Dell Drivers Missing…

So the other day we were reloading a Dell laptop for a client with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. Unfortunately the restore partition had been wiped out, so this reload would be from scratch. Inserted the Windows 7 Pro 64-bit CD, setup started ok and looked like it would complete.  However, after waiting several minutes it would error stating Windows 7 could not be configured on this hardware. Really? This laptop definitely had more than enough specs to run Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. Further research revealed Windows 7 required a SATA Raid driver!!! Raid on a laptop? lol Now that’s funny and I don’t care who you are! 🙂 Seriously though, Raid is reserved typically for servers and some desktops for techs who choose to set it up. (I did it in the past with my primary desktop and I do NOT recommend it unless you like your computer to be slow! Server hardware is designed for Raid, however, desktop hardware is not…even though it says it is)

So then I proceeded to install Dell drivers and of course had to copy over the network driver via flash drive using another PC. Then I searched Dell’s website for drivers based on the SN of the laptop. Even after selecting the correct operating system, not all of the drivers needed were there! Really Dell? I’ve never seen such a cluster. It used to be easy, you simply installed all the recommended drivers for your operating system and away you go. But now, it’s several different drivers with some that apply to your machine and some do NOT! And as usual they love to change components 5 different times forcing us to attempt to figure out which brand/model is installed. I’ve always been a fan of Dell products (Compaq was my first choice), however, this is becoming more difficult every year. Dell, please get it together! I even had to search the net to find certain drivers not listed on the Dell site. Come on Dell.

So I don’t mean to complain, however, that reload was more frustrating than most. It doesn’t have to be that difficult. On a more positive note, I reloaded an Intel based desktop in under 2 hrs, including software installs. Why? Because all their drivers which applied to the unit were listed and it was a breeze! Dell, why don’t you start watching Intel and follow suit. My two cents this week.

Have a great holiday weekend! – Brad Howerter – The I.T. Guys – www.theitguysinc.com

Advertisement

Slow file access on new Windows 7 computers?

So recently we installed several new Windows 7 Pro computers for one of our clients. Shortly after the users began using them, they reported extremely slow access to their network files while working in MS Word. Upon further review, we found offline files setup, and the computers were trying to constantly keep their files synchronized between the server and their computer. Multiply this by a hundred users and you have a serious problem. The solution? We disabled offline files (typically best used for laptops anyway) and the problem stopped. Have a great weekend.  Brad Howerter – The I.T. Guys – www.theitguysinc.com