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System not recognizing peripherals
I have a Dell E520 with Windows Home Vista Basic. Even though it was extremely difficult to connect to the Internet at first because it wanted to insist that I use AOL and I wanted Yahoo!, the computer worked okay for awhile.
Then it had some general operating errors, such as MacAfee not working on any profile except the Guest profile and the radio buttons not working on web pages. Anything that you had to point and click on on the Internet would not work. I spent hours on the phone with Dell and they were absolutely no help at all. Contacting Dell Support was a total and complete waste of my time. They knew absolutely nothing.
At any rate, I was able to continue using my computer even though I suspected that it had errors that I would eventually have to fix by reinstalling Windows. My intent was to back up all my files to disk and then begin the process.
Well, I never did it and then we moved. After we moved we hooked the computer back up. Now it turns on and off just beautifully! And that's about it. The problem it is that it will not recognize any of the peripherals. I hope I am saying that right, but basically, it doesn't know there's a printer, a modem, it doesn't think it has any drivers, nothing. If I put a disk in the drive it doesn't think it has a disk drive and/or that the disk is not formatted. Now I really want to just dump the whole thing, but I don't want to lose all my family pictures.
I have gone through the obvious things by running various scans and even the thing you do when you start the computer and hit F-whatever and go through the checks in DOS (?). It says everything is fine. It will not execute any program file, but I can still use the Microsoft Office suite of products. I can still do things like play solitaire.
So basically I want to know how I can back up my data when I can't save to disk, so I can dump my hard drive and start over?
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
TheRealFireblad
4 Apprentice
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4639 Posts
107
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Posted January 13th, 2009 03:00
If the system was able to recognise a CD/DVD disc or a pendrive, it would be less of a problem, because you'd just need to ask a friend with internet access to download the drivers for you, and copy them to (i.e.) a pendrive or CD/DVD.
The fact it's not recognising peripherals, suggests to me you'd probably just need to reinstall the chipset drivers - for starters, anyway?
Unfortunately however, since it isn't recognising discs, or any USB peripherals, I have to agree with the a/m advice.
But before doing so: You mention it isn't recognising discs. Is that after you've booted to the desktop, or have you tried booting from the OS disc as well?
If you're able to boot from the OS disc, you should be able to do a 'Repair' installation?
You'd be better advised doing a 'clean' install soon afterwards, but a 'Repair' installation will at least get you up and running again, and it'll also preserve all your personal files as well (they're saved to a backup file - Windowsold.bak or something like that?).
Secondly: Does your system not have a 'Restore' partition/option (usually a combination of Ctrl plus an F key)?
Failing those... I can't think of anything else - other than as advised by Dave :emotion-6:
dave51_2fe887
2 Intern
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1286 Posts
107
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Posted January 12th, 2009 17:00
I would remove the harddrive from your E520 and put it in a "External Harddrive Enclosure" or internally in another computer as a slave drive.
Then you can accses and backup your data to CD/DVD or USB thumb drive. Then reinstall your drive in the E520 and reinstall Vista.
After installing Vista be sure to install additional "Drivers" in this order.
Desktop System Software (DSS) or Notebook System Software (NSS) - A vital utility that provides critical updates and patches for the operating system. If you are reinstalling the operating system or updating all the computer’s drivers, it is imperative that this software be installed first. Currently, the DSS and NSS are not required for systems with Windows Vista installed. This is located under the System and Configuration Utilities Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Chipset - Helps Windows control system board components and controllers. This is located under the Chipset Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Video Adapter - Enhances video performance. This is located under the Video Adapter Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Network Interface Card (NIC) - Enhances the network controller for Internet or network access. This is located under the Network Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Audio Adapter - Enables and enhances the audio controller. This is located under the Audio Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Modem - Allows dialup capability. This is located under the Communication Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Wireless Network Card - Enables and enhances the wireless network controller. This is located under the Network Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Touchpad, Pointer, Trackstick, Mice, and Keyboards - Enhances the pointing device features. This is located under the Mouse & Keyboards Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
Other Devices