Questions about upgrading from Windows 8.1 to 10 [Aspire T180]

DKBurroughs
DKBurroughs Member Posts: 5 New User

Hello

I am currently running Windows 8.1 Pro on my Acer T180. Working just fine, but did sign up for the free Windows 10 upgrade. Received my notice for the next step to download, but there was a message that the integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 GPU is incompatible to complete the download and install of Windows 10. Now as I understand it the Nvidia issue affected all video cards [add-ons and integrated] because of the Direct X 12 issue. From what I have read in other forums, I should be able to disable the integrated video card and install an acceptable add-on card and of course upgrade the OEM PSU to at least a 300 watt unit. Is this, in fact, an accurate assessment of a doable upgrade?

I had contacted Nvidia and I was told in their reply that I could not upgrade to Windows 10 as my motherboard would not be able to accept the upgrade. I took this to mean that they wanted me to buy one of their systems because the Windows 10 advisor should tell a user that their MB was incompatible, no?

 

Current Specs of Computer below:

NVIDIA System Information report created on:

08/06/2015 08:34:51

System name:

FCINTER

Operating System:

Windows 8.1 Pro, 32-bit

DirectX version:               

11.0

GPU processor:

GeForce 6150SE nForce 430

Driver version:

309.08

DirectX support:

9.0c

Core clock:

425 MHz

Memory data rate:

1332 MHz

Memory interface:

32-bit

Total available graphics memory:

1663 MB

Dedicated video memory:

256 MB DDR1

System video memory:

0 MB

Shared system memory:

1407 MB

Video BIOS version:

5.61.32.25.04

IRQ:

22

Bus:

FPCI

Answers

  • techy
    techy Member Posts: 56 Troubleshooter

    windows 10 advisor was designed to look at processor speed and amount of ram on board as well programs you have installed, of which really your system may be able to perform windows 10 functions but not as fast as what windows 8,1 is doing for you, what nvidia probably was saying to you was there is no chipset driver for windows 10 for your motherboard, windows 7 or 8 driver may work but there is no gaurantee of that, as for upgrading the power supply to a 300 watt, you are still limited on graphics card available as most need 350 to 400 watts, then there is the cost of the graphics card to add on, plus how much ram you have, windows 10 will run on 1 gig but you do not have all the features available to you, effectively 4 gig would be the minimum, if your happy with your 8.1 pro then I would stay with that, if you want windows 10 then i would seriously consider a new computer to get around your limitations you are posed with now.

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    Blaming the video driver is a common Windows 10 fail. Same thing happened with the Intel GMA in a z2760 (W3 & W510).

     

    The secret seems to be to go into Windows update and install every important and optional update that has "Windows" in the title. (From a base 8.1 install that is about 230 updates and 2GB of downloads).

     

    Then use the Windows 10 installer tool. If it fails, check for updates and try again (on one machine it took three tries of about 4 hours each to take).

     

    Finally check Device Manager for any device drivers that failed or have a yellow "i". I have to roll back some drivers to earier versions to work properly.

     

    Good luck,

  • jaltongallo
    jaltongallo Member Posts: 4 New User

    I have Emachines ET1331G that came with Wind 7 home prem.

     

    I upgraded to Windows 8 pro then to 8.1 pro and then to wind 10 pro.

     

    Microsoft changed the graphic drivers to a standard setting, using their drivers.

     

    The graphics were awful.

     

    I had a lot of problems with the November 2015 update of windows 10 

     

    I ended up buying a new desktop, because I had to reformat.

     I am on the Emachines now running 8.1 pro. 

     

    DO NOT INSTALL WINDOWS 10.........CAUTION

     

    The Emachines was cheap at the time and served its purpose.

     

    The Emachines is not worth upgrading ram or processor or graphics, these three  would be over $300.

     

    $600 can get a new Dell or HP, 12MB ram with a 6 core AMD FX at 3.4Ghz and 2 TB

  • jaltongallo
    jaltongallo Member Posts: 4 New User

    Yes, the computer that I bought for $349.99 at Best Buy

     

    HP Pravilion 550-a114

    AMD 4 core 2.0Ghz

    8 GB ram

    2 TB HD

    Wind 10 

    DVI/VGA

    R5 AMD Graphics