Let's run Win10 on really really old hardware

If you have installed all drivers properly (including the graphics driver), performance in Windows 7 should be almost the same as in Windows XP, provided you have at least 2GB RAM. So I would recommend Windows 7 in any system without WDDM graphics drivers. It is the maximum upgrade possible for such systems.

PS: Windows XP WAS fast when these systems first came out, but if you install all service packs, all donNET FX and all updates it will become much slower, comparable to Windows 7. So why not install Windows 7 instead to improve compatibility with newer devices and applications?

If you have 2GB RAM on w7 I advise you to disable Superfetch.

I haven't done it, so I cannot tell how much it helps. I have a laptop with 2GB RAM running Windows 10 32-bit v1809. I'll disable the Sysmain (SuperFetch) service and see. I'll post my results. The laptop has an old Intel dual core CPU with integrated Intel GMA 4500M graphics and an SSD disk. This is to have a measure of comparison with your own system. I down remember the exact CPU model, I'll let you know.

w10 Sysmain (Superfetch) works a lot better than w7 Superfetch implementation. As always, it's wise to test it on and off.

I have a very old laptop with 2GB RAM and Sysmain is enabled without any issues.

eLPuSHeR said:

w10 Sysmain (Superfetch) works a lot better than w7 Superfetch implementation. As always, it's wise to test it on and off.

I have a very old laptop with 2GB RAM and Sysmain is enabled without any issues.

"A very old laptop" is a relative term. It also depends on whether there are drivers for it that work under Windows 10.

My 16 year old laptop has 2GB RAM but that does not help much since I have found no hardware drivers that work under Windows 10. It would boot with Windows 10 but the Device Manager showed that most hardware was not working except for some that had default Windows drivers loaded. Also there was absolutely no wired or wireless networking working. I have given up and gone back to Windows 7.

It ran reasonably well although a bit sluggish after I upgraded it from Windows XP to Windows 7. I just disabled Superfech. It does seem to work a little better now.

MisterEd said:

"A very old laptop" is a relative term. It also depends on whether there are drivers for it that work under Windows 10.

My 16 year old laptop has 2GB RAM but that does not help much since I have found no hardware drivers that work under Windows 10. It would boot with Windows 10 but the Device Manager showed that most hardware was not working except for some that had default Windows drivers loaded. Also there was absolutely no wired or wireless networking working. I have given up and gone back to Windows 7.
It ran reasonably well although a bit sluggish after I upgraded it from Windows XP to Windows 7. I just disabled Superfech. It does seem to work a little better now.

That laptop doesn't even have got SATA connectors. It's old. Around 12+ years.

eLPuSHeR said:

That laptop doesn't even have got SATA connectors. It's old. Around 12+ years.

Did your laptop come with Windows Vista? Vista was released in January 2007. Computers bought in the six or 8 months before that received a voucher for a free upgrade to Vista from XP.

I think a good dividing point for whether a computer should be considered really old is the operating system available at the time. That means computers bought/built that came with Windows XP can be considered really old. Computers bought/built with Windows Vista or possibly some with Windows 7 can be considered just old. Year wise that means:
2000 to 2006 - Really old
2007 to 2012 - Old

The ability to upgrade to a newer versions of Windows depends a lot on the motherboard and other hardware it contains. If it contains components that have good support then chances are good it can be upgraded.

The laptop I bought in 2004 had an AMD CPU and chipset. That made its upgrade path limited. I was lucky that I could upgrade to Windows 7. Windows 10 was out of the question since its components have no support from it.

If I had bought a laptop with an Intel CPU and chipset then it might have been better supported now and allowed an upgrade to Windows 10.

I don’t know if I would say 2012 is old. You’re already in the Intel I-series at that point with 16-32GB(64GB?) of ram support(mainstream) and PCIe express upgradeability. Hexa core availability. SATA 6gbs too (I think). Maybe ‘dated’ :)

shaocaholica said:

I don’t know if I would say 2012 is old. You’re already in the Intel I-series at that point with 16-32GB(64GB?) of ram support(mainstream) and PCIe express upgradeability. Hexa core availability. SATA 6gbs too (I think). Maybe ‘dated’ :)

Old is just a relative term. It is sometimes based on expectations or perceived need. I consider the desktop I built in 2011 old because compared to the computer I built in 2017 it seems sluggish and not as productive. I can play many of the same games on both computers but the newer one is more satisfying to use.

Sure Intel I series have been around for 10-12 years now but 12 year old CPUs, GPUs and chipsets are no match for much newer hardware when it comes to running today's demanding software and games. Of course if you want to just browse the internet or use Facebook then "old" hardware is fine as long it is not low end.