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A Win7 Desktop for 200 Bucks?

jefboyardee said:
New question... being that I have a 180GB hard dive and I’m only using about 40 of it, could I repartition the drive into two 90s, leave XP and all my crud on one and install W7 on the other? But if I do that, I suppose I’ll be in the same dual-boot mess as I was with Lubuntu.

I have EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition and MyDefrag to assist me.
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Excellent idea. Here's a potential game plan, with some assumptions as to how the drive's laid out.

1.) You've got one 180gb hard drive, with exactly one 180gb NTFS partition on it.

2.) Use your partitioning software to SHRINK that 180gb partition by, say, 90gb (i.e., split the drive in half). Leave the empty space produced by the shrink operation alone, so don't format it. I've never used Partition Master, but I would guess it would call this state "unallocated space". Either way, that's good.

3.) Your XP drive is now a (roughly) 90gb drive, and all data and boot information is intact. Good so far.

4.) Put your Win7 CD in the drive and boot from it. When prompted, select the unallocated space from the list and install it there. Windows should do the rest regarding formating.

5.) During the installation, it will overwrite the XP ntldr boot sector with the newer bootmgr code. This is backwords compatible with ntldr and will pick up and register both the Win7 and xp installs.

6.) Upon first boot off the HD, you'll be presented with the Windows boot manager screen, which'll let you pick which OS to boot. PROFIT!!!! :thrasher: :rock:

Finally, one last tidbit: From now on, whichever partition you'll boot from will refer to itself as "C:\" and the other partition as "D:\". It does this by design, so don't worry about paths being screwed up. When XP is running, it thinks its partition is C:\, and when 7 is running it thinks its partition is C:\. One of those "reality is perception" things. :dontknow:
 
MoodyBlues said:
Every time I hear something like this, I find my head shaking on its own in disbelief. All of my desktops (including laptops) run Linux, only. I have no hassles. I feel left out! :eek: Would someone mind filling me in on the hassles involved with *nix on the desktop? Meanwhile, I'll be effortlessly and without conscious thought be using my Linux desktops to do everything I do every day. :)
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I'm guessing you don't need to run Outlook, don't have customers who's remote access only supports Windows (financial institutions aren't too keen on adapting their security to suit humble consultants) and don't occassionally need to run BI software that only has a Windows full client.

Plus, I play the odd game and it's tough enough finding Windows versions, let alone Linux (particularly when you're as averse to paying full price as me :D)

More generally, there's still a lot of stuff out there which is Windows first, everything else a very distant second, for example phones, cameras etc: the software they bundle is usually Windows. Even getting them to work with toys - sorry! Macs - isn't easy: look at how many people post about problems connecting Macs on here.

I know it's getting better, but having Windows is generally still the easiest way to go - with Linux, you might actually have to think :eek:
 
SiempreTuna said:
I'm guessing you don't need to run Outlook, don't have customers who's remote access only supports Windows (financial institutions aren't too keen on adapting their security to suit humble consultants) and don't occassionally need to run BI software that only has a Windows full client.
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You're not dealing with Bank of China or China Construction Bank are you? :rolleyes:

I'm always suspicious of financial institutions that insist on Windows and IE. I don't particularly wish to be dealing with that....like wake up one morning and find my account has no money in it.

Even the most obstinate financial institutions will have to change, more people are now using tablets and smartphones than PCs. either iOS or Android, to access the internet to do their finances, etc.

SiempreTuna said:
Plus, I play the odd game and it's tough enough finding Windows versions, let alone Linux (particularly when you're as averse to paying full price as me :D)
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If you're playing games, and the game needs Windows, then that's what you have to do. :D

SiempreTuna said:
More generally, there's still a lot of stuff out there which is Windows first, everything else a very distant second, for example phones, cameras etc: the software they bundle is usually Windows. Even getting them to work with toys - sorry! Macs - isn't easy: look at how many people post about problems connecting Macs on here.
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No problem, I have a Mac, I have an Android, both of them talk to each other just fine. :)

SiempreTuna said:
I know it's getting better, but having Windows is generally still the easiest way to go - with Linux, you might actually have to think :eek:
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...until you come and live in China. Believe me using a Linux OS or a Mac is much easier and secure.
 
