160Gb job for 43 GBP so happy enough with that.

    Now to find my windows XP disks and get the think working again.


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