can a Compaq Presario C300 be upgraded to accept and work with at least Win7 please.

[PamGordon]

Hi

I am a complete novice at this, and being a wrinkly, according to my grandkids I should NOT be bothering! Ive never done anything like this before, that's the asking I mean, let alone attempting to improve my laptop.

Anyway, having just started college I find my laptop, like me, is a tad too long in the tooth to work adequately!!

So, not being able to go out and buy a new laptop decided to find out IF my existing one can be adjusted (I think the term I should be using is UPGRADED).

It currently runs on Win XP and Ive been told to be able to dip in and out of the college website I MUST Have a minimum of Win 7. Therefore I need to know:-

1)  IF my laptops motherboard is capable of running Win 7?

2) If not, can I replace the motherboard to something that will accept Win 7 or younger AND for not a huge amount of money?

3) I am also aware that my laptop will need more memory, a minimum of 2Gb and at present I only have 1, or to be precise it states "980MHz, 0.99GB of RAM. So, will the motherboard I have accept more memory even if it will run Win 7?

To be honest I am lost and dont know which I should be looking for first, extra memory or, finding out if the existing motherboard will accept and run Win 7

 So, all that being said, Is there ANYONE out there who is prepared to help and advise an old wrinkly who is desperate to get on with my college course BUT needs the use of a dependable laptop. I have been advised at college that I should NOT be doing any online banking using merely Win XP, sadly, being disabled I had been doing this exact thing! Oops, not no more tho.

Once again, I am looking for some kind person to REALLY help me please.

Thank you

Pam

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Pam:

Your notebook can run Windows 7 32 bit.  I do not believe it can run W7 64 bit.

If you run W7 32 bit, you would only need to have 1 GB of memory (though 1 GB is not enough to run even W7 32 bit very good).

The maximum memory your model can take is 2 GB.

You can also run the W7 Upgrade Advisor and see what it reports.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20

You would be much better off buying a new notebook.

HP does sell some models with W7 if you don't want to run Windows 8.1

You can't upgrade yours, or change the motherboard to anything better.

The only upgrade you can do would be to max out the memory to 2 GB.

[PamGordon]

Thank you Paul, i really appreciate your reply, especially as you hav not tried to baffle me with technical terms.
You say at best, (im on my fone at present so hav not run the upgrade advisor as yet) i cud increase the memory to 2gb, wud that enable my laptop to run reasonably well? I am not into games, so that is not an issue for me, although it needs "upgrading??" so i can use it for college work, mainly in "office" and a few pdf files. Do you think if i bought the extra memory and a version of win7 (ive seen an OEM version of win7 for £35 but will need to check out if its 32 or 64???? youve mentioned) it should suffice for what i need?
Sadly, replacing it is not an option at present, ive had to leave work following "failed spinal surgery" and now existing on state benefits. Whilst i am grateful for this income, it doesnt allow for what they term as luxuries albeit you can hardly do anything without a pc!!!
Any further advice and tips gratefully received
Regards
Pam

[PamGordon]

Hi Paul, im back, ive never been blessed with quick thinking and have had a thought since i replied to you - about 10mins ago!
You just touched on win8 which i hadnt really thought about, ive not looked for prices of it either.
However, would it run on my laptop if i were to increase the mem to 2 gb?
Regards
Pam

[Huffer]

Well you can run Windows 7 32 bit starter edition. You will not have Aero graphics, which is transparent menus and such. You do not really need it.

Even with 1 gb of RAM, it will run. 2 gigs would be better and without desktop effects, which are a major memory hog, it will actually run OK on 2 gigs of RAM. Which exact version of the C300 do you have? We put Windows 7 32 bit Starter on netbooks with Atom processors and they do OK. Your laptop is just about in the same general league as a netbook in terms of computing power, but with a bigger screen. Office 2003 with the .docx converter plugin would work OK or just use the Open Source Libre Office Suite, which is free. You can  also use one of the free .pdf editor/readers out there. Foxit is one.

I kind of specialize in making older computers work for people of limited means as I volunteer my time at a computer shop in a lower-income neighborhood so if you have any questions or need anything else let us know or send a PM.

