Dell Inspiron 640m running XP playing YouTube videos in 2024

Dell Inspiron 640m running XP playing KZbin videos in 2024!
Who would have ever thought I could use an XP laptop to watch videos on KZbin and other sites in 2024? Never say never!
* PS: This is a re-upload because KZbin was ad bombing me to death so I added a copyright song to the end of the video to scare the ads away. I guess we will see if it works...

[@sriharshabhv]

The algorithm gods have blessed me with this video.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

And I did everything I could to screw up KZbin to make my video 'ad unfriendly' - it is truly a miracle!

[@dominicus9891]

I could fall asleep to this (not in a rude way). Your voice is so soothing.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I guess it works as ASMR too - LOL!

[@samdavidh]

My first ever laptop (I was 3 and it was the family laptop) was the 1501 with an Athlon 64x2. Literally introduced me to computers for the first time.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Nice introduction to computers with that one. I have a 1501 I did a video on, but it only has a single core Sempron, so it isn't quite as nice as what you had.

[@musicmoviesandgames2004]

I have one of these lying around somewhere. Haven’t used it in a while, mines an E1405, but it’s the same thing as a 640m. It even still has its original hard drive with its original install of XP Media Center with the recovery partition! Kind of a blast from the past👍

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Now you know you're going to have to dig it up and give it a spin 😁

[@blakebechtel5192]

I have a Dell Inspiron e1505. I put windows 7 on it and used it as my main laptop. It still works quite well in 2024.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Cool, Windows 7 is one of my favorite OSes - I mainly use my hobby laptops when I go out to a coffee shop and they are quite usable. If it's got a dual core CPU it should be fine for most things. Keep on rocking the retro in 2024!

[@EmberBlitz]

I have an old Latitude D630 that has a "Designed for Windows XP (without the Vista Capable)" sticker on it. At some point I do want to expand my laptop collection, and a couple on my wishlist are a Latitude X300, as I love the beefy look of it, and an XPS M1530. That aside, nice video! Love from Northern Ireland.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Thanks! I have a video that lists all the laptops I own, but I added four more since I made that video. I'm up to 33 laptops and 17 desktops. It's a bit excessive, but I have a basement with room and it's a fun hobby. Greetings from Canada 🍁

[@TechGuyBeau]

i actually had one of these for a bit a couple years back. nice laptop

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Yeah, I love these old beasts. I also find them pretty easy to work on - no soldered in memory or CPU and pretty easy to open up.

[@dersteer]

I had one of these also. I got a steal on it back in the day off dells refurb site. They sold these with multiple display options and I remember waiting for the perfect configuration to pop up on the site. I rocked this laptop for at least 6 years. I remember getting a 128GB SSD back when that was HUGE and it was "super fast". I used a fan speed control app to get it to run cooler. I have fond memories of it right up to looking at the track pad. That thing was awful (compared too todays laptops) and the whole side scroll thing was just a pain. The machine would likely still work now if I had it. I believe I threw it away in our last move.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I didn't know that Dell did that. Very cool way to get a deal back in the day!

[@dersteer]

@@CadeEdwards2013 They still do it. My current laptop is another Dell refurbished unit. In my experience they always come brand new. I think it's where they dump extra laptops cheap.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

@@dersteer Cool to know about, thanks for the tip 👍

[@funkyjamma]

this was my college machine good times.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

You were lucky to have such a great piece of tech!

[@funkyjamma]

@@CadeEdwards2013 I ended up replacing it with an XPS M1710 about a year later.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

@@funkyjamma I've never had an XPS (they don't show up at thrift stores), but I'd love to try one out. Dell makes some great laptops.

[@ogdan1173]

Nice piece of history.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Thanks, I think it's a classic and a lot of us remember it fondly.

[@damian9303]

i really enjoy the soundscapes you put as the bgm, do you have a playlist available?

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I just do a search on KZbin for relaxing music and then have it play while I work. I don't really pick any particular songs and it's totally random.

