Windows 7 Any Way To Get Win 7 Legally W/O Paying An Arm & A Leg?

[aussie1023expat1]

Hello Everyone,

I have a laptop with Vista that's been around for quite a while that could be a good choice for taking overseas on a trip -- I won't lose sleep if it gets stolen, lost, or broken. Problem is, it's pretty slow.

I also have a good laptop with Win 7 Pro installed. I like it very much, but I definitely don't want to take it on the trip! Somehow it seems I may have to pay a lot to buy a legal copy and install it on the older laptop. Also, knowing the hardware restrictions on the old laptop I can't be sure if Win 7 will make nice difference.

Can someone please be so kind as to suggest any options, e.g., about Win 7 deals, or perhaps ways to juice up my old laptop?

Any replies will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance

 

[Neemobeer]

I'd start by reloading Vista on the laptop. if it's still slow it likely needs to be cleaned, has a hardware problem or it's simply the hardware is pretty low end. Installing Windows 7 wouldn't likely help in most cases. There are a lot of sites that will sell you license keys, but the really cheap ones are questionable at best. Plus Windows 7 is only going to be supported until 2020.


Alternate option
Download and install a Linux distro such as Linux Mint. Easy to use and it's free and it will work on older hardware without any issues.

 

[aussie1023expat1]

Neemobeer,

Many thanks for your prompt reply and your advice. It is much appreciated.

My Vista version is OEM. I do not know if I was given the original Install disc. If so, I'm not sure if I can find it, and therefore I do not know if I can do a reload. I can certainly try to clean the laptop. The reason I mentioned Win 7 is because I am very pleased with my experience on my other laptop, and I have read that Win 7 runs faster and more efficiently than Vista. I really don't mind having Win 7 for 2 more years (until 2020), and then maybe choosing something else, but of course there's the question of the cost for another Win 7 copy.

I do think the hardware is low-end. I am running a Compaq Presario CQ60-210US laptop, AMD Athlon Dual Core QL-62 Processor at 2 GHZ, with 4 GB RAM. I have Vista Home Premium; I guess that the machine and the Win 7 version are both 32-Bit based (sorry if I'm saying something obvious).

It's interesting that you mention Linux. I don't mind giving it a shot. Per your opinion, could Linux Mint -- once installed on the older machine -- run faster and more efficiently than the current Vista setup that I have now?

Again, many thanks. I very eager to get your feedback.

 

[Neemobeer]

Yes Linux Mint would require less resources to run than Vista