Windows 8 would also run on it but I think you could find a better deal on a copy of Windows 7 32 bit starter.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Pam.

I would not go for W8, and I would agree with Steve that if you can get your hands on W7 Starter, that would be your best bet, followed by W7 Home Premium.

I would opt to max out the memory to its 2 GB limit (you need to install 2 x 1 GB memory modules).

Check to see what yours has now.  It may have a 1 GB chip and then you just need to get another one, or it can have 2 x 512 MB and you would have to replace both of them.

Your goal is to do what you need to do to that PC as cheaply as possible because it is too old to put a lot of quid into.

35 pounds seems reasonable for W7, but it will have to be the 32 bit edition as your model will probably have one of the lower end Pentium or Celeron processors that can only run 32 bit operating systems.

Best Regards,

Paul

[PamGordon]

Hiya
Thanks ever so much for your reply tho theres quite a bit i dont understand and, if you dont mind, cud you repeat it in "idiot proof" language pls?
Ill start fr the beginning of your reply.
" will not have Aero graphics, which is transparent menus"
I just dont know what it is BUT if i dont need it or dont need to know about it - just pass, but if i do
need youll have to explain it please?
Im happy enuff to either add a 1gb stick of mem OR 2 X 1gb, depending whats already there - i havnt checked to be honest as i thort once id removed the battery id have all the settings.to reinstall - my theory here was to gather all info and then check to see whata actually req'd.
Laptop, i believe it to be a C300 ea but will not swear to that, the tiny paper sticker by the keyboard has faded so much over the yrs its hard to make out. The manual n paperwork from purchase does not indicate more tgan a C300.
Again, im totally lost about ..." with Atom processors and they do OK. Your laptop is just about in the same general league as a netbook in terms of computing power, but with a bigger screen. Office 2003 with the .docx converter plugin" so again this goes straight over the top of my head???
"Office 2003 with the .docx converter plugin would work OK or just use the Open Source Libre Office Suite, which is free. You can also use one of the free .pdf editor/readers out there. Foxit is one." also needs some explaining? Would my existing Office be too old to run on an upgraded system? Libre Office suite im gathering is merely a word processing programme along with the Foxit???
I think id be in your category of limited means if we needed to get down to brass tacks! And, yes please i certainly do need more help BUT you need to explain in more simpler terms im afraid as when i first read your reply ALL of it went ova the top of my head!!
As for sending a PM, im assuming thats a private message of which ive no idea how to do. You need to be aware i didnt even know this existed till the weekens gone and its difficult enough picking up these messages.
I hadnt really thought much about win8, it cropped up in conversation to be honest. I was hoping to just buy this win7 id seen for £35 but when i went back to them to ensure it was a 32 bit version it transpired that ita no good to me. Apparently the HDD needs to be reformatted to get rid of win xp BEFORE installing their software. Unfo rtunately i THOUGHT it was a case of installed it ova the top of the existing operating system. I do NOT feel capable of that sort of upgrading myself.
So, back to you, IF you can cope with someome who has extremely little knowledge and even less money.
Regards
Pam

[PamGordon]

Hi Paul
As i stated in the reply to the other kind person (Huffer) i the version of the Win7 id seen is no good and, to be fair, i hadnt realiased i needed the "starter" version either. I honestly thought it was a case of buying "A" version of win7 and just how wrong i am is becoming soooo obvious sadly.
I domt know what or why i would want the Home Premium youve mentioned, perhaps you can expand a bit on that please?
As for checking what the actual memory its got, can you advise if im right in thinkomg to find out id hav to remove the battery and then hav loads of settings to put back in? I dont mind if its just the date amd time etc but if theres much more id prefer to leave that and find out first IF i am going to be able to proceed.
I agree with your comment about getting my laptop operational for the least amount of money BUT, im beginning to wonder if one of your very first comments was correct - in binning it n starting from scratch - but thats REALLY not an option im afraid.
Due to my not knowing diddly squat i need to know in as plain laguage as possible, apart from memory what am i looking for.
1) win 7 32 bit, but what about starter edition which has now been mentioned?
2) do i REALLY need that other software you mentioned in order for it to run properly?
3) does such a version exist that can be installed ova the top of win xp? As that truely is what i thought id be looking for?
Do you know of anywhere where i may be able to purchase what i need - avoidinf places like PC World etc. Apart fr them being expensive i hav no faith in them. I once paid for a health check - for the said laptop as it happens, cost about £35 i think. I was told the fault i had, which they identified as my HDD and was gonna cost an arm and a leg was totally incorrect. I actually only needed a new power cable which cost me around £40 from Maplins, who gave a very good service, and was FREE.
So, if you can STATE in plain english what i need to source and price and then if its going to be anywhere within my reach ill take it from there.
This couldnt have happened at a worse time for me aa i have two young grandchildren and what spare cash i can find would normally go towards christmas presents - that said id better try find something that i can sell inorder to finance the laptop's needs.
Oh, and by the way, i got my daughter to show me how to d/l my banks app onto my fone so i no longer need to do my banking via Win xp.
Ok, so i now await more instructions please.
AND, both you and the other kind person above, i want you to both know that i REALLY DO APPRECIATE the time you are spending trying to help me out.
Regards
Pam

