Bought used Dell laptop, how to re-install windows for a clean setup?

I'm getting beyond frustrated. Once again for the 2nd time today, 3rd time since last night the download got interrupted because of the god damn internet disconnecting again.

It's something with windows, my iphone & ipad never have this issues & it disconnects from windows probably 10-20 times a day. I can not even begin to describe how frustrating it is.

I've tried to fix it but it seems just one of those mysterious internet/computer things that just doesn't work the way it's supposed to.

What usually ends up happening for the computer to re-establish internet connection is for it to reset the wireless adapter. I'm using a dual band Netgear N600 router WNDR3400 & a netgear WNR111v2 wireless adapter.

Try wiring directly to the computer, but it sounds more like a router/internet connection issue. If your connection dropped for a short period of time, your iPhone and iPad would never notice. But a computer in the middle of a large download certainly would.

Exactly what download do you have now? From where did you download it and what is it's exact size when you rightclick on it and look at it's Properties?

Ok windows installed successfully now except for my ethernet & wireless drivers didn't get installed & I can't connect to the internet in order to download them. I went to the device manager & they have the yellow ! point on them & when I right click & try to update them I can't since even the ethernet driver isn't installed.

Shouldn't it have installed them?

I guess my only option is to download them onto a usb drive on a different computer?

Any idea where I would find the right drivers? I didn't see any on the dell page I linked to earlier.

Thanks.

If you put in the correct tag number it's likely the Network driver obtained by clicking All Files tab here: Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

Unzip the file, rightclick the .exe to Run as Admin, install it, or browse from Wireless device in Device Manager to the file to pick up the driver. Connect to network in bottom right System tray.

I actually just downloaded that one & put it on a usb & installed it on the laptop but even when I choose the actual file that was created after I opened & installed the wireless driver .exe in folder c:dell/drivers/r302673 the laptop tells me it isn't able to install it as it can't find it?

Just for the record I'm in device manager>other devices>Network controller - right clicking that & trying to update driver where I'm then prompted to search for the driver which is in c:dell/drivers/r302673 after I opened & installed it from the .exe on the usb.

The other ones listed under "other devices" in device manager that also have the yellow ! are Ethernet Controller & PCI Simple Communications controller & Network Controller

That's because the driver is 302627 and not what you downloaded. Again, here it is: Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

While you are waiting for it to download, please read Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 since this was covered in it already. You want to follow those steps to get a perfect reinstall.

Once online install all of your Important and Optional Updates to get additional drivers before importing any others still missing in Device Manager from the same place.

gregrocker said:

That's because the driver is 302627 and not what you downloaded. Again, here it is: Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

Sorry I had a typo, this is the driver I downloaded, 302627 I'm looking at the file in the driver folder of the dell folder in c