Operating systems for the HP Stream7

Hello again! In this post, I'd like to talk about the operating systems that I've tested on my HP Stream7 tablet by giving myself just under 350 words to describe how they run and a rating out of 10. Sound good? Okay, lets go!

Raspberry Pi OS (9/10)

Starting off with the best OS I've tested, we have Raspberry Pi OS. This OS is designed for low power devices, as it runs on most Raspberry Pi SBCs, and when you think about it, the HP Stream7 has basically the same spec as an older Raspberry Pi. The only reason I've given it a 9/10 however is because the keyboard app is broken beyond belief, and the touchscreen doesn't work as good as on the other operating systems on this list as Raspberry Pi OS doesn't know how to handle it. Other than that, it's still a great option for those looking to make their HP Stream7 run faster, if you are alright with fixing the problems with come with using Linux of course.

Windows 8.1 (7/10)

Windows 8.1 is the pack-in operating system for this tablet, and it's the second best out of all of them. Windows 8.1 runs as it would on most other hardware. I like to refer to Windows 8.1 as the bridge between Windows 10 and Windows 7, as it has the UI of Windows 10 and the desktop and shell of Windows 7 on the inside. Another good thing about using Windows 8.1 is that (when set up correctly) it can run osu!, and it runs it decently when you turn the storyboard and everything off. I'll write an article on osu! on the Stream7 hopefully in the future. The only issue with it is that it doesn't support 5ghz WiFi out of the box, so you will need to fix that to use it on more modern networks.

Windows 10 22H2 (5/10)

Second to last on this list, we have the latest version of Windows 10. It runs okay for the most part, but is let down due to the below average and requirement specifications of the Stream7. It also began to overheat the tablet quite a bit as well, so I just wouldn't recommend it should you actually want to main one of these temporarily.

Android x86 8.0 (2/10)

Finally, we have Android x86, which unfortunately and surprisingly gets a 2/10 from me. The main reason is that it's too slow to actually do anything with it. Even in the setup wizard it lags like hell, and it took me a full 10 minutes just to get to the desktop, and even then, it continued to be slow. I'm honestly quite disappointed at this rating as the HP Stream7 has basically the same spec as any Android tablet from around the 2014-2015 time period, but it does rely an awful lot on ARM emulation sometimes, so this may be a contributing factor.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! The operating systems I've tested on my Stream7! Hopefully this gives you a little bit of an insight of what this tablet is really like to use with these OS'es, and if there is an OS you'd like me to try, email me on ralzitech@outlook.com. Also, I am planning on working on a full video on the Stream7 in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Ralzi out!