PC OS and Browser Software Upgrade Question

[Terpe]

I'm currently running Windows Vista (yes, I know )
But that's what it came with and so far it's been sort of OK, bit slow and still a littl unstable etc but no too bad.

I'm now considering upgrading my Vista OS to Windows 8 Pro
Also to move from IE9 to IE10

Anybody running these on a non touch-screen laptop?
Any feedback on performance?
Advice, warnings, hints and tips ?

I'm not considering buying a new touchscreen laptop so I'll be using Win 8 pro in 'standard' form.

Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom.

[Pete/London]

I think Microsoft have a program to check your existing system and components, otherwise you may find that your printer, scanner, webcam etc may not be compatible.

[grahamw48]

I'm still running XP on a 2003 PC. (with 4 hard drives and an updated graphics card).

My policy...if it aint broke , don't fix it.

[lordna]

I'm currently running Windows Vista (yes, I know )
But that's what it came with and so far it's been sort of OK, bit slow and still a littl unstable etc but no too bad.

I'm now considering upgrading my Vista OS to Windows 8 Pro
Also to move from IE9 to IE10

Anybody running these on a non touch-screen laptop?
Any feedback on performance?
Advice, warnings, hints and tips ?

I'm not considering buying a new touchscreen laptop so I'll be using Win 8 pro in 'standard' form.

Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom.

Your probably better off sticking with what you have got. Windows 8 is probably still a bit unproven as its not been around long. If anything, move to Windows 7. ...but why go to the expense of a new os.

If your feeling brave try downloading UBUNTU. You could try that on a CD without even installing it, then if you like it, instal it, dual booting with Vista. I dont know what you use on your machine but you may find you can do everything you want on UBUNTU which is entirely free and very Stable.....and no viruses , trojans etc

[Arthur Little]

Why P'COS? ...

... ..."P' COS, P' COS ... I ~ love you!"

Courtesy of 'Dave Clark Five' (circa mid '60s)

[grahamw48]

Your probably better off sticking with what you have got. Windows 8 is probably still a bit unproven as its not been around long. If anything, move to Windows 7. ...but why go to the expense of a new os.

If your feeling brave try downloading UBUNTU. You could try that on a CD without even installing it, then if you like it, instal it, dual booting with Vista. I dont know what you use on your machine but you may find you can do everything you want on UBUNTU which is entirely free and very Stable.....and no viruses , trojans etc

I have Ubuntu installed on one of my hard drives...in case of emergencies.

(Thanks for reminding me of that fact. ).

[imagine]

I recomend that firstly If not already done, upgrade your ram, increase of ram will increase speed and performance,
its easy to do yourself,

you can download a tool from crucial
http://www.crucial.com/uk/index.aspx

this will tell you what ram you have and what you need to upgrade, their ram is compatable, and much cheaper than original, I used on 2 previous computors and pleased with the results,

my old sony lap top I upgraded ram, and was running vista, later I upgraded to windows 7, which gave further improvement, but I found my printer software wasn't compatable on w 7,

I got my windows 7 upgrade at a pre release price offer , I wouldn't have considered upgade at the full price, you have to weigh up if your pc is worth it,as pc spec is soon out of date these days, ram is definatly worth a try,

how far do you go,? although you can upgrade ram, and OS the rest of your computer components will also be out of date, whats next? mother board, hard drive, by the time you finish you could have bought a new computer with all you need

[Terpe]

Thanks to all for the interesting and valuable feedback.

As they say, back to the drawing board

Better do some research on UBUNTU..... all new to me.

I still use XP on a virtual machine, maybe I'll try this UBUNTU on another VM

[raynaputi]

Keith and I are running Windows 8 on both our laptops (not touch screens). So far so good. Been a month since we upgraded. It's faster in my opinion. Also, we just put a freeware app to make it look like Windows 7 (with the Start Menu in desktop), put the widgets back (which is now called gadgets), and we just don't use the tiled startup screen so defaulted it to start on desktop.

[Terpe]

Keith and I are running Windows 8 on both our laptops (not touch screens). So far so good. Been a month since we upgraded. It's faster in my opinion. Also, we just put a freeware app to make it look like Windows 7 (with the Start Menu in desktop), put the widgets back (which is now called gadgets), and we just don't use the tiled startup screen so defaulted it to start on desktop.

Thanks for that Rayna.
I think I'll take a trip to Currys/PC world and spend an hour or so 'playing'.

