Can't Install windows 7 on old XP Laptop?

[dan9393]

It's an old Gateway 3522GZ. I get an error message while installing windows 7. I also have a hard time installing Linux, because it has a Centrino M CPU. It has 734 RAM and a 55 GB hard drive.

The error message is the attached pic.

https://imgur.com/a/Pr3DX

 

[dan9393]

Also if installing Windows 7 is not an option. I'm also trying to duel boot XP and a Linux distro. I have XP installed but can't partition the hard drive at all. Usually I would be able to install the Linux Ubuntu distro alongside the Windows operating system but I don't have the option to.

 

[cryoburner]

It sounds like it has a 32-bit processor, so it most likely requires a 32-bit version of whatever OS you install. Windows 7 might run a bit slow on a system with those specs, but you might try a 32-bit Linux Distro.

 

[USAFRet]

It has 734 RAM

Win 7 requires 1GB RAM for a 32bit install, 2GB RAM for a 64bit install.

 

[BFG-9000]

Windows 7-x86 does not require PAE or XD/NX-bit. 32-bit Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 all do require both, so I would suggest looking more closely at your Windows disc.

There are plenty of lightweight linux distros that do not require PAE, but they all use an older kernel. You can usually find them when they are offered in both 686 and 486 versions--it's the 486 version doesn't require PAE.

Virtually none of the 400MHz FSB Pentium-M chips have PAE, and you cannot use the 533MHz versions unless you have the later Sonoma Centrino platform that takes DDR2 (that is, the i915 chipset instead of i855)

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Save all the hassle and buy a new PC, or a pre-owned one that's running Windows 7. Some online vendors specialise in reselling pre-owned computers - - I've bought them for friends in the past who wanted one as cheap as possible as a starter PC - - that was back in the XP era.

 

[dan9393]

It sounds like it has a 32-bit processor, so it most likely requires a 32-bit version of whatever OS you install. Windows 7 might run a bit slow on a system with those specs, but you might try a 32-bit Linux Distro.

I should have mentioned, I always install 32-bit OS on older computers. Never 64-bit.

 

[dan9393]

It has 734 RAM

Win 7 requires 1GB RAM for a 32bit install, 2GB RAM for a 64bit install.

I was able to install Windows 7 x86 on a few older Dell Desktops, that only had about 512 RAM.

 

[dan9393]

Windows 7-x86 does not require PAE or XD/NX-bit. 32-bit Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 all do require both, so I would suggest looking more closely at your Windows disc.

There are plenty of lightweight linux distros that do not require PAE, but they all use an older kernel. You can usually find them when they are offered in both 686 and 486 versions--it's the 486 version doesn't require PAE.

Virtually none of the 400MHz FSB Pentium-M chips have PAE, and you cannot use the 533MHz versions unless you have the later Sonoma Centrino platform that takes DDR2 (that is, the i915 chipset instead of i855)

I also installed Windows 7 32-bit from a USB drive. I got the same error message, as in that photo I have linked in my first post. I used Ubuntu Zorin 10, 10 lite, and 12.2 lite. Simply because it's the most similar to Windows. The PAE really doesn't bother me much, first time it came up because of that Centrino M chip.

 

[dan9393]

Save all the hassle and buy a new PC, or a pre-owned one that's running Windows 7. Some online vendors specialise in reselling pre-owned computers - - I've bought them for friends in the past who wanted one as cheap as possible as a starter PC - - that was back in the XP era.

Well yeah, but it was a free Notebook.

 

[dan9393]

I might just try windows 7 x86 one more time if i can dig up some more memory for this laptop, it only has one slot.

Now with the hard drive only being about 55 GB, would it be easier to reinstall windows XP and partition the drive, or install the Ubuntu distro first and partition the drive. So far I have not been able to partition the C: disk as it is with XP installed, tried running the Ubuntu live system, couldn't do anything with the disk.