This post is more than 5 years old
4 Posts
0
10121
Used Wrong Installation Disk
I have a Dell Inspiron N4110. It has been giving me all sorts of trouble so I decided to completely wipe it and reinstall windows, though in my haste I seem to have used the wrong installation disk. Everything is enlarged as though it is in safe-mode and it won't connect to the internet even if I plug an Ethernet cable directly into it (i'm using a different comp to write this).
I have two disks, one is black and says "Operating System" on the top and "reinstallation DVD Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit". Upon further inspection I realized that it says "this DVD is not for reinstallation of programs or drivers".
The other disk is green and says "Drivers and Utilities" as well as Dell Inspiron N4110 on the bottom. I realized that this is the disk I should have used.
I have tried to do the process again (Reinstall Windows) with the green disk but it tells me that "no valid windows installation disc can be detected" and will not let me continue.
Any suggestions?
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
9 Legend
•
16K Posts
0
May 17th, 2014 04:00
You have used the correct installation disc.
The first disc has Windows which is needed to reinstall Windows, the second disc has drivers, drivers are necessary to get your system running properly.
In general I do not recommend using the second disc as drivers are usually well out of date with respect to the Dell website.
See Windows Reinstallation Guide/A Clean Install of Windows for more details:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/
In particular, identify the hardware IDs as instructed here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/downloading-drivers-checking-hardware-ids-and-downloading-and-installing-dell-system-drivers-in-the-correct-order/checking-hardware-ids-in-the-device-manager/
And have a look at driver installation order:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/downloading-drivers-checking-hardware-ids-and-downloading-and-installing-dell-system-drivers-in-the-correct-order/driver-installation/
CephalicMiasma
4 Posts
0
May 17th, 2014 09:00
Ok I understand. So the reason everything is enlarged as though it is in safe mode, I cant connect to the internet even with an ethernet cable, can't adjust the brightness, no USB's plugged in will react, etc, etc; is because I need to install the proper drivers?
I cannot connect to the internet on that laptop though, so it is not possible for me to download them online.
It appears my only option is to use the second disk to get it to the point where it can connect to the internet, then download the proper drivers/updates at that point. Correct?
If yes, what do I click on after inserting the second disk? It doesn't react to me merely putting it in.
Also, thank you.
CephalicMiasma
4 Posts
0
May 17th, 2014 09:00
Ok I understand. So the reason everything is enlarged as though it is in safe mode, I cant connect to the internet even with an ethernet cable, can't adjust the brightness, no USB's plugged in will react, etc, etc; is because I need to install the proper drivers?
I cannot connect to the internet on that laptop though, so it is not possible for me to download them online.
It appears my only option is to use the second disk to get it to the point where it can connect to the internet, then download the proper drivers/updates at that point. Correct?
If yes, what do I click on after inserting the second disk? It doesn't react to me merely putting it in.
Sorry I might have accidentally posted this twice. Also, thank you.
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
9 Legend
•
16K Posts
0
May 17th, 2014 11:00
The reason everythings enlarged is because you have no chipset and video drivers installed. USB ports should generally work, I usually download all drivers using another computer, copy to USB and then install them in the correct order.
You may use the drivers DVD but as mentioned I recommend the use of the latest drivers. You will need to insert it and then run the driver setup from computer.
CephalicMiasma
4 Posts
0
May 17th, 2014 17:00
Alright, I think I've done everything right. It seems to be back to normal.
Thank you very much for your help, it was/is much appreciated.
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
9 Legend
•
16K Posts
0
May 18th, 2014 04:00
Thanks for posting back to let us know you got it working correctly. I'm glad my guides helped.
Philip