Date: 29 March 24, 01:56 AM
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 Reviving an old Dell 1501



Brez


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As i am now a retired Pensioner, i can no longer afford the Jewels of life!

I want to try and upgrade my old dell 1501 Laptop.
Win xp pro-32bit, 80Gb hdd, 2 x 512 RAM.
Resurrected it from its lair of 4 Years hibernation, damn lazy and slow! :-\

So i went onto ebay and Purchased Win7 pro-64bit and 2 x 2Gb RAM sticks. :D
There is nothing i need on the dell so i want to completely erase and clean the HDD and fire this up as a fresh laptop.

I have read about prog called DBAN to clean the disk. anyone tried it?
What is the best sequence to do these jobs?
i.e. install RAM before erasing HDD or after, leave ram until Win 7 is installed, any advice?

Brez


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UPDATE:
Have decided to plaster in a new HDD as well.
Cant decide if 5400 or 7200 revs is better for my system (see below).
This machine has sentimental value, so purchasing a different one is not an option.

Downloaded Windows7 upgrade advisor, and ran it.....
Code: [Select]
Information about upgrading to 64-bit Windows 7
System Details
 Custom installation required You'll need to perform a custom installation of 64-bit Windows 7 and then reinstall your programs. Make sure to back up your files before you begin.
Go online to get important information about installing Windows 7 on a PC running Windows XP 
 896 MB of RAM Your PC needs at least 2 GB of RAM for 64-bit Windows 7 for optimal performance. Contact your PC manufacturer or retailer to see if an upgrade is available. 
 Outlook Express This program is no longer included in Windows 7. You can get similar programs for Windows 7 from other software manufacturers.
Go to the Microsoft website to learn more
 More info from Dell Inc. Dell Inc. has a website that might give you more information about getting Windows 7 running on your PC.
Visit the Dell Inc. website
 Windows Aero support Your graphics adapter supports the Windows Aero user interface.
Go online to learn more about Windows Aero
 CPU speed: 2.0 GHz Your CPU meets the 1 GHz minimum requirement.
 22.7 GB free space available on C: Your hard disk meets the minimum requirement of 20 GB free space for 64-bit Windows 7. 
   
Devices Status Details
 Canon MP180 Printer
Canon Unknown We don't have compatibility information about this device.
 ATI Radeon Xpress 1150
ATI Technologies Inc. Check Windows Update Check Windows Update after installing Windows 7 to make sure you have the latest driver for this device, otherwise it may not work.
 Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller
Broadcom Compatible This device is compatible with Windows 7.
 Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem
Conexant Compatible This device is compatible with Windows 7.
 Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-Card
Broadcom Compatible This device is compatible with Windows 7.
 SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
SigmaTel Compatible This device is compatible with Windows 7.

Brez


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did not get the option of adding it as an attachment

Brez


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Older machines might not take SATA 3, for a possible example.
I thought the 3 was something to do with security!

Nothing to do with fitting
Quote
SATA I (revision 1.x) interface, formally known as SATA 1.5Gb/s, is the first generation SATA interface running at 1.5 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 150MB/s.

SATA II (revision 2.x) interface, formally known as SATA 3Gb/s, is a second generation SATA interface running at 3.0 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 300MB/s.

SATA III (revision 3.x) interface, formally known as SATA 6Gb/s, is a third generation SATA interface running at 6.0Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 600MB/s. This interface is backwards compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s interface.

Bill


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SSD SATA technology is backwards compatible. That is if your machine supports SATA 1 (or just called SATA) and you buy a SATA 3 SSD it will work at the original SATA  speed.
The bigger question is does your motherboard have a SATA connection to use?
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

Brez


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The bigger question is does your motherboard have a SATA connection to use?
Hi Bill, long time since we corresponded last!
I am replacing my SATA HDD with a larger capacity one and not adding another drive.
Have just been given a used and formatted Hitachi 320Gb SATA II disk which saves me some money!
(Here in Ireland we are paying double and sometimes treble UK/EU prices for parts + 23% VAT!)
I know i am better off to clean the drive and RW in 0's before installing.

I have flashed the bios from the original 1.7.0 to 2.6.3 and the speed difference is noticable, but i am holding onto the 1.7.0 and i also have the 2.3.0 in case i need to flash back and see whice one works best when project is complete.
Also i have the Turion 2GHz Processor installed instead of the original Sempron 1.8 so i am now ready to go.

