Hi,

Dell has not tested Vostro 3500 with Windows 8 and drivers for the same are available on support website only for Windows XP, Vista and 7. For more information on this you can refer to link: http://dell.to/OQjV27 You can try installing the drivers compatible with Windows 7 that might work. 

You can install the touchpad drivers from the link: http://dell.to/QvhL8J

Link to download the Bluetooth driver: http://dell.to/Zh6OIe 

Steps to download drivers:-

• Click 'Download file' to download the list to a folder you will designate.
• Click 'Save'. Then designate the folder you would like to save the files to.
• Once you have designated the folder you would like to save your files to, Click 'OK'.
• Selected downloads will automatically start downloading. Next is Installation.
• To start installation, Click Open folder. Right-click a downloaded file and select the option to ‘Run as administrator’.
• A small window will appear with 'Continue' and 'Exit' buttons, click 'Continue'.
• In the Select the folder where you want to unzip the files to window, click OK.
• If a message appears asking to create a folder, click 'Yes'. If a message appears asking to overwrite the folder, click 'Yes to All'.
• In the All files were successfully unzipped window, click OK.
• A new window will appear, follow the prompts that appear to finish the installation.
• Restart your computer. 

You can take Windows 8 drivers from other Dell systems for these devices:

• For systems with Dell ST Microelectronics DE351DL Motion Sensor http://ftp1.dell.com/folder00951951m/6/

• For systems with Dell Bluetooth 355, 360, 365, 370, 375 and 380. Use the Bluetooth 380 Driver here: http://ftp1.dell.com/folder00865420m/1/

• For systems with Synaptics Touchpads use the Synaptics Touchpad here http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00800134M/2 or http://www.synaptics.com/resources/drivers. I'm not sure if both support Gestures, leave feedback if they do or don't.

• You can nVidea directly for a update for your graphics card: http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/notebook-win8-win7-winvista-64bit-306.97-whql-driver-uk.html (it may or may not work).

• For a limited time get Windows 8 Media Centre Pack for Free. See here.

• Review this article here and search through the fixes/updates for any preinstalled software.

Follow the instructions in my post here also.

Has anyone the Nvidia card running with Vostro 3500 and Windows 8.1? My Vostro can't see the card, no matter what I do. And then I can't install the Nvidia drivers....

What does it say in the BIOS setup? Power down your laptop and press F2 as you power it back up.

If you scroll down it should mention your video.

What does it say in the Device Manager?

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/downloading-drivers-checking-hardware-ids-and-downloading-and-installing-dell-system-drivers-in-the-correct-order/checking-hardware-ids-in-the-device-manager/

How did you install Windows 8.1, via a clean install or an upgrade?

The BIOS is fine. It can see the card. But the Device Manager can't. It only shows the Intel graphic card. And when trying to install any of the Nvidia driver packages, the installation process won't run, since it sees no card....

A clean installation btw.

If its not showing up in the Device Manager but the BIOS Windows hasn't loaded it for some reason.

I would try to clean install Windows 8.1 again and see if tis detected the second time round.

Yes look here:

en.community.dell.com/.../20673591

The solution that helped me:

"Changing all the .exe files in the folder (and subfolder) C:\dell\drivers\R289134\Display to be running in Windows 8 compability mode and as administrator did the trick. Then finally the NVidia installation could run and it could install the drivers. So now Windows 8.1 can see the NVidia card. And also a BIOS upgrade to A12 is part of it I believe."