I wanted to test Windows 7 on an old HP Pavilion DV4305US that I own. It is not the original configuration as the hard drive and RAM have been upgraded. The machine’s specs are:
- Intel Celeron 1.40GHz CPU
- 1GB RAM
- 250GB hard drive
- GPU – Mobile Intel 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset
- 15.4 inch screen, maximum resolution 1280×800
- Weight – 6.5 lbs.
The machine had been running Windows XP Home. I installed Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit) as a new install and not as a migration. (You cannot upgrade directly from XP to Windows 7 as you can with Vista.) The installation went off without a hitch. It took about an hour.
Everything is working fine with one minor issue. The video card is not capable of running Windows 7 Aero. This would be fine except that the Windows Basic scheme is drab, drab, drab.
I found a hack to change the taskbar color from light blue to black and now the UI is not so bad.
The machine’s Windows Experience Index is 1.0 due to the GPU. If not for that the CPU’s 2.6 rating would be the low number. The actual user experience is satisfactory. There is no perceived performance hit compared to Windows XP.
The HP connected immediately to the existing Windows 7 HomeGroup. I was able to share files and media among this machine and the other Windows 7 machines I have. It was simple.
Once again Windows 7 does the job.
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I loaded Windows 7 because I had issues with blue screen. It loaded fine, but my sound and network card don’t work. any ideas.
@Rick Stone
1. Click on the Start button
2. Type “devmgmt.msc”in the Search bar.
If unidentified item(s) is/are listed—
a. Click on one to select it.
b. Click on the menu Action —> Update Driver Software
c. Select “Search automatically for updated driver software”
If device(s) show up which Device Manager indicates that it is/are not functioning correctly—
a. Click on one to select it.
b. Click on the menu “Action —> Update Driver Software”
c. Select “Search automatically for updated driver software”
This may find you a suitable driver for the non-functioning devices
Alternatively, if you have a drivers disc for network card and sound card, from the earlier version of Windows try inserting it in the machine. Then instead of using Select “Search automatically for updated driver software” as shown above, select “Browse my computer for driver software” and follow the directions. Many drivers from XP or Vista will work fine. You may get a Windows 7 message about the driver being from an unknown source, which you can disregard.
Lastly, you if you know the component you might be able to get a Windows 7 compatible driver from the computer maker’s web site. Dell and HP provide this type of service and others may as well.