ok so copying them to the disc isn't going to work then?

The drivers don't need to be bootable. They are in .exe format. Simply copy them to the USB stick like you would normal files. Insert the USB stick into your XPS 8500 while on the Windows Desktop and just double click them to run them. They should extract and then a setup should run similar to that in my wiki A Clean Install of Windows 7. Repeat the process for each driver.

Why do the drivers have to be on a USB stick? If this was me, I don't own a USB stick, and don't want one, and this is first I have heard that when reinstalling Windows on a Dell computer that one must use a USB stick to install drivers. Shouldn't they be installable from the Dell Resource disk or, if you did not get that disk from Dell, from a "Resource" disk that you made?

I agree with that MELE20.I have one but don't see anything in Dell Resources on adding drives about doing this. So simply wanted an answer how to do it and why it wasn't taking the drives off the cd I made. Hard to get a direct answer. Must be a language barrier. :emotion-3:

I have them already on disc that I copied from another computer and it wasn't taking them but will try again taking them from my external hard drive.

I am so tired of all this nonesense and trying to be patient.

Very much done with purchasing  another dell when this one isn't even 6 months old.

Ok what is going on, I have the dell drivers on a disc, on a usb, and on an external hard drive. Tried all and still says no signed drivers found. Here is the snip of the files. HELP!

Thank you for your response and will go to back to the manual installation again for order. I don't get the prompts for user access and such and can't even open the disc. When I downloaded them here from the Dell site and attempting to put the on the disc I received those prompts which of course I had to cancel since this is a lap top of different model and don't need to put them on my friends laptop. lol

Just not sure where to proceed. Let me know about the previous post if those drivers are of use as well

Cynthia

ok I am going to try again to do this. I noticed natakuc4, you have listed the driver for the Dell System under "utilities". When I downloaded the drivers again, I don't see any category on the page for "utilities". which one would this be.

Thanks,

Cynthia

Ok, the desktop won't even open up any files on the disc so will perhaps have to get a usb. Sigh

I am noticing when I went in to attempt to open the files on the disc that under my OS there are drivers listed as follows and wondering if this means they are already installed and the issue now is something else that I don't get past the inital clean install and only have a screen with the "recycle bin". Help appreciated. Trying not to lose my patience. Just want this resolved. Gee, by the time I get through this, I am going to feel like I accomplished something. lol

Here are drivers I see listed under OS:

audio

3RP5P

Vista64

network

16V32

WIN7

64

storage

DWW4Y

Drivers

MEI

VW3N8

WIN7

WG7GH

f6flpy-x64

Video

N6T52

graphics

ibxHDMI

It appears you have downloaded the drivers successfully.   What follows is how this process works with the older Dell machines.  If you have trouble, please describe what happens on your screen for me as I don't use Windows 7.

You should note that each driver is an executable file.  To install one, you must double click on its file name to start the automatic extractor.  Since you are using Windows 7, you may be presented with a User Access Control dialog box to get your permission to run the file.  You should be able, however, to right click on the file name and choose "Run As Administrator" so that the driver files will be extracted from the executable file.

Once you successfully execute the file, a window should pop up telling you that the files are about to be extracted, and that they will by default be extracted to C:/Dell/Drivers/Rsomething, where "something" is a part of the original file name.  Make note of this path as you may need it in a minute.  Accepting the default folder should be fine.  Once you close the file extraction application you should be presented with an installation wizard asking if you want to install the driver; click on whatever button allows the installation.  If the installation wizard doesn't pop up, or if you have trouble with User Access Control getting the wizard to run, you should see if you can find the driver files by using the path you noted earlier.  Many of these files have a "Setup" routine that can be executed using the right click procedure to run the setup routine as an administrator.

Dell has a recommended order of installation.  If you check the information from the link I gave you on restoring Windows to a Dell, you will find the recommended order.  Click on the link, scroll down to step 4: Manual Reinstallation, and once on that page, scroll down to reach the discussion on driver installation.

Note that the support site appears to be having trouble at the moment, but it should be up within an hour or so.

Why I mention USB flash drive because most people have one, you even get them free in promotional deals etc. It is faster to copy from a USB and install from a USB. Plus you can delete the drivers from it once installed and use it for other things.

You can use the CD or DVD takes longer to copy to and you may have some issues running them. The drivers on the website are more up to date and hence why I recommend using them opposed to the resource CD/DVD. The resource CD/DVD can of course be used. Insert the CD and copy all the files on the CD to the desktop and install from the desktop.

The R no.s are gone for the new drivers but take a note of the extract path and run the setup file if it doesn't launch after extracting. There is no system utilities for this system, you appear to have all you need. Install the chipset one first.

As a minimum, you will need the Intel chipset driver, the driver for your video adapter, a driver for your network interface adapter, and a sound adapter driver.

There are three drivers in the chipset category for the XPS 8500.  The first installed must be the Intel Chipset Installation Software Utility, file VW3N8.  Second should be the Intel AMT HECI file DWW4Y, and third should be the Intel USB 3.0 xHCI file 9J21D.  According to the installation instructions, the last file for your USB 3.0 port, should not be run directly from your external storage, but should instead be copied to a folder on the XPS 8500 hard drive and run from that folder.  I assume the caution is given as the file has to do with USB ports, and if you try to install a driver to a device you are using to install the driver, problems can occur.  I usually copy the driver files from my external storage to folders on my hard drive anyway so that I can avoid this type of trouble.

Dell usually recommends that the video adapter should be next, but you have a choice that only you can figure out as you chose the video card when you placed your order.  If you didn't order a special video card, the XPS 8500 uses the on-board Intel HD Graphics adapter.  If you are using the on-board graphics, the next driver you need is therefore the Intel Integrated Graphics driver file N6T52.  If you are using an add-on graphics card, you will need one of the other files.  Refer to your shipping documentation to help figure out which card that is.

Your on-board network adapter for the Ethernet port should be the next driver loaded.  This would be the Realtek 8111E file 16V32.

Finally, you should install the Sound Adapter.  The on-board sound is the Realtek ALC887 file 3RP5P, but if you are using an add-on sound card you will need to determine which one you have and load the driver for that instead.

With reference to natakuc4's post, I see I have been working the older Dells for too long.  The "R" numbers are indeed gone, and have been replaced with the numbers I listed in this post.

Also, you may have other devices that I've not covered in my post, but fortunately, the installation order is not quite as important as it is for the files I mentioned above.  You may have a wireless network adapter, for example, and you will need a driver for that as well.

EDIT:  I forgot to mention that you should restart the computer after completing the installation of each driver.  This action ensures that the registry files have been properly updated for each.

Thank you Philip and Jack Shack. This does help very much. Since the Dell XPS isn't recognizing any the drivers on the DVD, I will go ahead and transfer them to a usb and try that. Also taking heed in regard to the last driver for the usb port 3.0 and put it in a folder on the computer before doing anything with it.

I will be working on this the next few days and let you know how things go.

Cynthia

Hello again, I just installed the  Intel USB 3.0 xHCI file 9J21D from a folder on the desktop, restarted and the computer, computer opens usb but then freezes. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Hello, an update on installing drivers right now. So far so good. I really have no choice to restart computer each time since it locks up after installation of each driver up to this point.