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Windows 7 and Broadcom 440x
I have a Vostro 1500 that is less than 2 years old, and it's hard for me to accept that it's already obsolete! Per Dell and the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, it cannot be upgraded to Windows 7, and the Broadcom 440x NIC seems to be the show-stopper. There is a Vista 32-bit driver on both the Dell and Broadcom site, and my hope was to upgrade to Windows 7 32-bit. I see posts that seem to imply that some people are successfully running Windows 7 with this NIC. I found nothing definitive on Google or the sites of other PC manufacturers that used the same NIC. All the other PCs on my home network are Windows 7, and I really don't want to replace a perfectly good laptop just to make home networking a little easier, so if anyone has definitive experience resolving this conflict without disabling the NIC or staying on the older OS, I would very much appreciate a reply.
PudgyOne
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January 26th, 2011 11:00
ripperm,
We have seen a list of many computers that are not compatible to Windows 7. Most items that were stubborn were installed with the Vista (or XP) drivers in the Compatibility mode. Doesn't work for all things but works for many.
If you are going to upgrade, make sure to instakk the desktop/notebook utility and the chipset drivers first, or the rest of the drivers will fail to install. How to Download and Install Drivers in the Correct Order If you cannot find Windows 7 drivers, use the Vista or XP drivers in the Compatibility mode
I would install Windows 7 on a seperatr partition, then you can switch back and forth, if needed, until you have it working correctly.
Rick
PudgyOne
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February 17th, 2011 12:00
ripperm,
If you are going to upgrade, make sure to install the desktop/notebook utility and the chipset drivers first, or the rest of the drivers will fail to install. How to Download and Install Drivers in the Correct Order If you cannot find Windows 7 drivers, use the Vista 32-bit or XP drivers in the Compatibility mode
Rick
ripperm
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February 17th, 2011 12:00
I've seen this recommendation before, but none of the chipset utilities, etc. are available for Windows 7 for my laptop. Do I load the Vista 32-bit versions (in the sequence indicated) after upgrading to Windows 7?
bacillus
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February 17th, 2011 14:00
fwiw I upgraded my inspiron 1520 laptop that has the Broadcom 440x 10/100 NIC to win 7 32 bit and windows 7 supplied the NIC driver.
The driver was provided by microsoft, driver version 4.60.0.1, dated 13/10/2008.