I'm leaning towards just spending the £50 on Win8 and sticking it on a virtual machine to see what happens and how it performs.
Well if my wife can spend that on a pair of shoes and not wear them from November until now surely I can do the same with computer software

[grahamw48]

I recomend that firstly If not already done, upgrade your ram, increase of ram will increase speed and performance,
its easy to do yourself,

you can download a tool from crucial
http://www.crucial.com/uk/index.aspx

this will tell you what ram you have and what you need to upgrade, their ram is compatable, and much cheaper than original, I used on 2 previous computors and pleased with the results,

my old sony lap top I upgraded ram, and was running vista, later I upgraded to windows 7, which gave further improvement, but I found my printer software wasn't compatable on w 7,

I got my windows 7 upgrade at a pre release price offer , I wouldn't have considered upgade at the full price, you have to weigh up if your pc is worth it,as pc spec is soon out of date these days, ram is definatly worth a try,

how far do you go,? although you can upgrade ram, and OS the rest of your computer components will also be out of date, whats next? mother board, hard drive, by the time you finish you could have bought a new computer with all you need

Stewart, thankyou so much for that link !

I downloaded the scanning programme and printed off the results (as I was wanting to add to my current RAM).

It has told me exactly what I have currently installed, and exactly what size and type of RAM I need, with various upgrade options. So for about 30 quid I can double my RAM memory, AND the PC can handle it.

...Even told me exactly which model my computer is...which I'd forgotten.

Brilliant.

[Terpe]

...My policy...if it aint broke , don't fix it.

Yep, generally that's my motto too.
Thing is though, I've got an ever increasing list of troublesome issues. My e-mail hasn't been working nicely for ages. I tried test different clients but it got worse.
I get lots of 'freezing' and need to Ctrl Alt Del at least 3 - 4 times per week. Apart from that I tend to lose stuff during that shutdown.
The list goes on. If a cheapish upgrade of OS and maybe an increase in RAM can help I'll do it.
I'm not ready to invest in a new laptop just now, the ones I have are not much different from the specs already on offer.

[grahamw48]

Ah, that does sound a bit dodgy.

I presume you've tried the usual free computer 'fixers' ?

There are also a lot of really clever tutorials on youtube now, for errant PCs.

[Terpe]

Ah, that does sound a bit dodgy.

I presume you've tried the usual free computer 'fixers' ?

There are also a lot of really clever tutorials on youtube now, for errant PCs.

Yes, I did a lot of that to understand my e-mail issues.

[Terpe]

I used the "crucial" scan tool and here's what the result said:-

Memory Type: DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 (non-ECC)
Maximum Memory: 4GB
Currently Installed Memory: 3GB
Total Memory Slots: 2
Available Memory Slots: 0

2GB + 1GB

Although the memory can be installed one module at a time, the best performance comes from using matched pairs of modules.

How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running.
32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB.
To utilize more memory, install a 64-bit version of your OS.
More information about OS memory maximums can be found here.

So does that mean I'll get no benefit from added the extra 1GB of ram by changing the slot with 1GB to 2GB?

Sorry for my confusion.

[grahamw48]

I take it you must be using Outlook express...something I haven't done for years (or IE).

I'm wondering if you may have some sort of malware creeping around in there.

Perhaps you could go to the Windows site and download a fresh copy of Outlook, or whichever programme it is that is causing the problems. Don't they also do a free diagnosis of your operating system ?

[grahamw48]

I used the "crucial" scan tool and here's what the result said:-



So does that mean I'll get no benefit from added the extra 1GB of ram by changing the slot with 1GB to 2GB?

Sorry for my confusion.

I would have said so, yes.

Because your current 32bit system won't be able to 'see' any more.

3 Gigs isn't bad.

[Pete/London]

What I did was buy a new hard disk, approx. £70.
Win 7 ..64bit OEM version.£52.
Already running with 4 gig ram

Left the old hard disk in the comp and installed the new OS system on the new hard drive, also installed Bit Defender anti virus, seems to be doing a good job and is quicker then Nortons. Scanner does not work with the new set up though so if I need to I just disconnect the new hard drive, switch the connectors to the old drive and bobs your uncle, for me its the best of both worlds.

[imagine]

I used the "crucial" scan tool and here's what the result said:-



So does that mean I'll get no benefit from added the extra 1GB of ram by changing the slot with 1GB to 2GB?

Sorry for my confusion.

you have 3gb ram now, so at the moment you will utalise under 3gb , if you upgrade to 4gb you will utalise at least 3gb possibly 3.5 gb, no matter how much gb you have it is always less that is utalised, the remainder is used by the system or lost in the system for other reasons i cant remember now,

go to start, then clic computer, then clic system properties , it will show you installed memory ram you have and how much is used,

see here example
ram.PNG

[imagine]

Stewart, thankyou so much for that link !

I downloaded the scanning programme and printed off the results (as I was wanting to add to my current RAM).

It has told me exactly what I have currently installed, and exactly what size and type of RAM I need, with various upgrade options. So for about 30 quid I can double my RAM memory, AND the PC can handle it.

...Even told me exactly which model my computer is...which I'd forgotten.

