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XPS M1530 running Windows 7 RC (Build 7100)
For starters, I was sick of dealing with Vista and it's issues. Not to sound like what teens call a "hater", in my opinion Vista is the most inefficient operating system Microsoft ever produced. So it was with very, very little apprehension that I dove into ditching Vista and placing a fresh new install of Windows 7 64 Bit RC1. I've used it for several days now and can sum up my experience with an emphatic, LOVE IT!
The install and set up took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Microsoft has made the install process even more simple than with Vista and I honestly did not have to do much in terms of searching for drivers. Fresh out of the install, my wireless card, bluetooth, and touchpad all worked perfectly fine. I did have to go to nVidia's site to update my video drivers. Before the system would accept the nVidea update, I had to update my laptops BIOS to the newest version (A12).
All in all, Windows 7 looks like a polished version of Vista that is far more responsive. Running idle my average CPU usage ranges from 2% - 4% with memory usage averaging about 640MB (which is less than what my 32bit Visa was using).
Software Compatibility: The only programs I have had an issue with so far is Adobe Premiere CS3, which will load but will not recognize my HDV options for starting a new project.
Since It's only been a couple days, I'm going to keep throwing stuff at it and posting updates on results. I apologize if I didn't go too in-depth, but i will try to provide more info as I go.
wh1974
2 Posts
0
July 15th, 2009 07:00
Hi,
Can you confirm that you installed Windows 7 RC on your XPS 1530 as a full OS installaton and not on a virtual machine? I've just spoken with Dell, and they inform me that Windows 7 is not compatible with XPS 1530, etc. etc... and they warn me of driver issues.
Wayne.
Mavic19
7 Posts
0
July 15th, 2009 16:00
Wayne,
I installed is as a fresh OS install (selected boot from disc, reformatted drive, etc). I am not running a virtual machine. Since Windows 7 is based on the Vista kernal, all the drivers for Vista work fine. You will need to go to nVidia's site to download the Windows 7 specific video drivers. Everything else worked awesome straight out of install. Windows 7 even automatically recognizes the wireless card so you can connect to the internet automatically.
So far, I have not had any issues from it still. I love it.
dixon2k9
24 Posts
0
July 24th, 2009 03:00
Wayne:
I have also installed Windows 7 RC (Build 7100) 64 bit on an XPS 1530 in a separate partition (dual booting). The only oddity I have found is that the touch sensitive volume controls do not work, and installing the Dell Quickset has no effect. You will have to manually change volume using the Windows volume control panel (not very slick). If you have the fingerprint reader, you will want to get the Windows 7 driver from Upek.
Mavic19
7 Posts
1
July 24th, 2009 11:00
Dixon,
That's interesting your touch sensitive buttons arent working as mine are. The only thing it doesn't do it show the on screen volume change bar when you adjust the volume.
dixon2k9
24 Posts
1
July 24th, 2009 12:00
Mavic:
I am guessing the problem lies with my dual boot system. Dell's MediaDirect won't load in Windows 7 either (whether by pushing the button or by software clicks). The mute button works, so do the stop/play/ff/backward buttons in Windows Media Player, but not the volume.
flyerbry
1 Message
0
July 24th, 2009 20:00
I have been running various beta versions of Windows 7 for months now and all of them have run great. If there is anything I am disappointed in it is the fact that Dell hasn't been supplying any drivers for the 1530. They are basically ignoring their customer base by following this practice. At work we use strictly IBM (Lenovo) laptops and they have been supplying beta drivers for some time. Dell needs to get their act together.
dixon2k9
24 Posts
0
July 25th, 2009 00:00
I am not sure whether they ever will. I have no other evidence than the fact that the XPS's are not eligible for the Upgrade-to-7-later program, but the Studio XPS's are. That indicates to me the XPS M1x30 may be at the end-of-life as a product line.
ejn63
9 Legend
9 Legend
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87.5K Posts
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July 25th, 2009 06:00
The M1330 and M1530 are being phased out worldwide.
Mavic19
7 Posts
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July 25th, 2009 11:00
Which sucks as I really love the overall build of my XPS M1530. So far, it's been the best laptop I've owned. I am truly disappointed that DELL is not opening the M1x30 class up to a free or even discounted Windows 7 upgrade.
cwharts
18 Posts
0
August 15th, 2009 15:00
After you install W7RC, are you able to restore the image using the Dell Restore process? Also, can you upgrade instead?
dixon2k9
24 Posts
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August 15th, 2009 17:00
Sorry, the second sentence in the second paragraph is messed up. I meant to say a "restore" is the same as using the DVD's to do an install from scratch.
dixon2k9
24 Posts
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August 15th, 2009 17:00
I have not tried going through the upgrade path. "Upgrade" shows up as an option during the RC install (don't have the RTM version to try).
Seems the general consensus is always do a fresh install instead of upgrade, just to clear out the cobwebs in the Windows Registry and eliminate any potential compatibility issues from the drivers. E.g., nVidia drivers and Upek (fingerprint) security suite have Windows 7 specific versions. Since whether you upgrade or do a clean install you would back up your data first, you may only be saving time to reinstall the applications.
As to Dell Restore, it is basically an image of the Windows Vista and the Dell drivers disks. If you have those DVDs (should have come with the computer), a "restore" will wipe out everything and reinstall from scratch. If you are that concerned about not messing up your Vista drive (which an upgrade would definitely do), I would suggest buying a brand new hard disk to install fresh copy of W7. Dell has a 500GB/7200RPM w/free fall sensor for about $140.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/System_Drives/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=341-8658
Good luck.
niborjus
9 Posts
0
August 29th, 2009 00:00
The new version of the Upek software - Protector Suite 2009 looks really cool. It is updated with more and better features and I really like the navagation through the program. Unfortunately, I just discovered that the web page user name/password feature is limited to only 3 registrations. So, besides the extra features that are not available without buying the full version, some of the old functionality is also not available. In fact (I need to reboot to test) I think only the logon to Windows (and maybe the encrypted folder thing) are available in the freely available version.
It looks so good and I liked the functionality of not having to constantly lookup passwords that I might just buy it anyway.
JerseyDude
8 Posts
0
October 21st, 2009 07:00
@Mavic19: Where did you find the drivers for the NVidea card? I have been wanting to upgrade for a while but cannot find drivers for NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT on the nvidia site? Great post --- If I get the drivers I will do this tonight!
Mike
Mavic19
7 Posts
0
October 21st, 2009 08:00
Actually, the drivers are on nVidia's site.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook_winvista_win7_x64_186.81_whql.html
Hope that helps!