Upgrading to Windows 10

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Albert_23

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Jul 9, 2016
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Hello,

I have a (OEM) Windows XP 32-bit or a (Retail) Vista 64-bit PC. I'm thinking of upgrading one of the PC's to Windows 8 from a upgrade kit purchased back when Windows 8 first arrived on the market.

Then upgrading the Windows 8 upgrade install to Windows 10.

I found the Windows 10 ISO for download. Is all that's necessary is to upgrade from Windows 8 upgrade (it's version 8 and not version 8.1) is to install Windows 8 upgrade using the Windows 8 key and disc. Then install Windows 10 from it's installation ISO DVD? Is there a Windows 10 COA included with the ISO? The Windows 8 upgrade COA is used? I need to first register and validate Windows 10 online whereupon a COA will be provided during registration?


 
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you will need win 8.1 to update to win 10. it's a free upgrade though through windows store.

so it'll be a lot of installing but in the end it will work. upgrade to win 8, then install the 8.1 update. then you can run and install win 10. there are multiple versions of win 10 and to be sure you get the right one for oyur win 8 install, it is better to use the media creation tool to upgrade to win 10. it is available here. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

tun that and select "upgrade this pc" and it will identify and download the right version of win 10 for your pc. the installer will take care of validating and activating the win 10 install. keep in mind this upgrade is only valid on the pc it is installed on. so if you plan on a new pc before the end of the free period, don't use it now or you'll need a new key to use iwn 10 on a new pc.

enjoy all the updating :)
 
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That does seem like a lot of installing for upgrading. I have several PC's 4 x Wndows XP 32-bit and 1 x Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit that I use most of the time.

The problem I'm having and part of the reason I need to upgrade, is Vista's Windows Update is broken. Many others are reporting the same problem with Vista Windows Update stopped working.

I haven't been able to update Vista (64-bit) either from Windows Update, standalone installers or Microsoft Update Manger ("Add" button is not working). Windows Update does list 64 important and 38 optional updates after initiating a download and install Windows Update ran over 8 hours without any success. (continues at zero percent). I was able to apply a single update for Word viewer, however after trying to install more single or multiple update Window update shows no progress.
________

I'm thinking of possibly upgrading to windows 8 then 8.1 and possibly installing one of the programs that creates a classic desktop.

What would be a good reason to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10? From what I've read both OSs use pretty much use the same core files. Windows 10 does have other features, however since my current PC is older (Intel core-2 cpu 2.13 Ghz with 4 gigs of older architecture memory) and I don't connect many items to the PC, pretty much use it for e-mail, access the internet and stream video. Isn't used to connect media devices, etc.

 
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I would check motherboard web site and see how far the drivers go, its possible you don't have win 10 drivers so I would only go as far as 8.1 if it has drivers for that. Updating a PC with no win 10 drivers is going to end badly.
 
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win 10 is just the newest/latest/greatest and it runs rather well on old hardware. i use it on several old systems and have put it on many more. have it on an old atom cpu with 2 gb ram as well as a q6600 system in my house. it runs well and the new features are nice to have.

classic shell is something i have used to change the start menu back to old school. it is free and works well. personally i think it is worth the upgrade to win 10. overall, i like it. xp is just way to old and outdated now. vista was a horrible os and the windows updater is dead like win 7 one is. i'm pretty sure MS did this on purpose to try and nudge people to win 10. it's up to you. this forum has 1,000,000 threads asking if folks should go to win 10 or not so i'll leave it to you to read through a lot of that stuff to see the why's and why not's :)

i personally feel it is worth it and for free it is even more worth it.
 
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Thanks for the replies.

Where is that motherboard site? I remember reading something about mb compatibility.

Is there a site for both Windows 8 and Windows 10.

The PC is a Thinkcentre M55, Small form factor (2x3) with Intel® Q963 chipset, Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor E6400 2.13 Ghz cpu, I believe is an Intel® Pentium® D processor with 800MHz FSB

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd012466

I'll eventually upgrade the PC perhaps to a later version Thinkcentre, but currently would like to upgrade if possible the older small form factor M55.