Brilliant.

welcome

[imagine]

peter , it might be worth running scan disc,

heres how, from start , go to computor, right clic on drive c, then clic properties, then select error checking,select check now, tick both (auto fix errors and bad file sectors) this is the scan disk , it wont let you scan while computor is on, but will give you the option to schedual a scan on next start up, so do that then shut down, restart and scan will run, it runs in black screen, and takes about 1 and a half hours to complete, it may or may not fix the problems you have but is worth a try, it cant do any harm

[Terpe]

peter , it might be worth running scan disc,

heres how, from start , go to computor, right clic on drive c, then clic properties, then select error checking,select check now, tick both (auto fix errors and bad file sectors) this is the scan disk , it wont let you scan while computor is on, but will give you the option to schedual a scan on next start up, so do that then shut down, restart and scan will run, it runs in black screen, and takes about 1 and a half hours to complete, it may or may not fix the problems you have but is worth a try, it cant do any harm

Thank you Stewart, i'll give it a go.

[Terpe]

Here are the system details :-



Here's my latest question, it says than the System Type is 32-bit operating system, but then a bit further down is says
64-bit capable - Yes

So how do I get that 64-bit capability ?
Do I need it ?
Will I be able to increase RAM above 4GB?

What a palarva

[Terpe]

I take it you must be using Outlook express...something I haven't done for years (or IE).

I'm wondering if you may have some sort of malware creeping around in there.

Perhaps you could go to the Windows site and download a fresh copy of Outlook, or whichever programme it is that is causing the problems. Don't they also do a free diagnosis of your operating system ?

Hi Graham, no I'm not using Outlook, I'm using Windows Mail, but I've tried out many different e-mail clients.
The major problem I have is that using BT internet means the mail server is somewhat 'picky' and setting it up to interact with other devices like phone and iPad etc causes me to 'miss' messages on my laptop. So If I pick up a message on my iPad then although it remains on the BT server I can pick it up on my laptop.
It's all to do with settings and capabilities etc. Things like working with IMAP and POP3 seem not very compatible sometimes (not everytime it's seems random)

I was thinking upgrading might help out with that also.

It's all good fun, but taking me time to understand it all.
Those day's when I would just go out and buy a complete whole new system are gone I'm afraid.

[KeithD]

So how do I get that 64-bit capability ?
Do I need it ?
Will I be able to increase RAM above 4GB?

What a palarva

To go to 64-Bit you need the 64-Bit version of Windows, which would mean buying it and doing a fresh install. Unless you need more than 3GB (which is the 32-Bit limit) then don't bother.

[Terpe]

What I did was buy a new hard disk, approx. £70.
Win 7 ..64bit OEM version.£52.
Already running with 4 gig ram

Left the old hard disk in the comp and installed the new OS system on the new hard drive, also installed Bit Defender anti virus, seems to be doing a good job and is quicker then Nortons. Scanner does not work with the new set up though so if I need to I just disconnect the new hard drive, switch the connectors to the old drive and bobs your uncle, for me its the best of both worlds.

Would that be better than installing in my Virtual Machine?
How do you get the OS on the external hard drive to come into operation? Is the speed OK?

Sorry for so many questions, I've got a steep learning curve to climb.
My best learning mode is to actually do it then I have a much better understanding.

[KeithD]

I avoided Windows 8 for a year but installed it last month. My system now flies along at light speed and hasn't had a single crash.

W8 code was rewritten and it now works on any computer regardless of age but I would recommended 2GB memory. minimum.

I don't use the tile part of it though, I installed the hack to boot to Desktop and put the Start menu back .... then installed the Gadget hack to put them back, so it now runs like a faster version of W7 .... The tiles are still available for when I can be bothered playing with them.

I'm not sure if MS are still making upgrades available for £25, but I'm sure you can get cheap copies.

If your system is running slow, it's worth upgrading, make sure you get 64-Bit if your PC can do that.

[Terpe]

To go to 64-Bit you need the 64-Bit version of Windows, which would mean buying it and doing a fresh install. Unless you need more than 3GB (which is the 32-Bit limit) then don't bother.

OK thanks for that
So IF i get Win8 I should get the 64-bit version then?

Would using a 64-bit OS impact correct functioning of any of my existing software?

[KeithD]

Would using a 64-bit OS impact correct functioning of any of my existing software?

If you install 32-Bit on 64-bit W8 it puts it in a 32-Bit directory and runs it at that

[Terpe]

If you install 32-Bit on 64-bit W8 it puts it in a 32-Bit directory and runs it at that

Thanks for the info Keith, much appreciated.

If you have some time could you take a look at the data in my post#23 and give an opinion if you see any issues with :-

a) Upgrade to Win8 64-bit
b) Upgrade to 4GB RAM
c) Moving to IE10

Cheers