This post is being typed from the computer I am running Windows 7 on. But it is not being typed via Internet Explorer 8. Every time I tried to use that program, it locked up and got very cranky. It was almost impossible to shut down, too. It kept trying to restore the window even after it was told to shut down. I had to get Firefox to get this post written.
This is the first really major bug I have found so far.
I settled on installing the operating system on a computer I built some years ago. This was, at one time, a very powerful computer. Now Windows rates it as a 3.0 on a scale from 1 to 7.9. Believe it or not, the limiting factor is the hard drive. I have two 100GB SATA-150 dives in a RAID-1 array.
But I was able to get drivers for everything in this computer. So everything works. A test on my Dell Latitude D800 did not fare as well. No sound, no wireless card, no Bluetooth and no updated drivers available from Dell.
So it looks like Windows 7 is not going to be a good choice for older laptops in general unless some updated drivers are available. Older desktops may get at least fair performance.
As a side note, I installed the latest version of Ubuntu (8.10) on a very old Dell Inspiron 7500 and it runs perfectly, if a tad on the slow side. Everything works, though. My youngest boy is now exploring Linux with it.
I mention this because I can see this being an opportunity for Ubuntu and a loss for Microsoft. By abandoning older computers, there will be a huge secondary market looking for operating systems.
At first all was fine — But then, my Windows 7 beta with IE as the browser also began not working. IE seems to just rot and then quit. FF3 and FF3.1 works fine, but the more I use Windows 7 the more weird stuff that comes up. I tried the Windows Live pak and that may have destabilized the whole, hard to tell. I am going to do a complete reinstall next.
I have settled on Ubuntu 8.04 LTS for my daily driver systems, and 8.10 as the leading edge testers. I have some new computers to build next week, bringing my systems to 2009 level technology.
Ubuntu rocks, and did I mention the price?
That’s interesting about Ubuntu on older laptops. I have an old Dell (old=”Came new with Win98SE”) and I’ve been considering installing Xubuntu on it to extend its life. I might just give that a go, now.
Yeah, I’d recommend the Xubuntu for one that “old”. Funny how that word doesn’t mean what it used to, isn’t it?
The laptop my son is playing with does have half a gig of memory, so it runs the full version pretty well.
As I recall, it only has 128mb of ram on it, so I’d want to take it up to its max of (IIRC) 256. Is there a good source online for Dell-compatible memory?
Is there a good source online for Dell-compatible memory?
The problem is more likely to be *old* memory. Some memory has been phased out and you will need to find a compatible newer version to replace it. Go to the Dell site and find out what memory you need for your machine, then see what you can find online. Staples also carries some memory for old stuff, but 256MB might be on the small side
Makes me wish I had saved all my old memory just for the odd use.
I first started working, as a programmer, on Unix-based systems in 1983. I don’t know if Linux is the future, but I suspect it will always be an option. I think it’s great that your son is playing around with it. It is a great way to learn what an o/s.
Thanks for chronicling your experience with windows 7. That sort of info is valuable for people like me who don’t have the time or knowledge to try this stuff out.
What model Dell, Anthony? You may have to go to the used market if it is too old.
It’s an Inspiron 7500 and it was new when Win 98SE was the latest OS. I think you’re right about having to search the used market, but I’ll check Dell itself first, just in case.
That’s what my son is using. It will take up to 512 MB of memory. Buy.com has Kingston 256 Sodimms at $19 right now. They also do have some Dell memory at absurd prices. I have rather a lot of Kingston Memory and have had no trouble with it. I also like Crucial.
You can run Ubuntu on that system.
Oh, you want PC-100 SODIMM.
Thanks for the info, Gaius. I had to laugh when looking at the specs for the laptop at Dell: a 12-gig hard-drive. Funny how that used to sound huge.
The other task is to find a way to make it Internet-capable again, since I no longer have a dial-up account. I think I’ve seen wireless PCMCIA cards for sale online.
Yeah, the PC card will work, but check the Ubuntu Forums for compatible ones first. That will save you the trouble of using ndiswrapper in Ubuntu. I did it for my son’s computer with an old Netgear card. It isn’t that hard, but it’s nicer if everything works right out of the gate.