Hi Dell Forums readers,
For links on this page, I noticed that on these forums pages, usually the links work, but sometimes they don't... if one just copies and pastes the link into a browser tab, then they work... try just clicking first.
I found some information that indicates that this Dell Inspiron 531 computer will be compatible with Windows 7 on the Microsoft website and in the system information of the control panel of this computer.
But then I have found some other information on the Dell website that indicates the opposite.
Please follow me carefully here, this took a while to compile this info.
First lets eliminate what would be the easiest solution that I have already tried, which would be the "Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor" located at this URL: http://windows.microsoft.com/upgradeadvisor
On this webpage there is a little program to download and install that is supposed to tell me if this computer is compatible with Windows 7 in processor speed, RAM, graphics card, etc., and attached peripherals, automatically... unfortunately, it does not work... I installed it and it stopped with the message, "Windows 7 advisor has stopped working" so that program and this option are useless.
So see the webpage at this URL: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/system-requirements
This is the "Windows 7 system requirements" list of information... it shows that I need at least a 1 GHZ or faster processor, 32 bit... this Inspiron 531 has a 2 GHZ processor and is 32 bit. This page says I need 1 GB of RAM... it has 1 GB of RAM. It says I need 16 GB of available hard disk space, it has a 138 GB main C hard drive that will be wiped clean when Windows 7 is ready to be installed. And it says I need a "DirectX 9 graphics card (with WDDM1.0 or higher driver)" ... that last part in parenthesis is the only part I'm not sure of, but my system info through the control panel shows most of this information as being adequate.
Go to this URL: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/inspd531/en/OM/appendix.htm#wp1149549 to see the online Dell Inspiron 531 appendix page and click on the link near the top titled, "Specifications" or just scroll down a little bit to see the specs... there, in the 4th category down titled "Video" it shows the "Nvidia integrated video (DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.9 Graphics Processing Unit)". This seems to match the "DirectX 9" info listed above from the "Windows 7 system requirements page.
I have several screen shots highlighting different parts of these pages to make this easier to follow, but this forums interface will only allow one attached file that has to be 64k or smaller, so I can't include those screenshot images.
But then there are 2 Dell webpages that indicate that this Dell Inspiron 531 is only supported by Windows Vista and Windows XP... see this URL for the first webpage (you will have to navigate to the correct Inspiron 531 desktop model via the little interface that says, "Choose a model - Select model" it shows the Inspiron 531 only supported by Windows XP and Vista... http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/osmatrix/index?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn
This is other conflicting Dell webpage at the URL: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&docid=360683&journalid=910DD2FE57EB5496E040AC0A64E9331A#Issue0_1
It shows, after you scroll down just a little, a list of current Dell computers that will support Windows 7... the Inspiron 531 is not on that list, but it then says,"Don't own a computer on these list? Click here to shop for a new Dell !"...bad grammar aside, this line that I've pointed out and the short list of Windows 7 supported models may just be trying to sell me a new Dell whether I actually need it or not!
I know this is a lot to go over... it took me a while to compile this info, but I'm trying to make sure before I go to do a clean install of Windows 7, when the disk gets here, that I won't wipe the hard drive clean only to find out Windows 7 doesn't work on this machine.
I'm only trying to fix this computer for my mom... Windows Vista lost it's sound ablility, no sound, a month ago and I've spent over 15 hours on phone support with Microsoft techs and exchanged over 80 emails in each direction and they have given up... one of their managers took pitty and is sending a full install Windows 7 ULT disk, gratis, and I'm hoping it'll work.
Sound Hardware Test:
In spite of incorrectly published information on the Dell website about where to find a Hardware Diagnostic test within this Dell Inspiron 531, I managed to find other information in the instruction manual (an HTML version of the instruction manual since Windows Vista can't open a PDF file) that told me the correct partition where I could find the Diagnostic test to run.
This was even in spite of a Dell tech support guy that I emailed who didn't know where this Diagnostic test was actually located on the Utility partition, I still found it.
This Diagnostic test, actually called the "Pre-Boot System Assessment (PSA) Diagnostics and Error Codes For Dell Computers" has quite extensive capabilities for testing the Dell hardware and functions of the computer. I found something called, "Symptom Tree" that allows you to pick a certain symptom or problem and run several tests to check things like having "no sound", for example.
I ran the analog sound test and the speakers played a little song, once on each channel, then on both channels, and then it asks you if you heard the song... I heard it... it played the song!
This proves that the sound board, the speakers and any other actual hardware or firmware on this computer is working correctly and the sound should work, if it weren't for the messed up Windows Vista OS.
