There is a question about an old Asus PC that runs on Windows 7 and experiences extremely slow installation.
There is a question about an old Asus PC that runs on Windows 7 and experiences extremely slow installation.
Hi
I bought an old Asus PC for $20 about a week ago.
The motherboard is an Asus P5LD2 SE LGA775 with an E6600 CPU and 4GB DDR2 RAM (maximum allowed).
Everything functions properly. I added a 500GB HDD and an old Samsung 192GB SSD.
I’m trying to install Windows 7 32bit, but it’s extremely slow. It took around 25 minutes to reach 75% when copying files from the USB to the SSD.
Even during startup, the BIOS screen updates are very sluggish, almost barely moving.
Anyone can tell me what’s going on?
When attempting to load windows to the ssd, ensure no other drives are connected. Windows will need to install files on the hdd, which must always be available. Because everything initially functions properly, consider using the samsung ssd migration aid to transfer the original os to the ssd. For more details, refer to the app and instructions here: Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global. You can find related software at semiconductor.samsung.com. We often overlook how slow old processors and hard drives once were.
Begin to doubt overheating. Look at the CPU temperature in the BIOS. Which CPU cooler are you employing? Ensure it's set up correctly and the fan isn't failed.
Only the most recent board revision 2.01G, compatible with newer BIOS versions, actually supports that Core 2 Duo. The Core 2 can reduce its clock speed down to as low as 200MHz to prevent overheating; if temperatures continue to rise despite this, it would shut down and wouldn’t allow slow typing. The main factor that could really hinder performance is a faulty HDD being connected. If the drive wasn’t an SSD and didn’t support TRIM (though the ICH7 Southbridge does support TRIM even without AHCI), it might have been resolved by formatting it temporarily. Alternatively, it might simply not be compatible with your USB stick, so using an optical drive is recommended for Windows 7 installations.
Thank you for your feedback.
I stopped the slow Win 7 installation and restarted. In BIOS, I checked the "Health parameters" and found the CPU temperature at 65°C. The fan is running. I plan to take off the heatsink, clean the components, and reapply thermal paste.
I will also disconnect the HDD and attempt the install again. It includes an old optical drive, so I’ll try installing from some old DVDs I have from previous setups (before USB booting became common).
Updated the instructions for readers. Removed the CPU heatsink, cleaned the old paste, applied new paste and reattached the heatsink. Discovered the old CD folder and a Windows 7+SP1 32-bit installation disc (64-bit not supported). Started from the DVD, which worked better, though the system briefly froze during the "Install now" screen. After roughly three minutes and agreeing to the UELA, the install finished in about five minutes—significantly faster than the USB method.
Regarding updates, I checked if Microsoft stopped the Win 7 update servers. The PC is connected via DHCP on my local network, but when trying to fetch the latest updates I encountered an error. Can I still install the remaining updates from those KB files? Is there another place where Microsoft hosts them?
They remain available in the Windows Catalog, but you'd need to download and install each update yourself. Installing the Convenience Update from 2016 (often referred to as SP2) would likely be beneficial. The WindowsUpdate servers for Win7 were taken offline on January 16th, 2023. legacyupdate.net offers a functional mirror or WSUS proxy server that replicates the old WindowsUpdate catalog for Windows and Office, serving as an alternative to the manual browser-based updates used in earlier versions.