newly reinstalled XP but no connectivity

John.

DSS is an InstallShield program and is vital utility that provides critical updates and patches for the operating system. If you are reinstalling the operating system or updating all the computer’s drivers, it is imperative that this software be installed first.

I have no idea how to check if the DSS has installed properly, as I've never had the need too, maybe another member has the answer.

Maybe the Dell Guide for a Manual Reinstallation of XP HERE, or this interactive guide for a clean reinstall of XP HERE can help.

While installing, remember to delete all existing partitions when you are prompted, then recreate the partitions and format the hard drive, following by installing XP.

Bev.

Please pardon the intrusion, but how is your utilities disk indicating that the drivers have been installed?  Assuming that you are allowing the Drivers and Utilities disk to autorun and install its application you should wind up with an interface screen that allows you to select the computer model you are using and then select the Drivers screen from a menu at the top.  The application performs a search for the devices that are available in your computer and places a checkmark to the left of each driver that is needed.

Unfortunately, this is not installation.  You must manually click on each driver having the described checkmark, open the file to begin execution of the autoextractor, and following extraction of the files, start the installation wizard that pops up after you have indicated that the autoextractor can close.  Only then have the drivers been installed.  If you download the drivers from the support page you must go through a similar procedure to install the downloaded drivers.  Each driver must be installed one at a time, and as Bev indicated, you must restart the computer between each installation to properly update the Windows registry.

Bev,

I reinstalled XP SP2 (4th time?), carefully following the interactive instructions on About.  All seemed to go well until I reached step 18 of 34.  The instructions say: In the next window (not shown), enter the Windows XP product key.  The window requesting the product key never appeared.

I got the Computer Name and Administrator Password page and the Date and Time Settings window OK.   Step 21 of 34 says: The Networking Settings window will appear next with two options for you to choose from - Typical settings or Custom settings.  I didn't get that window,   I did not get the Workgroup or Computer Domain window, step 22.    The installation went straight to finalizing, step 23.

After restart I installed DSS from the thumbdrive.  Then I inserted the Drivers and Utilities disk which indicated all the drivers and utilities are already installed except DSS .

And there is still no internet connection.

So I guess I need to start over again, this time installing the drivers one at a time from the thumbdrive and forget the Drivers and Utilities disk.

Why is the reinstallation disc skipping some pages? 

I believe you are seeing the message that the driver is needed as the application detects the presence of the corresponding device.  You will not see such a message for DSS as it is basically a tweak to the OS to enhance the operation of USB storage devices.  Since DSS is not a driver, no device corresponds to it.

I've used the utilities disk many times on my Dimension 2400; trust me, you need to follow my directions to get the drivers to install.

With regard to having things plugged into your computer, whenever you are installing an OS you should have only keyboard, mouse, and monitor attached to the tower.  Anything else can derail the installation process.

Thanks.  But if I hover the mouse pointer over each item checked off I get a box saying the driver is detected in the PC, which I assumed, incorrctly perhaps, to mean that it is installed.   There is no checkmark by DSS and when I hover over DSS, I do not get the "detected" popup.

Also on the matter of the skipped screens, I realized my PC was still plugged into the DSL router which might cause the installation disk to skip over anything related to connectivity.

Does it never end?   Now my keyboard dies during the process.  I select the boot sequence, press and key to boot from the CD, wait wihile things install and get to Welcome to Setup- To set up Windows XP now,  press ENTER.  And the key board is dead at this point.  I have started over twice and the keboard doesn't work at this point.

I can't ENTER, R or F3. 

John

You're using a USB keyboard, aren't you.  For some reason Windows is not detecting it; you can try resetting the NVRAM, either by removing the battery or by following the instructions posted in one of the stickies above.  I can't look to see which while I'm composing, but I'll go find it and give you a link in an edit of this post.  The keyboard obviously works or you would not be getting to the "press any key" point in the boot process.  Sometimes, however, the stored configuration in the NVRAM gets out of synch with the actual configuration of the computer and can lead to the situation you're experiencing.  The only other thing I can suggest is to try plugging the keyboard into another USB port, or to see if you can find a PS/2 keyboard and use that as they seem to give less trouble.

EDIT:  See this post:  http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19240761.aspx.  Nearly all the way to the bottom is a link to instructions on how to clear NVRAM, labeled, naturally, Clearing NVRAM.

The computer is dying slowly.  I tried the CMOS reset and now the monitor is getting no signal so I can't get into BIOS.  I checked all the connections and tried moving the USB wire to another port.

Which method did you use to clear the NVRAM?  This should not have been catastrophic.

See if you can locate the small nickel size battery on the mainboard.  It will be in a round plastic holder with a small clip on the edge.  Before touching anything, make sure all power and other cables have been disconnected from the computer, and make sure you touch the case of the power supply (a small box about where the power cord plugs in) before grabbing anything inside the box.  You may need a small non-metallic tool to assist you.  Looking at the plastic holder for the battery, push the small clip on the circumfrance away from the center of the holder.  Place the non-metallic tool under the battery and pry it out of the holder.  While the battery is out of the holder, push the power button and hold it in for about 30 seconds.  This will discharge any residual voltage left in the computer and ensure that the NVRAM has been cleared.  After the 30 seconds has passed, let go of the power button and replace the battery.  Make sure that you put it in with the lettering and symbols facing you.  Plug the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power into the tower and try switching it on.

If you still get nothing, tell us what color you see in the power button, and see if you have any indications from the diagnostic lights on the rear of the computer.

The power button on the front panel is green.  On the back are lighted  A  B  (both yellow) and  C  D (both green) . The A is green briefly when power comes on, then shifts to yellow.

The power button on the monitor is yellow.  It flickers green for a few seconds when I power up the PC but then goes back to yellow.  Also I hear beeps.  four beeps, pause, 2 beeps.

For this model that indicates a problem with memory.  You will find it at the second entry in the diagnostic lights table found in this chapter:  Dimension 4700 Advanced Troubleshooting.  Follow the directions you find there.

Jack,

I reseated the ram sticks, reset BIOS to defaults.  I'm ready to try reinstalling XP again- tomorrow.  Thanks     

Thanks

Reinstallation 5:    following the interactive instructions on About.  All seemed to go well until I reached step 18 of 34.  The instructions say: In the next window (not shown), enter the Windows XP product key.  The window requesting the product key never appeared.

I got the Computer Name and Administrator Password page and the Date and Time Settings window OK.   Step 21 of 34 says: The Networking Settings window will appear next with two options for you to choose from - Typical settings or Custom settings.  I didn't get that window,   I did not get the Workgroup or Computer Domain window, step 22.    The installation went straight to finalizing, step 23. 

I did not get step 28:  Checking your Internet connectivity.  

I did not get step 29: In this step, Windows XP wants to know whether your computer connects to the Internet through a network or if it connects to the Internet directly. 

I did not see step 30: registering with Microsoft

Then I did see:  Who will use this computer?

Then I restarted and got the Welcome screen.

Why is the installer skipping steps?

I'm carrying on, installing drivers.