Where to get cheap Windows XP?

kakdulac

I have an old laptop and cant afford a new one at present. However a friend has a Dell Desktop he does not use at present and said I could borrow it until I can get a new laptop. However it runs Windows 2000 and I am used to XP. I have said that in exchange for the loan I will upgrade it for him. So where is the cheapest place to get XP.

mikey72

What's the spec of the Dell, I've got one running 2000, that would struggle to run XP. Check out the thread on this page for where to get a oem to answer the question you posted though.

kakdulac

mikey72 wrote: »

What's the spec of the Dell, I've got one running 2000, that would struggle to run XP. Check out the thread on this page for where to get a oem to answer the question you posted though.

Where can I find the spec as I am not very technical. It is an Optiplex GX 260 MODEL. I bought it from a friend who worked for a large accountants who upgraded every 2 years. I remember it did not have a very large memory so myself and another friend who bought purchased extra memory from Dell and he fitted it for me. HTH

OneADay

kakdulac wrote: »

Where can I find the spec as I am not very technical. It is an Optiplex GX 260 MODEL. I bought it from a friend who worked for a large accountants who upgraded every 2 years. I remember it did not have a very large memory so myself and another friend who bought purchased extra memory from Dell and he fitted it for me. HTH

Right click on the Computer icon on the desktop and then select properties.

Think its Pentium 4 2.4Ghz cpu. Hard disk 20gig (not enough), memory 256MB (but you say you have upgraded it to what?).

Now looking for XP - well you would have been better getting a new dell to be honest - xp is going to cost about £80 and in 4 years time it will be obsolete as no longer supported by Microsoft from 2014.

Might get a cheap copy from ebay but beware the dodgy copies.

kakdulac

OneADay wrote: »

Right click on the Computer icon on the desktop and then select properties.

Think its Pentium 4 2.4Ghz cpu. Hard disk 20gig (not enough), memory 256MB (but you say you have upgraded it to what?).

Now looking for XP - well you would have been better getting a new dell to be honest - xp is going to cost about £80 and in 4 years time it will be obsolete as no longer supported by Microsoft from 2014.

Might get a cheap copy from ebay but beware the dodgy copies.

Just checked and this is what it said.

4CPU 1.80GHZ

AT/AT COMPATIBLE

1,308.664KB RAM

The option of buying a new computer is not available. thanks

Basil1234

http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php?products_id=33679&source=froogle

£52.05 is oem version on sp2 i wouldn't both upgrading to sp3 alot of the older machines go funny on sp3

Specifications
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Processor Requirements233 MHz Recommended Processor Requirements300 MHz
Minimum Memory Requirements64 MB Recommended Memory Requirements128 MB
Media RequirementCD-ROM Drive
Minimum Storage Requirements1500 MB
Minimum Display RequirementsSuper VGA
PeripheralsKeyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
LICENSINGVersionNon-specific ProgramOEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer Division NameWindows Desktop OS Volume LevelNo Level Unit CountNon-specific LanguageEnglish User Licences1 licences

burundi

We had a large number DELL optiplex GX260's and they all worked fine on SP3 so you shouldn't have any problems.

You have sufficient RAM to run XP so that shouldn't be a worry and the hard drive is a little small at 20gb but a basic install of Xp with all patches will only take approx a third of that, so long as you're not planning to do too much else with it that will require a lot of disk space then I'd say that desktop machine should run XP adequately.

burundi

Basil1234 wrote: »

£52.05 is oem version on sp2 i wouldn't both upgrading to sp3 alot of the older machines go funny on sp3

I would not advise running XP at all without the latest service pack and all the latest patches, there are too many security holes in the OS.

If the machine is not connected to the internet then running it with only SP2 would be an option, but any machine connected to the internet these days should have all patches installed.

rose28454

I managed to get XP and have installed it but a couple of problems. Firstly it has not deleted 2000 and the display is too large so everything wont fit on the start menu. Any ideas??

JasX

rose28454 wrote: »

I managed to get XP and have installed it but a couple of problems. Firstly it has not deleted 2000 and the display is too large so everything wont fit on the start menu. Any ideas??

change the screen resolution?

closed

install the missing device drivers, from the dell website. See device manager for what's missing.