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ALERT: Dell Forums Users say, "Yes"
But now, directly contradicting Dell's information, I have exchanged communications with people on the Dell Forums website, and they state the Windows 7 surely DOES work on an Inspiron 531 computer... on their own Dell Inspiron 531s... see the URL below: Sometimes you need to COPY & PASTE these links into a browser window, sometimes you can just click on it, ???... (for some reason it doesn't go to the page if you just click on it all the time.) then look at the 3rd posting down and you'll see the letter that I am referring to...
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/p/19335020/19706555.aspx#19706555
Also, see the pasted in responses below that I found on the same Dell Forum.
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holgermetz replied to Re: Dell Inspiron 531: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (final) in Desktop General Hardware Forum.
"Numetro,
I haven't had the slightest problem with Windows 7 32-bit on my Inspiron 531.
Good luck!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Posted by jsktx
replied on 06-06-2010 4:53 AM
The Insprion 531 is fully compatible with Windows 7. All the drivers come from Windows 7, if you got the 32bit route, so you don't have to worry about Vista drivers. If you go the 64bit route, only one device is not supported. The Away Mode device, but there is a solution for that and I can give it to you if you decide on going to 64bit.
Upgrading is the easiest way, but doing a clean install is the best way. Unfortunately doing a clean install will mean you loose all your data and programs. So a backup of you personal data would be necessary and you would have to reinstall all your programs. I've done both and hands down a clean install of Windows 7 runs much better.
As far as Dell not giving you an upgrade, Vista Basic doesn't qualify no matter when you bought the system. I would also recommend you upgrade to at least Windows 7 Home Premium. It's a much better OS then the Basic version.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
So I think this is indisputable evidence that Windows 7 will run on a Dell Inspiron 531 with a 2 GHZ processor and 1 GB of RAM, etc., etc., as described above... but nothing, especially with Windows, Microsoft or Dell, is a sure thing, so please give me your input on this.
Please give me your input... I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks,
numetro
jsktx
729 Posts
0
September 27th, 2010 08:00
numetro,
I'm running Windows 7 on several Inspiron 531 computers. No problems. Enjoy.
Jeff
numetro
22 Posts
0
September 27th, 2010 15:00
Thanks Jeff,
Could I ask how much RAM you have in these machines?
And is it the "Nvidia integrated video (DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.9 Graphics Processing Unit)" that you have in your 531 machines... that is what my instruction manual for my service tag number says it has.
Microsoft specs say one needs a "DirectX 9 graphics card (with WDDM1.0 or higher driver)" in order to support Windows 7, and I'm not sure about the slight difference between these descriptions.
Thank you so much for your input,
numetro
jsktx
729 Posts
0
September 27th, 2010 18:00
I have 4GB in two machines and 8GB in the third. For graphics one has an ATI decicated card while the other two have dedicated Nvidia graphics cards. None of them had integrated graphics when I upgraded them to Windows 7.
The only issue I ran into was installing Windows 7 64bit on the machine with 8GB of memory. Issue was with the Away Mode device and I solved that by installing a null driver.
numetro
22 Posts
0
September 30th, 2010 20:00
Hi JSKTX,
I've been gone for a few days... I'm about to install Windows 7 on this Inspiron 531... not nearly the amount of RAM you have, just the stock 1 GB or RAM, but I see in the specs that is enough for 7.
But what was the "Away Mode" device problem that you had, and what is installing a "null driver"... in case I have that same problem, which I've seen a couple people say, on different forums, that they had the "Away Mode" error... what is a "null driver" and where to I get it to install if I have that same problem.
I see in this Windows Vista device panel, the "Away Mode" driver, but I am about to wipe this drive clean and install Windows 7 ULT.
Please let me know... I'll be back later after my installation.
Thanks so much,
numetro
numetro
22 Posts
0
September 30th, 2010 20:00
Hi again JSKTX,
I was just reading your response that was before your last response... maybe my question is a moot point... I am installing Windows 7 UTL 32 bit... I now think you were saying you had the Away Mode problem with the 64 bit version.
But you could answer anyway, just in case.
Thanks,
numetro
jsktx
729 Posts
0
October 1st, 2010 04:00
The Away Mode issue only applies to Windows 7 64bit. So you'll be fine with Windows 7 32bit, although I would recommend getting another 1GB of RAM. It will help overall performance of Windows 7.
nomosail
1 Message
0
October 2nd, 2010 09:00
Hi thanks for your hard work I also went to the dell website to check if my 531 would be compatible with Windows 7 and got the same NO please shop for a new Dell which seemed rather blatant to me. I glad to hear that I can upgrade with out spending more than I have to. VISTA sucks I have been using 7 at work for a month now and it is much more user friendly.
jsktx
729 Posts
0
October 2nd, 2010 12:00
You're welcome.
rdunnill
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
8.8K Posts
0
October 2nd, 2010 13:00
Windows 7 runs on just about all relatively new hardware (like the 531) and a lot of old hardware, too (like the Dimension 2350).
