Dimension 8400/No internet connection/need driver/where to download

Question

Help

I've just re-installed windows xp professional on a new hard drive. After a few problems with sata that went well. Unfortunately, I don't have the right Dell restore disks - I bought the 8400 on EBay.

I'm unable to connect to the internet. I've tried to download the 8400 update drivers etc from the Dell website onto another Dell PC. I hoped to download them to a CD and them install them onto the 8400. Unfortunately, the Dell download site wouldn't let me download anything. I also find I'm unable to contact Dell Technical support.

Can anyone tell me:

1) which specific driver I need to download in order to get internet access on my 8400

2) how I can download the driver to a CD

3) how I install the driver on my 8400 - a) does it install automatically b) do I need to copy it to a particular folder - if so what folder?

4) is there any website other than Dell that provides Dell internet drivers? I've come across some when searching with Google, but I'm not sure which to trust and which drivers to download. I also see some people are selling Dell restore disks or their own versions of them on EBay. Again, though, I don't know if they'll have the drivers I need. So if anyone could tell me the Dell restore disks I need I would much appreciate it.

5) Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated. My real problem is, I can't get on the internet with my 8400 to get started with downloads! This is crazy!

Thanks in advance for your help. I very much appreciate it.

RoHe · Answer

Drivers for teh 8400 have to be installed in the correct order. XP followed in order by:

Desktop System Software (System Utilities)

Chipset driver

Video driver

Audio driver

Network driver

Modem driver

etc.

You can download the drivers from support.dell.com on any PC. Use the Browser option, not the Download Manager option (which is buggy). If you've already tried to do this using the Download Manager, clear the browser cookies and cache and try again. Be sure you know which video card, audio card etc are in the 8400 so you can choose the right drivers. If you know the Service Tag (and assuming no hardware was changed before you got it), the site should give you the list of drivers specific for this PC -as Dell shipped it.

Download drivers onto whatever PC you can use. Drivers are typically named things like "R123456.exe" which isn't very informative. So you may want to rename them to something more useful when you save them so you can install in the correct order. Burn them onto a CD.

Each driver is a .exe so double-clicking it will automatically install it from the CD onto the 8400.

If you didn't install the drivers in the order listed above, some may not have installed or may not work so that maybe why you can't get internet access.

If you missed Desktop Software and chipset, reboot in Safe Mode to install those 2, in the correct order. Then reboot normally and do the rest.

Ron

ieee488 · Answer

People usually copy the drivers to a USB flash stick. That's what I do. As for downloading the drivers, I do NOT use the Dell Download manager.

You should also read http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kcs/document?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=DSN_1A0C0937D62A8739E0401E0A55174744&isLegacy=true

Game Rockstar · Answer

I think the question at hand was 'how to download without an internet connection?'......Great post but I have the same problem and the last part of the question remains.

theflash1932 · Answer

You obviously cannot download without an Internet connection.  You will need to download it on another machine, then copy it over to the machine in question via USB or other removeable media.

RoHe · Answer

April 19, 2011 You can download the drivers from support.dell.com on any PC...Download drivers onto whatever PC you can use. .

Windows General

Dimension 8400/No internet connection/need driver/where to download

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