Okay .... i'll bite.

If you're not sure about the machine download the win 7 upgrade adviser. That would probably be the most objective way of telling if it's suitable for an upgrade or not. Otherwise, check out the Microsoft website and see what they recommend for hardware.

I don't have any experience with Ubantu but it's said to be heavier on system resources that Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 8 seems to be lighter on system resources. Maybe it was designed to be used on tablets & other small devices ?



You might want to try and find out the date of manufacture on the laptops. They aren't as durable as a tower. After four or five years you start running into hardware problems with em'. It's questionable as to whether or not they're worth refurbishing.