Will Windows 7 work on dell dimension 3000?

will vista driver better than XP? it seems like vista driver is newer?

Yes, Vista drivers work with Win7.

This is the only one i found at intel.com, no vista drivers. This video controller is very old, so they do not have compatible drivers for windows 7.

This is not the same as XP. Win7 is driver-complete with few exceptions.

Use the drivers given by the installer, and quickly updated via optional Windows Updates when you elect to auto-update hardware: Automatically get recommended drivers and updates for your hardware

Then if any drivers are missing, import them from the Support Downloads webpage your model computer or device. You may have to google for Vista drivers for that exact device model.

This Thread is a bit old. I'll post this in case there's anyone who wants to know.
The answer is yes. The only thing that didn't work on my Dimension 3000 after upgrading to Windows 7 ultimate was the video driver. I couldn't adjust the resolution at all. This is what you need to do if you're having the same issue. Do this after doing all the updates for windows 7 including service pack 1. Click on the link below. Please note that this driver is listed for windowsXp. don't worry I'll show you what I did to make it work winth win7. Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States].
Under Video, download R106458.EXE (4MB). the file will get saved under c:\dell\drivers. Click start(botton Left) where is says: search programs and files, type device manager.
Select device manager. you'll see it at the top of the window.
Click the little arrow next to Display Adapter.
Right click what you see under the drop down. (Graphic controller), and select: update graphic software. Then click on Browse my computer for driver software.
Click browse and go to C:\DELL\drivers\R106458. Click Next. Wait several mins. when done it will ask you restart your computer. Once the system comes back up go back to device manager under display adapters and you should see the new driver. Intel(R) 82865G Graphics Controller. after that you should be able to change your resolution.

Please let me know if this works for you.
Good luck
BFX

I have a Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop with the original MOBO.

It has an Intel/Dell P4 3.0 GHz CPU w/Hyperthreading.

2GB PC3200 DDR system memory

I have disabled the onboad graphics and sound.

I have 2 80 GB IDE Hard Drives and 1 320 GB IDE Hard Drive.

I have an LG GH22LP21 Dual Layer DVD Writer w/Lightscribe Technology

I have an NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT w/1GB DDR2 Memory (Not PCI-e)

I have a Creative/Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Soundcard (Not PCI-e)

I am running Windows-XP Home Edition 2002 w/SP3 32 bit version.

I have used Vista on this computer without any problems other than the Voice Recognition problems and also that the Chess game will play endlessly with just 2 kings.

I have the updated drivers for my hardware, and at last check, there isn't an update for the Intel Chipset for this MOBO.

I can install Windows 7 up to the point of the first reboot and then I get a message that there aren't any hard drives installed so the system won't boot.

I then take out that hard drive and install the one with Windows-XP and I'm back up and running. I really need a new computer, but finances won't permit one at this time.

I have seen that other members have been able to get Windows 7 to work on their Dimension 3000 so I'm hoping someone can help me out, but every time I try installing on a new hard drive, it gets to the first reboot and then the no hard drives installed message comes up.

I thank you in advance.

Susan

Hi Susan,
since your computer runs on 32bit I'm assuming the win 7 ver you're installing is 32bit?
When installing win7 are you choosing to update or the 2nd option which I think is advanced or custom?

Hi,

Thank you.

I'm doing a clean install on a different hard drive that has been low level formatted and then reformatted and partitoned using the Maxblast Software and then Windows 7 also formats the drive while installing. And yes, it is the 32-bit version.

As I mentioned, it installs fine and then on the first reboot, it get a message that there aren't any hard drives installed in my system.

If I were to hit any key while the computer is booting, it would boot from the DVD and want to either Install or Repair. But since I am letting it boot from the hard drive, that is when I get the message.

I forgot to mention that it is Windows 7 Ultimate x.32

I also had downloaded the "Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor" and the only thing that shows up as incompatible is the "Intel Chipset" driver.

Susan

Where did you get Win7? Did you burn the disk yourself? Try burning another at 4x speed using ImgBurn, or write to flash stick using Universal USB Installer with Win7 in dropdown menu - boot under USB, Removable, HD's on one time boot menu with HD set first to boot in BIOS setup.

If XP wil still start then try running the installer from XP to overwrite C, i.e. choose C partition from which you are installing at the screen when you choose where to install.

If you needed the IDE controller driver added before installing (rare) you wouldn't be able to see the HD when you select where you want to install Win7. Are you choosing Custom Install and selecting where you want to install there? Try that next from booted installer.

Try unplugging all other HD's and wiping the target HD first: SSD - HDD Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

May I ask why you disabled onboard graphics? Do you have a video card that is compatible with Win7? You may need to try the install with the onboard.

If these all fail, try resetting the BIOS to defaults in BIOS setup. Set HD to boot first, trigger DVD using one time BIOS Boot menu key.

Hi Greg,

Thanks.

It was a purchased version from 2009, and I did remove all other hard drives from the computer. I have a few spare 80GB drives that I keep for emergencies and I only installed one of them and as I mentioned previously, it was a clean install. I don't want to do it as an upgrade or wipe out my windows-XP because I would lose programs and I don't want to reinstall XP all over again, it takes too long to do all the updates, even with a DSL connection, then the reboots and more updates and reboots.

I have tried booting from a USB device, but it won't work, even though I can set that up in my CMOS.

I did choose Custom Install and even let it connect to the Internet to see if there were any updates and that all worked fine until the first shut down and reboot.

Yes, I disabled the onboard graphics and sound because I sometimes use the computer for games with surround sound and 3D Graphics so I made sure what I purchased was compatible with Windows Vista and 7 and the graphics card onboard just isn't fast enough or has enough memory so the IDE cards I have are better than the onboard. The soundcard is for 7.1 speakers or 5.1 speakers which works great for certain games.

I also have an extensive vinyl record collection that I am digitizing to preserve the vinyl from getting scratched. So I also use the computer for music.

I've been having problems in IE8 ever since the last major update to XP and I can't get certain characters to show up properly. Instead of a Wide Colon I see FF 1A and I've downloaded every font pack that I can find and it still won't show the Wide Colon on webpages. I have gone to the library and used their computers and IE9 works fine on the websites I am having problems with. I also have the problems with Google Chrome, Mozilla/Firefox and this all happened after the last major update to XP a few months ago. I don't even use Mozilla/Firefox or Google Chrome anymore and uninstalled them.

So you can see why I would like to use Windows 7. I also have a Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop that hadn't been used in 2 years and I went to the website that I was having trouble with fonts and on the laptop it was fine, but then I did the Updates that came out in the last two years and now even on the laptop the font problems are there and they weren't before the updates.

If I had the money I would buy a barebones system and use my graphics card and sound card and install everything on a new system and forget about the Dell, but for now, financially that isn't possible. I just don't understand why it installs fine and even does a check for the necessary components before it installs but then when it reboots it tells me there are no hard drives.

I didn't have that problem with Vista, but Vista had it's own problems. And when Microsoft unveiled it, they had problems during their presentation especially with the voice recognition software. Windows 7 is similar to Vista, but the bugs supposedly have been worked out so I don't know why I am having problems when other owners of the Dimension 3000 are able to install Windows 7.

Susan