Set the BIOS to boot order as cdrom first device. Put in the XP CD and reboot. Press any key to boot to CD, then follow the prompts to do a new install, not repair.
If the Vostro has a recovery partition, you may wish to delete this being your doing a reinstall so your comfortable doing it manually. Plus it will give you a little more space on the main drive.
Delete all partitions and you will see the drive size as unallocated, then go to setup and it will give you two options formatting NTFS or quick.
I'd go with the nonquick one.
From there it will format and start installing XP.
It's not very time consuming, I can do several easily a day. The time consuming part is sometimes finding drivers and runnning Windows Updates.
One thing I like about Dell though is usually Windows loads drivers for most if not all the hardware.
I would just install XP, then the Chipset drivers downloaded from Dell's website, then the NIC driver if Windows didn't find a driver for it. Then run an Windows updates express followed with a custom and see if it fills in the missing drivers, if not download them from Dell and install them and let that be that. Unless you have PowerDVD or something, I wouldn't/don't install anything else Dell.
Instead of going into your Bios were you'll either have to set it and leave it to that boot config.
Or have to go in and change it back.
Just hold down your F12 Key during the Splash Screen BootUp, and it'll go into a Multi-Boot Screen where you can set it for CDROM Boot, Usb Boot, External Device Boot whatever.
Then after that on Boot it will go back to it's Default Boot.
That is if you like the Default Boot Order? :smileywink:
I read on notebookreview that a Dell hardrive is divided into:
Partition 1 - Diagnostics Partition
Partition 2 - XP Partition
Partition 3 - Media Direct Partition
Partition 4 - Restore Partition
Do I just delete partition 2 and then format over it or delete as described a couple of posts above?
What about the restore partition? I read this will restore the laptop to factory condition, which from my point of view would be helpful as it would save having to install all the drivers again? Can someone explain how you go about doing it this way and does it work?
Regarding my post above I found a guide on the Dell site to use the restore partition below.
Will this work for a Vostro laptop as it says for 'PC' and also will this take up more space on the hardrive as nothing is being deleted is it? Just simply replaced
Using PC Restore in Windows XP or Media Center
1 Turn on the computer.
2 When the Dell splash screen appears during the computer startup process, press and hold and then press . Then, release both keys at the same time.
3 In the Dell PC Restore by Symantec window, click Restore. Alternatively, press to highlight Restore, and then press .
4 When a warning message appears stating that all data will be lost, click Confirm, or press to highlight Confirm and then press .
The Progress window will appear. Once the restore process starts, Dell PC Restore by Symantec usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes to finish.
When the restore process is complete, the following message will appear: The system recovery process was successful.
5 Click Finish or press to highlight Finish and then press to restart the computer.
The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received
Regarding my post above I found a guide on the Dell site to use the restore partition below.
Will this work for a Vostro laptop as it says for 'PC' and also will this take up more space on the hardrive as nothing is being deleted is it? Just simply replaced
Using PC Restore in Windows XP or Media Center
1 Turn on the computer.
2 When the Dell splash screen appears during the computer startup process, press and hold and then press . Then, release both keys at the same time.
3 In the Dell PC Restore by Symantec window, click Restore. Alternatively, press to highlight Restore, and then press .
4 When a warning message appears stating that all data will be lost, click Confirm, or press to highlight Confirm and then press .
The Progress window will appear. Once the restore process starts, Dell PC Restore by Symantec usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes to finish.
When the restore process is complete, the following message will appear: The system recovery process was successful.
5 Click Finish or press to highlight Finish and then press to restart the computer.
The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received
Message Edited by Joe_N on 06-21-2008 05:34 PM
Yes this was the partitiong on my Vostro Laptop as well, Minus Media Direct.
But when I went to use it it wasn't there, the restore partition I mean, So when I used my partition manager it showed one partition PERIOD..... :smileysad:
The main one that my XP OS was put on was the only other one there???
So yes it should be the sameway on either or.
