Vista to Win 7 upgrade

Question

I would like to upgrade my xps 420 to win 7 using a clean install. From what I've read on this forum and other sites it should be easy enough. The windows upgrade advisor says my system is compatible. It seems like I will need to upgrade the drivers for the Sigma tel hd audio codec and the Intel network connection. Will I have to download these drivers before doing the upgrade or can I do that afterwards. Also I have the 'xcelerator' which I could never get to work. I could however connect an old vcr to the input ports and upload my old tapes to the computer and convert them to digital files. I used the Roxio software that came with the computer to do this. This software may not be compatible with win 7 and I wonder can I do this with other software or will I have to buy an upgrade for Roxio. I read on another post that the firmware should be upgraded to a07. Mine is a03. The instructions for doing this on the dell drivers support page are to copy the file to diskette and boot from the floppy drive, I assume copying to cd would work. I would appreciate any help.

Philip_Yip · Accepted Answer

There should be no need to waste time using a floppy disc. Just run the BIOS .exe file within Windows (as an administrator). The computer will then log off Windows and update the BIOS.

Many people will obtain an OEM license from the likes of Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=windows+7&x=0&y=0

It is often cheaper and is designed for system builders having less support from Microsoft. However it is more restrictive in the fact that it can't be transferred from 1 computer to another.

Regarding Windows 8 being the new Windows Vista or Windows ME, personally I dislike many of the changes in Windows 8 to Windows 7 so I recommend Windows 7. Other Dell Community Rockstars will however recommend Windows 8.

However you are best to make an informed decision. See my Windows Reinstallation Guide:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/

You can evaluate Windows 8 for 90 days using the Enterprise evaluation trial or Windows 7 for 30 days by using a Digital River .iso without a product key. Although it takes time to install them and the drivers its probably best you see how well your system runs and how well you adopt to the new User Interface before spending money on a new license.

For the Windows 7 you can input a product key if you decide you want to buy it (for an OEM license you must activate via phone, for the full/upgrade license Internet Activation should work). For the Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation you must clean install again (if you want to get Windows 8).

Just to note on hardware I recommend going for the 64 bit versions and this computer should be 64 bit capable. Maxing out the Memory out to 8 GB (2×2×2 GB kits) will help with its performance on the 64 bit OS: http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=XPS%20420&Cat=RAM the Crucial scanner will tell you what you have at present. 4 GB or superior is best for the 64 bit OS, so if you have only 2 GB it will run much better with a 4 GB upgrade although matched modules usually work best so I recommend buying them all together. The 32 bit on the other hand can only use about 3.5 GB as a maximum. You can upgrade the RAM after installing the 64 bit OS while evaluating for instance. A 128 GB M4 or superior SSD will also boost the performance significantly if Windows is installed on the drive however you will need to clean install or clone onto the SSD. Likely you can use one of these as a boot drive and your current drive as a data drive. The owners manual will instruct you in replacing the parts: http://ftp.dell.com/Pages/xps-420.html set the SSD to SATA0 and the data drive (original drive) to SATA1 if you are going to install one.

DELL-Appu S · Answer

Hi Madcoucal,

The drivers for Windows 7 for XPS 420 are not available. Windows 7 generally uses the generic drivers by itself, however you may face difficulty in finding some drivers. Xcelerator should be compatible. You may refer to the link http://cnet.co/wTPrKE

It is recommended to update BIOS before upgrading, however, its not mandatory. You might need to upgrade Roxio software to avoid any compatibility issues.

Please reply if you have any questions.

rdunnill · Answer

Windows 8 has the Sigmatel audio driver and it should have the Intel network driver, too.

I installed Windows 8 Professional on a Dimension 3100 (which has Sigmatel audio) and all drivers apart from the onboard video were installed automatically. From past discussions I've seen in this forum, the Sigmatel audio is an issue with Windows 7; apparently HP has a Windows 7 Sigmatel driver, but not Dell. With Windows 8, Microsoft saw fit to provide the driver with the installation.

Amazon has Windows 8 Professional upgrades for $96 including shipping.

