Device drivers included on the windows 7 disc?

[Zephyr948]

One question I have is are the device drivers included on the windows 7 disc? I'm not sure I have a device driver disc let alone knowing what drivers I need. Any help would be appreciated. I use windows xp if its of any importance.

 

[Brink]

Hello Zephyr, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Windows 7 will usually only contain generic drivers and sometimes the correct ones for devices. Sometimes Windows Updates, if set to install updates automatically, will find and install the correct drivers for you as well.

You can also download Windows 7 driver versions directly from the device's manufacture website to install.

If you could fill out your system specs, this will help more. What brand and model is your computer?

 

[patrickt]

I'm still running the RC1--7 should be here next week--but I had to download drivers for my motherboard and my printer. I use Intellipoint/type software for my mouse and keyboard. All other drivers such as sound, hard drives, DVD drives, card reader, and video were from Microsoft.

 

[Zephyr948]

I have a dell xps 400. I will work on the specs, but I'm not sure where to find all the information at the moment.

 

[Dubya]

I'd suggest installing W7 and once its done have a look in your Device Manager which will show any unknown devices - these are the ones for which you need to install drivers manually. You will then need to install the correct drivers for all your devices (possibly your mobo too if its not new).
In my experience Windows 7 has really good driver support so you might be pleasantly surprised...

 

[Pauly]

I'd suggest installing W7 and once its done have a look in your Device Manager which will show any unknown devices - these are the ones for which you need to install drivers manually. You will then need to install the correct drivers for all your devices (possibly your mobo too if its not new).
In my experience Windows 7 has really good driver support so you might be pleasantly surprised...

Have to agree win 7 has most drivers you need,i didnt even have to load raid drivers when installing like you have to on older windows versions

 

[Zephyr948]

I might try that, but my main issue is installing it and finding out I don't have the drivers to use something. I do not have a lot of experience in this area, so finding out what drivers I need is going to be a challenge.

 

[Murdear]

I might try that, but my main issue is installing it and finding out I don't have the drivers to use something. I do not have a lot of experience in this area, so finding out what drivers I need is going to be a challenge.

Take a PrintScreen of your Device Manager and then Search this website Microsoft Update Catalog for all the drivers you want, and then save them to a USB stick.

 

[Brink]

Zephyr,

I found your driver download page at the Dell link below for your computer. However, they are only for the 32-bit Vista. They will work in the 32-bit Windows 7 though. I would at least recommend to download and backup the network driver incase you may need to install it before your Windows 7 can connect to the internet. Afterwards, you can download anything that does not have a driver installed for it by Windows 7 in Device Manager.

Drivers & Downloads

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Zephyr948]

Ok, thanks for the help. I'm not too experienced when it comes to finding what to back up to do a clean install. What I mean is I can find drivers to download, but it's often I'm unsure of what device drivers I actually need in order to clean install. The 32 bit drivers will be fine, so I will follow that link.