[PamGordon]

Hiya Thanks ever so much for your reply tho theres quite a bit i dont understand and, if you dont mind, cud you repeat it in "idiot proof" language pls?Ill start fr the beginning of your reply. " will not have Aero graphics, which is transparent menus" I just dont know what it is BUT if i dont need it or dont need to know about it - just pass, but if i do need youll have to explain it please?Im happy enuff to either add a 1gb stick of mem OR 2 X 1gb, depending whats already there - i havnt checked to be honest as i thort once id removed the battery id have all the settings.to reinstall - my theory here was to gather all info and then check to see whata actually req'd. Laptop, i believe it to be a C300 ea but will not swear to that, the tiny paper sticker by the keyboard has faded so much over the yrs its hard to make out. The manual n paperwork from purchase does not indicate more tgan a C300. Again, im totally lost about ..." with Atom processors and they do OK. Your laptop is just about in the same general league as a netbook in terms of computing power, but with a bigger screen. Office 2003 with the .docx converter plugin" so again this goes straight over the top of my head???"Office 2003 with the .docx converter plugin would work OK or just use the Open Source Libre Office Suite, which is free. You can also use one of the free .pdf editor/readers out there. Foxit is one." also needs some explaining? Would my existing Office be too old to run on an upgraded system? Libre Office suite im gathering is merely a word processing programme along with the Foxit???I think id be in your category of limited means if we needed to get down to brass tacks! And, yes please i certainly do need more help BUT you need to explain in more simpler terms im afraid as when i first read your reply ALL of it went ova the top of my head!! As for sending a PM, im assuming thats a private message of which ive no idea how to do. You need to be aware i didnt even know this existed till the weekens gone and its difficult enough picking up these messages. I hadnt really thought much about win8, it cropped up in conversation to be honest. I was hoping to just buy this win7 id seen for £35 but when i went back to them to ensure it was a 32 bit version it transpired that ita no good to me. Apparently the HDD needs to be reformatted to get rid of win xp BEFORE installing their software. Unfo rtunately i THOUGHT it was a case of installed it ova the top of the existing operating system. I do NOT feel capable of that sort of upgrading myself. So, back to you, IF you can cope with someome who has extremely little knowledge and even less money.

Regards
Pam

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Pam:

Here is the service manual for your notebook.

You can review chapter 5 starting on page 5-11 for the memory removal and replacement procedures.

The type of memory you need is on the top of page 5-11 (PC2-5300).

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00753552.pdf

As far as operating systems, unfortunately,  I can't help you with that.

I was under the impression that you could not purchase Windows 7 Starter and that any product key for that was tied to the PC it was installed on unless somehow you came into an uninstalled copy with a good unused product key.

The only W7 versions I thought anyone could purchase was W7 Home Premium, W7 Professional, W7 Ultimate, and their respective upgrade versions.

The first sentence on the link below from Microsoft confirms what I suspected about W7 Starter...

"Windows 7 Starter only comes preinstalled—mostly on netbooks—so you can't buy and install it on your own."

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/windows-7-starter-top-questions

Best Regards,

Paul