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HP Recommended
Pavilion dv6-2140se
Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit)

Hi,
I have HP Pavilion dv6-2140se and it's been working amazingly for 9 years! It runs on 32-bit, Windows 7, and has 2.27GHz processor and 3GB RAM (one chip 2GB and one 1GB that came originally in it)
I need to use a very important software, but it requires  Windows 10, and at least 4GB RAM.
I was reading about adding more RAM, but read in some articles that I need to make sure about the motherboard... and the system to be 64-bit to get the results I want from the RAM upgrade.
Can you please help and guide me what to do? and what I should expect?
My laptop is amazing and I don't want to screw it up and can't afford buying a new modern one now.
Thank you

5 REPLIES 5
HP Recommended

@Abualuser 

One good thing is that the license for Windows, for either Win10 or Win7, is the same for the 32-bit version as the 64-bit version, meaning if you are running 32-bit, you don't need a different license to run 64-bit.

 

That said, there are two issue you would face, however.

 

First, you can not Upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit; instead, you have to REPLACE the first with the second.  That means if you install 64-bit, you are basically starting over from scratch with all data, settings, and apps -- you can't migrate any apps from one version to the other.

 

Second, when you Upgrade to Win10, MS will reuse your existing Win7 license -- so you won't have to get a new one -- but you can't Upgrade from 32-bit Win7 yo 64-bit Win10.  Again, it's a complete replacement and you lose everything in the process.  Plus, there's a possibility that the license migration might not work.

 

The better approach would be the following:

1) Make an Image backup of your PC to an external drive using a free utility known as Macrium Reflect (more on this below)

2) Download and create Win10 install media using this link:

3) Insert that media into your PC, do NOT boot from it, and use it to Upgrade to Win10 by locating the folder containing the install files, selecting setup.exe, right-clicking that and selecting Run as Administrator.  This will start an in-place Upgrade from Win7 to Win10 and should take only a couple of hours.

4) After your reboot and reconnect to the Internet, your PC will automatically activate Win10 by reusing your Win7 License.

 

OK, NOW your PC is registered with MS for running Win10 and it has the license on its servers.

 

At this point, you should make another image backup using MR so you have a 32-bit version of Win10 to restore FROM, if needed.

 

This time, insert the Win10 media, and BOOT from it -- this will force a CLEAN installation of Win10, and since the installer will see your 64-bit processor, it will install the 64-bit version.

 

Once again, when you reboot, since your PC is now registered with MS as already running Win10, it should activate without issues.

 

---------------------------------

 

I personally prefer to use third-party Backup solutions as they tend to be both more flexible and more reliable than any built-in solutions.

Macrium Reflect (MR) provides a FREE version that can be used to image and restore partitions or entire drives.

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
2) Run MR and choose the option: "Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore Windows" to write a full backup to an external drive or USB stick
3) Use the option to create a boot USB stick or CD

My experience is that MR, when using the High Compression option, typically can compress the saved image file to about 50% of the USED space in the OS partition. This means if you have an 80GB OS partition, and 40GB is used, MR only needs about 20GB to store the image file.

I use this all the time and it typically takes less than 15 minutes to do the image backup and about the same time or less to do a restore.

NOW, you have the means to restore a full working system from the external drive or USB stick in only a few minutes.



I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP
HP Recommended

Hi @WAWood,
I wanted to thank you for writing this detailed response to my question, I really appreciate it.

I just noticed a link to get Win10 is missing from your post, so can you please provide it to me?
it’s in 2) Download and create Win10 install media using this link:

Another thing I wanted to ask, if you don't mind of course, I replaced a RAM of 1GB with 4GB, in addition to one more original RAM of 2GB, but my laptop (currently still Win7, 32-bit) shows usable 3GB only but recognized the total installed RAM as 6GB. Is that because it's 32-bit, and would this 6GB be all usable when I switch to 64-bit?

And last question is, one guy told me in order to get the best out of my laptop and since I'm already upgrading it, he advised me to replace my original 298GB hard disk with a new one SSD 500GB or 1T. He said mine is old and might crash at any time as it's been 9 years since I bought this laptop, and also to support my upgrade and speed up my laptop with Win10. What do you say about this, and what I need to know and check about the compatibility before buying?

Thank you very much!

HP Recommended

@Abualuser 

First off, I wouldn't spend the money for a 500GB or 1TB SSD -- those cost way too much!  A 250GB SSD is nearly the capacity of your current drive and will cost around $50 USD.

 

Second, here is the Win10 download link:  Windows 10 download



I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP
HP Recommended

Thank you again. Actually I have Amazon gift card so I wouldn't mind using it to upgrade to a better option.
Can you please advise on these two options?
My current hard drive specs are 320GB, SATA Height 9.5mm, Width 70mm, and for the laptop it says supports all SATA 9.5mm, 2.5". (500GB, 7200rpm), (500GM, 5400rpm) so which of these do you think would work?
Samsung:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0781Z7Y3S/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_QnG1DbEAC4MYK?fbclid=IwAR202Q7ImcOnxMSHnA3G...

Western Digital:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073SBZ8YH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GoG1DbAP1HZQ8?fbclid=IwAR3iQSmHDQUkQLOGW7ag...

HP Recommended

@Abualuser 

It's an older model PC, so I don't know if the newer EVO drive would even work, even though it would fit.

 

I have a 500GB SSD in my DV6 but it's and older Kingston model.

 

I would guess the WD would be a better choice -- but be sure to get a good return and refund policy if it does not.



I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP
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