Changing OS from Vista to Windows 10

James321 said:

Also when I install Windows 10 will it automatically overwrite Vista?

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The install will "automatically" overwrite whatever is in the partition you choose for the install.

You'll have to purchase Win 10; you can't get it for free with Vista. Probably the best thing to do is purchase it online (see here) so you can get the OS and the key.

For best results, I would recommend backing up any personal data, ensuring you have the installers for any applications you have installed (and associated keys for purchased software), and then using the Win 10 installer to wipe everything for a fresh installation.

I dunno, Colin. If my download speed was only James321's 2.4 Mbps I think I would opt for buying Windows on a DVD or USB flash drive (not that I'd ever buy Windows 10).

Good point, Terry. I've let bigger downloads run overnight; however, if there's any chance of the signal dropping then that would get frustrating. Perhaps snail-mail would be the best option in this instance.

TerryNet said:

I dunno, Colin. If my download speed was only James321's 2.4 Mbps I think I would opt for buying Windows on a DVD or USB flash drive (not that I'd ever buy Windows 10).

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I will probably install from disk.

Is it simply a case of inserting the disk and installing from boot up?

Is it all fairly automatic for each machine after you've selected all the correct options?

Yes, you select the keyboard and language, make a partition and off it goes.

James321 said:

My machine meets all the minimum requirements for Windows 10.

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Are you sure of this fact? Have you checked for driver support? If there are no win10 drivers listed for your system, then win10 is not a supported operating system. Vista was released almost 15yr ago and any machine that came with vista is almost guaranteed not to have driver support for 10.

Run the TSG utility and post the output here. We can tell you if there is support for win10.
https://static.techguy.org/download/tsginfo.exe

crjdriver said:

Are you sure of this fact? Have you checked for driver support? If there are no win10 drivers listed for your system, then win10 is not a supported operating system. Vista was released almost 15yr ago and any machine that came with vista is almost guaranteed not to have driver support for 10.

Run the TSG utility and post the output here. We can tell you if there is support for win10.
https://static.techguy.org/download/tsginfo.exe

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Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.9
OS Version: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Service Pack 2, 32 bit, Build 6002, Installed 20070921211614.000000+060
Processor: Genuine Intel(R) CPU 2140 @ 1.60GHz, x64 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 2, CPU Count: 2
Total Physical RAM: 2 GB
Graphics Card: Intel(R) 82945G Express Chipset Family, 256 MB
Hard Drives: C: 141 GB (40 GB Free); D: 7 GB (0 GB Free);
Motherboard: Foxconn Lucknow, ver 1.0, s/n ULP872604734
System: American Megatrends Inc., ver HPQOEM - 20070529, s/n CNX72703Q5
Antivirus: Norton 360, Enabled and Updated

Not good news, I'm afraid. The CPU is deathly slow, 2GB won't cut it - despite what MS states in their minimum specs, and I really doubt you'll find any working drivers for this system.

Yep as I suspected; no driver support. This does not mean it will not work; it means the mfg never tested win10 nor do they want to waste time writing drivers for obsolete hardware. If you install win10, you are in effect a beta tester; might work and it might not work.

I have win10 running on an old 790fx chipset motherboard [no driver support] and it works fine however the next update might cause problems and or break the install.
Personally I would not waste the money for a win10 lic. If you really, really want to continue using this system, install linux. There are numerous distros that are intended for old hardware.

crjdriver said:

Yep as I suspected; no driver support. This does not mean it will not work; it means the mfg never tested win10 nor do they want to waste time writing drivers for obsolete hardware. If you install win10, you are in effect a beta tester; might work and it might not work.

I have win10 running on an old 790fx chipset motherboard [no driver support] and it works fine however the next update might cause problems and or break the install.
Personally I would not waste the money for a win10 lic. If you really, really want to continue using this system, install linux. There are numerous distros that are intended for old hardware.

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Seems odd that MS make no mention of drivers in their minimum specs. However I've heard you have the option to install drivers direct from the Windows 10 install disk. But are these drivers guaranteed to work on older hardware?

James321 said:

But are these drivers guaranteed to work on older hardware?

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Of course not. That is what is meant by NO support. Attempting to install win10 on this old of hardware is a losing battle. You do not really have 2gig of memory since some of the memory [256meg] is used for video memory. While it is possible to install win10, it may or may not work AND this system is going to run at the speed of a sloth.

If this were me, I would either live with it the way it is now OR install a linux disto for old hardware.

crjdriver said:

Of course not. That is what is meant by NO support. Attempting to install win10 on this old of hardware is a losing battle. You do not really have 2gig of memory since some of the memory [256meg] is used for video memory. While it is possible to install win10, it may or may not work AND this system is going to run at the speed of a sloth.

If this were me, I would either live with it the way it is now OR install a linux disto for old hardware.

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An up-to-date CPU such as the Intel Core i5 can run at speeds of up to 4.4GHz. That about 2.75 times faster than my own CPU. But is this really an issue? The Intel Core i5 is apparently great for running more than one program at a time but is its processing speed in excess of what is required for Windows 10?

Microsoft themselves state that the minimum system requirements for the CPU is 1.0 GHz.

However MS also states that the minimum system requirements for the graphics/video card are DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver. My PC has Intel(R) 82945G Express Chipset Family, 256 MB. But is this an issue?

All I know is that my PC can easily play a movie on a DVD, so it must have some processing power and graphics/video capability.

Besides how demanding are the graphics on Windows 10 anyway? I'm not really sure what the issue is.

This has already been explained to you;
1 No support for your system ie no drivers
2 Very slow processor
3 Minimal ram

If you want to spend the money on a windows 10 lic, go ahead. IMO you are going to be very disappointed in the performance.

crjdriver said:

This has already been explained to you;
1 No support for your system ie no drivers
2 Very slow processor
3 Minimal ram

If you want to spend the money on a windows 10 lic, go ahead. IMO you are going to be very disappointed in the performance.

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I think I'm prepared to give it a go. Not all the posters on this thread are saying it won't work at all.

However the next problem is, where do I purchase a Windows 10 install disc from? All the online vendors I have seen so far are only selling the digital download. With my broadband speeds, I don't think I can face a 24 hour download session just for the whole thing to go "snap!"

You could buy the full retail version of Win 10 Home on a flash drive from here, purely as an example, and have it shipped to your home.

In addition to Newegg (above) there are Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and others. Some have free delivery and/or in store pickup.

James321 said:

Not all the posters on this thread are saying it won't work at all.

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No one said it would not work. What I said was you are a beta tester; it might work and it might not work AND if it does work, you will be disappointed in the performance.