And for where I sit on this...

There is not even a "one size fits all" Linux (although a beauty of Linux is that you can "pick and mix" distributions and desktop environments to find one you like the best - none of this "take it, we know what's good for you" nonsense) let alone a "one size fits all" operating system and, yes, some people will prefer Windows either because they need to run a particular application(s) or possibly even because they do enjoy that environment. I'm not convinced anyone need be wrong with their thought out choice.

I do however believe that Linux can offer a free, stable and comfortable to use desktop environment that will meet the demands of many users (whether they be me who sometimes ventures into programming for example or my parents who are in their late 70s and just want to browse the net, etc).
 
Joelgp83 said:
Here's a potential game plan
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It actually already has an 8GB D drive, built-in for XP recovery. I moved its guts out and put Lubuntu there, but have since put it all back.

So if I do your plan, after I resize C per your plan, should I resize D, eliminate it, or should I just let W7 figure it out, as you suggested?

...getting (too?) interesting.
 
Leave D: where it is. It's your way out if your XP partition blows up. :p

As for the layouts:

1) Current layout is C: (180gb), D: (8gb)

2.) After shrinkage, the layout will be C: (90gb), unallocated space (90gb), D: (8gb). This too is fine.

3.) Boot the Win7 CD. When it comes to installation location, its layout on screen should look like this (note: Using my own wording for each partition as I forget what wording Win7 uses):

90gb NTFS volume (That's your xp disc. Don't Touch!)
90gb Unallocated space (This is your target location. Select this)
8gb NTFS volume (The xp recovery partition. Don't touch this either)

4.) Select the Unallocated space and hit next. There should be a dialog box saying windows needs to create some extra partitions for stuff. Let it. Windows may or may not show you the new layout, but you need to see this so you don't get freaked out:

90gb NTFS volume (XP install)
100mb FAT32 volume -- System Reserved (This contains boot and partition information for Win7. Very important that you leave it whereever it ends up, even if not here)
89.8gb NTFS volume (Freshly formatted space where Win7 will be placed. Select this if it still wants you to pick something)
8gb NTFS volume (xp recovery)

Then continue on with the rest of the install.
 
SiempreTuna said:
I'm guessing you don't need to run Outlook
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That's correct--by choice. :)

don't have customers whose remote access only supports Windows (financial institutions aren't too keen on adapting their security to suit humble consultants)
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I wasn't in that kind of business so it's N/A.

and don't occassionally need to run BI software that only has a Windows full client.
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As above.

Plus, I play the odd game and it's tough enough finding Windows versions, let alone Linux (particularly when you're as averse to paying full price as me :D)
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The only game I've consistently played (for many years now) is Roller Coaster Tycoon, via wine. So gaming is really not an issue for me. (That sounds weird as I say it, considering I used to be wrapped up in video games (when arcades were the thing). Oh well, another sign of being old. *sigh*)

More generally, there's still a lot of stuff out there which is Windows first, everything else a very distant second, for example phones, cameras etc: the software they bundle is usually Windows.
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See, here's where it all falls apart. *I* have no window$ computers. I have tons of toys. Everything from multiple Nikon cameras to multiple Android phones, plus printers, scanners, wireless trackballs, and on and on... And EVERYTHING works with no software for M$ needed. When I rip open a box containing my latest toy, I never even LOOK at the CD that comes with it. I toss them in the recycling bin unopened. So anyone who's under the impression that installing things on Linux is iffy or touch and go or can't be done, sorry, but I have yet to see that. Everything I do is on Linux, and like I said I have tons of toys/peripherals/accessories/etc., and they ALL work. With no effort other than plugging them in.

Even getting them to work with toys - sorry! Macs - isn't easy: look at how many people post about problems connecting Macs on here.
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I really can't speak [intelligently!] about Macs. All I can say is that my daughter--a die-hard Apple person--has no issues using her plethora of toys.

I know it's getting better, but having Windows is generally still the easiest way to go - with Linux, you might actually have to think :eek:
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I don't know what's easier than plugging in, for example, an HP all-in-one printer, doing NOTHING, and having all its features work straight off the bat. That cannot be done in window$, can it? :confused: (Okay, I did have to choose its model number from a list, but that's it.)

