Girlfriends Laptop

[BloodOmen]

Hi, few months back my girlfriend bought herself a laptop it came complete with Windows Vista and she absolutely hates how slow it is with all of the pre installed shit on + vista, she'd like to know if it would be possible and error free to install Windows XP Pro on it?


The laptop model etc is as follows.


Acer Aspire 5315 / Celeron M 530 1.7GHz / 1GB / 120GB/ 15.4" / DVD-SM / Vista Home Premium / Laptop / Notebook


Processor: Intel Celeron M processor 530 1.7GHz
Memory:1GB
HD Capacity: 120 Gb
Display: 15.4"
Graphics Card: Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Operating System: Vista Home Premium
Optical Drive: DVD Super-Multi
Networking: GLAN, WiFi
Size (WxDxH): 366 (W) x 274 (D) x 33.6/42.6 (H) mm
Weight: 2.8kg
Full Specifications:
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Chipset: Mobile Intel GL960 Express Chipset
CPU Section:
Microprocessor Full Name:Intel Celeron M processor 530
Microprocessor Manufacturer:Intel
Microprocessor Speed (GHz):1.7
L2 Cache (KB):1Mb
Frontside Bus (MHz):533
Memory:
Memory Speed (MHz):533
Memory TypeDR2
Memory Size (MB):1024 Mb
Max Memory Size:2Gb
Hard Disk Drive:
Hard Drive Capacity (GB):120 Gb
Hard Drive Type:S-ATA
Optical Drive:
Optical Drive Type:8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Optical Drive Fitting:Built In
Optical Drive Speed Read:24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 6X DVD-ROM DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-RW, 6X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM
Optical Drive Speed Write:24X CD-R, 16X CD-RW, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 4X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 4X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM
Display:
Display Type:Acer Crystalbrite
Diagonal Size (in):15.4"
Resolution Format:1280 x 800
Resolution Type:WXGA
Graphics:
Graphic Card Full Name:Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Memory:128 Mb Shared
Interfaces:
DC in:YES
Audio out:YES
Audio out Type:Headphone/speaker/line-out jack
Microphone Jack:YES
RJ-11 Direct Port (Modem):YES
RJ-45 Direct Port (Network):YES
USB Port (quantity):3
VGA Connector for Monitor:YES
Express Card Slot:YES
Express Card Type:ExpressCard/54
Battery:
Battery Type:53.3 W 4800 mAh Li-ion battery pack (6-cell) - 2 hour battery life
Connectivity
Built-in Modem:YES, 56K ITU V.92
Integrated Wireless LAN:YES, InviLink 802.11b/g
Ethernet network:10/100MHz Ethernet
Camera:YES, Crystal Eye 0.3 MP
Multimedia:
Intel High Definition Audio compatible:YES
Built-in Stereo Speakers:YES
Windows Sound System Compatible:YES
Features:
Special Buttons:Easy Launch Buttons: WLAN, Internet, Email, Acer Arcade, Empowering Key, Volume Wheel
Supplied Accessories
AC Adaptor:Yes
Battery:Yes
Power Cord:Yes


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I mean I know nowt about laptops in all honesty certainly not software wise anyway could anyone with adept laptop knowledge confirm she can format this pile of crap and stick windows XP pro on it without any form of errors? in short - Will it work?


big thx in advance.

 

[BloodOmen]

nm this can be ignored/deleted friend of mine said u can put xp pro on but theres problems and u gotta do all this shit.

 

[Aesgir]

Might be worth the problems tbh on a laptop.

And yeah, your friend is right. I'd wait a couple of months after SP3 to do it, make sure the drivers are up to scratch, and it should ease some of the probs.

 

[throdgrain]

My wife had one like that, it is the cpu as much as anything that goes so slow, although Vista dont help of course.

In the end I fixed it by buying her a dual core with 2 gig ram, sorted tbh.

 

[inactionman]

I'd say the reason that laptop is slow is down to 2 things, the cpu (which can't be fixed) and the memory (which can be upgraded tp 2Gb).

 

[Jonty]

I'd say the reason that laptop is slow is down to 2 things, the cpu (which can't be fixed) and the memory (which can be upgraded tp 2Gb).

I agree; they need shoooting for selling a Vista laptop with a Celeron and 1GB RAM. Adding another 1GB of RAM would help, but Vista will still be slow.

