Windows 10 Compatibility

[nt5ra]

Will this laptop support Windows 10?  I've read the requirements on the Microsoft website, and the basics are covered, but I know there is more to it than just the numbers.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I'll be wiping the HDD and doing a clean install.

[pepe999]

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@nt5ra wrote:

Will this laptop support Windows 10?  I've read the requirements on the Microsoft website, and the basics are covered, but I know there is more to it than just the numbers.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I'll be wiping the HDD and doing a clean install.

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Hi,

I wouldn't recommend upgrade to Windows 10 on any computer that is two years old now. HP don't provide Windows 10 drivers for your laptop and the computer will have to use only the basic MS drivers. Plenty of people want to come back to Win 7/8 after the upgrade because the system doesn't work well. Make sure you have got the recovery disks made before any upgrade.

[nt5ra]

pepe999,

Thanks for your response!  What about AMD?  Can't I use the Win10 drivers they offer for this APU, graphics card, etc.?

[pepe999]

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@nt5ra wrote:

pepe999,

Thanks for your response!  What about AMD?  Can't I use the Win10 drivers they offer for this APU, graphics card, etc.?

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Are you sure that AMD provide drivers for your chipset and the graphics cards? There are also other devices such as a sound card, ethernet, wifi, etc. I'd ask on AMD forums if someone with the same chipset has done the upgrade and how it works. 

[WAWood]

nt5ra

I've done a Win10 install on a different DV6 model laptop and it went fine -- but in general, the Win7 laptops don't fare well with the Win10 Upgrade.

While Microsoft tells you that there is no risk in the Win10 Upgrade, because they let you believe that you can always revert back to your original OS and setup within 30 days, the ugly fact of the matter is that the Win10 GoBack function has proven to be unreliable -- and when it fails, it can leave machines in a corrupted state -- which doesn't always happen, but it does happen often enough to be a problem and you won't get any warning in advance that it is going to trash your PC!

So, BEFORE you attempt the switch, I highly recommend that you consider doing an image backup of your laptop using a third-party tool known as Macrium Reflect:

Unfortunately, the Win10 GoBack function has been demonstrated to be unreliable, so when folks try to rollback to an earlier OS, when it does not work, it can leave the machine in a corrupted state, such that only a full factory reset from HP Recovery Media will get it back to a working condition, and not only do you have to purchase that media, you end up losing all your data, settings, and applications in the process.

However, you can protect yourself from upgrade and recovery problems if, BEFORE you do the Upgrade, you consider using a third-party imaging/restoration application like Macrium Reflect to image off your machine so you can easily restore it if anything doesn't work.

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I personally prefer to use third-party Recovery 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: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR)
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 10 minutes to do the image backup and about the same time or less to do a restore.

Plus, MR has the option to Add a Recovery Boot Menu entry. This allows you then to boot into WinRE, and you can then use that to do a restore -- when you can't boot into Windows!

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

[nt5ra]

pepe999,

Regarding AMD drivers for the chipset and graphics card, yes, I've checked their website and there is a driver download there.  I haven't checked on Realtek for the network drivers.  Asking in the AMD forum is a good idea.  Thanks.

[nt5ra]

WAWood,

Thanks for your info and advice.  A third party utility has always been more reliable in my experience as well.  I'm not concerned at all, though, about losing data or settings, as this is a generic laptop used by several people:  nobody calls it their own and the settings are pretty much as the OS installs them.  However, the time involved in trying to recover could be a problem.  Macrium Reflect sounds like good insurance whether I decide to do the upgrade or not.

You said, "...in general, the Win7 laptops don't fare well with the Win10 Upgrade."  Can you provide some general details?

Thanks!

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

Sorry, but I don't have precise details.

I've been providing Win10 tech support ever since the early days of the Insider program, and what I've seen on this, and other tech support forums, is a much higher failer and problem rate in Win7 PCs, than in newer PCs.

In addition, HP provides Win10 drivers for a very small part of its Win7 PCs, so when you force a Win10 Upgrade onto those PCs, in nearly all cases, you are then left without the HP drivers needed for the hardware.  This is especially true with laptops, where specialzed hardware (like Switchable Graphics) is more prevalent in the older laptops.

[nt5ra]

WAWood,

Thanks for your input.  It sounds very similar to what pepe999 posted earlier.  It's hard to argue with the general consensus of those who have been there.