Cheapest way to go to Windows 7 or 8

honestsammy

Hi,
I'm one of those still on XP, looking for a way to upgrade to Win 7 or 8, in the cheapest way possible. The options I have identified are:

- buy win 7, possibly OEM version, which is a bit cheaper
- buy win 8, as it only seems a little bit more expensive
- buy a second hand laptop with win 7 or 8 on it

Now I have an old Dell laptop, which was at the cheap end when I bought it, so I'm thinking it's almost as cheap or cheaper to buy a second hand laptop. Anybody had the same thoughts, or have any other ideas?

Ta.

emptybox

About £50 for a Windows 7 OEM DVD is about the cheapest at the mo.

There are rumours about Microsoft planning to offer a free cutdown version of 8.1, for lower spec devices.
http://digitaltrends.com/computing/leak-suggests-windows-8-1-bing-budget-devices/

But when or if that is going to be released, and whether you'll be able to download it, is just speculation at the moment.

uknick

honestsammy wrote: »

Hi,


Now I have an old Dell laptop, which was at the cheap end when I bought it, so I'm thinking it's almost as cheap or cheaper to buy a second hand laptop. Anybody had the same thoughts, or have any other ideas?

Ta.

Will your laptop run windows 7 or 8? If not, second hand route is your only real choice.

honestsammy

£50 isn't too bad. Ebuyer was around £75 for Win 7 home premium and you can almost pick up a second hand lappy for that.

Not checked the laptop for minimum requirements yet, but some of the 2nd hand one's i've seen (for £75!) look lower spec so I'm relatively confident, although I'll have a check.

I guess the question now is can you get a (legit) copy for less than 50 quid?

emptybox

There's a list here from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awindows+7&keywords=windows+7&ie=UTF8&qid=1394732610

Mind you, just because it's from Amazon, doesn't guarantee it's legit, so i would read the reviews first.

For instance, I'm not quite sure how you could "refurbish" a DVD? but some of them seem to require you to activate by phone etc, which suggests they've been used previously. That would work as long as it's a full retail copy, and has been deactivated on the previous machine.

henm2

A better option would be to ditch windows. Assuming your computer is a few years old I would put an alternative operating system such as LXLE or Xubuntu on it. Works great.
For a modern computer Linux Mint 16 cinnamon or Solydk would be a good choice

MarkBargain

There is no way I'd buy Windows 7 or 8 for an old laptop like that. Personally, the old laptop would be sold on Ebay and I would buy a new or refurbished one with a 12-month guarantee. Argos Outlet on Ebay sell netbooks from £100 and laptops from £200, see http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Argos-Outlet

[Deleted User]

How about this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/IBM-LENOVO-PORTABLE-LAPTOP-WINDOWS/dp/6042640941/ref=sr_1_23?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394738188&sr=1-23&keywords=Laptop

henm2

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

How about this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/IBM-LENOVO-PORTABLE-LAPTOP-WINDOWS/dp/6042640941/ref=sr_1_23?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394738188&sr=1-23&keywords=Laptop

Thinkpad x200 s have a great reputation and are ideal for someone wanting to change their laptop on the cheap. Also the one quoted has Windows 7 on it.

NiftyDigits

honestsammy wrote: »

Hi,
I'm one of those still on XP, looking for a way to upgrade to Win 7 or 8, in the cheapest way possible. The options I have identified are:

- buy win 7, possibly OEM version, which is a bit cheaper
- buy win 8, as it only seems a little bit more expensive
- buy a second hand laptop with win 7 or 8 on it

Now I have an old Dell laptop, which was at the cheap end when I bought it, so I'm thinking it's almost as cheap or cheaper to buy a second hand laptop. Anybody had the same thoughts, or have any other ideas?

Ta.

Quote the Service Tag here. Will be on the underside.