Microsoft went all-out to avoid a repeat of the Vista fiasco, even, in some instances. I suspect they created drivers for some hardware where the hardware vendors refused to do so themselves. For example, the nForce2 chipset, which nVidia stated would not be supported past XP, has Windows 7 drivers present on the install disc.
numetro
22 Posts
0
October 8th, 2010 02:00
AkkarujaSe
2 Posts
0
October 22nd, 2010 12:00
I realize you've solved this problem, but after reading it, I just had to reply with a comment. I have a Dell Inspiron 531 and upgraded to Windows 7 64 from my Vista 32, and the installation failed again, and again, and again, and again for a week straight before it magically decided to work. Sure was a headache.. and it makes me wonder why it would fail so many times.
numetro
22 Posts
0
October 22nd, 2010 14:00
Hello Akkarujase,
I just happened to log on to my webmail and see your reply and question.
Believe me I understand exactly what you have been going through and I sympathize and I may have the answer for you. I went through the exact same things only worse.
Now, I was installing a clean install, not an upgrade of W7... my installation was wiping the hard drive clean and installing a full Windows 7 ULT installer fresh, or supposedly so.
When I first tried to do the installation of Windows 7 it wouldn't install and gave "defective media installer" error messages 6 times during failed installation attempts. These defective media error messages were confirmed by Microsoft technicians on the phone through tech support... they said the error number confirmed that it was a defective W7 installation disk... but that turned out to be WRONG.
I had given up and the MS phone tech support guys in India, and I had become very familiar working with the same 2 guys over 45 days with many many Vista problems. So the tech, Ashish, ordered me a new 2nd replacement W7 installer disk and I was waiting another week or more for that to arrive in the mail.
After a week of waiting for that replacement disk, I grew impatient and just thought I'd try that first installer disk one more time... all of a sudden it installed correctly on the 7th try a week after it failed 6 times while I was waiting an eternity for the 2nd "replacement disk" to arrive in the mail.
I was so happy since this was an installation to get rid of all the problems with Vista on my mom's computer for her and start fresh with Windows 7... there seemed to be no explanation for the sudden W7 installatio success, but I happily went on with getting everything set up for my mom.
I have become a Junior I.T. - PC - Windows technician through all of this and I'm a Mac enthusiast and user... I never thought I would be roaming 5 different PC troubleshooting answers forums... the Microsoft Answers forum, Windows Live forum, the Windows forum on MintyWhite.com, the Windows 7 answer forum, and the Dell forum... plus becoming almost brotherly friends on the phone with two guys named Alok and Ashish with MS tech support, plus 2 other MS tech support people on email in China, I think.
But after working a while with my new Windows 7 installation, I was getting some error messages and problems that started happening with services stopping and the desktop crashing... Window Explorer was restarting itself over and over and multiple problems with my NOD32 antivirus program that I thought was defective... I was in regular contact with their ESET NOD32 tech support... I actually got mad and demanded a refund from them, only to repurchase the antivirus product over again because I didn't want to try the free MS antivirus application for fear of even more problems.
Then I had a complete meltdown one night while installing a simple Real Player plug-in and the whole newly installed system and applications went down the toilet... it became completely irretrievable no matter what I tried... it just glitched during that installation and then it was gone for good. I tried restore point but no saved restore points would display, then it wouldn't boot at all in safe mode or any other mode... it was completely gone.
So in desperation I decided to blank out the hard drive and try to re-install W7 again, having lost 9 days of setting all of this up for my mom, plus the prior 36 days of troubleshoot Vista.
Then W7 would not install after 11 tries and 3 hours on the phone with MS tech support starting at 6:00 am on a Saturday morning, after being up all night... the installer would keep failing early on in the expanding files stage as it had originally... I was trying with two different installer disks at that point that the MS tech had ordered for me since we thought the first one was defective... but neither one would work.
Early that morning, one of the MS phone techs said if I was having crashes that resulted in the BLUE CRASH DUMP screen (and then it would go to the black screen giving you choice of how to start Window - start normally, start in safe mode, start in safe mode with networking, etc.) that the blue crash screen indicated bad RAM hardware... but not one other MS technician, out of 6 of them, in 45 days of problems with Vista and Windows 7, had suggested that RAM may be the problem... not even once... the Vista had it's own problems and was very corrupt anyway... it had failed many "auto updates' over the years while my mom had no idea about any of this.
