Dell drivers that work with Windows 7

[ClaireJoanne]

Hi there

 

We had our network upgraded and Windows 7 is now installed on all our laptops and pc's.

 

We have an issue with Dell Inspiron 1300 laptops - they work ok except when we try to display onto an external monitor/whiteboard. Usually we get nothing on the external monitor and Function F8 causes the laptop to crash - the blue screen of death appears!!

The drivers are showing in Device Manager as correct.

 

Short of putting Windows XP back on, can anyone help?

 

Many thanks

Claire

[Dos_Box]

I've just had a look on the Dell UK support site and they only show drivers for Windows XP, and even then they are dated for 2006!

Can you let us know what the Intel graphics chipset is as there may be a chance that there are newer drivers available from them. Be warned though, sometimes Dell (and other tier one manufacturers) can 'tweak' onboard chips so that only their drivers work.

The other thintg you can do is to go here (use IE): http://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx?lang=eng and run teh Intel Driver Update Utility. This will automatically scan your laptop for any old drivers and suggest a newer version where one is available. This may solve your problem.

Also, out of interest, as whoever has upgraded your machines has chosen to put W7 on there can you let us know teh spec of them (RAM, CPU etc.) as thee may be a chance that on older underspecced hardware it may not be suitable for W7 in the first place.

[SYNACK]

According to the net is uses an Intel Media 900 series iGPU which is unfourtunate as this was the time where intel flat out lied about how bad their GPU actually was. As such this is one of the hardest GPUs to get drivers for under the newer platforms.

 

You may be in luck depending on the implementation, you can get the XP drivers and extract them using something like 7zip or just grab the zip from intel (another possibility) http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=12531&lang=eng&OSVersion=&DownloadType=

 

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/12531/a08/win2k_xp142550.zip&lang=eng&Dwnldid=12531

 

You need to extract them because the installer will tell you they are not supported.

 

Depending on the implementation they may work if you install them manually through device manager but they may just revert back to the default video card driver. I have had both happen to differnet laptops with the same iGPU.

 

They will not get you Aero or propper accelleration in most things but will support all the resolutions they used to and external moniters. The machine I am typing this on now actually has one under Windows 7x32.

 

I am supprised that they have pushed Windows 7 out to that hardware as it is at the edge of sustainability especially with that GPU.