HP dc7900 with windows 10

[ohaller]

I have been using an HP dc7900 computer with 64 bit Windows 7 for years without any problems (mainly office applications).

Configuration
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00GHz
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 MHz
HDD: 160GB

I wonder if the same configuration with 64 bit Windows 10 can be used as comfortably as with Windows 7.
(I'm not planning memory upgrade or HDD->SSD replacement.)

Does anyone have experience with this configuration?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

I have a dc7900 and it runs W10 Pro 64 bit just fine.

Here is a way you can still upgrade to W10 for free.

Read the info at the link below, and if you want to go through with the upgrade, click on the blue Update Now button on the link below this one.

Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade | ZDNet

Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)

You have 30 days to go back to W7 if you don't like W10.

How Can I Go Back to Windows 7/8 from Windows 10 (cocosenor.com)

If you need help finding drivers after the upgrade just let me know.

I think you will need a driver for a PCI simple communications controller and a PCI serial port.

That should be it.

[DGroves]

the dc7900 was EOL'd (end of life) way before win 10 came out so officially it's a non supported OS, however the hardware is 100% compatible with windows 10

first do a bios update to the latest while under win 7, once done create a win 10 usb install key from the MS web site

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f...

once the key is created, remove and reinsert the win 10 install usb key and open the key using file manager to see the files on the usb key and from within win 7 OS run the setup/install file found on the win 10 usb key (backup data before upgrading)

this will upgrade you to win 10 and also give you a MS-digital win 10 license tied to the dc7900 motherboard no serial will be required to activate!!

8GB ram is highly recommended and a quad core cpu is also highly recommended

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01570345

the quad core 9550/9550s (low power= S) is the cpu i highly recommend it's rather cheap and not that much slower than the 9650 which is approx 40/50 dollars

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/40815/intel-core-2-quad-processor-q9550s-12m-ca...

[ohaller]

@Paul_Tikkanen:
@DGroves:

Thanks for the detailed answers/instructions for both of you.

From this as I understand, 8GB RAM, SSD and Quad Core CPU is highly recommended for comfortable operation.

I will give it a try with my configuration and if it is not suitable I will go back to Windows 7...

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

Once again...to get the free upgrade, DO NOT clean install W10 from the beginning.

Click on the blue Update Now button and upgrade directly from W7>W10.

After your installation is activated via that route, then you can clean install W10 anytime you want.

If you are asked to enter a product key during the clean installation process, select the 'I don't have a product key' option.

If you were to clean install W10 without upgrading first, you will need to buy a product key for $229 clams, or hope you can activate the W10 installation with the W7 key (which does work from time to time), or go back to W7, and do the upgrade the way the article and I explained it.

The PC should work just fine on W10 with 4 GB of memory and the stock C2D E8400 processor if that is what it came with.

I have the newer 8000 Elite CMT which has the same chipset as the dc7900, but uses DDR3 memory instead of DDR2 and it works just fine with the E8400 processor.