Can I run Windows 8 on an older laptop?

irv

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I have a new laptop with win8 and I really like it. I also have an older Dell Insproin 1521 with an AMD 64 bit processor, 4 gig of RAM and a 160 gig SSD. It runs Win7 just fine and I believe it will run Win8. My new laptop came with 8 installed so I don't have a box to check the low end specs for running 8. I have Linux on it now and I would like to run both. It boots in to Linux in 20 seconds, about the same time as my new Win8 laptop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
If it runs Windows 7, it should be just fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Thanks for the input. What I plan on doing is purchasing another copy of Windows 8 (and upgrade from Windows 7) and just installing it on a fresh install. (using my SSD). I believe it should just ask for the Windows 7 CD so I can do the upgrade. I really feel it will run Okay. I guess the only thing I will miss on the old laptop is the touch screen. I guess I will find myself touching the screen a lot.
Thanks for the the suggestions. I won't mark solved yet until I have the old laptop running 8, then I will let all know how it is running. It might be a couple of weeks before I get at it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Some Dell computers, even quite recent ones which happily run Windows 7, need a BIOS update to run Windows 8, without which they boot to a black screen when Windows 8 starts.
Computer Boots to a Black Screen After Windows 8 Upgrade | Dell UK

I also note the Inspiron 1521 isn't on the list of laptops which Dell say they have tested:
Dell Computer Support for Windows 8 Upgrade | Dell UK

Which isn't to say it won't work, but in your shoes, I'd make sure I had a full system image backup (including bootable media) so you could restore it to Windows 7 if Windows 8 doesn't work out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
If you cannot make a native installation I would run it with VMware Player under Linux (or Windows 7). That will work in any case.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
From what I have read it won't prompt for you to insert the Windows 7 DVD, it looks for an actual installed OS. You'll likely have to do this if you want to do a clean install with upgrade media.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/13375-clean-install-windows-8-upgrade.html?filter

EDIT: You can run the upgrade adviser without actually going though the whole process and upgrading. ;)
The only reason I wasn't planning on doing this was because I have Win7 on another hard drive that is not installed in the laptop. I pulled it out and replaced it with the SSD which, at the moment only has Linux on it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Windows 8 has a number of CPU requirements that were optional for Windows 7. The CPU must support, and be enabled in the BIOS, PAE, NX, and SSE2. Most reasonably modern CPUs will support these features but this is not universal.

See this for more information:
What is PAE, NX, and SSE2 and why does my PC need to support them to run Windows 8? - Microsoft Windows Help

It is always a good idea to run the upgrade advisor, even for a clean install, and particularly when the manufacturer does not list it as compatible.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Got 8 on a 2009 Compaq 311c (atom). Works well, very stable, all drivers found & automatically installed. Even the fonts looks fine on the 311c (got the blurry-font problem with 8 on some other laptops).
Am not using any of the ugly metro\phone stuff > Classic Shell.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8.1, W7
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP \ Toshiba \ Lenovo \ Dell E7440
    Browser
    FF
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