Upgrading computers

[dravnx]

I have a couple of desk tops in my office that are running Windows 7. I want to upgrade to Windows 10. The specs
i5-4460
CPU 3.2 GHz
RAM 4.0
64 Bit
SSD 500G
These are just general office machines for accounting and office stuff. No heavy duty graphics or gaming.
Will I regret upgrading or should I replace?

 

[mikev]

You're gonna want to add more RAM. 16GB at least.

Besides that they should be fine for office work.

 

[dravnx]

My graphics card is an Intel 4600
Will that be OK?

 

[mikev]

If you're not planning on driving something crazy like multiple 34 inch monitors, its fine.

 

[dravnx]

Awesome, any other gotchas to look for?

 

[mikev]

From a technical standpoint "upgrade" is a bad way to go.

Much better off backing up / coping data that is needed and doing a clean install of Win10 instead of upgrading 7 to 10.

There are also certain super old programs that don't run properly on 10. I'd recommend testing if you happen to have one off stuff that runs beyond the basic office type applications or web stuff.

 

[cheez]

I'd like to give some helpful advice but @mikev has a corner on the market.

Add as much RAM as you can manage, and maybe either a second 500GB or replacement 1TB SSD as 500GB isn't much these days.

Definitely agree with the advice to wipe/install rather than upgrade. If nothing else get a backup 500GB external drive, clone the original drive to it, and then you can restore that clone if the Win10 experiment fails or breaks too many things for you.

 

[dravnx]

The amount of time it would take to reload all the software, set everything up, reload passwords........ is daunting to me. I'll clone the drives and give it a whirl.

 

[DannoXYZ]

I've done 7->10 "upgrade" at least 20-times. It never, ever turned out well. Ended up with app-corruptions since many of them needed to be upgraded to Win-10 compatible versions. Same with drivers for printers and all devices as well. Luckily, I always made image-backup beforehand since half of these people wanted to go back to Win7.


What I ended up doing was this on systems that actually worked afterwards.


1. download Win10 ISO image from MS

2. go to manufacturer's site and download Win10 drivers for specific model computer, extract and copy to USB drive

3. boot from Win10 ISO, wipe drive and do clean install

4. depending upon hardware, it may ask for drivers, such as HD-controller, otherwise your HD won't be accessible. Insert USB and pick proper drivers

5. after install and reboot, it'll ask for more drivers. Select from USB

6. install Win10-compatible apps

7. restore data from backup


nothing MS does is as "easy" as their marketing claims. A lot of Win10 updates ends up breaking things. Breaks their own OS along with your apps.

 

[HappyHighwayman]

ram 4.0 lol

Do you mean 4 GB of ram?

 

[dravnx]

Yeah, 4 GB of RAM.
If I go the upgrade route, I'll upgrade the RAM to 16 GB.
Having second thoughts about upgrading after reading Danno's comments.
Might be time for new gear. Gotta purchase it before the end of the year.

 

[byke]

I'm still in love with the old workstations like these. It completely took away any interest in building anything.

 

[dravnx]

I'm in a computer death spiral.
Want to purchase Turbo Tax as I fired my bookkeeper.
TT only works on W10.
Upgrade to W10 requires more RAM

 

[mikev]

Workstations are cheap.

environmental concerns aside, you are likely much better off getting newer equipment that has warranty support and a valid Win10 license already.

Unless you're going to automate and streamline your upgrades and know it's all gonna work properly, including your one off software, you're setting yourself up for more work.

What's your time worth compared to purchasing new 500 dollar systems?

 

[dravnx]

Yep, I agree.
Thanks for all your help.

 

[moond0ggie]

You should preserve your current SSD running Win 7...
& buy 2 additional 500GB SSD & install Win 10 on those.

Then you can dual boot from either OS.

 

[stangmx13]

The hardware is not the main problem with an OS upgrade - its your existing software. If you are required by the business to run software thats only compatible with Win7, new hardware wont solve anything. The new hardware will come with Win10 and you may not be capable of installing some required software onto it. It'll save you a lot of hassle if you figured out exactly what software you need and if they are Win10 compatible before you do anything else. Best case scenario you download free updates to old software, medium case you pay for updates, worst case you are forced to switch to a completely different software.

 

[mikev]

Unless you're paying MS a whole bunch of money for one off extended Win7 support, I highly, HIGHLY recommend against continuing to run it on an internet-connected computer.

Assume there will be a cost involved with upgrading, whether its refreshed hardware, updated / new software, or both.

stangmx gets it.

 

[yodaisgod]

There has to be something better than Turbo Tax.

 

[DannoXYZ]

most stable Win10 is LTSB version. Designed for critical business operations that can't withstand any downtime.

It runs fine in 2gb machine (W8Pro NUC). Just uninstall all unnecessary software and disable unused services and Windows will only consume 600mb. That leaves 1400mb for apps.