What OS should I install on this older Laptop?

A

amodoko

Member
Hi, I'm sure this question gets asked a lot but I just wanted to double check with someone specifically about the OS I should install on an older laptop.

Here are my laptop's specs:
Dell Vostro 1500
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHZ processor
2GB RAM
160 GB HD

The OS choices I have available since I already own them are Windows XP SP2, Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit, and Windows 8.1 64 bit.

I just want to use the OS that will fun the fastest on my laptop. I will mostly be using this laptop for watching movies, watching videos on youtube, word processing, etc. I won't be using it for gaming but still want the laptop to be able to surf well.

I normally would just assume I should install XP but I've heard sompe people mention that Windows 7 actually ran faster on older computers when compared to XP, but I just don't know if that's true.

Thanks in advance!
 
Yes, the more modern (except for Vista) the faster it will be on slower hardware.

Windows 8.1 64 bit is the best option and will run the fastest.

It will check for compatibility when you install.
 
Are you sure??? I meet the minimum requirements for Windows 8.1 but assumed since I was meeting just the minimum in some areas (like RAM) it would cause my laptop to run slower than it would on XP.
 
after looking at your specs i would say win8 is not a good fit for this laptop.windows 7 or linux is going to be your best bet.you are limited by ram and processor speed to say the least.with older hardware ive found win7 is as good as anything and probably will have at least all the generic drivers for your machine.
 
If you need Windows, I would agree with Okedokey. If linux would be ok I would either use Mint 17 to have a familiar interface or Xubuntu/Lubuntu for a lighter weight OS.
 
Yes, I am planning on only using Windows so it would have to be between those 3 options (Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8.1 64 bit, and Win XP SP2). It seems that most here feel out of the Windows choices that Windows 8.1 would be the fastest, while some are saying Windows 7 will be the fastest. I'm still surprised that Windows 8.1 is even a legitimate option for this laptop. I would have guessed that most would have recommended XP due to how old the laptop is. Won't most people with an older laptop like mine run into driver issues with Windows 8.1?
 
The only problem I see is if you will be able to find the correct drivers for old hardware. XP is outdated and unsupported, I wouldn't even think about installing that. So your options would be 7 or 8. You would be limited with the amount of ram you have though as far as performance.
 
Windows 8.1 is by far the most resource efficient out of all the OSs discussed. He already owns it and therefore its a non-issue. The compatiablity of hardware is tested during installation phase.
 
Okay, I guess I'll try windows 8.1 64-bit then and see how it goes since it is the newest OS I have available to me and you guys think it will be okay.

And john mentioned that XP is unsupported. Why does that matter for running basic tasks such as surfing the internet, word processing, etc? I'm just curious since I have XP on another older laptop and haven't run into any issues despite it not being supported anymore.
 
Usually with drivers, you can download the correct 32 bit or 64 bit of VIsta/7 or XP and extract them to a folder on your desktop and then point the driver update from Device Manager to that folder and it will work... Its very rare for things not to work.

The fact that you have intel based chipsets etc, just go here and make sure you install this straight after Windows install and then go here after a restart and check everything else is updated.

This is your driver for your wireless, which works with Vista, so it should work with 8.1 http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/04/DriverDetails?driverId=R209077

Just don't activate Windows until everything in Device Manager is working and you're completely updated via Windows Update.
 
Last edited:
amodoko said:
Okay, I guess I'll try windows 8.1 64-bit then and see how it goes since it is the newest OS I have available to me and you guys think it will be okay.

And john mentioned that XP is unsupported. Why does that matter for running basic tasks such as surfing the internet, word processing, etc? I'm just curious since I have XP on another older laptop and haven't run into any issues despite it not being supported anymore.
Click to expand...

Because XP is basically a security risk now with it not being updated. XP still has the highest share in the world as far as computer users. Now that XP is unsupported, malware makers will start hitting XP machines pretty hard to steal information and cause havoc.
 
Okay, I'm convinced then about 8.1:) I've never done anything software-wise with chipsets. Why do I have to do that stuff with the chipsets as mentioned by okedokey? Sorry, I just know the basics about computers (reformatting, basic hardware changes, etc).
 
If you can install all 3 of them then the best way to find out which one works the fastest on your PC is to try all 3 of them and then decide yourself.

I am still using XP and I tried it on 15 years old PCs all the way to a not even 6 months old PCs and it just runs fast as hell.
Then I tried Windows 7 and 8.1 on them and they also run super great.

So it all depends on your knowledge of updating,configuring and properly using it.
If you are doing a lot of crap on your PC and don't know how to do things properly in the right order then EVERY Windows will start to slow down.
My dad's laptop AND desktop PC for example has Windows 7 and guess what...it is so screwed up that even WMP crashes as soon as it starts lol...

As for XP people will tend to say that it starts working slow over time,but that's not true.I have installed XP on my PC in 2004. and TODAY in 2014. it still runs the same just like I installed it yesterday.

So there you go.All 3 of them are good if you know how to do things right.
Hell I even managed to get Vista run very fast on a 15 years old PC.

As for XP not being supported by Microsoft anymore...well...who the hell cares.As long as you are careful what you are doing,nothing bad can happen.If somebody really wants to hack you then they will manage to do it even if you have Windows 8.1.
I can destroy any Windows 8.1 PC in no time by using a small application I can make in a programming language so there you go...so much about protection. :D

If you are not gonna play any games and just run basic stuff then all 3 choices you have will be good.
Most of the people usually recommend the newest.Just remember that newest does not always has to be the best.

You decide.If you can try all 3 of them and then you will see which one you like the most considering the speed. :good:




Cheers!
 
as okedokey said,you already own win8 so install away.xp is now just a target for malware and hackers.would you feel comfortable running win98? its time to move away from xp.
 
amodoko said:
Okay, I'm convinced then about 8.1:) I've never done anything software-wise with chipsets. Why do I have to do that stuff with the chipsets as mentioned by okedokey? Sorry, I just know the basics about computers (reformatting, basic hardware changes, etc).
Click to expand...

It is just a driver the same as any other. When you install a driver for your graphics card, it tell the OS how to speak with the graphics card properly. A driver for the chipset, same thing
 
Thanks guys, yep I'm going to install windows 8.1 like most said. As far as the chipset driver, I will do that too.

Just curious, if I didn't install a driver for the chipset the laptop would probably run fine without issues anyways... correct? The installation of the chipset driver is to just to minimize the chances of having an issue... correct? Just wondering, because in the past I almost never installed chipset drivers when reformatting any computer. I did it once when one of my laptops was having some issues, and so I did install the chipset driver on that laptop, along with other things, to ensure the laptop wouldn't bug out (don't remember the exact symptoms but it ended up working).
 
If any were OEM computers then the factory restore would install the chipset drivers. It's always best to install them and should be done before any other driver is installed.
 
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