 
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I probably should have first checked Lenovo's site. I remember purchasing the M55 sometme back in 2007 bundled with Windows XP. The M55 is capable of handling Windows Vista. So I suppose it should work about the same with Windows 8.1.

Vista does ok but not great, can become sludgy if you have larger applications open at the same time.

The Lenovo site does show some support for Windows 8/10 however no real details.

I did find one document that shows direct Lenovo Windows 8.x support for Thinkcenters starting with the M58, which has a little more recent hardware architecture than the M55.





 
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i've upgraded a ton of old pc's most of which have no win 10 support on their website. yet none has had an issue with drivers. i currently have an xps 420 which came with vista and it runs fine on win 10. nothing above vista drivers on dell site though.

win 10 is rather good at finding drivers for old stuff. so far there is only 1 driver i have not found for an old system on win 10. and that is the igp for an old atom cpu. that is literally the only driver i could not get on win 10 for well over 100 upgrades i have done.

i'd not worry too much about drivers for the mobo, they are most likely in MS's database already.
 
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I think you're correct there appears to be plenty support for machines with minimum and higher system requirements for Windows 8 & 10.


What has everyone upset Windows Update has been reported to have failed by many users. Including myself. It was working just fine up to around Feb 2016 when I inadvertently turned off reporting of new updates for download for an unrelated reason, I forgot to turn it back on. After a few months I remember to turn it back on and that's when trouble persisted from not working at all to be able to list the updates but unable to download and install.

Currently it lists the available updates for download, after clicking on the "Download" button it consistently stays at 0 percent for 8+ hours. At one time while trying to perform manual fixes (Vista fix-it currently does not exist). I rebooted and selecting a Word Viewer update which downloaded and installed. After selecting four more Word viewer updates it went back to zero percent progress and has been there ever since. So I'm uncertain if the problem is with my PC or Windows Servers. (I also installed Windows update from a Windows update agent exe file.)

Some users have reported after fresh install of Windows Vista that the same problem with Windows Update continues to exist.

Vista Support is suppose to be good for approx. another year. Since it's more of technical issue between a user's computer and Microsoft servers, the problem hasn't really been openly addressed by Microsoft.

 
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I used Vista for about 7 years until hardware died and the huge amount of updates combined with my pitiful connection speed (at the time) meant It would have taken a day or so just to get the updates. I upgraded to win 7 then and now the 312 updates you need to get win 7 up to date would have pushed me to upgrade again had I not already replaced the entire PC.

I never had a problem with Vista as like your PC, it was built to run it... i also knew it was time to upgrade last year as the PC was getting too slow to use (though I only had a dual core)
 
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This is a first for my Vista.

Currently I'd like to see a fix for Vista Windows Update as I'm not yet ready to upgrade. What I'll eventually do is purchase a PC with Windows 8 or 10 that has better hardware architecture and system resources.


Window Vista SP1 and pre-SPI run fairly well on older PC's it's usually the updates such as SP2 plus Windows Update that bog it down.





 
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My First computer was a TRS 80 color with its massive 16k oif ram, 16 colours and tape deck storage; you brief history of last 30 years is very familiar :)

MY first PC was only in 1999 though as I had a 15 year break from computers as they were dull business machines back in the 80's.

I remember the ZX81 with its massive 1k of extendable ram... 8 inch floppies that truly gave the format its name. I think my college had a Osbourne portable that was about size of a suit case with a tiny screen but it had a real keyboard.
 
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I started using dumb terminals then eventually the dumb terminals were replaced with IBM XT's.

I could easily build my own PC but found the OEM's usually have everything that's necessary plus support. The OS is normally included so you don't need to purchase an OS.

