HOW-TO: Windows XP/Vista Reinstall Guide for your Dell 17" Laptop

I've gotten probably about 15-20 requests on a guide with the drivers I personally use for my XPS M1710 for reinstalling Windows, since I have both an XP-dedicated M1710 and a Vista-dedicated M1710. So... I finally got around to posting it for everyone to see, and it includes some things that some people don't know about... It was originally going to be just what drivers to use, but instead, I morphed it into a full reinstall guide, as there are some things in here alot of people don't know about. I'm splitting this guide into two parts. The first being for Windows XP, and the second being for Windows Vista. Both are similar in ways, but its better to do it in 2 different sections, to avoid any confusion. I'm not posting a guide for Windows x64, as I unfortunately do not have a copy of it in either XP or Vista form, and most people on the forums don't use it, so this guide is sticking to the 32-Bit versions of the respective OSes. *NOTE*

• Inspiron 9400/E1705 - Exchange the Gigabit Ethernet drivers outlined below for the Broadcom 10/100 drivers on the Dell Downloads site for the Inspiron 9400/E1705.
• Inspiron 1720 - Exchange the Gigabit Ethernet drivers outlined below for the Broadcom 10/100 drivers on the Dell Downloads site for the Inspiron 1720. Also, exchange the Modem drivers for the one specifically for your laptop. If you have a Webcam, add that software in as the last "driver" installed before moving to the next step.
• XPS M1730 - Exchange the Modem drivers for those specifically for the XPS M1730. If you have a Webcam, add that software, along with the "Logitech GamePanel" software, in as the last "driver" installed before moving to the next step.
• Precision M90 - Procedure should be the same as that for the XPS M1710, including all drivers.
• Precision M6300 - Exchange the Modem drivers for those specifically for the Precision M6300, and also add in the fingerprint reader software (if wanted/needed) as the last "driver" installed before moving to the next step

