How to resurrect and old VAIO

[Cpt.Fox]

A boomer friend handed me an old VAIO laptop that is running on XP SP2, should I format it and upgrade the OS or try to run it as best as possible on XP as it is? Will this machine run on Win7 or Win8? I couldnt find any drivers in the Manufacturers site so i wonder if windows will find them automatically after formatting. I could also install Office 2010 32 bit and an old browser for basic use.

In addition, the only way i could connect to the internet is via a USB TL-WN722N Wireless USB Adapter, but the problem is when i have to put the mobile hotspot password i have to convert it to Hex or ASCII format which sucks, easiest way is to set it with no password but that is risky.

Any help is appreciated

PC Specs:
CPU: Intel Celeron 1.60GHz
Ram: 512mb
Laptop Model: VGN-FS815F
OS: Win XP Home Edition SP2
HDD: 80 GB

 

[Ferd]

Not enough ram to run win 7/8/10
Better off with xp

Why do you have to put the password in hex?

 

[Udyr]

I'd say keep the XP running and use it for retro stuff. You'll have a hard time running newer stuff and the specs are too low for W7 or above.

 

[Ferd]

i wonder if windows will find them automatically after formatting.

Windows will do more harm than good , manual install is better for this hardware

 

[Cpt.Fox]

Not enough ram to run win 7/8/10
Better off with xp

Why do you have to put the password in hex?

idk why Windows network asked to convert it but now i installed tp link wireless utility and the problem is solved

What browser do you recommend for xp? now im using opera 36 but i read my pal browser could be better. Also do you think i can run office 2010?

i found an alternative site to get the drivers for this VAIO . Do you think its reliable?

 

[Shrek]

Linux?

 

[freeagent]

Wow that thing is so old even google forgets what it looks like and just shows me repairs and spare parts lol.

512mb means it will live in a swap file and the Celeron will possibly make you want to harm yourself.

 

[Ferd]

What browser do you recommend for xp? now im using opera 36 but i read my pal browser could be better.

Not much difference I would lean towards opera as that’s the one I used back when I had xp, you can try Firefox 48.0 probably the last most up to date one that supports xp

 

[theFOoL]

I'd search the last versions of browser support for xp. I think opera was 36 and Firefox was 40 something but could be higher.

The laptop has two ram slots one being used. The max is DDR2 4G pcs-6400 (2X2GB)

 

[Ferd]

Also do you think i can run office 2010?

No ...

i found an alternative site to get the drivers for this VAIO . Do you think its reliable?

I’ve used it before , not 100% accurate some drivers are hit or miss , but you don’t have many options to start with .

here is another sketchy website with some drivers , links still work surprisingly...be careful I don’t know how safe it is

Sony VAIO VGN-FS software to install Windows 7 32 bit, Windows 8 and Windows XP

Sony VAIO VGN-FS software to install Windows 7 32 bit, Windows 8 and Windows XP You should know that you need to be patient and spend a lot of time to install the drivers and configure the laptop Sony VAIO VGN-FS Windows 7! To successfully install and guaranteed work Fn buttons and getting the...

sony-vaio-drivers.blogspot.com

 

[silentbogo]

Oh man... That's a tough cookie to work with.
Internet and YT is out of question - GF Go6400 doesn't have any modern decoders, and CPU is too weak to do it in software. You won't be able to watch even 480p vids at more than 10FPS.
I used to have an ancient 17" Acer Travelmate from that same generation(or a tad newer), and the only use I got out of it, is giving it away as a glorified typewriter, but I had to upgrade RAM to 2GB(that's the most it accepted) and replace crumbling IDE HDD with an SD card adapter. Ran Linux Mint + Libreoffice.
Without upgrades your only options are to stick with XP and all its caveats and security holes, or run headless Linux/BSD for education purposes.

 

[johnspack]

Just checked my xp vm... firefox 52.9.0 esr is the last version for xp....

 

[docnorth]

Even on XP you can’t use it with 512mb of RAM even for browsing, it will constantly use “memory” from the HDD. If you can find another memory stick, then it might be worth it to go on with further upgrades.

 

[theFOoL]

As with my post DDR2 PCS6400 2GB Max support stick. Supports 4GB. Just bc the cpu is 32-bit does not mean that you can't install 4GB RAM

 

[Cpt.Fox]

As with my post DDR2 PCS6400 2GB Max support stick. Supports 4GB. Just bc the cpu is 32-bit does not mean that you can't install 4GB RAM

ok which one of these rams could work?

Memoria Ram DDR2 2GB 800MHz, Crucial, PC2-6400, CL6, 1.8v, Unbuffered, NON-ECC | SP Digital

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Memoria Ram Sodimm Notebook Ddr2 2gb 800mhz Pc6400 - $ 10.990

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Memoria Ram 2 Gb Pc 6400 Ddr2 800 Mhz - Chips Hynix - $ 10.990

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Should i download and install XP Service Pack 3?

thx folks

 

[theFOoL]

The Sodimm one hence says notebook. One with 800mhz LINK

 

[Udyr]

SP Digital.cl: Memoria Ram DDR2 2GB 800MHz, Crucial, PC2-6400, CL6, 1.8v, Unbuffered, NON-ECC CRU

That's about $14 worth of RAM, but it won't solve much in the long run cause the amount of RAM is not the only drag on this laptop.