If you have an old computer that you want to take advantage of, we can install Windows 10 as an operating system, but what does it take? Microsoft has a series of minimum requirements and characteristics that your computer must have in case you want to have an updated version of the operating system. We collect what these requirements are but we also explain how to install Windows 10 or if it is really worth it.
In most cases, it may not be worth using a computer from ten or fifteen years ago to install Windows 10. The version of the operating system was released in 2015 and all current computers or almost all of them include this version . But, of course, it is not the only one and you may have one of the above. If you are considering updating you should look at the requirements and buy a new version.
What are the requirements to install Windows 10?
Microsoft explains on its website what the basic specifications are if you want to have Windows 10 on a computer. If you do not meet the requirements, you may be able to install it at some point but, as they explain, “you may not have an optimal experience with Windows 10.
- Processor: 1 Ghz or faster processor
- RAM: 1 GB RAM for 32 bits or 2 GB for 64 bits
- Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 32 GB for 64-bit
- Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with a WDDM 1.0 driver
- Screen: 800 × 600
Previous requirements
To make a comparison, the minimum requirements of Windows XP and Windows Vista (if you have these operating systems installed on your old computer) were the following:
Windows Xp
- Processor: Pentium 233 MHz
- RAM: 64 MB
- Hard Drive: 1.5 GB
- Graphics: Super VGA
- Resolution: 800 x 600
Windows Vista
- Processor: 800 MHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Hard disk: 20 GB disk (with at least 15 GB free space)
- Graphics: DirectX 9
- Resolution: 1024 x 600
Specific characteristics
As Microsoft explains, over time you may need additional requirements for updates or specific requirements to activate specific features in Windows 10 such as Cortana, the Movies and TV application available in some regions, the use of Skype or speech recognition. or specific modes such as Tablet Mode, touch gestures or WiFi printing.
For voice recognition you will need a high-quality microphone and a hardware driver, for touch gestures you will need a monitor or tablet that supports multi-touch. For example, for Windows Hello you need a camera configured for infrared imaging or for Wi-Fi direct printing you require a WiFi adapter that supports WiFi Direct and a device that supports “ Wi-Fi direct printing ”. That is, a compatible printer.
How to install Windows 10
Through the Microsoft website you can buy Windows 10. The first thing the website does is detect which version we have on the computer. It will automatically detect that you do not have Windows 10 when you open the page so the question will appear: « Do you want to get Windows 10? ”
This is how you will start a questionnaire that consists of four parts: speed, battery, performance and safety. Questions that you must answer to see if you can download, buy and install Windows on your old computer.
- Tell us about the speed of your computer (it goes lightning fast, it’s a little slower than before, I do other things while it starts)
- How long does your computer’s battery last ? (It lasts a whole day, it’s not like before, it doesn’t work unless it’s plugged in, I have a desktop computer)
- How many programs can you run at the same time? (As many as I want, a few at a time, just one)
- How important is the security of your PC? (Very important, moderately important, not important)
Once you have answered all the questions you will be able to see the results and Windows will allow you to buy a license to install on the computer.
Worth?
It depends. You may meet the above requirements “just barely.” That is to say, that you have just the minimum that they ask of you but that your computer is old and can offer you little. That you can install Windows 10 does not imply that it will work smoothly or that you will have a large space or capacity for programs, games, to work quickly or not suffer continuous stoppages. It will depend on the computer you have, the quality and the time that you bought it.
It does not matter if it is three or five years old because it will depend on the quality of it at the time it was purchased. If you bought the top-of-the-range laptop five or seven or eight years ago it will probably be better than if you went for a $ 100 laptop three or four years ago. In most cases. But it is a very subjective decision in which many factors come into play.
If it is a desktop computer or by parts, you can replace those that are obsolete and you will not have to change it completely. Modifying the components or updating them will allow us to renew our computer little by little without falling into a huge investment in one go.
Alternatives to Windows
As you well know, Windows is not the only operating system and there are some alternatives that you can use on your computer if you do not want to install this version or if you do not want to pay what it costs to install. Specific operating systems that will give a new life to your old computer if you have decided to buy another or if you want to continue using it but without saturating it.
There are other recommended options such as Chrome OS, the operating system based on Google’s kernel and one of the most interesting options if what you want is to have a computer to surf the Internet and not for other more complex tasks. You can also turn your old computer into something similar to a mobile phone with PrimeOS , a kind of simulator, an operating system that merges Android and PC and that allows you to use the old computer to use apps, for example.
Chrome OS is not the only one, there are many alternatives to Windows that we can use for free and another of the most popular that you can consider is Haiku , it has been working for decades and has a clear, clean, comfortable interface. It is free, an open source system that you can download from its website and where you will find all the necessary information for its use, installation, etc.
