What kind of Windows 7 will work with my computer?

[Darth Menace]

Hello, I am wanting to upgrade to windows 7, but I have no idea what version I need.

I know there is the version of 7 that goes over the existing vista, and there is the version that completely formats your computer. I dont know which I need.

Also, toshiba does not make drivers for my computer for windows 7 (only XP and Vista) so does windows 7 use the vista drivers or am I out of luck?

My current o/s is: WIndows Vista Home Premium, 64-bit operating system

My computer is: Toshiba Satellite L300 Model: PSLB0C-07N08C (I know it's not top of the line, but works for what I use it for so please don't bash it)

I ran the windows 7 ugrade advisor, and it said the following:

System Details:
-Upgrade options available You can upgrade to 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate.
-20 GB free hard disk space required You need at least 20 GB of free space on your hard disk to install 64-bit Windows 7. Either make room by removing unwanted files from your hard disk, or contact your PC manufacturer or retailer to see if a hard disk with more capacity is available for your PC.
-Windows Mail and Parental Controls (Web Filtering) These features are no longer included in Windows 7. You can get similar programs for Windows 7 from other software manufacturers.
-More info from TOSHIBA TOSHIBA has a website that might give you more information about getting Windows 7 running on your PC.
Visit the TOSHIBA website
-Windows Aero support Your graphics adapter supports the Windows Aero user interface.
-CPU speed: 1.9 GHz Your CPU meets the 1 GHz minimum requirement.
-2.0 GB of RAM Your PC meets the 2 GB minimum requirement.

I see everything will work fine except I need more HD space which is ok cause i can delete some movies. It doesnt tell me what versions I would need though

thanks in advance,
Dennis

 

[User0one]

Any version will work, the upgrade version you can do a Clean install if you want, and it is a bit less expensive the the Full version.

 

[AdmnPower]

In order to do an upgrade which is what it sounds like you want to do so you don't lose any of your data or programs you'll need to purchase windows 7 home premium 64 bit. If you use a different version you will likely encounter problems during the upgrade and might have to perform a clean install which will mean you'll have to reinstall all of your programs and junk. Since you already have a 64bit os and 64 bit drivers for windows vista you should be ok as far as that goes. A lot of times I've seen 64 bit operating systems be a little more pick when it comes to driver support. A lot of times you can force 7 32bit to use a driver it wasn't designed to use while 64 bit 7 will turn up it's nose and completely refuse no matter what you do. The update advisor will typically warn you about any hardware incompatibility you may encounter so it looks like you're all set.

 

[Darth Menace]

thanks for the help guys. I did a clean install for ultimate 64 bit. The windows saved all my old stuff in a windows.old file, but i deleted them and re-installed the programs fresh. My onbly criticism is the driver on my dvd used to disappear and i had to delete/reinstall it with vista. I thought windows 7 would solve my problem there, but my dvd drive still disappears, etc. otherwise it is a nicer o/s