Can i upgrade my Acer Aspire X3812 pc to WIndows 10?

Chelmo
Chelmo Member Posts: 2 New User
edited March 1 in 2020 Archives
I have an older Acer Aspire desktop, model X3912 with Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 as the OS and would have asked Acer support this question, but the website won't recognise my serial number after entering it, so I can't proceed with sending an email. The pc has a CPU as Intel Pentium E5400@2.70GHz, RAM 3.00 GB Dual-channel DDR2 @399MhZ, graphics Acer AL1916 (1280x1024 @ 60 GhZ) and Intel G45/G43 Express Chipset, and i'm using a USB external hard drive of 1TB for backups.

My interest really relates to my online banking, with my bank saying they may not accept any lossses following a case of fraudluent activity if I haven't taken all necessary security measures to safeguard my pc - and that includes not having Windows 10, because 7 is no longer supported. So, i need to know whether i can upgrade without problems and spending much time and effort on it by using my system as it is, or whether i need to upgrade anything first or otherwise replace the pc with Windows 10 already installed. For example, my pc audio has Realtek sound drivers and I know some Acer users have had Windows 10 installation issues because MS halts the installation, saying Bluetooth drivers for Realtek need updating first and seemingly detecting the audio as a problem (my pc was never bluetooth enabled when purchased).

So can anyone shed any light on my query or suggest an actual email address for Acer support so I can ask them direct?

Thanks

Answers

  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    I have a self build PC in 2007, with Core 2 Duo E6850 @3.0 GHz, 2GB RAM, DDR2 @800MHz. I had Windows 10 both 32-bit and 64-bit versions installed on separate SSDs. Had been working fine (not overloading the memory with many tabs in the browser or opening multiple programs) until recently I had it retired, because I bought another new PC. Since you may have to pay $100 or so to buy the Windows 10, it may be a good idea to buy a real decent refurbished PC for $100-$300, and you do not need to buy Windows 10 separately. I almost bought a $150 refurbished PC from Newegg a couple weeks ago, the deal was so great but finally decided not to buy, since I got so many working PCs already. Current refurbished PCs will have performance unmatched by your old PC. It's your choice!
  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 9,696 Trailblazer
    edited July 2020
    Chelmo said:
    I have an older Acer Aspire desktop, model X3912 with Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 as the OS and would have asked Acer support this question, but the website won't recognise my serial number after entering it, so I can't proceed with sending an email. The pc has a CPU as Intel Pentium E5400@2.70GHz, RAM 3.00 GB Dual-channel DDR2 @399MhZ, graphics Acer AL1916 (1280x1024 @ 60 GhZ) and Intel G45/G43 Express Chipset, and i'm using a USB external hard drive of 1TB for backups.

    My interest really relates to my online banking, with my bank saying they may not accept any lossses following a case of fraudluent activity if I haven't taken all necessary security measures to safeguard my pc - and that includes not having Windows 10, because 7 is no longer supported. So, i need to know whether i can upgrade without problems and spending much time and effort on it by using my system as it is, or whether i need to upgrade anything first or otherwise replace the pc with Windows 10 already installed. For example, my pc audio has Realtek sound drivers and I know some Acer users have had Windows 10 installation issues because MS halts the installation, saying Bluetooth drivers for Realtek need updating first and seemingly detecting the audio as a problem (my pc was never bluetooth enabled when purchased).

    So can anyone shed any light on my query or suggest an actual email address for Acer support so I can ask them direct?

    Thanks

    As “ttttt” is saying, it would be much better for you to get a refurbished ad a newer PC with Win-10 than to upgrade and/or do anything with your existing X3912 PC. You could try to upgrade your win-7 to win -10 and use the win-7 key and see if it would upgrade and register, as allot of people still can do that and it does upgrade with that key.

    Note: makeure that you backupall your needed files before trying toupdate win-7 towin-10! Use aprogramlike Macrium Reflect v7 and do a WIN-PE type usb for recovery, see guide here: 


  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Make sure if you download to try and install W10, to get the 32bit version. With your system you get no advantage to 64bit without more than 4GB of memory. Your system uses DDRII-800 memory, and that can be a bit problematic to buy these days...
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    I just do not know whether people can still get free upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10. I thought Microsoft had the free upgrade for limited time only. If I were Chelmo I'll definitely get a DDR3 or DDR4 generation PC.The DDR2  PC that I have works fine but doesn't  mean it works fast. Just think about the time saved every year using a higher performance PC is well worth it. 
  • Chelmo
    Chelmo Member Posts: 2 New User
    Hi all, thanks for the comments. Sorry for the delay in replying, haven't been able to log in as I kept getting the 'communications error' message no matter how many time i tried.

    I understand MS haven't formally withdrawn the Windows 10 upgrade offer and that you can use your Windows 7 key code if prompted. Anyway, I figured it may be worth a shot but didn't want to waste too much time trying if there were likely to be download issues - so hence my question. 

    The points about looking at a replacement pc with Windows 10 pre-installed are sensible and i'll look into that, but am still tempted to give the upgrade a try and perhaps add extra memory afterwards (DDRII-800 memory is available from Crucial.com at reasonable price in the UK)
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Keep us informed as you move through the process... It's always fun to see these oldsters get back in the groove. :)
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.