Error on all driver installs after clean install

[AddRAM]

When getting the network driver you HAVE TO GO TO Dell.com like you did from a working pc with internet and go to Drivers & Support, type in your model and all the drivers for it will come up, don`t worry about your Bios, it`s fine, leave it alone for now. You have to download the network drivers to a flash drive or a cd, then just run the setup file from the driver to install it, it`s that simple.

http://www.dell.com/support/home/ca/en/cabsdt1?c=ca&l=en&s=bsd

Then you can start running windows update, when your done running all rounds, then check the device manager for any hardware that still needs a driver, then you will go back to Dell.

 

[speed804]

While I do appreciate your guys attempt to help, your stubborn belief that I have simply not followed these steps is starting to irritate me.

I started out by saying that I navigated to my computer and plugged in my service tag to get the drivers from dell. I said that I followed all the steps in that simple tutorial. This is not rocket science I did it and it didn't work. If you would like to help don't repeat what anything in that tutorial says. Something is clearly not working properly with my computer and I will need to find out what is DIFFERENT from normal if this is going to work not simply follow the regular install instructions. Regularly the drivers work!!!!!! If they don't, there is a problem. Repeating the same single minded comments won't help anyone that knows how to use a computer!

 

[gregrocker]

What is listed uinder Network Adapters now in Device manager, and what is the status of the driver shown?

What network devices are shown in Device Manager without a driver as symbolized by a ! mark?

Have you tried running both the Broadcom and Atheros downloads after unzipping to C:|Dell|Drivers? Find each one's Setup .exe and rightclick to Run as Administrator. Watch the bottom right System Tray for the network connection icon to change.

Next right click on the network icon in bottom right System Tray to run its Troubleshooter. What does it report?

 

[speed804]

Under the network adapters there is one ethernet controller listed and one network controller. They both have exclamation marks on them and when I try to manually scan for drivers after unzipping the drivers it never finds one.

When I have tried the atheros driver install it says
"The installer can not run on this platform. Please select package for your operating system."
and does not run.

When I have tried the broadcom driver it installs the network manager fine but the driver doesn't give an error and doesn't change anything. After the broadcom install the windows message at the bottom pops up and says the driver installed unsuccessfully.

The troubleshooter says that there is not a properly installed network adapter. If you have a network adapter, you will need to re-install the driver.

I have reseated the wireless card and it doesn't seem to have any fit problems and is screwed in. There is only one bay for it and so it is in the right bay. The network adapter on the motherboard is on the motherboard and looks fine.

 

[speed804]

CPU-Z says that the brand of my BIOS is Award Software International Inc. Version F8 date 10/11/2010. Is the the right BIOS?

Product Support | Dell US

If you look up my service tag it says the BIOS is Dell Dell Studio XPS 7100 BIOS, A06.

Maybe I need to flash the BIOS and boot install that BIOS? I haven't done that before so a tutorial ref for that would be useful.

The chipset for the motherboard says rev A0 at DELL and rev 00 in CPU-Z. That seems like the same thing to me.

Link to my mobo site http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3475#ov
I am starting to think that is not the original motherboard that came with this computer. I looked up the original specs for my service code and I can't see anywhere where it says which motherboard came with it.

 

[gregrocker]

The BIOS has nothing to do with this.

What happened when you plugged in by ethernet and enabled Automatically deliver drivers via Windows Update (Step 3)?

If you're sure you have the correct tag number then one of those adapters should work if you installed 64 bit. Double check now at Computer>Properties that you have 64 bit.

Trace the http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73420-hardware-identification.html of the two network adapters in error to see exactly what the make/model of the devices are, then if the downloads provided cannot be made to install go to the Support DOwnloads webpage for those exact models on the maker's website to download the drivers. Do this for all network devices you have including the card. The card should also have it's serial number to google if not the make/model.

 

[speed804]

When I downloaded the lan driver from the motherboard site I linked to it installed fine and is working now. I guess somebody must have upgraded the motherboard. Telling me to do the same simple step still doesn't work!!!!

That hardware identification link was a good tip though! I looked up my vendor and hardware id to double check the wireless network card and got
Download Atheros driver 10.0.0.285 for AR9283

but that didn't come with an install file and when I unzipped it to the driver folder and pointed the driver search to that folder it still didn't find anything. Will try moving my computer again to let windows give it a shot (don't trust windows at all!).

 

[speed804]

Thanks again for that hardware ID tip. Windows didn't pick up my graphics card either so I looked up the hardware id and got it fine. Turns out it was a nice surprise someone upgraded my mobo and my graphics card from what I thought I was getting.

 

[gregrocker]

Have you run all Important and Optional Windows Updates, with reboots, until there are no more offered when you Check for Updates? Let us know what drivers are still missing after this is done.