Almost no response from windows 7..angry wife

masplin said:

Device manager/properties/driver/driver provider is what I listed. Most of them say Microsoft windows Hardware Compatabilty Publisher as Digital signer. I had a look on the Dell website so see what latest drivers were (mostly listed under Vista 64 bit), but I can't be sure if these newer drivers arrived in Windows Update or I fished them off the Intel/ATI website (which might not be so smart I guess).

My recommendation then, is make sure you get exactly what the chipset is for the devices in question. I wouldn't use the ones from the Windows Updates provided unless they were microsoft products, mostly cause I have actually seen a system get twitchy using those and I went to go get the drivers from the manufacturer's website and stabilized the system.

Read the documentation from the drivers you did get from Dell, that should help you get at least an idea of the drivers you should be looking for from the manufacturer. Also, do the drivers one at a time. No need to do all of them unless you want to, as your first priority is to identify what is causing your wife's system to freeze for a bit. From my own experience, it is best to try re-create the issue as much as possible, paying attention to what is happening at that time to help you identify the root causes of the issue. Like is the Hard Drive working hard, then that narrows it down to being the Main Board and/or Drive Controller drivers needing to be looked into. Was it something that was to make a sound, then focus more on the sound card. Was it something to do with video, look at the video drivers. Was it something net related... Network card drivers.

As always, be consistent when you test it. Otherwise, you won't know if you have addressed the issue and having a mad wife come at you with scissors.

Actually, Greg, I have to differ on you with this...

This is actually coming from experience in installing Windows 7 on my Dell XPS 720, which also has no drivers for Windows 7 and I have a different Video Card in the system. While I downloaded the drivers, I have seen similar problems with my system until I made sure certain drivers were put in place. While Win 7 was functioning to a degree, I have run into slight pauses and twitches using the baseline drivers offered by Windows 7 and also from the Windows Updates.

As much as you like to believe the WHQL tested drivers being pushed by Windows Updates, I don't have nearly as much faith in them as a whole from a clean install. They are there just enough to get the machine functional, but can cause twitches as mentioned unless you take the time to update the drivers from the Manufacturer.

As some of the Dell's older systems do not have Win 7 Drivers, the alternative is to use either the Vista x64 ones if they are available or to get them from the chipset manufacturer. Relying on purely the Microsoft ones is as much as relying on the belief of "XPired or vista thinking".

I also stated he should do them one at a time, re-creating the situation as much as possible, thus eliminating the problem.

The differences as expressed here give users both perspectives so they can settle on their own course.

I am only asking that new installers wait to see how performance pans out before jumping in to change drivers.

What's important is that they understand the process so they can engage in it if necessary.

Since you have been through the same thing with a Dell you might be able to guide OP to resolve whether drivers are his problem.

If not and he reinstalls as planned then I hope he'll gauge performance before changing drivers.

I'll do as Greg says initially i.e. just use whatever drivers come with windows update and see how things go. I get the messgae to take a note of what drivers are installed and then if performace issues work through each one if changing to one from Dell or manufacturer.

It was all going so well until I started! I went into the BIOS setup and see the following choice under SATA Operation: RAID Auto Detect/ATA or RAID ON. Currently set to RAID ON. All 3 of my drives (2 RAID 1 seperate) say "controlled by RAID BIOS". The first option says that RAID is used if RAID is signed on drives otherwise ATA. Selecting this option throws up an aggressive warning about not being able to boot etc.

When you say set SATA to AHCI is this the same as RAID Auto Detect/ATA? I don't see any reference to AHCI. Just wondering if RAID drives are "signed" whatever that means so the Auto detect will still keep the RAID0 assmebly. i have tried searching Dell support but can't find anything to clarify what this all means.

Unfortunately, without seeing the BIOS screen myself, I can't tell you where to look. the XPS 430 is probably using a different MB than the XPS 720. Although my first guess is that you are not quite in the right place for what Rocker is wanting you to set your SATA controller type.

Been digging around on Dell support web site and it talks about using either Nvidia Media Shield or Intel Matrix Storage Manager to manager adding/removing rives from RAID. However neither of these seem to be instaleld on my system!

Ah found the intel Storage Manager by pressing Ctrl-I as it boots up. This allows me to create/delete or reset an array. However still no sign of the pesky ACHI!

masplin said:

Been digging around on Dell support web site and it talks about using either Nvidia Media Shield or Intel Matrix Storage Manager to manager adding/removing rives from RAID. However neither of these seem to be instaleld on my system!

That would have nothing to do with Greg's recommendation with AHCI, that has more to do with providing an 'interface' for you in Windows to manage your RAID configuration without using the BIOS. Such as building an array or rebuilding an array. Most normal users would use that instead of looking at the BIOS cause it allows them to still use the computer, to a degree, without sitting there waiting for the system to do so or having to reboot the system to manage the array via bios.