Also, when you factor in all the time, energy, and agitation involved with using window$--the hyper-vigilance to make sure it doesn't get infected with viruses, malware, adware, spyware, the rebooting for everything from installing software to recovering from crashes, the cost of constantly upgrading (both hardware and software), I don't know! I'll take my absolute ZERO effort Linux any day. :D
 
jonbanjo said:
And for where I sit on this...

There is not even a "one size fits all" Linux (although a beauty of Linux is that you can "pick and mix" distributions and desktop environments to find one you like the best - none of this "take it, we know what's good for you" nonsense) let alone a "one size fits all" operating system and, yes, some people will prefer Windows either because they need to run a particular application(s) or possibly even because they do enjoy that environment. I'm not convinced anyone need be wrong with their thought out choice.
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I think for many people it's simply a matter of not knowing anything else. Familiarity is a big thing. If someone has used window$ for years, and truly does not know there's something else out there--something that would free them, in multiple ways--they'll keep using window$.

I do however believe that Linux can offer a free, stable and comfortable to use desktop environment that will meet the demands of many users (whether they be me who sometimes ventures into programming for example or my parents who are in their late 70s and just want to browse the net, etc).
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My mom was the most computer illiterate person I've ever known. Not only that, but she could do things to a computer I'd never even imagined--and that was with 25+ years of experience in programming and system administration. :eek: However, when I wiped window$ off her computer and installed Kubuntu, she literally needed NO instruction. She just plunged in and started using it. She didn't just browse the web, either--she played games, a lot of them (her favorite was gnubg, which is a beautiful, 3D backgammon), watched videos, wrote letters, used e-mail, viewed and printed photographs, etc. Her most frequent complaint? "It's too fast!" (I'm not kidding.) After years of using bloated, slows-down-to-a-crawl after a few weeks/months window$, she wasn't used to a computer that flies. And KEEPS flying. :D
 
MoodyBlues said:
I think for many people it's simply a matter of not knowing anything else. Familiarity is a big thing. If someone has used window$ for years, and truly does not know there's something else out there--something that would free them, in multiple ways--they'll keep using window$.
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Sure. I think there are those who know no different as well.as those who have made an informed choice.
 
Unmovable files can't be moved.
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Once I had the sense to kill the pagefile and assure that hibernation was already off, it spent two hours defragging. So then I went to repartition C: to just under 40GB, leaving about 15 free. It again said it didn
 
Yes, I discovered compmgmt.msc, again, probably right when you were typing that. One oddity:

Disk Defragmenter shows C: as ~40GB, which is the new partition, but
Disk Management shows C: as ~ 220GB, which is the old partition.
Nothing in there refers to the difference being unallocated space.

Either way, getting your win7 disk is next on the agenda.
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Disk on the way, so we shall see. Again, I appreciate your clarifying this.
 
Dumb question, but have you rebooted since the partitioning? This may be related to how primitive XP's disk management is in relation to other, more modern software -- perhaps XP only reads the partition table once each boot?
 
Here’s what I ordered, by the way:

1
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit

GENUINE Microsoft Software, guaranteed
You will receive:
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit DVD
Certificate of Authenticity
FREE SHIPPING OUT OF CALIFORNIA!!!!
Will ship with as-is motherboard to comply with Ebay OEM policy

Is the ‘motherboard’ just a legal hurdle?
 
Almost forgot!!!

Before you get to the patition screen in the Win7 install, you'll get a menu with two choices:

Upgrade

or

Custom (or maybe it's called advanced. Can't remember right now) -- this may or may not look greyed out, but will still be selectable.

Do NOT pick upgrade. That's auto-tuned to apply to your xp install, which is obviously not what we want here. :deal:
 
Now that I have the DVD, I may return it, unopened. Poking around yesterday, which I should have done earlier, I find that running W7 with 1GB RAM is dicey; MS allows it as the lowest acceptable level. So even if I get W7 to work, it might do so just barely, and what’s the point of dual-booting into that?

Any comments on W7 with 1GB?

Might have to go back to square one, but with a:

Dell Refurbished Silver 745 Desktop PC with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4GB Memory, 750 Hard Drive and Windows 7 Professional (Monitor Not Included) $212.00
 
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