[snʞı]

So recently I've been watching some videos and reading recommendations web-wide about low end PCs and Windows 7. The reason for this, besides the fact that I liked Windows 7 quite a lot when I installed it through Bootcamp in my Mac, is because my dad's laptop, an Acer Aspire 3690-2196, caught my interest due to its odd slowliness with Windows XP SP3 running.

In case you didn't google the model's specs, which I bet you didn't, here they are:

Manufacturer: Acer
Processor Type: Intel Celeron M 420 1.60 GHz
Data Bus Speed: 533 MHz
RAM: Installed Size 512 MB
Technology: DDR II SDRAM, 533 MHz
Storage Hard Drive: 60 GB
Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card
Display: 15.4" TFT active matrix
Video Graphics Processor / Vendor: Intel GMA 950

As you may very well notice, the machine is beginning to age. In fact, I had some software issues with it, remember Chris? With the weird partitions that Acer installed in it (I'm fine with recovery partitions for laptops, but when they take up 50% of the 60 GB HDD for no apparent reason other than bloatware, it quickly turns ridiculous).

Long story short, my dad pretty much had enough with the unbelievable slowliness of the laptop and, as he usually does, told me something along the lines of, "Fix it, I don't mind what you have to do, but this is unbearable. And I won't buy a new one so don't even go there."

And so I backed up his documents and music, formatted the HDD, and installed Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit edition

I went for this radical approach of a clean install after a week or so of first tampering with the system, which involved creating a new User Account and dumping the previous one hoping that the system wuld speed up. Against all advice from Chris I defragmented the registry, I also defagmented the HDD, I uninstalled everything I could, to no avail. For reasons that go beyond my understanding the computer didn't boost up its speed. So I gave up and after some thorough investigation, I went ahead and, crossing my fingers, installed Windows 7.


Well, I was utterly surprised. I was thinking things would go awry but it turns out that not only were all drivers available for W7, but Aero worked seamlessly as well, sound output was strangely clearer with the new driver, no problems with the Intel chipset, etc. I was so amazed with the speed of the system that I decided to take it to the limit. I got the new office 2010 beta installed, enabled desktop gadgets, and opened a Word document, iTunes, IE8 and WMP12. It was, again, seamless. The desktop memory gauge showed a steady 95% occupied and 5% of the CPU processing stuff.

After the barrage of updates, necessary downloads (meaning, Chrome), and whatnot, and a fairly necessary restart, the computer stabilized, when idle, with desktop gadgets, AND with Aero fully enabled, at 70%. Windows XP SP3 never got below 90% (RAM) when idle, and choked when opening the start menu.

So this is my story of Windows 7 on a low end system. It pretty much revived my dad's computer is ways I never though possible.

I know the same thing could have happened had I installed Windows XP SP3 again instead of Windows 7, but it just baffles me that such a new OS worked so beautifully. So yeah, my dad's quite happy with the outcome, the speed is impressive, he has the newest OS, and it's undeniably pretty with all the Aero eye candy.


Just a story I wanted to share, any comments?

[SEELE]

Windows 7 IS quite awesome. I think the ONLY possible thing I could nitpick about it that I keep getting a weird error with KMPlayer that I never got before in XP. Other than that though, it's perfect.

[Dudemaster47]

Wow! Well, my old Acer laptop began to die on me...if I had known about how Windows 7 could've saved it...

My mom just got me a new one (which I'm using now) for my b-day, and it has Windows 7 on it as well.

[Chris]

Wow! I'm surprised it's working so smoothly with only 512mb of ram.

I have to replace the hard drive in my laptop, I might get Windows 7 for it when I do. Vista works fine on a day to day basis, but I'd like something more stable. In the 6-7 years I've had my desktop I only reloaded it once and that was this year because the speed was finally knocked out of it. I've reloaded vista twice. I won't count this time(3) though because it's a hardware issue.

[Dudemaster47]

Guess what guys?

Due to a hardware issue, the new laptop didn't have some important data. So Microsoft thought that the Windows 7 on it was pirated.

As I was an idiot and thought nothing of all of the blatantly obvious signs that something was wrong (as the screen talking about the missing data appeared at start-up every time, so I assumed it was normal, and I ignored the "Windows is not genuine" messages thinking they were minor annoyances...), I just let it go on. After not having the laptop for TWO WEEKS, it seems that Microsoft killed it because they thought the software was pirated.

Or the missing data killed it. I dunno.


Good thing it was still under warranty, and we were able to return it and get a non-defective laptop in exchange for free.