Clean install Acer Aspire 5315 with WinXP or Win7 32bit ?

bawldiggle

I have an Acer Aspire 5315 currently loaded with WinXP sp3 -- purchased 2007

 

PC originally came with Vista.  Took 20 minutes to open Windows Explorer on very first boot.

Added extra RAM (now 2gig RAM) -- clean installed WinXP sp3.

 

Acer is now very unstable and needs a clean install.

Q:  Will the old Acer Aspir 5315 carry Win7 (32bit)  or should I stay with WinXP ?

 

HolyDriver

Windows XP loses performance over time - after anywhere from 6 months to a year of use, a reinstallation is needed to get the system back in shape.  Since it sounds like this is the case, there's no harm in trying 7 and seeing how it works for you. 

 

I experienced the same thing that you did with an Acer netbook - Vista had terrible performance, but XP was significantly better.  I tested 7 and found that it wasn't really any better than XP in terms of system performance, but it offered compatibility with newer software, as well as being a more secure OS.

 

You can find some of your drivers here.  There aren't many to download for 7, which suggests that many components may have their drivers automatically installed.  It is a VERY good idea to make a list of what devices you currently have installed, though, incase you need to track down drivers after you install 7 - you may need to contact the manufacturers of the individual components to get drivers.  Also, Vista and 7 are similar enough that many times, drivers can be shared between them, so you may be able to use Vista drivers that Acer offers if you can't find anything else.

 

My suggestion would be do some research, find the best drivers you can for as many of your system devices, install 7, then test the drivers to see what works and what doesn't.  Once you have the whole thing straightened out, you may want to reinstall windows and install only the proper drivers, since un/reinstalling a bunch of drivers can effect system performance.

bawldiggle

Thank you "HolyDriver" for your response.

 

I have never installed an OS in my life, have always given it to a PC-guru ($$)

I would like to learn how to do it my self.

Fortunately we have a second laptop ...

If giving the Acer a heart transplant falls over I can come back here to grovel for help.

 

I agree with you about the instability of Windows (on the Acer) - I have two other work PCs with WinXP but they are standalone (no web access ever) and have been very stable since 2003 and 2008 respectively.

BUT the Acer has always been dodgy -- unstable.  Last clean install by the paid guru was about 3 years ago

 

Sounds like from your comments, Win7 is more stable than WinXP or is it tha Win7 is more "secure" ?

I am concerned that with Win7 is more bloaty than Vista and I end up with poor Vista-like performance

 

I do appreciate your advice and thank you for your input

HolyDriver

Win7 does take up more disk space and system resources than XP does by a long shot, but it actually performs very well due to how it manages your system resources - though it is actually very similar to Vista in appearance and use, the performance is much better.

 

As for the mention of security, there are a lot of security holes in Xp that really just are not getting addressed and never will due to the fact that it is now 3 generations old.  Win7, however, is still receiving active support to deal with any threats.  That's not to say that you don't still need something like an antivirus, but the built-in firewall and other security features do help.

 

PS: if you need a low-resource antivirus, look into Microsoft Security Essentials.