I also have some Linux installs on USB drives. I've run Unix machines but they were difficult to use. Linux does offer something Windows doesn't have such as a command line interface terminal. Commands can be sent to easily update the PC, install new programs, perform various functions, etc. Window Machines you can open a command terminal but there is mainly only a DOS command structure available.

One reason I mostly use Windows is because most of my applications run under Windows. However if MS continues not to provide support for Windows or support is too difficult to access I can easily move to a Linux installation. Which actually runs faster than Windows, is easily updated and has alot of support from Linux user groups.



 
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I don't like brand name computers as they generally don't use latest hardware and you can end up buying two year old hardware when you do. I am currently looking for a PC for my mum and the OEM just don't match what i want - its probable I am asking too much.

I generally get mine made by a custom builder as though I know how to put them together, I feel its safer to let those who have more spare parts available than I do, make it for me in case a part doesn't work.

I use windows cause I always have... well, its better than DOS was and I am getting old, its just easier than learning linux all over again.

Vista is old, I don't think it still gets support so moving to at least 7 would be a good idea. Not sure I like 8.1 enough to recommend it, never liked the "no desktop" idea. Its why I never got it myself.
 
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I might go with a custom builder.

I have found most of my recent PC's off eBay ... one of the Thinkcenter's M55's purchased off eBay with warranty. IBM/Lenovo actually came out where I was staying (miles from any large city) and replaced the motherboard for free.

A PC builder can offer the same type of warranty which would be good to have on a relatively new PC.

Linux isn't really all that difficult to learn and use, It's been much improved and much more user friendly. The OS and GUI has a few idiosyncrasies, but once learned it's not any more difficult to use than Windows. In some cases and operations it becomes less difficult to use than Windows.

One example would be when searching for utilities and applications under Windows you need to search online, which can be sometimes become time consuming. Linux has a GUI front end that lists many Linux Utilities and applications that are categorized. Each application or utility are listed with a description, plus any user select-able add-ons that increases it's capabilities.

You can also install utilities, applications and libraries from it's command terminal. There are also GUI front ends. Often Linux will display a command line for a utillity, application or library is needed for installation of a utility, app or part of the OS that hasn't been installed. From the command line beside installing or uninstalling parts of the OS, an app or utility you can do many other things that include configuration, etc.

Much of the OS can be modified from the command terminal and/or GUI to better suite which applications and utilities you have installed or plan to install.

With Linux you can create a very small footprint OS to run on smaller machines with less system resources to larger machines with more system resources. You can configure Linux to mainly run and boot to one application without needing to load parts of the OS that are unnecessary to run the application.






 
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I don't live in US and buying from a retail shop hasn't crossed my mind since I bought my first PC in 1999 which was an IBM. I have since gone to smaller companies who can make the PC the way I want it. Last two computers made in another city to me but they have been rock solid so the risk of getting repairs is something I am willing to take.

Sure, downside is unlike big OEM like Lenova, they aren't everywhere and if my PC had a major problem, I would have to chase the individual part makers to do an RMA. Upside is I have been able to choose the parts and by choosing wisely can hopefully avoid bad parts. My last PC lasted 10 years and I only replaced parts after several years (excluding GPU) when they were due to be replaced anyway. True, by end, only 3 original parts (CPU, 1 hdd & Motherboard) but that was to be expected.

Its been a learning process, working out what parts need to be the best you can afford (PSU) so as to avoid the early deaths of other things (optical drives, HDD). I am strange, the part that costs the most in my PC normally is the case now as after buying really crappy ones years ago, I like a good one now.
 
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I haven't really made any comparison under Vista. Under Linux the 64-bit version normally runs better than the 32-bit version.

The Thinkcentres have lasted almost ~10 years and are still working ok. I don't know I might try an online PC builder. I'll probably just weigh the costs of finding a used PC on eBay. I may just find a more recent Thinkcentre as they have proved to be ok. I still have an older Thinkpad T-30 that I used for a number or years eventually was placed in storage. Got me interested in Thinkcentre's before purchasing the M55 that was priced down as the seller acquired a whole bunch of new ones wholesale, still in their original packaging , the price was approx. half of a new one. Came with the original Lenovo warranty.