Sadly Acer's support site only lists Vista downloads and utilities, nothing specifically for XP. If you reformatted and installed XP you may get lucky with the generic drivers, but there are no guarantees. However, I did come across some guides by other people who have successfully downgraded to XP.

Kind regards

 

[BloodOmen]

Aye :/ only problem is that she doesnt really want to upgrade it just to accommodate vista, in all fairness she shouldn't have to if acer had the brains to sell laptops with a more stable/less memory+cpu eatting OS

 

[Jonty]

Hi BloodOmen

That's right, it's creating unfair expectations (Microsoft and Intel are being investigated about this very issue).

To be honest, an extra 1GB of RAM would be cheaper than an XP Pro license, but it won't really solve the problems. You may want to consider upgrading the RAM, and then freshly installing Vista using something like vLite (to reduce the unnecessary components). This is assuming Acer supplied a standard Vista disc, which they may not have done.

Failing that, just go back to XP, it will definitely be faster. You can save yourself some money by picking up XP Home (unless you/your girlfriend needs the Pro version?).

Kind regards

 

[Nate]

get a job you bum!!!!

 

[Yaka]

tbh if all she does is werd proccession browsing and watching the odd tv ep film

you may want to bang in a live cd of fedora core or ubuntu and see how she goes. not gonna hurt or owt just dl the cd burn and reboot the lappy with the cd in no hardware install needed for a try

 

[BloodOmen]

Hi BloodOmen

That's right, it's creating unfair expectations (Microsoft and Intel are being investigated about this very issue).

To be honest, an extra 1GB of RAM would be cheaper than an XP Pro license, but it won't really solve the problems. You may want to consider upgrading the RAM, and then freshly installing Vista using something like vLite (to reduce the unnecessary components). This is assuming Acer supplied a standard Vista disc, which they may not have done.

Failing that, just go back to XP, it will definitely be faster. You can save yourself some money by picking up XP Home (unless you/your girlfriend needs the Pro version?).

Kind regards

Ahh this part made me chuckle, they don't give out cd's anymore, not even for the laptop drivers. What the sly ***** do is put it onto a seperate partition and say basicly in short "fuck off and find your own vista cd, we've supplied the key and we aint giving you the software"

Most new laptops work like this now, so be aware when you buy a laptop - theres prob about a 70-80% chance you won't get a copy of vista or xp with the laptop itself, just a key... you'll have to find a cd urself which is utterly bollocks.

 

[BloodOmen]

get a job you bum!!!!

Bum coming from someone that lives in essex how amusing.

 

[BloodOmen]

tbh if all she does is werd proccession browsing and watching the odd tv ep film

you may want to bang in a live cd of fedora core or ubuntu and see how she goes. not gonna hurt or owt just dl the cd burn and reboot the lappy with the cd in no hardware install needed for a try

this is the bad part :/ I shit you not when I say this, when she goes to start up media player it takes almost 1 minute just for the thing to start.

The laptop isn't great but it shouldn't be anywhere near that slow :/ even if its not a dual core/2gig of ram shouldn't take almost 1 minute to start up a program that uses fuck all resources pretty much.

 

[throdgrain]

It was just the same with my wifes lappy mate, honest I was glas when the power socket broke and I got her a new one. A Core2 makes SUCH a difference!

 

[Embattle]

Aye :/ only problem is that she doesnt really want to upgrade it just to accommodate vista, in all fairness she shouldn't have to if acer had the brains to sell laptops with a more stable/less memory+cpu eatting OS

Sadly people rarely look further than the immediate price of a product and that is why it has only 1Gb, laptop margins aren't that great which is why this laptop isn't exactly a speed demon because it was designed to meet a price....it is also why it normally comes with Windows Vista basic preloaded.

 

[BloodOmen]

Sadly people rarely look further than the immediate price of a product and that is why it has only 1Gb, laptop margins aren't that great which is why this laptop isn't exactly a speed demon because it was designed to meet a price....it is also why it normally comes with Windows Vista basic preloaded.

Yes, and she did look beyond the price :l she just never imagined it would be so bollocks. As for the vista pre-load it gave no indication that she'd get no cd's it mentioned nowt about a partitioned drive having the drivers on or nowt she was under the impression she would have got the cd/dvd's since it said nowhere on the entire page that she would not receive the cd/dvd's.