Bill


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My goodness, 23% VAT!  I complain about a 9% sales tax in South  Carolina.   Yes, it's been a very long time.  I missed the fact that your current drive is SATA, sorry, but the SATA II should be fine.  If I were you, I would reformat when do the clean install of Win 7, just to be on the safe side.  But good luck and let us know how it goes.

I am assuming this will be your first dealing with Win 7.  I would suggest, after the install, you verify that the Windows Firewall is turned on.  You have a lot of Windows updates ahead of you.  When you get to A/V security issues, ask. We have a good deal of experience and various opinions of what works best but a general sense of agreement on how to proceed.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

Brez


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I am assuming this will be your first dealing with Win 7.  I would suggest, after the install, you verify that the Windows Firewall is turned on.  You have a lot of Windows updates ahead of you.  When you get to A/V security issues, ask. We have a good deal of experience and various opinions of what works best but a general sense of agreement on how to proceed.
Your assumption is spot on Bill.
A slow graduation from the days of Win 3.1 right up to XP Pro which i stuck with as i thought it the greatest system ever to emerge from the ms stable. Spent an odd day or two on vista, server 2003, 7 and 8 but decided those were not for me, they all seemed to be aimed at the music and gaming market!
I always chose Pro versions when available as i dont do the playground stuff. (95% of my pc work would be aimed at the medical market).

However as ms is no longer supporting xp (except sec. patches) i realize i NEED to upgrade before i am left behind. Pity, xp was the greatest and most popular ms system ever!
i intend to install Windows 7 Professional 64Bit (OEM Version) SP1, and yes, the list of updates looks enormous! :o

Brez


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Project Update:
Ok, so far i have purchased an external SATA HD Enclosure/Caddy for comfort.
Fitted the used drive i was given in and formatted it, 320gb - 298gb free
This way i can install Win 7 on it and download the latest drivers onto that before i install the new RAM and exchange the HDD's.

Bill


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Brez, unfortunately John's right.  The SSD must be in the computer for the O/S to install, namely because via the USB cable Windows cannot interface with the laptop's components.  External drives were really only designed for storage.  If I were you, I'd add the new ram, switch the SSD into the machine and then run the install.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

Brez


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The 7 will have to be installed on a drive IN the computer, and cannot be installed on the drive when its attached via a cable. You might know that, but it was not clear in your previous Poast.   8)

Sounds like great progress!
Actually, No!
That is something i never knew.

Bill


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That's why we're here!
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

Brez


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OK! No problem.

I wanted a large enough external drive anyway.
So i can place the outcoming ssd into the caddy as i have a large 11.2 gb medical filing system.
(pen drives were always too small!

scuzzy


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More trivia:
Same thing goes for trying to install the Windows drive in another machine... it will not boot.


Yes it will, JA. I recently did it when I moved a Windows 7 2.5" HDD from a desktop to a laptop. It booted just fine. All I had to do was update drivers and reactivate Windows with the laptop's credentials.

Brez


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i seem to remember HDD's with 2000 pro installed on them for sale on ebay for Dell PC's with codes!

Brez


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Here's a good one then!

I am now ready to start switching everything, but before i do......
When i install the new 320 drive i shall obviously be required to install all the drivers onto it but i do not have them on disk.
Can i extract what drivers i need from the old 80 drive when it is connected as an external through usb?
Or at least the wireless driver so i can dl from dell website.

Bill


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Brez
Windows 7 contains lots and lots of native drivers, put the SSD in and install.  You should be able to get what you might need afterwards.  For instance win 7 is the first O/S to contain SATA drivers. In earlier versions you had to install them separately.  Win 7 should have wifi drivers included in the install.
I should also have suggested that you not connect the external drive before you install win 7.  I would also not connect anything external to the laptop, including a printer before the install, sorry.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

Brez


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Yep nothing external connected.

Win7 installed ok then asked for my wi-fi password after detecting it.
Immediately went into windows update(135 in total) downloaded them and then asked for a restart.
When booting flashed through thousands of update files quite fast. then stopped with message.....
Quote
Failure configuring Windows updates
Reverting changes...
Do not turn off your computer
I have so far left it running on reverting ::)

scuzzy


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Bill


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I would also suggest, when doing updates you be very careful about what the updates are.  For instance I don't up grade anything to do with Internet Explorer.  I typically don't let windows automatically install all updates, there is that option to down load and ask you.
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Brez


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I have not got that option as i dont have the cable, these are already downloaded updates!

Anyway, i rebooted and went into downloaded updates, started by installing 1 at a time to find the faulty one.

