any upgrade for windows vista hp pavilion a6400f?

[devildogandboy]

i have an hp pavilion a6400f desktop in vista and would like to upgrade to newer system (7,8,10) to keep it current. what are my best options at this point in time, i knoww it's kinda late to be doing this. what would be easiest to install?

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@devildogandboy

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

I wish I had good news for you, but I don't -- because your options are VERY limited at this point.

When Win7 was new, MS offered the Anytime Upgrade, and with this, you had an "Upgrade Path" to Win7, meaning, you could do the upgrade in-place and retain your settings, personal data, and applications.

MS discontinued that years ago, and while you might be able to purchase Win7 from online sources (e.g., NewEgg), they only offer the full Win7 DVD, and that is not the same as the Anytime Upgrade option, and costs a lot more.

In addition, there is the problem of newer HP drivers for the hardware that came with your PC. HP does not carry drivers for anything newer than Vista for your PC. This means that if you install a newer OS version, you will be stuck with the generic drivers that Microsoft installs, and while that MIGHT work, if any hardware doesn't work properly after that, you will then be stuck permanently, as there will be no HP drivers coming along to remedy that problem.

Sorry, but it's time to be thinking about getting a new PC, rather than upgrading your old one.

Good Luck

[devildogandboy]

WAWood, thank for your reply, you confirmed my suspicions about my options. i have been looking for latest model desktops for some time now. guess i may "bite the bullet" and get it over with, then i will be good for several years to come.    

[mdklassen]

A note about "Windows Anytime Upgrade".

From:  https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/windows/factsheets/WAUFS.mspx

With Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU), Microsoft has built a simple and convenient way for customers to upgrade from a lower edition of Windows Vista™ to a higher edition of Windows Vista™, when they discover they want or need more out of their current operating system. Users can go online “anytime” to upgrade from:

• Windows Vista™ Home Basic to Windows Vista™ Home Premium or Windows Vista™ Ultimate
• Windows Vista™ Home Premium to Windows Vista™ Ultimate
• Windows Vista™ Business to Windows Vista™ Ultimate

It _NEVER_ was an "upgrade" from Windows Vista to Windows 7.

 From: https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-a6400f-pentium-e2200-2-2-ghz-3-gb-500-gb/specs/

your computer certainly is "beefy" enough (dual-core 2.2 Ghz, 3 GB RAM) to run Windows 7/8/10.

How old is your computer, and more importantly, how old is your disk-drive?

Would you safely drive an automobile with balding-tires that are more than 10 years old?

If not, you should replace the disk-drive, before it "blows" like an automobile tire -- at the worst time.

My recommendations:

1. consider installing a modern version of Linux, e.g., UBUNTU 16.0, to get a "modern" version of Firefox, and a free word-processing package that is compatible with Microsoft Office.

2. consider a brand-new computer (instead of spending on a disk-drive and a "retail" copy of Windows).

3. look at www.bestbuy.com and search for "refurbished computer" -- a computer that was sold to a customer, broke, was sent back to the factory, repaired, recertified, and shipped back to BestBuy.  Such computers work fine, and are often sold at a very attractive price, and run Windows 10.

[devildogandboy]

mdklassen, thanks for replying. i bought this unit at the end of 2008 so it has seen better days. it has it's ups and downs and sometimes can run very sluggish. after clearing history it moves a bit quicker. i use it primarily for banking, shopping and visiting forums. i don't play games on it, just don't have the time. i have some music and photos stored on it but not much.

i really think it's time to purchase another and i have seen the refurbished deals at best buy, some look very tempting. just have to wait until i can free up some cash now.