Then I remembered there is a RAM test interface located on the Dell UTILITY PARTION, also called the D: DRIVE, on this Inspiron 531 machine... so I ran the diagnostic test and it showed the RAM as being DEFECTIVE... it FAILED the diagnostic test. Apparently this one gigabyte of RAM has always been defective and has been reeking havoc on this computer and my mom for 3 years... and now me while trying to repair this poor creature of a machine for 45 days.
I believe that Dell sold many many computers with defective RAM and in the past and probably still is. I learned through another experience 10 years ago with installing RAM on one of my Macs that defective RAM is fairly common and makes a machine work correctly sometimes and completely crazy at other times... the major clue for me turned out to be this one MS tech rep finally telling me that the blue crash screen indicated defective RAM... I always thought the blue crash screen was another pesky problem built in to Windows, so I never never related it to the RAM before that morning.
This Dell PSA diagnostic hardware test for the RAM and other tests for the hard drive and all hardware in the machine is located on the UTILITY PARTITION and you can get to it by holding down or tapping and holding down on the F12 key while you are in that "Dell" screen that appears during start-up for a few seconds before Windows starts to load... so even if you don't have a Windows operating system installed you can still get to this boot menu through the Dell screen by holding down the F12 key during the brief Dell screen that appears.
Doing that gives you a manual boot menu with no mouse control... you use the arrow down key to navigate to the UTILITY PARTITION - D: DRIVE at the bottom of the list of drives that appears, and then press ENTER. You will then see something like "Dell Diagnostic Test" and you hit ENTER again... that will take you to a panel with 3 choices, I think, and the top choice is a test to activate on your RAM... that takes about 20 minutes or so to run, and it gives results in red if any of your RAM chips are defective.
This built-in Dell PSA Diagnostics Test is described on the webpage at this link... http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/inspd531/en/OM/trouble.htm#wp1081896
With this webpage link it should take you directly down the page to the "Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive" section on the webpage... it does with my bookmark, but if not, just scroll down a little ways to that title... remember that you need to select the UTILITY PARTION - D: DRIVE when in the boot menu and then the test is located on the UTILITY PARTION - D: DRIVE... this step is a bit unclear on this webpage and completely wrong on one other Dell webpage that I found... the Dell technician on email didn't even know about this required step of first selecting the UTILITY PARTION - D: drive before you can find the diagnostic test.
So I took the old Dell from 2006 down to the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy store, and within an hour it had 2 gigs, not just one, of fresh, new, quality PNY RAM and the Windows 7 installer ran and completed the very first time after the new RAM installation, as it should.
Now this thing runs like a dream and it hasn't crashed once in 6 days of setting up everything again. And working on it again today setting things up, and writing this letter... having 5 different programs open, 8 windows, 15 tabs open on each of 3 browser windows... and not one crash, no Windows error messages, no programs stopping, and no failures of any sort that were plaguing me in the last 45 days and my mom for 3 years before... not one.
Now Windows 7 seems like a dream... and that's coming from an avid Mac user.
This computer is now as stable as an Egyptian Pyramid and as clean as a freshly showered virgin princess.
And my mom has a new machine with a copy of Windows 7 ULT compliments of a particular Microsoft technician in India, and 126 bucks for the 2 GIGs of RAM and installation compliments of me.
Now I have created a system repair disk and I'm also creating a disk image system backup set of DVDs too, besides already having burnt file backups... just in case.
But I am positive that the bad RAM is what was reeking havoc on this machine and making the installer disks work one out of 17 tries...but something in the future could always happen again with funky 3rd party software installers and the like.
I had a weird experience the other night with an "HP Deskjet Full Feature Software and drivers" installer... it was a weird process of disconnecting the printer first and then running the installer, and re-plugging in the USB connection during the installation when prompted by the installer process... I was nervous about it, but it installed correctly. But then the scan-to-email function didn't work and the huge 246 MB downloaded installer installed 6 applications hiding in the one installer... there were apps installed for everything from shopping for HP supplies to Martha Stewart cookbooks.
I just ended up doing a restore point back to 5 hours earlier instead of uninstalling all the extra software that this crazy installer put on this computer... this was after a 45 minute online chat with an HP person about this software.
I hope you find that this helps, but you'd have to spend a few bucks to have new RAM installed... but for me, 126 dollars wasn't much to get twice the amount of RAM that this machine had, and a perfectly functioning OS and computer for my mom.
Good Luck and Enjoy,
numetro