Dimension 2400 Desktop which drivers do I NEED

As there is no 'desktop system software' utility available on the Dell website (that I can find) for the Dimension 2400, in what order should I install these above mentioned drivers?

Thanks

Bob

Hi Jackshack,

Thanks for your reply.

Firstly my apologies for such a long post, but a lot has happened since I installed the drivers and I don't know how to make the 'message' any shorter. 

I installed the drivers for chipset, video, network and audio in the order that you suggested - and everything seemed to go ok, until I installed the audio driver (R94481 ADI 198x Integrated Audio). Somewhere during the 'process' of installing the audio driver something must have gone wrong because a large window advertising 'HD Audio for Analogue Devices', or words to that effect, appeared then nothing happened for absolutely ages - well over 25 minutes.

This window had no usable 'exit' button, and assuming that the installation had crashed at this point, and due to the greyed out exit button, and the minimise and maximise buttons not working either, I 'removed' the window by clicking its' 'button' on the taskbar, then right clicked that taskbar button and tried to close it that way, but I could not close this window properly because 'close' was either 'greyed out ' or missing. When I then tried to use Task Manager to end the 'task' relating to this Audio Driver Window, Task Manager then crashed and was unresponsive because it seemed to have opened 13!, yes 13! times, saying 'not responding' 13 times in the 1st tab/window of each instance of Task Manager.

At this point I waited about a whole hour to see if the not responding 'audio driver window task' and Task Manager task, would end by themselves seeing as I had already instructed them to do so, but they did not and I could not close task manager either, so I was left with no choice but to shut down the pc by use of the button on the front of the tower.

This was obviously a big mistake, because the next time I tried to start up the pc I had to wait more than 20 minutes before I saw only part of the 'desktop' (the background wallpaper, taskbar, start button and system tray, but no desktop icons), then after another ten minutes or so the 'screen saver' appeared and did its' thing for as couple of minutes, and then the screen saver crashed, and left the pc screen image with the screen saver not moving, the taskbar still in place and no control of the mouse or keyboard. I then could not shut down again using the proper process, so I am left with a pc that will start up when I push and hold the physical button, but then the desktop will not even display properly, (all I see now is the desktop wallpaper), and I have no mouse control, no icons, no taskbar, no system tray and no start button, so I can't do anything but then switch it off again using the physical button on the front of the machine.

I wonder if you think I should try another 'system recovery'?, (If I press F12 on start up I can get at the boot menu - I had been using the IDE Diagnostic Utility just before this last instance of 'incomplete and unresponsive desktop'), seeing as how the disc I used (Win XP Pro SP3) was originally intended for a Dell Notebook pc, and it takes more than 24 hours!, The original OEM Win XP HOME EDITION recovery disc and driver disc have been lost by the previous owner which is why they gave me the XP Pro recovery disc.

I have a faulty Dell Latitude D531 notebook that uses a similar recovery disc and that only took 2 hours, but was missing even more drivers than the desktop after it had finished and now this pc won't even stay 'on' for more than 40 seconds (it switches off again before it even gets to ANY screen image).

Again many apologies for the long post but if I don't ask my questions now I will have to keep posting for ages.

Many Regards

Bob  

Hi again Jackshack,

I don't know how to thank you enough for telling me about changing the CPU setting from Compatible to Normal in Set Up, found by pressing F2 during start up at the Dell logo screen.

The difference after making this change is like the pc is now on afterburners!!!

I was beginning to think that this desktop was only fit for a skip!!!!

And to think that I went and bought a couple of new 1Gb DDR memory modules today, in the hope that they would solve the sluggishness and crashing. They are still as yet unwrapped.

This Dell Dimension 2400 desktop (with a Celeron 2.4Ghz CPU, only 512Mb ram, 80Gb hdd and Win XP Pro') now seems to respond as fast, if not a bit faster, than my other desktop - a Compaq running Intel Core Duo 1.6Ghz, 2Gb DDR2 SDRam, 360Gb hdd and Win' Vista Home Premium!!!!

As I am hoping this speed boost continues after I actually install some 'after market' programs (there are NONE on the Dell desktop yet), do you think it would be a good idea to re-fit the 256Mb pc2700 333mhz DDR module to run alongside the 512Mb 400Mhz DDR module again as before?

Or do you think I should fit the 2Gb of Ram instead? Is 2Gb over the top for the Dell Desktop? - I don't play pc games and there is still no sound output despite the presence of the audio driver, but I think I need some external speakers for that.

Many Regards

Bob

The Dimension 2400 can handle a maximum of 2 GB of RAM, especially if you are using the on-board video.  Some folks have installed add-on video cards that seem to interfere with having that much so they must stick with 1.5 GB instead.  I ran one that way myself for about four years.  You can also use a 512 MB and a 128 or 256 MB together if you like.  This computer has a single channel memory controller and does not require equal sized matched memory modules.  I recommend using the larger card in the first slot and using the smaller card in the second.

With regard to the sound, go back to System Setup and check out the setting for the on-board sound.  If it is not enabled the driver will not load.  I am assuming that you do not have an add-on sound card.  If you have one of those the on-board sound needs to remain disabled and you need to find the driver for the add-on card instead.