For the newer (Inspiron 1720, XPS M1730, Precision M6300) model laptops, you MUST DISABLE AHCI (change the setting from AHCI --> ATA) in the BIOS in order to proceed with installation of the Operating System without issues, otherwise the installation WILL FAIL! UPDATE!!! Apparently, you can now install Windows XP/Vista in ATA mode, install a driver, and switch back on AHCI. HERE'S WHERE I READ HOW TO DO IT. Granted, it's for the XPS M1330, but the procedure is the same for the Inspiron 1720, XPS M1730, and Precision M6300. If you want to go into it farther, you can also integrate those drivers into the nLite/vLite CD/DVD and just install with AHCI enabled (again, provided that the proper drivers are integrated onto the CD/DVD). Preparation So, you've decided to reinstall Windows XP. Good for you. Time to get rid of that Dell bloat, and have a laptop that's faster than its ever been. Expose that true potential of that monster you just bought! For Windows XP SP2 The first thing you'll want to do is take your Dell Windows XP disk (if you don't have one, get Dell to send you one) and copy its contents to your hard drive. Next, you'll want to head to: RyanVM's MSFN Files. Here, download the "RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack" along with the "RyanVM Integrator and "RyanVM Addon Pack" and finally, the DirectX 9.0c March 2008 Release Addon. Now, if you want to integrate Internet Explorer 7.0 and Windows Media Player 11, you can download those as well. Now, follow the HOW-TO DIRECTIONS on integrating everything into your XP disk. What this does is integrate all of the current Windows Updates onto your install disk, and if you so choose, Internet Explorer 7.0 and Windows Media Player 11. This way, you will have a FULLY UPDATED Windows install, this way, you eliminate overhead from installing hotfixes, and are fully up to date from the get-go, making you a bit more secure right off the bat on the internet. This will give you an updated XP disk to start with when you install Windows, so you shouldn't have (many, if any) updates to download via Windows Update. You can use the RVM Integrator, or nLite, to create a bootable .ISO that you can burn with your CD/DVD burning software as well. So, just create the .ISO and burn it! For Windows XP SP3 First off, if you don't know how to integrate/slipstream SP3 into your source XP disk, Follow Paul Thurrott's Windows XP Slipstream Guide. Next, you can integrate: DirectX 9.0c March 2008 Release Addon. Now, if you want to integrate Internet Explorer 7.0 and Windows Media Player 11, you can download those as well. Use RyanVM's Integrator or nLite to integrate these addons and make a bootable .ISO that you can then burn to a CD. Once there is a Post-SP3 Update Pack, I will update this page once again with those links. Drivers This is the meat and potatoes of this post, and this is a very highly asked question on the forums. Which drivers to use? Below are the drivers *I* use, and have personally tested the functionality for, and have found them to be both the best available and providing full functionality. For Best Results, Install the Drivers in THIS ORDER: Notebook System Software - Dell Notebook System Software 5.3.6 Motherboard Chipset - (Dell) Intel Mobile Chipset Driver 8.3.1.1004 and (Dell) Ricoh R5C832 Driver 3.51.01 Video - Download the latest (or your preferred) Dell, LaptopVideo2Go or NBF MobileForce XP driver. Ethernet - (Dell) Broadcom 57XX Gigabit Ethernet Driver 10.42 Wireless - Depends on what your Wireless Card is on what driver you need, but either download the appropriate driver from Dell, or from the manufacturer of your card. Modem - (Dell) Conexant D110 Modem Driver 7.63.00.50 Sound - (Dell) Sigmatel STAC-9200 C-Major HD-Audio Driver 5.10.0.5515 Touchpad - (Dell) Synaptics Touchpad Driver 10.1.2 Bluetooth (IF NEEDED) - Download the appropriate driver for your Bluetooth module from Dell. Others - Dell QuickSet 8.3.17 and I8kFanGUI 3.1 Installing... Here's the part we've been waiting for... INSTALLING. First, prepare your hard drive how you wish. I personally partition my drive, but it's up to you if you want seperate partitions or not. I personally have 3 partitions on my laptop. Windows (obviously, for Windows), Games (for all my games) and Apps (for all applications, storage for drivers/app installers, and my Acronis TrueImage backup image). If you use MediaDirect (I don't, but some do) use the MediaDirect DVD to partition your drive for itself, and if you want, you can change them later, while in Windows, or use other partitioning software to change them around to your liking. Next, insert the Windows XP CD you burned into the drive, and install! Once Windows is installed, install the drivers as outlined above, and connect to the World Wide Web via Windows Update to make sure there aren't any updates available for you. If you installed MediaDirect, insert the MediaDirect DVD now, and install the Windows component. Once that's squared away, move to the next step: Tweaks Here's a couple of performance tweaks I use, that'll make things a bit faster: NTFS Disable Last Access Stamp (Registry Entry) Speed Up Locked Programs (Registry Entry) Internet Explorer TCP/IP Tweak (Registry Entry) Windows XP Services Tweaks (BlackViper.com) Finally, right-click on all of your hard drives (or partitions) in Windows Explorer, and disable Indexing for them. There's no point in it for Windows XP, as it just slows down your computer. Everything Else! Next, just install your favorite games and applications, and have fun! Preparation So, you've decided to reinstall Windows Vista. Good for you. Time to get rid of that Dell bloat, and have a laptop that's faster than its ever been. Expose that true potential of that monster you just bought! The first thing you'll want to do is take your Dell Windows Vista DVD (if you don't have one, get Dell to send you one) and copy its contents to your hard drive. For Windows Vista RTM/"SP0" Next, you'll want to head to: HERE (Vista MasterUpdatePack (MUP) post on MSFN.org Forums). Download the MUP files as shown in that thread. To integrate everything, use the vLite. Superb utility. You can use it to integrate everything from patches/hotfixes to drivers and Language Packs. What this does is integrate all of the current Windows Updates onto your install disk (including some of those "hidden" Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) updates). This way, you will have a FULLY UPDATED Windows install, this way, you eliminate overhead from installing hotfixes, and are fully up to date from the get-go, making you a bit more secure right off the bat on the internet. Also, if you have Windows Vista Ultimate, and you choose to integrate the "Extra_Packages" pack, you'll also have all of the current Windows Ultimate Extras, including DreamScene and the increasingly popular BitLocker. The "CustomPack will also give you things like the "UXTheme Patch" (for using non-Microsoft Visual Styles) among other nifty tweaks and fixes. This will give you an updated Vista disk to start with when you install Windows, so you shouldn't have (many, if any) updates to download via Windows Update. You can use vLite to create a bootable .ISO that you can burn with your CD/DVD burning software as well. So, just create the .ISO and burn it! For Windows Vista SP1 First, if your source media doesn't have SP1, then you can integrate/slipstream the Service Pack by FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS HERE using vLite. Next, you should head to the RyanVM Forums page that has a Windows Vista Post-SP1 Update Pack. There, you can grab both the Update Pack, and any of the Extras packs that you will want or need. One I strongly recommend is the Custom Pack. With it, you'll get the "hacked" UXTHEME.DLL file so you can use non-Microsoft visual styles, among other things. You can integrate all of the update packs using vLite. Note, please slipstream SP1 and slipstream the Update Pack seperately, to avoid any bad things happening. Next, save everything, allow the integration process to take place, and burn your shiny new, up to date .ISO image. Drivers This is the meat and potatoes of this post, and this is a very highly asked question on the forums. Which drivers to use? Below are the drivers *I* use, and have personally tested the functionality of, and have found them to be both the best available while providing full functionality. For Best Results, Install the Drivers in THIS ORDER: Notebook System Software - Dell Notebook System Software 5.2.3 Motherboard Chipset - (Dell) Intel Mobile Chipset Driver 8.3.0.1014 and (Dell) Ricoh R5C832 Driver 3.51.01 Video - Download the latest (or your preferred) Dell, LaptopVideo2Go or NBF MobileForce VS (Vista) driver. Ethernet - (Dell) Broadcom 57XX Gigabit Ethernet Driver 10.46 Wireless - Depends on what your Wireless Card is on what driver you need, but either download the appropriate driver from Dell, or from the manufacturer of your card. Modem - (Dell) Conexant D110 Modem Driver 7.63.0.50 Sound - (Dell) Sigmatel STAC-9200 C-Major HD-Audio Driver 6.10.0.5866 Touchpad - (Dell) Synaptics Touchpad Driver 10.1.2 Bluetooth (IF NEEDED) - Download the appropriate driver for your Bluetooth module from Dell. Others - Dell QuickSet 8.2.20 and I8kFanGUI 3.1 Installing... Here's the part we've been waiting for... INSTALLING. First, prepare your hard drive how you wish. I personally partition my drive, but it's up to you if you want seperate partitions or not. I personally have 3 partitions on my laptop. Windows (obviously, for Windows), Games (for all my games) and Apps (for all applications, storage for drivers/app installers, and my Acronis TrueImage backup image). If you use MediaDirect (I don't, but some do) use the MediaDirect DVD to partition your drive for itself, and if you want, you can change them later, while in Windows, or use other partitioning software to change them around to your liking. Next, insert the Windows Vista DVD you burned into the drive, and install! Once Windows is installed, install the drivers as outlined above, and connect to the World Wide Web via Windows Update to make sure there aren't any updates available for you. If you have Windows Vista Ultimate, you'll get options for installing 34 Language Packs at 100MB+ each, unselect them unless you want to download over 3GB of crap over Windows Update, unless of course you need one of these language packs for some reason. If you installed MediaDirect, insert the MediaDirect DVD now, and install the Windows component. Once that's squared away, move to the next step: Tweaks Here's a couple of performance tweaks I use, that'll make things a bit faster: Windows Vista Services Tweaks (BlackViper.com) Now, right-click on all of your hard drives (or partitions) in Windows Explorer, and disable Indexing for them. Next, go into the Windows Control Panel and go to "Indexing Options", click "Modify" and remove all items from the Index Locations EXCEPT for the Start Menu. Why? Windows indexes all of the locations you select, but if you remove them all, Indexing is completely disabled, it won't index the files needed to start your computer, thus making your computer boot slowly. The Start Menu is the least harmful place to index, so its safe to select, and has virtually no performance impact. One of the last things you'll want to do is eliminate any sound studdering issues that may arise while playing games, playing music, or watching a video or DVD. Go to the Control Panel, then Sound, and double-click on "Speakers / Headphones". Go to the Enhancements tab, and click Disable all enhancements, and click Apply. Unfortunately Sigmatel's and Windows' sound wrappers don't get along very well, and to avoid any sound studdering issue (some experience it, others don't) these "enhancements" should be disabled. This should also net you a bit better performance sound-wise, so it's best to do this. If you absolutely want these "enhancements" enabled, go ahead and try it, but if you experience any sound studdering, disabling the "enhancements" should fix them. Everything Else! Next, just install your favorite games and applications, and have fun! Acronis TrueImage Home 11 - So, you've gotten that Windows install nice and tidy, so BACK IT UP in case of a disaster! Raxco PerfectDisk 8.0 - Keep your computer running at optimal speed with one of (if not THE) best disk defragmenting tools out there. The Windows Defrag just doesn't do a good enough job! CCleaner - Clean out all the CRAP that builds up on your computer with this VERY handy tool. K-Lite Codec Pack - Never again have an unrecognized file type/no codec found when trying to watch a movie or listen to a song. Every codec for every type of file you'll encounter, including DivX, XVID, and MANY more. I hope this guide has been helpful, and if anyone has any additional tips and/or things to add that are of value, I'll certainly try to add things to the post. My hopes are that this can be stickied, and that way this information can maintain a spot on the Forums for people to see and get some information from! Thanks to everyone who contributes!