Didnt take too long to find......
Quote
Error Code 9C48
Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 for x86 based systems (KB2858725)

Is that a corrupted download?
Maybe i dont need that anyway as i havent used IE in the last 10 Years when that browser wrecked my old laptop.

Brez


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BTW that should have been 153 updates not 135 - typo error!

OK all updated except the IE one, damn microsoft!
Have setting at "check for updates but let me choose"
WoW! on reboot it is similar as the changeover from dial up to broadband, the difference i mean.
BUT! i have been on XP so long that i can see there are certain points of Win7 that may take time to getting used to!

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Brez


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Thx Scuzzy, to me XP was the greatest system ever and i must admit that i was VERY reluctant to progress from it EVER! i built my Med charts on 2000 Pro and saw them develop fully through the XP pro system.

Anyway i have installed Avast as my preferred AV system (worked great for me in previous times) and installed Firefox as my preferred browser, Oh my! that is fast on 7!
Have just been advised to try http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalCPUID/index-e.html to improve my system further, but i have never done an underclock system and unsure of the consequences (if any)

Bill


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Brez, I  suggest you try Speccy instead of crystal.  Better info and very easy to use.  Doesn't involve any setting changes ans a wealth of information.
Available from the author's site here: https://www.piriform.com/speccy/download

I think the biggest speed difference is the effect the SSD has vs. standard HD, rather than win 7.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

Brez


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Yes i installed the RAM.... Recognizes 3.86gb on the machine.
Its now a Whizz Kid, i am probably the fastest pensioner in Ireland!

When i booted up this evening there was another 76 important updates to install.
Still havent used the machine yet except for downloading and installing updates.
Wont use it yet until all updates and security patches have stopped appearing.
I still have XP on my Desktop for present work, (the compatibility prog tells me it wont accept Win 7)

Brez


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i am sure the updates go on but i meant when they cut back a bit from 76 a day!

Started transferring the progs. over and that is now downloading win7 compat updates.

The installation disk came with SP1 on it.

Brez


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I think the real test for her will come when i use her to transfer files from my website, edit them and upload again, possibly Saturday if time permits. I have always found that .wav and .mov files i made are slow in any editor. (have sampled loads of editors over the years)

scuzzy


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Brez


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Thx Scuzzy, thats quite an interesting piece.

The Audio/Video software i use is AVS, i believe it to be a 32bit but may be 64 compatible as well (to be honest i never checked!)
I am a subscriber member to it, but i found it more useful and simpler than more expensive equivalents.

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The strangest thing happened last evening.
When i Booted up laptop my memory light started flashing and nothing came on.
Couldnt boot into safe mode to check the problem, it left me wondering.

I removed the 2 RAM sticks and replaced them with the 2 x 512mb i had taken out.
She booted up alright but slower than i had now got used to.
I shut down again and returned one of the 2gb sticks back in, memory flashing and no boot up!
Then i replaced that 2gb stick with the other 2gb stick and viola! she booted.
Tried the 2gb stick i took out in the 2nd slot and memory flash again.
No matter how i tried it refused to accept this one stick.
I cleaned the connectors using methylated spirits, cleaned the receptor connectors too, no good. placed the 512 stick back in and instant boot.

For some reason, both sticks worked initially, but now one has failed.
Probably should expect that when using "Used" sticks.

Brez


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Yep! bought it on ebay from someone who deals in pc memory and a mighty feedback.
Seems very authentic, in email he told me to hold onto the faulty one and return it when i receive a replacement from him, he also refunding postal costs.

Brez


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He was the only place i could see the "2GB DDR2-533 PC2-4200 4200S Laptop SODIMM Memory" RAM for sale.

So the replacement wont cost me anything.

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Speeding through files now like i never useta!

However there are some rather niggly issues that i have been attempting to rectify myself without success.

1) on boot up, i get the prompt "USB device not recognized" Nothing is plugged into usb, onlt thing ever was a memory stick that i have some files on.
I went into system in the cp and deleted the offender, no good. went back into system and disabled it then deleted it, no good. Its not a major problem - just annoying!

2) since upgrading my right arrow when using text wont operate in almost everything.

Bill


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# 2 sounds like keyboard issue.  Have you tried blowing it out?

Look in the device manager for yellow marks.  That might tell you something.
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Brez


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device manager lists #1 as unknown device, properties of it show "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)"

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Now i am really confused...
after clicking entering as administrator...
C:\windows\system32>

anyway i ran that scan and got message
"Windows resource protection found corrupt files was unable to fix some of them"

Bill


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Brez,
If you have a win7 disc, there is a 'repair' option on it that may work without damaging the rest of your files.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit