wondows 10 on old laptop?

[mutantpoodle]

I have still got my old HP G56 laptop
it got slower and slower and in the end I gave up and replaced it
it 'runs (ran) windows 7

of course new laptop has windows 10

I do not need any info that is still on the old laptop as I transferred/kept everything I wanted
would i be able to get windows 10 on the old mchine without causing problems with new machine license or whatever

i would nt need to keep anything i dont think as would only use for suring/newspapers type of thing

would it work?..assuming i can download the new '10'

[Breelander]

I have still got my old HP G56 laptop ... it 'runs (ran) windows 7
...would i be able to get windows 10 on the old machine without causing problems with new machine license or whatever...

Yes, there is no problem with licences. Assuming it is still running its Windows 7, you can upgrade the existing Win7 to 10 and it will get a digital licence in its own right based on it already having a legitimate copy of Windows 7 on it. Exactly how well it will run Windows 10 depends on the exact model, there were several different G56 models. Post the full model number and I can give you an estimate of what to expect.

To upgrade, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/softwar ... /windows10 and download the Media Creation Tool. Run the MCT and choose its option to 'Make media for another PC' and make the USB install media (you will need at least a 4GB USB). If you are making the USB on the HP it will by default make the correct media for the PC (language, 32 or 64 bit, etc).

If you are making it on another PC you will have to choose those options yourself to match the Windows 7 on the HP. Note that UK English is the 'English International' version, while the US version is called just 'English'. To find out which flavour of English you need, on the HP open a command prompt and type the command SYSTEMINFO then look for the line saying 'System Locale:'. It will be 'en-gb' for the UK English version.

Plug the USB into the HP while Windows is running and run the Setup.exe you will find on the root of the USB drive. When it says it is about to reboot for the first time, remove the USB (you need to boot from the HDD to continue the install).

[Breelander]

I have still got my old HP G56 laptop ... it 'runs (ran) windows 7'

While I wait for the exact model number, if it turns out to not be up to running Windows 10 at any reasonable speed then you could give the existing Windows 7 a new lease of life by performing a 'factory reset'.

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/c02638587

[mutantpoodle]

HP G56
G56-106SA

250 hard drive
3072MB


do you need any else? I have full spec from side of box (its all foreign to me)


also I don't have USBs..are they absolute reqd?

[Breelander]

G56-106SA
do you need any else?

No, I can get the full specs here: https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/c02496905

You currently have Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit so the upgrade would give you Windows 10 Home 64-bit. Your processor is a 2.1 GHz AMD Athlon II Dual-Core P320, that is more than enough to run Windows 10 at reasonable speeds. Your 3GB of RAM is sufficient, the minimum requirement is 2GB to run 64-bit W10.

Note that the Media Centre, DVD Maker and the ability to play DVDs will be removed from Windows 7 by the upgrade to 10. More on these and other deprecated features here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows ... #primaryR3

Apparently you should have the Cyberlink DVD Suite installed, if that is compatible with Windows 10 it will be retained, if not you could install VLC media player if you want to play DVDs in Windows 10.

also I don't have USBs..are they absolute reqd?

No, but it's the simplest way to get the install media in a form that can be read by Windows 7.

The MCT can also make an ISO file. The reason for suggesting the USB is that Windows 7 cannot mount an ISO file as a virtual drive, so you'd either have to use 3rd-party tools to mount the drive or burn the ISO to a DVD. I doubt if your new PC has a DVD drive, but your specs say the HP G56 has a LightScribe SuperMulti DVD±R/RW drive, so it should be possible on that machine. Cyberlink should be able to do that (I think). If not, right-click on the .iso file and select 'Open with > Windows Disk Image Burner'.

Alternatively, if you have 7-Zip installed you can open the .iso with 7-Zip File Manager, copy all the files and folders to a temporary folder then run Setup.exe from there.

[Breelander]

PS: If you have any third-party AV installed, it would be best to uninstall it before attempting the upgrade.

[mutantpoodle]

OK
many thanks for your patience
I will be re reading...……..and RE reading
and then
re reading all instructions tomorrow
old laptop now on charge so as to give me reasonable chance

I DO have a 4GB SD card...………...would that do instead of a USB ??

I thought USB was a plug/socket???

[Breelander]

old laptop now on charge so as to give me reasonable chance

Do not attempt the upgrade on battery power alone. Leave the charger plugged in for the upgrade. If the battery went flat half way through an upgrade it would probably end up making the PC un-bootable.

I DO have a 4GB SD card...………...would that do instead of a USB ??
I thought USB was a plug/socket???

Yes, USB is the name of the socket, but I used the term 'usb' as short-hand for a usb memory stick. Like your SD card, it appears as another drive in Windows Explorer when plugged in. You can also boot from a usb memory stick (same as you can from a DVD/CD) if it contains boot files. Both the USB and the ISO made by the Media Creation tool (or rather, the DVD you'd make from the ISO) will be bootable ones.

I'm afraid the Media Creation Tool cannot make install media on an SD card, it can either make a .iso file on your PC or put the install media on a USB stick.

