Upgrading a Dell DM051 that runs Xp Home sp3

Dell DM051 Xp Home sp3, Pent 4, 3 Ghz, 2GB ram.

Background:

Yesterday, I discovered that I could no longer open my Adobe Audition 2.0 sound recording software. (Adobe bought out the Co that originally marketed the software, which was called Cool Edit Pro). I use it for voice over auditions, and I had to download Audacity last night and completed the read that way.

This resulted in a conversation with an Adobe rep and their direct sales guy, which left me out in the cold. No discount on new versions, no support for what I have. Thanks, Adobe.

So, I decided that maybe, just maybe, it is time to spend some money again. Of course, money is limited, or I would just hire someone to come in and set up everything, and not worry about cost.

At this time, I am not that guy.

Here is my idea:

I'd like to purchase a solid state drive, migrate my files from a cloud storage to the new drive, and go from there.

However, I still need an OS that will run current programs, so that is a secondary consideration.

Question: is it possible to get the DM051 BIOS to view a SS drive as the C, and have a new OS recorded on the SS drive, and have the system work as intended?

OR

do I have to spend more $$ on a new tower with the features I want (like the SS drive for quickness) in which case, it comes with a new OS.

I have not heard good things about Win 7, and I don't want a machine that operates like a phone (Win 8). I want to keep my monitor far enough away that using a touch screen is not a choice for me.

So, since you folks are the gurus, what do you suggest?

Thanks in advance for dealing with my limitations.

 

There are those here that state Windows 7 is the best iteration of Windows ever — that's their opinion which, they're entitled to.

I run an, formerly, XP machine with Vista. Upon installation, all but two of my devices were configured for immediate use. The two devices Vista didn't configure my XP drivers work perfectly for.

Your machine would be aptly capable of running Vista (32-bit) and if you bought an SSD and installed the OS on it, you'd just need to set the SSD in BIOS as the boot device.

 

Well, that's one choice. I have to check and see if Pro Tools Express can run on Vista.

Thanks!

Anyone else?

 

I did some checking myself, and Pro Tools Express WILL NOT work in Vista. The latest version runs on Mac OS X 10.7.4, 10.7.5, 10.8, 10.8.2, 10.8.3 or Windows 7 SP1.

 

Vista is unfortunately a much maligned OS.

Was this machine downgraded to XP? It's likely it was, and have you looked into getting Vista recovery discs from Dell? You could probably get them for a very minimal cost, if not for free.

That board should be able to handle 4GB of DDR2, and if you get the OS for free the RAM upgrade would be fairly painless and under $100. Vista should have a "compatibility mode" for running older programs and drivers.

Could you post a Speccy report?

 

I bought the machine with XP.

I too, found that 7 is a requirement for Pro Tools.

I'm sure there are different iterations of 7. Which one would you recommend?

 

If I buy an OS like Vista or 7, I get the Ultimate version so I have all of the features of the OS, not some "stripped down" version.

I did some more checking, and Pro Tools CAN be run on Vista with some "work arounds". If you Google the subject, I'm sure you'll find what I did.

 

This is a "Wow" moment. This is an insane deal.

http://www.valuetechcenter.com/Microsoft-Windows-7-Ultimate-Full-Version--Download_p_367.html