Windows 7 help

[orange71]

I've installed Windows 7 on my PC but because of the old graphics chipset I can't get Aero features. It's an HP d530 SFF (small format) PC, with a 2.8gHz CPU and 2.5Gb RAM. It has the following in-built graphics which just aren't up to it. I had to get a Vista driver for it to even work properly as Intel don't support it for Windows 7!

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82865G Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)

I can see a spare PCI slot but there's not much space in there!

Want just enough to run Aero (128Mb?), but no more as I don't game or use graphics heavy applications.

Not looking to spend a huge amount either - 2nd hand off ebay fine, £15 about the limit.

Can anybody recommend what to buy? Ebay links would be great.

Thanks

Operating System System Model
Windows 7 Ultimate (build 7600)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United Kingdom) Hewlett-Packard HP d530 SFF(PB603A)
System Serial Number: CZC43210Q4
Asset Tag: CZC43210Q4
Chassis Serial Number: CZC43210Q4
Enclosure Type: Low Profile Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.80 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Not hyper-threaded Board: Hewlett-Packard 085Ch
Serial Number: CZC43210Q4
Bus Clock: 533 megahertz
BIOS: Hewlett-Packard 786B2 v2.18 01/15/2004
Drives Memory Modules c,d
318.18 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
188.99 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

LITE-ON DVDRW LDW-811S ATA Device [Optical drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

IC35L120AVV207-0 ATA Device [Hard drive] (123.52 GB) -- drive 1, s/n VNVD06G4D36KJL, SMART Status: Healthy
SAMSUNG HD160JJ/P USB Device [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 3, s/n 
ST340014A [Hard drive] (40.02 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 5JXCNE5S, rev 8.01, SMART Status: Healthy
WDC WD25 00JB-22REA0 USB Device [Hard drive] (250.06 GB) -- drive 2, s/n W -D 2552 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM1' has 512 MB (serial number 381D0A76)
Slot 'DIMM2' has 512 MB (serial number E09B0C63)
Slot 'DIMM3' has 1024 MB (serial number 35D22771)
Slot 'DIMM4' has 512 MB
Local Drive Volumes


c: (NTFS on drive 0) 40.02 GB 21.78 GB free
e: (FAT32 on drive 1) 123.49 GB 71.14 GB free
f: (NTFS on drive 3) 154.68 GB 96.06 GB free
Network Drives
None discovered
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
Ed 30/10/2010 00:34:55 (admin)
local system accounts
Administrator 14/07/2009 05:53:58 (admin)
Guest never
HomeGroupUser$ never
LogMeInRemoteUser never (admin)

DISABLED Marks a disabled account; LOCKED OUT Marks a locked account

Canon Inkjet iP3300 on USB001
Microsoft Shared Fax Driver on SHRFAX:
Microsoft XPS Document Writer on XPSPort:
Send To Microsoft OneNote 2010 Driver on nul:
Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
ATA Channel 0 [Controller] (2x)
ATA Channel 1 [Controller] (2x)
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 24D1
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 24DB Intel(R) 82865G Graphics Controller (Microsoft Corporation - XDDM) [Display adapter]
LogMeIn Mirror Driver [Display adapter]
Acer AL1916W [Monitor] (18.6"vis, s/n ETL8608003, November 2006)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D2
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D4
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D7
Intel(R) 82801EB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 24DD SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
Virus Protection [Back to Top] new Group Policies
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011
None discovered
Communications Other Devices

Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet
APIPA Address: 169.254.183.103 / 32
Dhcp Server: none responded
Physical Address: 00:11:0A:A3:94:02
Intel(R) PRO/100+ Management Adapter with Alert On LAN*
primary Auto IP Address: 82.17.93.193 / 22
Gateway: 82.17.92.1
Dhcp Server: 62.253.131.83
Physical Address: 00:02:B3:3E:75:0A
Microsoft 6to4 Adapter
Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface

Networking Dns Servers: 194.168.4.100
194.168.8.100
USB Input Device
HID Keyboard Device
Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Smart card filter driver
Smart Card Reader Keyboard
USB Composite Device
USB Mass Storage Device (2x)
USB Root Hub (4x)
Generic volume shadow copy

 

[mattbrown]

found some info here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Aero

Is the case small form factor?

 

[orange71]

yes it's small form factor

 

[mattbrown]

this looks like it will cope with Aero - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ATI-Radeon-HD-X24 ... 3cb19e2d33

 

[FluffyChicken]

Oh just PCI and needing low profile


Is this a main computer or just a thing in the corner I use every now and again ?

 

[FluffyChicken]

this looks like it will cope with Aero - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ATI-Radeon-HD-X24 ... 3cb19e2d33

Thats' PCI-E not plain PCI.


EDIT a quick search and there should be a low profile AGP 8X slot in there ?
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quic ... 2_div.html

 

[FluffyChicken]

This will work
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/512MB-Radeon-HD34 ... 3128wt_932

Might be lower spec one's as well.
I honestly wouldn't bother and seems a lot to get just area when for a bit more you could swap the motherboard out, new CPU with integrated graphics and same ram. and be quicker al round.

Teh GeForce 5xxx series will just run Aero but sometimes needs a bodge, not nice though. GF6xxx series can but still choppy.
7000 +

AMD/ATI Radeon, not sure how low they can get away with.

Just run in Basic mode if the screen resolution is high enough (the BIOS set to 8MB and not defaulted to 1MB ?)
I use it on a Laptop and don't really notice to be honest.


OR see if LGF has dug anything recently and you can use as the SFF computer (just plug mouse, keyboard and monitor in to it.
Check graphics will run Aero first though.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Depending on how big a card you can actually get in there I do have some AGP cards lying around.

I check out my smallest one.

 

[mattbrown]

that one is AGP, i just search under pci, but didnt look too closely

 

[orange71]

whoah! Don't get too technical on me!

Yes that's the PC I've got in the link. Just after the simplest solution to get Aero really - if that means basic PCI card upgrade so be it, if it means motherboard so be it - never done that before though.

Aware of 1Mb->8Mb thing in BIOS and while I've seen it in my laptop I can't seem to locate it in this one. Although I did find the AGP aperture size one and upped that from 64Mb to 256Mb but didn't seem to do much.

This is our main PC, although while tinkering we can fall back on a laptop.

Advice chaps? Keep it coming