What you could do, as you have a Windows 10 PC already, is make the ISO on that machine, double-click on it to mount it as a virtual drive, then copy all the files and folders to the SD card. Then you could put the SD card in the HP and run Setup from it. The SD card probably won't be bootable, but you don't want to boot from it to do an upgrade. You just need to be able to see all the files from within Windows 7 on the HP to be able to run the upgrade.

[mutantpoodle]

i don't usually give up...but!

my computer tells me that the MCT will not run on my system
needless to say it does not offer any reason(s)

so as it all appears to depend on a MCT, I have opted for the alternative you suggested, that of the factory reset in '7'


its early days and i am still replacing browsers and bookmarks and other 'essentials' in my world
but all appears to be very good and so much cleaner .,, ,that's just me gathering rubbish each day over the years of use

many thanks for the advices but its just too much for me...especially as I am/was only really looking at creating a reliable back-up computer

in point of fact I was totally happy with Windows 7 and only reluctantly had to go for '10'

thanks again for all advice

[Breelander]

i don't usually give up...but!
my computer tells me that the MCT will not run on my system
needless to say it does not offer any reason(s)

That is odd. Did you download the Tool first? You should have got a file named MediaCreationTool1803.exe. That should run on anything, 32/64-bit, Windows 7,8,8.1 & 10.

...I have opted for the alternative you suggested, that of the factory reset in '7'...
...all appears to be very good and so much cleaner .,, ,that's just me gathering rubbish each day over the years of use...
... I am/was only really looking at creating a reliable back-up computer

in point of fact I was totally happy with Windows 7 and only reluctantly had to go for '10'

Glad to hear your Windows 7 is back to 'as new' condition. There's nothing wrong with Windows 7, I have another PC that still runs it. Windows 7 SP1 will continue to be supported with security updates until January 14, 2020
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/hel ... fact-sheet

You do have the SP1 version installed? If not you'll need to update to SP1. When I factory-reset my W7 PC, it turned out that my 'factory image' predated SP1 - so I had to download and install that too.

There are potentially hundreds of updates required to bring a factory image up to date. To save time, MS have rolled up all significant updates into a single package KB3125574, the 'Convenience rollup update for Windows 7 SP1...'. This is not available through Windows update, but you can download it here:
http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com ... =KB3125574

...This rollup package includes most updates that were released after the release of SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, through April 2016. ...
...To apply this update, you must install Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (KB976932) and April 2015 servicing stack update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (KB3020369).

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... er-2008-r2

After that, you just need the latest Monthly Security and Quality Rollup to be fully up to date, currently KB4462923, which you will get through Windows Update in the normal way.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... -kb4462923

Once you are up to date, run Disk Clean Up, click the 'clean up system files' button and tick the box to clean up windows update backups. This will speed up checking for updates in the future.


From the specs, it appears you would have a Norton Security trial installed as part of the factory reset. If I were you I'd uninstall it (before you even start the trial) and use Microsoft Security Essentials. This uses the same virus definitions and scan engine as Defernder in W10.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... s-download

[mutantpoodle]

many thanks Breelander

you spending a lot of time on me!!

I have no ideas re the MCT
I followed the instructions...I think.....so if when I went to the link you gave, if it told me download then I did
but no worries
I am very happy with '7'...………….possibly happier with 7 than with 10 on new laptop!!

I am not sure which SP I now have in '7', but it doesn't matter to me
all is running fast and free
it has done some updates...whether all of the required or not I don't know...it does them without my input
and working fine as my back up/reserve machine in case newer laptop dies!
(I have never had a problem but reading some posts here others have ..so as I have an older machine I might as well prepare!)

I did already delete Norton...it was much easier than I recall when I did it many years ago.

I looked at MSE but wasn't sure...so I installed AVAST

is it worth me changing?

[Breelander]

I have no ideas re the MCT
...I am very happy with '7'...………….possibly happier with 7 than with 10 on new laptop!!

Well, it's academic now that you have a functional Windows 7 that you're happy with. The only time I've seen a 'can't run on this PC' from the MCT is if you try to run it's default option of 'upgrade this PC now' on an up to date Win10 PC. You first have to select the 'Make media for another PC' option to make the ISO, that should run on any PC from W7 up...

I am not sure which SP I now have in '7', but it doesn't matter to me....
...it has done some updates...

It matters in that support and updates for W7 is only available out to 2020 if it has the SP1 update. Also, some software and drivers won't run on anything less than SP1. To find out what you have, run Winver. If it doesn't say (Build 7601: 'Service Pack 1)' then you don't have SP1. As you are getting updates it's likely that you are already on SP1. If not then you can download it from MS yourself, or let windows update do it automatically for you.

I looked at MSE but wasn't sure...so I installed AVAST
is it worth me changing?

If it's working without a problem, then leave it. The reason I always recommend sticking with the MS offering is that 3rd-party AVs can sometimes cause obscure problems, in particular for Windows 10. By design AVs have to get their hooks deep into the Windows kernel and this has been known to cause the upgrade to the next version of W10 to fail, or in rare cases 'brick' the PC.

If you ever need to upgrade any PC with a 3rd-party AV installed you should uninstall it before upgrading. This can sometimes be very difficult, so all major AVs have a dedicated removal tool available.