Can I upgrade this XP PC to Windows 8.1?

deandean

Six years old, running perfectly, it'd be a shame to chuck it out. I can't find an answer to this on the Windows support site. Here are the 'specs of my PC, will it take an 'upgrade' to Win 8.1?:
Dell Dimension 8200 tower
Intel Core 2 Quad CPU 2.4GHz
2.39GHz 3GB of RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS
Loads of HDD space
No XP-specific hardware here (printer, scanner etc).


Thanks,
dean

yoyo

Yep, a C2Q and 3GB RAM should run Windows 8.1 very decently, bonus having the dedicated video card as well . If that's the Q6600 CPU I still have a machine running this chip, it's still a very good CPU

Nick

ZENER

Yeah the Q6600 is a pretty decent CPU ! I have one running a Virtual Server with Windows 8 clients and Server 2008.
Should easily manage Windows 8 on its own.

It also supports VT-x so running VirtualBox and having virtual machines should be a snip !!

Well worth your while maxing out the RAM, having dissimilar modules will reduce the performance so have a look here to get the best options for your machine.

Ken

PropJoe10

You'd be silly to chuck that out, thats a fine machine. Windows 8.1 actually runs smoother than Windows 7 on any machine I've tried it on. Upgrade assistants here if you want to run them:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ie/windows-8/upgrade-assistant-download-online-faq

The video card might be an issue though, because Nvidia discontinued driver support for the GeForce 6 and GeForce 7 in Windows 8.1. The only driver they have is 307.74 which is for Windows 8, but it should probably still work.

vibe666

PropJoe10 wrote: »

You'd be silly to chuck that out, thats a fine machine. Windows 8.1 actually runs smoother than Windows 7 on any machine I've tried it on. Upgrade assistants here if you want to run them:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ie/windows-8/upgrade-assistant-download-online-faq

ditto to this, even on lower spec machines like atoms etc. win8 is definitely the way to go.

Big Nelly

Sorry to jump onto thread but no point starting new one, was wondering will this spec run Win 8 or should I look at 7?

AMD 64x2 3800 (1.99GHZ x 2) 2GHZ Dual Core, 2GB Ram, 512MB GeForce GFX card, and an 80GB HDD

yoyo

Big Nelly wrote: »

Sorry to jump onto thread but no point starting new one, was wondering will this spec run Win 8 or should I look at 7?

AMD 64x2 3800 (1.99GHZ x 2) 2GHZ Dual Core, 2GB Ram, 512MB GeForce GFX card, and an 80GB HDD

Throw more RAM in it if possible. Go for whichever is cheaper for you, 7 or 8 would be fine. Run the Windows Upgrade
Assistant which will tell you if your system supports Windows 8/8.1

Nick

Jim Martin

I've got a Dell Dimension3100C says I can't upgrade to Windows8 but Microsoft Support say I can purchase 'Reimage Repair' for £41.95 which will keep it safe - anyone know if it's any good?

PropJoe10

Jim Martin wrote: »

I've got a Dell Dimension3100C says I can't upgrade to Windows8 but Microsoft Support say I can purchase 'Reimage Repair' for £41.95 which will keep it safe - anyone know if it's any good?

I wouldnt recommend that. From what I can see, thats only for improving a PC's performance. It wont help you keep Windows XP safe.

Capt'n Midnight

Jim Martin wrote: »

I've got a Dell Dimension3100C says I can't upgrade to Windows8 but Microsoft Support say I can purchase 'Reimage Repair' for £41.95 which will keep it safe - anyone know if it's any good?

You can still buy corporate support for XP

Contracts start at $100,000 :eek: and you can only get one if you can show them you already have a migration path away from XP in place.



Did you run the upgrade assistant thingy http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8 ?


It's possible you just need more RAM, more free space and a new (or secondhand) video card , but without knowing your spec that's just guessing

unkel

My main PC is just over 6 years old with the C2Q6600 - it runs W8.1 pro x64 and it is pretty fast with an SSD and completely silent with no moving parts (as long as the DVD doesn't spin up)

In fact it's so good that I can't bring myself to upgrading it

Windows 8 (and 8.1) use less resources, less memory and less hard disk than Windows 7. Upgrade. You will not be disappointed!

deandean

unkel wrote: »

My main PC is just over 6 years old with the C2Q6600 - it runs W8.1 pro x64 and it is pretty fast with an SSD and completely silent with no moving parts (as long as the DVD doesn't spin up)

In fact it's so good that I can't bring myself to upgrading it

Windows 8 (and 8.1) use less resources, less memory and less hard disk than Windows 7. Upgrade. You will not be disappointed!

Excellent! Thanks unkel. I also am looking at a SSD for the OS.

noodler

The assistant seems to be of very limited help.

It goes through various applications but I can't seem to get a straight answer out of it.

Is Windows a8 and 8.1 the same thing?

As far as I can see from system requirements, my Laptop's lack of graphics card is the main issue.


I guess I am goin to make the jump anyway, does anyone know which version of Windows 8 I should get (assuming my Laptop will be fairly barebones)? A little baffled by the choices on Amazon, pro, 32 bit, 64 bit etc etc



EDIT: What about this upgrade version?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-3ZR-00005-Windows-Upgrade-Version/dp/B00AHQUUT8/ref=sr_1_7?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1398117034&sr=1-7&keywords=windows+8

snaps

Karsini wrote: »

The video card might be an issue though, because Nvidia discontinued driver support for the GeForce 6 and GeForce 7 in Windows 8.1. The only driver they have is 307.74 which is for Windows 8, but it should probably still work.

I got a win 7 driver that worked well on win 7 & 8. With a geforce go 6100 card. Search the card on boards and you will find the link.

Heres the link:
http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056830048/1/#post82195278

Well yes, it will probably work, but it's not officially supported on Windows 8.1. If you do have any issues, you'd be stuck with them. Certainly worth a try though.