Cheap Win7/10 Desktop

Terry98

I am looking for a cheap reliable desktop for under £40.

There are quite a few Dell and Lenovo's in that price range on ebay.

A couple of questions.

If the desktop is advertised without HDD but with COA can I load the OS onto my own HDD for free?
Are there any models I should steer clear of or concentrate on?

ThemeOne

I've always been able to install from the COA, but it's nearly always phone activation - which doesn't involve speaking to an actual person.

Terry98

ThemeOne wrote: »

I've always been able to install from the COA, but it's nearly always phone activation - which doesn't involve speaking to an actual person.

Thanks.Does the COA come in the form of a serial number that you need to input during the installation process? Didn't MS change the verification process from the HDD to the BIOS from Win 7 onwards?

Onlythebest

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DELL-OPTIPLEX-780-Core-2-DUO-E7500-2-93GHz-4GB-RAM-500GB-HDD-Win10-Office-2016-/182567105464

Onlythebest

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DELL-OPTIPLEX-780-CORE-2-DUO-DESKTOP-PC-3-00GHz-4GB-160GB-WINDOWS-10-PRO-/182536638129

60 day warranty. Not clear if it's a Tower. Check beforehand.

ThemeOne

Terry98 wrote: »

Thanks.Does the COA come in the form of a serial number that you need to input during the installation process? Didn't MS change the verification process from the HDD to the BIOS from Win 7 onwards?

The COA will have the Windows 7 25 digit key on it, so yes input it during installation, but be prepared to be referred to phone activation, COA keys seldom activate online in my experience. On your installation media you'll need the exact same edition of Windows 7 i.e. professional / home etc.

emptybox

Or just download a Windows 10 ISO, put it on DVD or USB and install from that, using the Windows 7 or 8 key to activate it.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

donniedarko

Terry98 wrote: »

Thanks.Does the COA come in the form of a serial number that you need to input during the installation process? Didn't MS change the verification process from the HDD to the BIOS from Win 7 onwards?

With the Optiplex 780 listed below, the COA is just a back up, as you can re-install Windows 7 without the need for it.
You just need DELL re-installation media. Can be found for free on-line.

Terry98

donniedarko wrote: »

With the Optiplex 780 listed below, the COA is just a back up, as you can re-install Windows 7 without the need for it.
You just need DELL re-installation media. Can be found for free on-line.

Thanks. That one already had Win10 on it but the COA was Win7 .

This listing http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Optiplex-980-SFF-PC-Intel-Pentium-G6950-2-8GHZ-2GB-DDR3-/272664073785?hash=item3f7c0b9639:g:dIYAAOSwBt5ZEZzr and quite a few others like it does not include a hard drive and you have to install the OS yourself.

Anyway I have now got the answers I need and thanks to everyone for the replies.

donniedarko

Terry98 wrote: »

Thanks. That one already had Win10 on it but the COA was Win7 .

This listing <snip> and quite a few others like it does not include a hard drive and you have to install the OS yourself.

Anyway I have now got the answers I need and thanks to everyone for the replies.

That 980 has only 2GB of RAM, has a small form factor and an inferior CPU and yet you still need to find a storage drive and install Windows for yourself.
Notwithstanding, the same solution for the 980, a DELL re-installation media, matching the COA won't need the key.
The COA is not the key used for activation, but it can be used as a back up.

System

Steer clear of the Dell Optiplex 755, they seem to suffer from electrolytic capacitor failure on the motherboard which usually starts to exhibit itself by random reboots whenever you start to make the CPU or onboard graphics work hard. Other than that they're all good and even the Core 2 Duo ones will suffice for everyday stuff. I'd put a SSD in one though.