My M55s are SFF (small form factor) The case is small and easily folds open. Thinkcentres come in different sizes from very small (SFF or tiny) to larger desktops and towers.

Runs fairly cool comes with a large cpu fan and heat sink, power supply with fan and two decent sized fans installed in the front. Fans are bios controlled with a learning feature. I think more recent PCs are running even hotter so cooling is another feature to consider if building or purchasing a PC. Only having a power supply and cpu fan may not cool a PC well enough.

You're correct about OEM's their hardware can sometimes easily become outdated, especially when newer OS's and hardware architectures are hitting the market. They also sell many of their PC's to large companies and institutions that don't upgrade that often.

OEM's usually have everything on a schedule where a particular model PC will no longer be manufactured within a time-frame and have already designed a replacement ready to go on the market. One problem with OEM's is their not usually designed for a motherboard and chipset upgrade. So owner would need to sell off their older OEM(s) and find replacements if wanting to upgrade.


 
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My case isn't small at all, its got 3 180mm case fans in its base that keep everything cool. Cooling with filtered intake fans was my priority this time, keep everything way below its max temp on air and avoiding dust build up so I don't have to clean it as often. Having more intakes than exhaust means all the dust gets blown out of PC and never gets a chance to settle. If I need extra exhaust, I set up my GPU fan to always be running, it normally only starts at 40c

its winter here so hottest thing in my PC is the Graphics card at 31c

If you have a model you like, go for it. I have had the same type phone last 6 years, just different models. If it works, keep doing it.
 
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I haven't compared Vista 32-bit with Vista 64-bit. My Vista 64-Bit has 4 gigs installed. Vista System shows 4 gigs installed. The task manager reports 3016 MB total physical memory.

MS normally recommends a minimum of 1 GB for a Windows 32-bit OS and 2 GB for a Windows 64-bit OS I believe this is true for Vista through Windows 10.

At 4 Gigs I believe a 64-bit OS should be able to better utilize and allocate any spare memory, but I haven't tested this theory. Someone else probably already has made a comparison between a 32 and 64 bit OS and how memory is utilized. When at 4 gigs 32 bit OS may have nearly the same amout of free memory as a 64-bit OS.


If your using a video adapter with it's own memory then the equation differs as most or many PCs with an on board video adapter will allocate part of the main system memory to graphics. If your able to disable the mb video the OS shouldn't allocate additional graphic memory.


 
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32bit will give you 3.5gb ram if you have 4gb installed, Any graphics card memory you have will eat into available space as well. If you have integrated graphics it also will.

64bit give you slightly more ram to play with - you can never have it all, win 10 allocates 54 mb of my ram to hardware (no idea what) and some is lost due to rounding and marketing - a 2gb stick is actually 2000mb, not 2048mb like it should actually be (with 16gb I only have access to 15.7gb, the other 250mb doesn't actually exist), the memory addresses the Graphics card uses are so far above the amount of ram you have that it doesn't eat into memory allocation. Integrated graphics will still likely eat some.
 
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I think ~3.5 gb for a 32-bit OS is true, however for some machines the value becomes ~3 gbs.

The 4GB limit refers to total addressable memory space and not just the RAM installed. It's a total made up of system RAM, graphics RAM, PCI memory range, ACPI and a few other bits and pieces.

There was a user that purchased a PC from a builder included a video adapter with 1 Gb, The builder installed a Windows 32-bit OS, as a result only 2.2GB of the memory was accessible by Windows
 
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Windows Vista Ultimate: 4 GB / 128 GB (64-bit Version I have installed on the M55)
Windows Vista Enterprise: 4 GB / 128 GB
Windows Vista Business: 4 GB / 128 GB (32-bit version installed on a laptop)
Windows Vista Home Premium: 4 GB / 16 GB
Windows Vista Home Basic: 4 GB / 8 GB

 
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