[Pbman]

Today I took advantage of a nice sale at Staples for a Compaq laptop with Win 7. After rebates and trade in or a old Dell, end cost was $304. Also if you prove that you have a Vista machine you can buy a copy for $49 .

I grabbed the copy of win 7 premiun but I'm thinking of installing on my machine that has XP home, not the Vista laptop . I know I'm in for a complete wipe out and install. I ran the Windows 7 advisor. Here are the results-

1) Custom installation required- You'll need to perform a custom installation of 32-bit Windows 7 and then reinstall your programs. Make sure to back up your files before you begin.

2)Windows Aero support- Your current graphics adapter won't support the Windows Aero user interface. If you want to experience the benefits of Windows Aero, contact your PC manufacturer or retailer to see if an upgrade is available.

3)Outlook Express This program is no longer included in Windows 7. CPU speed: 2.8 GHz Your CPU meets the 1 GHz minimum requirement.

4) 3.0 GB of RAM Your PC meets the 1 GB minimum requirement.

5) 214.8 GB free space available on C: Your hard disk meets the minimum requirement of 16 GB free space for 32-bit Windows 7.

For the most part I'm close to being compatible, I'm slightly concerned with the Aero comment

Any comments?, Thanks

[fairnooks]

If its a desktop system, its usually a pretty easy task (unless its a really cheapo system that doesn't have a graphics expansion slot) to get a graphics card that will support aero.

If its another laptop...darn near impossible.

[Pbman]

Do I have to have the card first before I install or can I still install win 7 then go buy one

[fairnooks]

You can get one later, a new card will have its own drivers to work with 7 and it will recognize the new graphic capabilities on a restart after installation and you'll get aero.

[Pbman]

Thanks!!