Jambo
Member
Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
User status: Offline
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Hi Chaps, need some help.
I have an old Dell XPS laptop that wabought in 2008/9 and has Vista on it. Its bsically un useable as it takes 10-15mins to boot up and it freezes constrantly etc...
So a new OS on a clean install like I did with my PC (Vista>7) however as my copy of 7 is a 64bit one and I have an old XP disc so I think I will use that instead. Laptop on has 2gb ram and all it will ever be used for is some Internet browsing, INPA/GT1 BMW diagnostics and some emailing/word processing. Thats it.
My question is, the laptop itself has lots of buttons for sound/eject cd etc, and wifi/bluetooth. Quesion is, if I do a clean instal without all the back up discs for restore etc then how do these functions work?! Guess they all need drivers or something but no idea how I go about this and if there is anyhing special I need to do??
Halp!
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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Do a clean install and get the system drivers from the Dell website, everything will work then 
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Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
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Or if the recovery partition is still intact, do a factory reset from that.
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deano87
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by ed
Do a clean install and get the system drivers from the Dell website, everything will work then
This. You'll be able to get drivers, which is a piece of software, to make the laptop recognise the hardware.
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Jambo
Member
Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
User status: Offline
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The "media centre" has its own partition  So should be nice and easy to get drivers all working etc.
Half way through now!
Question is there where 4 partitions. I formatted the OS one and installed 7 on that. There was a recovery one surely this is now useless? Can I delete it from BIOS?
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jbguitarking
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 09
User status: Offline
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With a windows 7 install you probably won't need to find the drivers.
I didn't need to when I went from xp to 7.
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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I would have personally fucked off ALL of the partitions come install time and then reload the new up-to-date drivers from the Dell website.
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Jambo
Member
Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
User status: Offline
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I'm keen to keep the Media centre one as that's hardware for the laptop. The restore ok to fuck off then? And that first one?
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Jambo
Member
Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
User status: Offline
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Right all installed drivers updated and working top notch. Just installing my BMW diag software now.
However I have found a small yet heinously annoying problem. The display just will not go bright enough 
Before you used to plug charger in and it would be mega bright, remove the ac plug and it would drop to a low brightness. Press fn & brightness+ and it would go back up as bright as it was on charge.
Now, plug AC cable in > Screen goes mega bright as normal. Remove plug and it drops just the same as it used to, only now press fn & brightness+ and it gets brighter but not mega bright
So annoying halp!!
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Dom
Member
Registered: 13th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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Sounds like power saving; have a look in the power options under control panel, should give you the ability of adjusting the brightness.
Also worth seeing what Dell 'tools' were installed and if any of those control power saving/brightness.
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Jambo
Member
Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
User status: Offline
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Brightness is checked to 100% (should have mentioned that in first post)
Ill check out the Dell tools definately. Thanks.
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