Philip_Yip · Answer

See Windows Reinstallation Guide/A Clean Install of Windows 7 for optimal results:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/

Dell System Software can be obtained from the OptiPlex 760:

http://ftp.dell.com/utility/DELL_SYSTEM-SOFTWARE_A01_R260745.exe 32 bit

http://ftp.dell.com/utility/DELL_SYSTEM-SOFTWARE_A01_R260746.exe 64 bit

The Intel Update Utility should get the chipset drivers and Ethernet driver:

http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect/

If you can't connect however. The Ethernet driver can also be obtained from the OptiPlex 760:

http://ftp.dell.com/network/INTEL_825XX-GIGABIT-PLATFORM_A05_R280817.exe 64 bit

http://ftp.dell.com/network/INTEL_825XX-GIGABIT-PLATFORM_A05_R280816.exe 32 bit

Communication Modem drivers should be available in Windows 7 but are found under "Historical Communication Drivers" on the Dell FTP Website for the XPS 420.

Video Drivers should be obtainable by use of AMD AutoDetect or nVidea AutoDetect depending on what Graphics Card you have:

http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/auto_detect.aspx

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Scan.aspx

The Card Reader Vista driver should do (if you have the card reader).

Likewise for the Audio.

Once you have installed the above, carry out the checks in the device manager as mentioned in the guide.

madcoucal · Answer

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies. I think I am ready to do the upgrade. One or two more quick questions. One reply suggests updating the firmware before the upgrade and another says after. Also, on this forum I read that the a07 bios upgrade had caused problems on a lot of computers. Should I install win 7 first and then update the bios and could updating the bios cause any problems. As I mentioned in my first post, the instructions for installing the bios update involved booting from a floppy disk. Does anyone have instructions for installing the update.

Finally, does it make a difference where I got the win 7 upgrade software from, ie, should I get it from windows or is the cheaper version on amazon the same. As far as upgrading to win8, I've had me and now vista and there's no way I'm taking a chance on 8.

Thanks again for all the replies.

madcoucal · Answer

Thanks for the reply Philip. I purchased the win 7 upgrade from Amazon today. I think I will go with the 64 bit version, I mainly use the computer for video editing and the 64 bit version should help. As for updating the bios, I think I will make an image of my c drive first. I did a search on the dell forum for the a07 bios and there were a lot of negative reports. I not a very computer savvy person and I don't want to get in too deep. I've already doubled my computer skills researching the win 7 upgrade. Thanks again for your help and also for the very informative Windows re-installation guide.

Paul Clarke

Philip_Yip · Answer

Section 3 of my Windows Reinstallation Guide will show you how to make the image of the drive. Regarding the BIOS update, it updates the BIOS (mainboard) and nothing on the hard drive therefore an image taken of your hard drive at A03 will not revert your system back to A03 when used to restore your system.

However the latest version should work fine. Just ensure you have the minimum number of peripherals attached i.e. keyboard and mouse and all programs are closed (and Windows isn't updating) when updating the BIOS.

madcoucal · Answer

Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy. The BIOS upgrade worked fine at the 2nd attempt and I've had no problems. One more question. definitely the last one. For back up purposes, can I use the 2nd internal hard drive or will this be affected by a clean install.

Philip_Yip · Answer

If you have a second internal drive without an OS on it, I don't see why not.

madcoucal · Answer

Thanks again for all the help. The install went smoothly and I have all my programs up and running. One or two drivers needed updating but that was all. I have sound but can't find any reference to sound blaster audigy advanced mb which came with the system. I have an unopened disc labeled 'sound blaster audigy advanced mb' that came with the system and I might try running it to see what happens. Someone on this thread recommended downloading a driver from cnet, bad idea. I tried it and it came with some well hidden bloatware, a malicious file that trend micro quarantined, a suspicious link to a web site and an add on for Firefox. A google search shows that unfortunately the cnet downloader is no longer to be trusted.

Philip_Yip · Answer

It looks like that application is Vista 32 bit only. I think unfortunately the Windows 7 64 bit version is not on Drivers and Downloads but on My Dell Downloads so you can't get it from Dell easily (unless you have a newer system which came with my Dell Downloads). You can contacting Creative Technical Support for some help:

http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=29037

Windows General

Vista to Win 7 upgrade

Was this post helpful?