How do Laptops differ from Desktops when installing the OS?

bainbridge

bainbridge

bainbridge

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Bristol
Dell Inspiron 6400

I've installed various versions of Windows umpteen times but always on desktop machines. I know there's not much difference between a Laptop & a desktop but I always run into trouble when sorting out Laptop machines.

I'm about to do a fresh install of XP pro on my girlfriend's machine, for which of course she has no paperwork, installation discs or recovery discs. I've backed up all her documents to my main desktop & think I'm prepared but please can any of you more experienced laptoppers read through & suggest anything I may have forgotten or any possible pitfalls..


There is a "Dell" XP Pro product key on the underside of the machine. I have an original XP Pro disc (OEM)

Using the Dell service tag I've downloaded all the drivers for this machine & burnt them to cd.

I intend to simply boot to cd with the XP disc inserted & install Windows as I would on a desktop machine, then install the Dell drivers.


A couple of things I'm unsure about:


I've never had to deal with the extra partition Dell have put on the HDD. Do I just leave this? Or delete it & just have one big drive? Or maybe format it?

The Dell site goes on about the importance of installing the drivers in the correct order, here are the drivers which I got by entering the Dell service tag:

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/uk/en/ukdhs1

Now, Dell goes on about how important it is to install them in the correct order, which is here:

http://support.dell.com/support/top...A0C0937D62A8739E0401E0A55174744&isLegacy=true

But what puzzles me is the Desktop System Software which must be installed first isn't clearly labelled. Please can someone look through the first link I've posted showing the drivers I have for this machine & advise which driver is actually for the Desktop System Software?

Many thanks.
 
The way I re-install a laptop is to obtain only the wireless drivers from the manufactures site and stick them on a USB stick. I remove ALL partitions and logical drives including any manufacturer hidden ones as they are pointless and only useful for restoring systems back to Dell defaults

I install windows and then the wifi drivers. Then I perform a windows update before installing any chipset drivers or anything else

Once the windows update is complete, review device manager for missing drivers. The parts that are important find the drivers, the unimportant stuff, disable

Because you install only the wifi drivers and perform a windows update, you will get drivers for some of the components direct from MS.. stuff that is missing, you have an internet connection so you can download only what is NEEDED

Do not install every peice of Dell software, especially backup and recovery nonsense and also stay clear of business software designed to help you switch between networks.. for the "power" user or home user these cause more trouble than they are worth
 
The only bit of third party software I actually find useful is usually the wireless application in XP.. in Windows 7 I prefer Windows approach.. but XP kinda sucks so the Intel or whatever software will be useful

Also, sometimes you cant download the mobile version of the GFX drivers from the chipset manufacturer and have to use the Dell version... but anything beyond this I dont install
 
Excellent Stueng that's sound advice & duly noted, I already have the wireless drivers burnt to disc & will just install them before performing the window update.

With regards to deleting the partitions, I guess I can do this using the Windows XP install procedure?
 
I know you've probably already done this but is there a reason you're not using the recovery partition. I know everyone here will advocate a clean install, but if you're so worried about mucking it up, surely using the dell recovery is the easiest way to not do so.
 
You need a dell xp disc, you can convert your xp disc into one, but it's a bit of a fiddle. Check mydigitallife forums
 
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