[@tomtry3814]

this is fun i am useing one right now have had it a long time i added a tb ssd and windows 10 it work like champ

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I think it's a very cool nostalgia laptop, but you could run something modern on it and get some decent performance out of it. I'm glad you like it 😺

[@ENNEN420]

I use Puppy Linux or Arch 32-bit on my 2004 Inspiron to do this. Way more secure and I can install incredibly accurate XP themes and modern software and games. But before anyone asks, yes it is dualbooting to XP in the rare case of an obscure XP program that won't work on Wine. I also have a really terribly specced HP Mini 110 with a similar setup. Based name btw.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Yes, but you also piss in the gas tank...

[@mudi2000a]

I bought one of those for my sister in law in the late 2000s. Was a solid machine. But I think it had XP, not Vista. But Core 2 Duo.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Yeah, it could come in both XP and Vista and I agree with you, it's a very solid machine for what it is.

[@cliffordreynolds1835]

I have never owned a laptop until Igot my Acer Nitro 5 2 years ago. I owned a series of desktops. Its definitely easier to pack around. Windows 10 is good, im not "upgrading "

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I like Windows 10 too Clifford and I agree with you - don't do it unless you absolutely have to.

[@haijehiemstra2883]

I had a similar looking laptop.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

They have a very distinctive look - not many manufacturers did a white and silver combo on the case.

[@patg108]

what resolution is it handling youtube videos at? 720p? 1080p?

[@CadeEdwards2013]

480p runs well, or 720p is okay with some dropped frames, but it's an ancient laptop, so you can't expect much. It's just fun being able to use XP with modern websites in 2024.

[@patg108]

@@CadeEdwards2013 should be able to do it with tweaks, i was just watching a video of 2005ish notebooks managing the same. And a browser (also software suite) Internet 360 was showing impressive performance

[@CadeEdwards2013]

@@patg108 Supermium does a pretty good job, but I'm sure there are ways to improve the video playback. To be honest, I have many better ways to watch KZbin, but I do used it to look up the odd thing when I have a wifi connection at a coffee shop so it's great to have access to the web from something this old.

[@patg108]

@@CadeEdwards2013 tuning processes, looking up the latest drivers, turning off any services you don't need and adjusting for classic mode for that bit extra of performance for some methods. SSD won't hurt, ram upgrade (more and faster) Should test it vs 480p 720p and perhaps 1080p. Can try different browers (mypal and internet 360 and others that claim to be low end for XP support, run em vs youtube and security and benchmarks

[@CadeEdwards2013]

@@patg108 Thanks for the tips - got the latest drivers, I don't put SSDs in something this old, and the RAM is fine for XP, but I suppose if this was something you used a lot it might be worth it. I like to leave it more or less factory. It's a nostalgic toy to me, but it's still very useful for my hobby projects and it's a lot of fun to mess around with.

[@9852323]

Is the 640m better than the e1505?

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I'm not sure, but it's better than the 1501.

[@VenomTNT64]

E1505 has the option for a dedicated GPU so no. but if we’re comparing the 640m (E1405) to an E1505 with GMA 950 graphics, then they’re basically the same thing - only that the 640m is smaller.

[@CadeEdwards2013]

@@VenomTNT64 Thanks for the clarification!

[@Tommy43040]

based but it would've been cooler to use yt2009

[@CadeEdwards2013]

I had to look up yt2009... I guess it's a way to make KZbin like it was back in 2009... interesting idea!

[@Tommy43040]

@@CadeEdwards2013 kinda it's mainly a frontend for youtube so like imagine if you still had 2009 layout and features with videos from youtube itself

[@CadeEdwards2013]

@@Tommy43040 Does it still get ad bombed to death like the current KZbin? If it could bring back 2009 KZbin before admageddon, that would be something!

[@Tommy43040]

@@CadeEdwards2013 no ad bombs

[@EmberBlitz]

@@CadeEdwards2013 Ad bombs are the reason I use uBlock Origin, And no, yt2009 doesn't actually have ads at all. Take it from someone who's used it before.

[@SpenserKuzub]

God- damn, that's an old shitty laptop!

[@CadeEdwards2013]

The older and shittier, the better!

[@jakewynn]

That doesn't look like xp

[@CadeEdwards2013]

Let me assure you that it is XP media center edition - see 10:56 for the details...

[@mistrotech8894]

That's just the classic theme.

[@9852323]

No it’s XP