All it said on the page was basic specs as I posted above-


"Full Specifications:
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium"

says nowt about having to find her own vista cd, preload was expected as most pc's/laptops shop bought always come with OS installed+loads of utterly useless and shit software (like norton for example)


I think companies really need to give out more information before selling products to customers. I think they also need to sit back and look at not selling vista with laptops that can barely handle it... the whole point in buying a new laptop is that you want it to work when you get it, not sit buying MORE upgrades for it just to accommodate a shit opperating system. if she wanted to fuck around for the next few days putting new parts into it she may aswell have just splashed out on semi decent desktop parts for £400.

 

[throdgrain]

Can she not just format and then install a copy of XP on it then?

 

[Jonty]

Can she not just format and then install a copy of XP on it then?

Yes, she can.

As for the root cause, yes it is misleading to ship low-powered systems with Vista, however the companies will just turn around and say 'buyer beware'.

Not that it's any comfort, but Windows 7 is apparently much more modular, so it ought to scale better on different kinds of hardware.

Kind regards

 

[BloodOmen]

Yes, she can.

As for the root cause, yes it is misleading to ship low-powered systems with Vista, however the companies will just turn around and say 'buyer beware'.

Not that it's any comfort, but Windows 7 is apparently much more modular, so it ought to scale better on different kinds of hardware.

Kind regards

Jonty ur a fucking star mate.

repped.

 

[throdgrain]

Why cant you just put a XP cd in like you would a pc??

 

[BloodOmen]

Why cant you just put a XP cd in like you would a pc??

Because Acer didn't make drivers for XP only vista :/ like the laptop component drivers, the link that Jonty posted however is from what I gather a link to drivers that people have modifed to make XP work.

 

[Embattle]

I think companies really need to give out more information before selling products to customers. I think they also need to sit back and look at not selling vista with laptops that can barely handle it... the whole point in buying a new laptop is that you want it to work when you get it, not sit buying MORE upgrades for it just to accommodate a shit opperating system. if she wanted to fuck around for the next few days putting new parts into it she may aswell have just splashed out on semi decent desktop parts for £400.

Sadly for customers new laptops appear every month and those same low margins mean most retailers will never have the resources to bother checking each laptop, even worse is the '"race to the bottom" effect which will result in people having a wildly different idea of what a working laptop is compared to manufacturer.

As for drivers, have you looked at the actual compnent makers websites for drivers?

 

[kirennia]

It's no doubt vista and the ram issue which is causing the problem While getting more ram should improve it quite a bit, the lack of a dual core on vista is hurting it also...

I've just bought a new laptop with vista on it and the first thing I did was to strip out all of the crap applications it comes bundled with it. I then reverted as much of it as possible back to classic styling and stripped out all of the extra graphics. It now, just like my XP, looks like windows 95.

Before even installing any programs, it runs at a constant 700mb ram before I even do anything. It literally could not be any simpler yet it still uses that much after a fresh boot. I then installed ubuntu on the second drive and it ran at 230mb ram with all of the bells and whistles; 120 if I stripped them all out too. On further comparison, my desktops version of XP which I haven't reinstalled in over a year, still onyl runs at 320mb ram at a basic level.

Ubuntu is a pretty hard thing to recommend for people who don't know much about computers but there are always forums for issues like that. You can download an iso, burn it to cd and run the installation from there. While installing, you can still access the internet from the cd (still amazed at this) so you could keep in contact with people on how to install it.

Once installed, theres a nice 'add/remove' programs list which lists a huge amount of free programs to use as alternatives to microsoft products. It comes with its own version of office and once you download VLC media player, you'll have no problems with films etc whatsoever.


Another alternative would be to try VLC player for vista which is much better then windows media player anyway but there are no guarantees that'll help the situation really

As for removing vista itself, do be warned, vista is extremely anal about being reinstalled; even if you change hardware parts, it sometimes will not recognise the computer and refuse to work until you rebuy it again. This is the only reason I'd advise on not installing XP on there, I'd look into it voiding your warranty too.

If you want anymore advice or whatever bud, feel free to ask.

 

[Kryten]

I've got palletfuls of those bloody Acers, and thankfully XP installation is very easy. Support isn't great from Acer, never has been, hence why you'll only get it for Vista on their site.
Driver's won't be a problem. Most of Acer hardware is propertitary but not all of it - (ALi) and the software is very easily found. Most of it, believe it or not, courtesy of Windows Update which saves a lot of hassle.
Otherwise just slap XP on it and write down what's missing driver wise, plenty of resources to find them, including us lot