Upgrading to Windows 7 on Dell Vostro 1500 (Regarding Drivers)

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Thread: Upgrading to Windows 7 on Dell Vostro 1500 (Regarding Drivers)

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  1. #1
    Catfish
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    Upgrading to Windows 7 on Dell Vostro 1500 (Regarding Drivers)

    Hello, I hope you are doing well.

    I am currently using a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop and running Windows XP, Service Pack 3. Windows XP came with this laptop when I purchased it from Dell approximately two years ago, and I am now planning to upgrade to Windows 7. For the past two years, I have been getting my driver updates strictly from Dell's official site for this laptop, here: http://support.dell.com/support/down...g=EN&TabIndex=

    That page only applies to Windows XP and Windows Vista, as the Vostro 1500 never came with Windows 7 and Dell no longer manufactures the Vostro 1500. Once I upgrade to Windows 7, how would I continue getting driver updates?

    I plan to format my hard drive after saving important files (my documents and programs), then installing Windows 7 on a clean, reformatted hard drive. When I formatted my hard drive in the past, I relied on the Dell drivers site to get applications to connect to the Internet, get BIOS updates, etc. Will it still be fine if I download the drivers and applications from that site and use it for Windows 7?

    Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. This is the first time I am upgrading an operating system in my entire life.

    Thank you,
    Vic

  2. #2
    Tiger Shark
    Join Date
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    Win7 should have a lot of the necessary drivers already, given that the lappy is a couple years old. Install the OS and if everything works, then it works and its a done deal. Otherwise, you'll need to ID the make and model of the parts and track down the drivers yourself. Find a spec sheet and that will tell you the make and model of the chipset, ethernet, and audio components. Then just go to the various manufacturer's websites and start looking for drivers.

    I'll be putting Win7 on my vostro 1500 next month or so. I hope it isn't too much of a pain to track down drivers.
    Last edited by fluffmonster; 09-16-2009 at 12:49 PM.

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  3. #3
    Mako Shark kent1146's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MaStAViC View Post
    Hello, I hope you are doing well.

    I am currently using a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop and running Windows XP, Service Pack 3. Windows XP came with this laptop when I purchased it from Dell approximately two years ago, and I am now planning to upgrade to Windows 7. For the past two years, I have been getting my driver updates strictly from Dell's official site for this laptop, here: http://support.dell.com/support/down...g=EN&TabIndex=

    That page only applies to Windows XP and Windows Vista, as the Vostro 1500 never came with Windows 7 and Dell no longer manufactures the Vostro 1500. Once I upgrade to Windows 7, how would I continue getting driver updates?

    I plan to format my hard drive after saving important files (my documents and programs), then installing Windows 7 on a clean, reformatted hard drive. When I formatted my hard drive in the past, I relied on the Dell drivers site to get applications to connect to the Internet, get BIOS updates, etc. Will it still be fine if I download the drivers and applications from that site and use it for Windows 7?

    Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. This is the first time I am upgrading an operating system in my entire life.

    Thank you,
    Vic
    The only real problem you would need to even worry about is drivers. And the general rule of thumb for Windows 7 is that if your laptop has Vista drivers, then it will run fine under Windows 7. The core of Windows 7 is very similar to Vista, so you can actually use and install Vista drivers on a Windows 7 machine and expect your hardware to work fine.

    Your actual mileage may vary, but you look like you're in the clear.
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  4. #4
    Goldfish
    Join Date
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    Yeah Kent is correct about the Vista drivers. You could probably even go back to your same support.dell.com page and just download the vista drivers posted for you laptop, and chances are they will work fine.
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  5. #5
    Catfish
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    Thank you for the three replies and the vote of confidence! Just reading them made me feel a lot better about the upgrade.

  6. #6
    Sushi
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Vic,

    Many manufactuers are holding off on releasing Windows 7 drivers until the final release of Windows 7. Win 7 also offers driver support that has not been previously seen in prior operating systems. For the drivers the Windows 7 does not automatically update, the Windows Vista drivers *should* suffice. In the event that you run into a road block, Microsoft does have an official Windows 7 RC Support Forum located here http://tinyurl.com/9fhdl5 . It is supported by product specialists as well as engineers and support teams. You may want to check the threads available there prior to upgrading.

    Also, if you are planning on purchasing Windows 7 upon release and you have not yet pre-ordered your copy, you may do so today! For more information, see the Windows 7 Pre-Order offer page here: http://tinyurl.com/nldc8p

    Jessica
    Microsoft Windows Client Team

  7. #7
    Catfish
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    105
    Thanks for all the responses and help! I just did a clean installation of Windows 7 and everything looks great. The only drivers I needed were for my video card - which I got from nvidia.com - and for the touchpad.

    Thanks again!
    Vic

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