How do I do a clean install of Windows 7 on Dell Inspiron 7520 (a.k.a. Inspiron 15R Special Edition)

Roshan--I am having the same problem with an Inspiron 14z laptop except I am using the OEM Windows DVD but it does not pick up the hdd's.  I have also installed the RAID driver found on dell's web site and it still cannot find the hdds.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

There's nothing much that you or Dell can do to resolve your issue.

It has to do with the installation files of Windows 7 and earlier versions. Microsoft did not build in native USB 3.0 device drivers.

If you are willing and able, you might wish to consider an upgrade to Windows 8. I have tried to install Windows 8 on my Inspiron 7520 and yes, the installation proceeded smoothly as Microsoft has built in native USB 3.0 device drivers.

The solution to the issue raised by me above has been solved. Click the following link for it: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/f/3524/p/19474455/20221575.aspx#20221575

Hi innogen,

Do bear with me as i'm really not familiar with computer stuff.

I am also trying to do a clean install of windows 7 on my Inspiron 15R special edition which i have been stuck at for the past few weeks. Currently, my biggest concern and problem is trying to locate my hard disk for formatting and installing, as when my BIOS is set to Intel Smart Response Technology, even after loading the drivers as suggested by others earlier in this thread, i could still not locate it. However, i could only if the BIOS is set at AHCI which i understand is strongly not recommended as the ISRT drivers would not be able to run on the laptop.

I went to the link you posted too but still could not find a solution to it :(

Do help me out if any of you guys out there can, thank you very much.

Baffled and desperate,

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the Community,

I would suggest you to disable Intel Smart Response Technology before you try to reinstall  OS.Follow the steps below:

Step1: Launch Intel RST UI from system tray or All Programs:

Step2. Select “Accelerate” Tab, click “Disable acceleration”.

Step3. Click “Reset to available” to reset volume.

Reboot system using the Windows DVD  and follow the process of reinstalling Windows.

Let me know if this helps to see the HDD partitions.

Thank You

I make the same thing!

If you use a linux live dvd (like Ubuntu) you can fill the internal ssd and hdd with zeros, the hdd will list again on windows installation!

Post on page 4:

I filled all the HDDs (the SATA and the mSATA) with zero! something like:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda BS=1M

But I believe that you erase only the GPT is sufficient.

Hi AL1988

Can you access the RAID-BIOS menu by pressing CTRL + i during the boot up?

Regards
Dhanuka

Hi Roshan,

Thanks for the reply, i truly and sincerely hope i could do as you suggested, however i had done the ill-advised of formatting my hard disk when my laptop's BIOS is set at AHCI (embarrassed). It effectively means that there is no OS installed right now, i think. I'm sort of stuck in a Catch 22 situation, where i can only install my OS when my BIOS is set at AHCI but that way i will not be able to activate the Intel Smart Response Technology as a BSOD would occur during restart after installing the ISRT drivers.

I apologise for my recklessness, i hope that there is still a way out of the mess i created.

(by the way, i am using the original Windows 7 and Dell Drivers and Utilities CDs just in case if you needed to know)

HELP~

Hi tobe81cwb, unfortunately for me, i have absolutely no experience in linux thus it's kinda tough for me (sad).

Dhanuka, i did try the CTRL+i once to no avail but i think i may retry as it seems to be a more feasible direction.

Thank you guys so much, it's really touching to know that people out there facing / having faced the same problems are willing to help out and advise, gives me hope, hehe.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Hi AL1988

I also had the same problem. If you can access the RAID BIOS menu then you can disable ISRT and continue with the installation as Roshan said. But I think this is an issue with this BIOS program. Once mSATA disk is assigned as cache we can not access the RAID BIOS after that. So could you please try to install Windows with you OEM disk first and then login to Windows and disable ISRT?

Best Regards
Dhanuka 

Hi Roshan,

I've just read your email and tried exactly what you suggested, sadly, the BSOD still occurred.

In my situation, the OS has been cleanly installed in AHCI mode but i have not installed any drivers at all. Is there any specific drivers required prior to the adjustments in regedit as you recommended? Or does it not matter?

Hope to hear from you soon, thank you.

Regards,

Andrew

Hi all!

I am also having the same problems with my Inspiron 7520.  I recently wiped the hard drive to remove some spyware/virus but now the HDD is not being recognized when I try and install Windows 7.   I don't have any OEM disks since non came with my laptop.  

I followed Roshans instructions on page 2 but when I select which driver to install it gives me an error as such: "No new devices could be found. Make sure the driver files are correct and located on the driver installation media".

Can someone please advise me what I should do, I tried basically everything in this thread and in other threads too.

Some side notes:

- I tried accessing RAID bios ctrl+i, nothing happens.

- Also not sure if it matters but my default settings have Sata set to ACHI, but I've since changed it to Intel Smart Response.

- I'm losing my mind trying to solve this problem, any help is greatly appreciated.

I have a different problem.

I can succesfully make a clean install. The problem is that I have a sticker with a product code for Home Basic. A version that cannot be downloaded.

I am 100% sure I did have Home Premium installed on this machine. I just accidentally switched to win 8. I want 7 back. How can I get a product code for the right version? (home premium)

Has anyone thought about creating a slipstreamed Windows 7 DVD??

www.mockbox.net/.../146-windows-7-add-device-drivers-to-installwim

@ Argento6:

I recommend you do it yourself. Don't use slipstreamed DVDs created by others. You don't know what types of malware are on them.