I've heard different stories on that, so I honestly couldn't tell you, and contacting Dell about it is nearly pointless as they never give you a straight answer from one person to the next.

My advice: If you want to reinstall a different OS (say going from Vista --> XP or switching to a Linux distro) then just don't tell them you did it, plain and simple. What they don't know won't harm them.

Disabling Indexing altogether on Vista does increase the time it takes to boot your machine, as it doesn't index these files. The method I described above is one that I personally tested, and have seen on many sites that offer Windows Vista tweaks. Disabling Indexing altogether on the Vista boot drive means that Vista doesn't index, optimize, and cache the files that boot your computer. Because it doesn't index much of anything at all (the Start Menu to keep it going, and the boot files) there isn't going to be any "wear and tear" on the hard drive.

As far as Windows Search, it only kicks in when needed, and from what I have seen, causes no detrimental effect on your computer. Even BlackViper (A.K.A. the God of Windows Services) recommends that you keep this service enabled... I doubt that's because it's pointless...

I too have NEVER had a problem with K-Lite. It's never screwed anything up either.

You can get Xable's update pack from HERE. It's basically the same thing as Ryan's, just only integrateable with nLite. I've used it, and it works just as well as Ryan's.

Ryan will likely be releasing a new update pack after December's updates, due out today, 12-11-07. To have the freshest, cleanest install, I'd recommend waiting for his December update pack. But, if you can't wait, use Xable's.

Very much so. Dell installs A LOT of crap with their factory Windows install. The only way to get rid of it all is to do a clean reinstall.