But your guess is as good as mine, All I can say is try it!! It's worth a Shot.
thorsteenster
21 Posts
0
June 20th, 2008 11:00
Set the BIOS to boot order as cdrom first device. Put in the XP CD and reboot. Press any key to boot to CD, then follow the prompts to do a new install, not repair.
If the Vostro has a recovery partition, you may wish to delete this being your doing a reinstall so your comfortable doing it manually. Plus it will give you a little more space on the main drive.
Delete all partitions and you will see the drive size as unallocated, then go to setup and it will give you two options formatting NTFS or quick.
I'd go with the nonquick one.
From there it will format and start installing XP.
It's not very time consuming, I can do several easily a day. The time consuming part is sometimes finding drivers and runnning Windows Updates.
One thing I like about Dell though is usually Windows loads drivers for most if not all the hardware.
Joe_N
5 Posts
0
June 20th, 2008 14:00
Joe_N
5 Posts
0
June 20th, 2008 17:00
I've found the order in which I should install all the drivers here http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&docid=1A0C0937D62A8739E0401E0A55174744&l=en&s=gen#2
I assume all these drivers are on the dell 'drivers and utilities' CD and I just install them in the order stated on that link.
Adobe Reader came installed on the laptop so will that be lost during the format or will that also be on the CD?
thorsteenster
21 Posts
0
June 20th, 2008 18:00
PCgeek1
70 Posts
0
June 21st, 2008 02:00
Instead of going into your Bios were you'll either have to set it and leave it to that boot config.
Or have to go in and change it back.
Just hold down your F12 Key during the Splash Screen BootUp, and it'll go into a Multi-Boot Screen where you can set it for CDROM Boot, Usb Boot, External Device Boot whatever.
Then after that on Boot it will go back to it's Default Boot.
That is if you like the Default Boot Order? :smileywink:
PCgeek1
70 Posts
0
June 21st, 2008 02:00
If your lucky!!!!
On mine the Graphics and CPU Drivers were messed up?
Went to Dell dwnld the Graphics Driver that was Great, but the CPU Driver showed my 1.9ghz Dual Core, as a Single Core 793mhz CPU.
Needless to say I went and got the AMD Drivers from AMD that fixed me up.
Even though I wouldn't have had to.
XP gottem right to begin with. :smileytongue:
Joe_N
5 Posts
0
June 21st, 2008 15:00
I read on notebookreview that a Dell hardrive is divided into:
Partition 1 - Diagnostics Partition
Partition 2 - XP Partition
Partition 3 - Media Direct Partition
Partition 4 - Restore Partition
Do I just delete partition 2 and then format over it or delete as described a couple of posts above?
What about the restore partition? I read this will restore the laptop to factory condition, which from my point of view would be helpful as it would save having to install all the drivers again? Can someone explain how you go about doing it this way and does it work?
Thanks
Joe_N
5 Posts
0
June 21st, 2008 15:00
Regarding my post above I found a guide on the Dell site to use the restore partition below.
Will this work for a Vostro laptop as it says for 'PC' and also will this take up more space on the hardrive as nothing is being deleted is it? Just simply replaced
Using PC Restore in Windows XP or Media Center
1 Turn on the computer.
2 When the Dell splash screen appears during the computer startup process, press and hold and then press . Then, release both keys at the same time.
3 In the Dell PC Restore by Symantec window, click Restore. Alternatively, press to highlight Restore, and then press .
4 When a warning message appears stating that all data will be lost, click Confirm, or press to highlight Confirm and then press .
The Progress window will appear. Once the restore process starts, Dell PC Restore by Symantec usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes to finish.
When the restore process is complete, the following message will appear:
The system recovery process was successful.
5 Click Finish or press to highlight Finish and then press to restart the computer.
The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received
PCgeek1
70 Posts
0
June 22nd, 2008 00:00
Yes this was the partitiong on my Vostro Laptop as well, Minus Media Direct.
But when I went to use it it wasn't there, the restore partition I mean, So when I used my partition manager it showed one partition PERIOD..... :smileysad:
The main one that my XP OS was put on was the only other one there???
So yes it should be the sameway on either or.
But your guess is as good as mine, All I can say is try it!! It's worth a Shot.
Good Luck.