Problem loading XP on Inspiron7000

Question

My friend wants to upgrade from 98 to XP on his Inspiron7000 (366 mhz).  It seems to load fine for like 20 minutes, and then the screen goes blank.  The computer does not physically 'turn off' since I see the power button is still green, and every so often, the HDD activity light shows activity.  I then tried to load 98 on it again, and it loaded without a hitch.  I tried to load XP on another Inspiron7000, and it encountered the same problem.  Was wondering if there is possibly a utility needed to load XP on this machine or what.  Any ideas?  Thanks Message Edited by zowiehowie on 11-19-2004 02:30 PM

Denny Denham · Answer

zowiehowie,

Were you attempting to upgrade from Windows 98 on both machines or were you trying to do a clean install of Windows XP? A clean install is always recommended and although I have not seen the problem you encountered reported before, it may be associated with upgrading.

Flooby · Answer

In the case of portable systems, it's particularly advisable to make sure you have the most recent BIOS version installed.  Detach any parallel port connections (printers, etc.), and make sure the system isn't docked.  As Denny advised, a clean install to a formatted drive (the Windows XP CD should present you with the option of deleting the current partition(s), creating (a) new one(s), and formatting same - highly recommended) is always the preferred method of installing a new operating system.

knightfan17 · Answer

I got it to work! I updated the BIOS, and then it loaded fine. It was interesting, because I watched the laptop the whole time, and noticed that the screen flickered around the time that it would shut down previously. It works now though :-)

One other question, my roommate has the same laptop, but it is a QuantecTS30I (which is manufactured by Dell, but sold as Quantec). Should the BIOS upgrade work on that machine too? I am thinkig it will, but do not want to do anything to screw it up. Thanks! :_)

Denny Denham · Answer

zowiehowie,

A search for Quantex turns up few hits for the TS301 and no links to any flashBIOS upgrades. Assuming that your roommate does not have the current flashBIOS on diskette which would allow reflashing to an older BIOS if the Dell BIOS doesn't work on that system, I'd be very reluctant to try it.

Flooby · Answer

It's most likely going to depend on who built the BIOS for the Quantex machines. As I recall, they usually had pretty good quality components. The I7000 uses the Phoenix BIOS (similar to the older examples at the link below). If the Quantex uses the same, you should be able to get away with it, but if it doesn't, I wouldn't even consider trying it.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1032225&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

Windows General

Problem loading XP on Inspiron7000

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